by Gareth Wild

Created on: October 23, 2008   Last Updated: March 02, 2011

There are many different reasons for requiring the purchase of a four wheel drive vehicle. These are things such as you live in a rural area and require the off road capabilities of such a vehicle. You may be disabled so you have limited mobility and cannot gain access to a lower vehicle without difficulty. A four wheel drive vehicle is normally higher than a normal car so you can slide into the vehicle. There are exceptions such as a four wheel drive saloon car. If you keep horses or animals or maybe are a caravaner then a four wheel drive would be ideal as it has both the power and stability to cope with hauling trailers.

OK so you have decided that you require a four wheel drive, you now need to decide on the vehicle. The first thing would be the size of vehicle you need. This will depend on the majority use it will be used for. If you have a large family a 7 seater version may be what you require. Or a 5 seater with luggage space. If you need it for towing then a larger one would be the best bet as it will give better stability. Need one for playing in the mud then a mid sized vehicle such as a Land Rover Discovery or a Vauxhall Antara. You may need an automatic gearbox if you are disabled or have a weak leg as the clutches on some manual gearboxes can be quite heavy. Some may have flappy paddle gearboxes that is where you are able to go up and down the gears by flicking switches on the steering wheel. 

OK you have decided on the size vehicle you require now its the fuel type and economy. The fuel types available these days are petrol, diesel, LPG (liquid petroleum gas) and also hybrids. Hybrids use a combination of a petrol or diesel engine coupled to an electric motor. The electric motor is used at low speeds and also when moving off, it gets recharged when going down the hills as the motor runs backwards then and acts as a dynamo putting charge back into the battery. A typical example of a hybrid 4x4 would be the Lexus. Land Rover have recently launched the e version of the Freelander. Diesels are best if you are going to do allot of wading through water as there are no sparks to get wet. A good compromise is a dual fuel vehicle where you have a petrol engine that can run on both LPG and petrol. The 2 tanks therefore give you greater range.

Once the vehicle size and engine type is sorted then the specfication of the interior and price can be taken into account. Do you want leather interior or a wipe clean interior, again this will be deceided by the main use. You may want comfort and cruise control if you do alot of long distance motorway driving but again its personal choice. Some have toys such as HDC (hill descent control) which makes off roading alot more user friendly.

Depending on the money available for the purchase will mean you may have to look at both new and second hand models. The advantage of going second hand means you have the chance to get a higher spec model than if you were to purchase a brand new one.

Once you have decided all your criteria you should have a clearer idea of what you require in your new four wheel drive vehicle.

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