LexFather

Again, I am not saying those SUVs do not deserve kudos for their accomplishments. But if you TRULY wanted that much sport and UTILITY, you would buy one of these, with more cargo room and will run rings around a SUV.









But, sadly, a wagon is not "cool" enough to be seen in.

LexFather

Those SUVs u mention are NOT for that use. They actually are UTILITY vehicles. You know that main reason to buy one. CARGO, CARRYING. And they excel very well at it.

Lil4X

This has to be the height of niche marketing: to create a $80K+ vehicle for trail bustin'. One of the givens of serious off-roading is that you WILL bend or break something - the thought is to make it disposable or as inexpensive to repair as possible. Light off-roading is a lot of fun - I've done a good deal of it - but I know when to back off. Burying your luxoboat in a mud bog, or pitchpoling it down a steep slope is probably not something your financial planner would recommend.

If you want to engage in THAT kind of sport, trailer a purpose-built off roader, baja buster, or rock crawler. If you screw it up too badly at least you can pile the parts on the trailer and drag it home in comfort.

kpuri

I was just offering my bias opinion
’06, ’07 models don’t seam to be plagued with the rattles and brake problems of the earlier years. If you notice Consumer Reports seems to be based on the problems of the 2004 Nissan Armada and no considerations have been given or changes made in reporting since that year.


Now with out regard to Price or Reliability the Range Rover is the most Luxurious/Off Road Capable vehicle on the road today (when it's not in the shop).

mavericck

Granted, those wagons may have similar cargo space in them and handle a little bit better, but you'd never be able to go truly "off-roading" like you would be able to in say a Cayenne or Range Rover.

RX_330

I'm not sure about the utility in the RX. : It's more of a raised sedan, which it actually is....

pvmike1

That's too bad. I've seen vids of a G-Wagen on terrain that even a Range Rover could not handle (actually, the G was sent in to pull the RR out when the RR got stuck). I believe the G's are also hand built.

Though handling is much better than you would expect from such a slab sided vehicle, it doesn't dampen or ride as smoothly as newer model SUVs. But the G is a tank - metal bumpers and thick sheet metal all around. I've driven one extensively, and I never worried about door dings when parking it - it's that solid.

I believe MB had already decided to stop importing it to the U.S. when they decided to bring it back last year for one last hurrah.

Here's a link to a spy photo of the new G: http://www.motortrend.com/future/spi...s_benz_g_class

LexFather

Anyway back on topic for me. (my bad)

What about the VW Tourag????It has plenty of luxury and is off road capable

RX_330

Sorry but that article of the supposed 07 G-Class is extremely outdated. That's the new GL-Class, that's a stretched ML basically. It's been out for half a year now, maybe a little longer.




As I posted earlier, the GL off roading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6J6usLRz8Q

pvmike1

Okay, my mistake.

I just noticed that vids of the G-Wagen are posted on page 1. Like mmarshall wrote, that thing is built like a bank vault!

RX_330

I bet the design was based off a bank vault too!! Have I ever mentioned that bank vaults look awesome?

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Just want to hit you with some stats..I highlighted the BMW X3 for yah

Road & track 11/06 skidpad #'s

BMW M5 .87g
BMW M3 Comp Coupe .88g
BMW X3 .88g
BMW M6 .88g
BMW M roadster .89g
BMW 330I .83

Lexus IS350 .80g
Lexus GS450H .83g
Lexus IS250 .84g

LexFather

http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/t...op-gear-bmw-x3

It can have a skidpad of .99 or over a G, it won't feel nearly as good as a car/wagon.

You might not want to watch this, he gets brutal


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy8lCMOZvMI

mmarshall

Take these figures with a grain of salt. Many different things can affect skidpad figures...tire pressure, tire tread and rubber compound, vehicle load, road surface friction, air and pavement temperature, etc...
Tires are probably the biggest factor. Take any of the test results above, put different tires on the car (even keeping all other things equal), and you will likely come up with a different figure. That also applies, of course, to acceleration, braking distances, and slalom speeds.

That is why I personally don't put a whole lot of stock in published skidpad figures...there are too many variables, and it is only accurate with factory tires....or the tires that the testing organization ( in this case R&T) is using.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

I saw those old vids of the 05 x3. Those vids really don't depict what the vehicle can do. When i get home, I will post up some vids that will open some eyes.

I don't believe that you have driven the X series of Sav's from BMW. After driving one, you will bite your tongue