Back in 2007 a SUV, 4×4 was public enemy #1. Why ? Scroll right back to my very 1st posts. Things have changed. Crossover cars have saved this sector. But it seems a few big bad boys don’t need saving and I’m not talking about premium brands.
Let’s face it, if owners can afford a Range Rover at £75k, or a Merc M-Class, BMW X5 or Audi Q7, what do they care about the price of fish?
It’s the traditional 4x4s which have suffered. The family, fun and fashion market has moved towards the Crossover car. But is a Tiguan or Kuga the real deal?
Some buyers genuinely need a 4×4 for towing and off-road activity. This means a Nissan X-Trail continues to be in demand for those reasons. It’s always been bought for those real activities, not for fun or fashion or as a family car.
What is surprising is 4x4s like the Land Rover Discovery, Land Rover Freelander and Volvo XC90 continue to attract huge interest.
The Land Rover Freelander I can partly understand being announced as a compact 4×4 at the exact time the big truck like jobs were going out of favour. I can also get the Freelander and its new platform adapting to the market – but who knows that? I half accept the XC90 was a capable off-roader and one of the best tarmac tools. The Discovery is not only highly capable, it’s extremely versatile.
Clearly Land Rover and Volvo – who are up to their necks investing in this market – were thinking about SUV and 4×4 issues way before 2007. It takes years to design, set up production, distribute and launch a new car.
It seems Land Rover and Volvo are on the ball. Because when it comes down to SUVs and 4x4s – not Crossovers – a Disco, Freelander, and XC90 are serious contenders.
Just one point. Volvo advertise the XC90 as a Crossover. What? Is it car like? Maybe to drive than most big SUVs. But car like wheels and tyres, suspension travel, platform, centre of gravity, weight? I don’t know.
However it seems the XC90, Disco and Freelander are serious contenders for buyers who think they need this type of car for the many reasons they are made for. Just think of the things you see them tow – caravans, boats, horse boxes, hot-air balloon boxes, gliders, track-cars, camping trailers. All those activities normally mean some off-road activity.
Then consider the amount of properties in remote areas, if there is such a thing as remote in the UK. What about the North of England which is guaranteed bad weather from November to March. It’s June in Scotland. Both are half good reasons to own a 4×4 and it just as well be a proper one like a Freelander, Disco or XC90. They’ve got the disposable income up there.
Down south we don’t need such things. I can’t think of spot in Sussex where at 10 o’clock in the evening you’d be out of sight of house lights. So we’ve had four bad winters in my lifetime which began in 1947. June 3rd, you’ve missed my birthday. Still we can pretend we’re in the wilderness of Worthing with a Kia.
So what do you get if you’ve got half the price of a Range Rover? With the Disco and Freelander you get the badge. Most won’t remember but a Volvo Estate was the UK’s #1 lifestyle car back in the early 80s before SUVs and then MPVs. An XC90 is an estate on a 4×4 platform. These are highly valued brands.
Of course most won’t admit to caring about brand prestige. I suppose they don’t really like a SUVs macho style either. But here’s a funny thing – SUVs are assumed to be comfortable. Nothing could be further from the truth with old SUVs. Comfort is good with our three.
If we say prestige, style and comfort are matters for your personal taste we’re left with performance, versatility, economy and safety.
Simply because a car is bulky doesn’t mean to say it’s safe. Historically traditional 4x4s have been far from safe. Luckily the Disco, Freelander and XC90 have electronic stability control. The XC90 and Freelander are 5-star Euro NCAP, the older Disco 5-star.
Shall we say fuel economy is better than it was.
All three have true SUV performance with respectable speeds and acceleration. The important thing is they have low-speed grunt – torque – strength.
The feature our three have which most Crossovers and new entrants to the Crossover, SUV, 4×4 market don’t have is loads of versatile space for all your gear.
So we might have it there. The reason the Discovery, XC90 and Freelander are still with us is because they’re the real thing for the real job, they torque the talk and you can load your lifestyle in the back – with the rear seats up.
Regards
Ralph
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