Go from BMW X5 to what?

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

V6 3l great engine & the 2l isn't bad, but take a closer look under the bonnet and everything apart from the block was stamped "made in Mexico", I don't think anything apart from the block, had any German engineering or design. The bodywork is shocking, I'm sure Heinz had something to do with it (they did have a plant next door to the VW plant in Argentina) The inside feels and looks cheap, the doors sound so light and tinny when you shut them & I can lift the tailgate with one finger!
I think when it was launched pick-ups were on the rise and VAG wanted part of the action, in my opinion they got it badly wrong with the 1st gen Amarok. I've read that the 2nd gen Amarok is made at the same Ford plant in South Africa that designed and makes the Ranger, which apart from the "marmite" styling is a brilliant pick-up.



Next door neighbour has a Touareg, brilliant car, great drive, lovely finish, just a shame its a VW!

i must own a different amarok than the ones you have seen i have had Mitsubishi l200 x2 2x ford rangers and now a 2.0 amarok worked on hi lux and navaras and find it the best pick up i have owned or driven it drives almost on a par with the discovery 4 i had before very car like not hard like most pick ups very roomy interior . it is a 2014 and the bodywork is solid well built and with zero rust either on top or underneath including the chassis unlike the rangers and l200 and hi luxes i have either owned or worked on . fair enough there's not much premium inside its just like a big golf same layout and materials .180 bhp permanent 4x4 mid 40 mpg towing my rib on a run mid 30 mpg around town .the same superb zf8 speed gearbox thats in bmw x5 and landrover disco 4 ect

[Voodoo]

I have just sold my old Shogun and bought a Touareg 3 weeks ago...V6TDI. ..absolutely love it. 3.5 ton towing capacity, more than enough for my Rib.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by beerbelly

i must own a different amarok than the ones you have seen

Good job we're all different, otherwise we'd be automatons

[charliee]

I sold my X5 and bought a new VW Touareg, its by far the best tow car I've ever used.
Air suspension & 4 wheel steering are brilliant.

[treerat]

Going to throw in a Rav 4 - been running an older one for the last few years and it's great.

The newer ones have good mileage, comfortable, a 4x4 drive for the odd bit / slipway / weather related driving and aren't too bad new, when compared to some.

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Good job we're all different, otherwise we'd be automatons

very true

[beamishken]

[QUOTE=Steve509926;860325]V6 3l great engine & the 2l isn't bad, but take a closer look under the bonnet and everything apart from the block was stamped "made in Mexico", I don't think anything apart from the block, had any German engineering or design. The bodywork is shocking, I'm sure Heinz had something to do with it (they did have a plant next door to the VW plant in Argentina) The inside feels and looks cheap, the doors sound so light and tinny when you shut them & I can lift the tailgate with one finger!

Yep I bought a 2014 amarok a couple of years ago to replace a 2008 hilux I'd had for 10 years & whilst the amarok is ok to drive its not a patch on the hilux, It took me 12 months to bring myself to sell the hilux as it was obvious the amarok was more hairdressers pickup than work truck. Mine is pretty rusty all over & will need a full repaint when I come to sell it & like you say the tailgate is particularly tinny & the interior plasticky general build quality is poor imho. The 8 speed box is nice but no difflocks or low box is a letdown. I'd rather the old school 5 speed hilux auto with switchable 4wd & lowbox.
Had a couple of landcruiser amazons in the last few years & while they are probably the best of the best they are a bit hungry for every day. I'm currently building a 100 series onto a galvanized chassis as my long term tow car.
A 3.0 landcruiser might suit the op but from the sounds of things one of the German cars will probably suit him, another x5 or touareg would probably fit the bill, depreciation on the Porsche is probably eye watering. I wouldn't touch anything with a green oval badge with a barge pole


Sent from my SM-G950F using RIB Net mobile app

[beerbelly]

i wonder if the Argentinian amaroks are built using different parts then as mine was built in Hannover as were all Highline and Atacama model amaroks destined for the eastern and western Europe and African markets from 2014 on earlier ones were indeed made in Argentina . its worth noting if a low ratio box and diff lock is important to you manual versions and some newer 3.0 versions have this .

[Robmc]

Just a bit left field, but has he considered a Rexton. Not had one myself but they would appear to tick a lot of boxes, though possibly not Dpcn.

Used to have a 5dr shogun - great for towing and x-country but nowadays prefer a 3l A6 (pre adblue) tows 2t and goes like the proverbial when asked to!

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by beamishken

it was obvious the amarok was more hairdressers pickup than work truck

Brutal

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Brutal

i can cut hair

probably not very well but god loves a trier

[Orwell boy]

Originally Posted by Robmc

Just a bit left field, but has he considered a Rexton. Not had one myself but they would appear to tick a lot of boxes, though possibly not Dpcn.

Used to have a 5dr shogun - great for towing and x-country but nowadays prefer a 3l A6 (pre adblue) tows 2t and goes like the proverbial when asked to!

Yes ,(rexton) i have considered this but no where to look locally ,another i have a fairly strong fancy for ,and could well be a good call for the original poster is the subaru forrester or even the outback

[Steve509926]

So let's put this into perspective. In the original post, spartacus appeared to be very keen on "it’s only a bleed’n Porsche" and we have progressed to suggesting a Rexton and a Subaru. Now I'm sure there's nothing wrong with either of those fine vehicles, but.........

[beerbelly]

hes a bloke he's probably already eying up a Porsche and got a viewing booked . he was probably just looking for confirmation its a good idea .

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

So let's put this into perspective. In the original post, spartacus appeared to be very keen on "it’s only a bleed’n Porsche" and we have progressed to suggesting a Rexton and a Subaru. Now I'm sure there's nothing wrong with either of those fine vehicles, but.........

I value Rib.net’s collective opinion.

I know throwing this type of subjective question into the ring, was a bit like putting a Belgian Malinois in a room with a couple of ribeye steaks and asking it not to eat them!

My brother doesn’t do huge miles, so fuel economy is important, but not critical. At the end of the day who wants to stand at a petrol station filling the fuel tank with £100 but the fuel needle registers just a quarter tank. Looks and badge are important, but engineering has got to be up there too. His X5 has rear airbags and they’ve been faultless. Look at the old Audi Allroad (A6), they literally go through Arnott bags to the point owners resort to spring conversions. I also had a colleague with a diesel Jaguar F-pace that was returned within a year due to faults.

Road tax is a killer too with his current E53 X5. Right now he’s paying more tax than Nadhim Zahawi. At the end of the day it’s old school technology. There’s lots of older mint Cayennes and Discoverys on forecourts with £600+ road tax, which seems pointless and basically out of the frying pan into the fire.

My brother like his wheels and I know he’ll look after it, so I’m genuinely interested to hear real world views. I also know people are partisan about particular brands, which is fine. This will be a slow burn for him, so don’t expect pictures by the weekend.

It’s interesting to hear about different brands. To be honest a SsangYong is too left field even for me. Not a huge amount of them and looks like a Ford Kuga on steroids in a certain light. No experience of Subaru other than a relative’s neighbour who had an early Forester and it was never out of the garage. I suppose that’s the same for most first generation cars.

[A1an]

Originally Posted by spartacus

I suppose that’s the same for most first generation cars.

A couple of years ago I went against all my instincts and bought a Freelander 2 just for towing the boat. It’s no spring chicken, 2007 with 168k,

I went to see a mechanic I know quite well to ask him what to look for and see if they were as shit as people say, his remark…. “most vehicles nowadays are shit, they all break down. This chap runs a pretty busy little garage with a high throughput of cars, he doesn’t reckon there’s many makes out there that don’t have their weaknesses, some of the bills can be horrendous.

I’m keeping an eye on this thread as said Freelander has seen better days. Shocking that a vehicle that was made in 2007 is ready to be scrapped.

[Iankristy]

I had a Touareg for a couple of years. 2010 model and maybe my bad luck but not a great experience. Towing wise good enough, plenty torque and would pull the front wall off your house if you asked. Went through wheel bearings and brakes for fun and probably the most costly car I’ve had. Great for motorways but was a lump on corners. Now got an ML350 and have to say it’s a world apart. Refined, pleasure to drive and no cost other than service/ tyres. The price on them nosedives a few years after new and you’ll get a 2015 for £20k ish. Mines a 2010, worth £10k, 80k miles, AMG spec and every gadget you could imagine. Gets 38/ gallon on flat motorway under 70mph but in reality it’s 25 in day to day, Touareg was similar on fuel. Tax is £600 but the extra £300 a year is here not there to me over a few years.

[Orwell boy]

[QUOTE=spartacus;860388]I value Rib.net’s collective opinion.

me too

[69cmw]

I don’t see the point in getting a big 4x4 if you are not going to tow. [emoji848]

Plenty of people do though so they must have their reasons.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by A1an

A couple of years ago I went against all my instincts and bought a Freelander 2 just for towing the boat. It’s no spring chicken, 2007 with 168k,

I went to see a mechanic I know quite well to ask him what to look for and see if they were as shit as people say, his remark…. “most vehicles nowadays are shit, they all break down.

All modern cars are built by accountants, not engineers. Why would any manufacturer build a vehicle to last 15 let alone 50 years? Cars are now disposable items, with depreciation to match. Look at the manf’s. Publicity blurb “recyclable” “eco-friendly” blah blah! We have a T6 campervan, when that is long gone, there will be still original splitty VW campers on the road, assuming fuel is still available. Modern vehicles are more computer than mechanics, and look how long your average laptop lasts. It’s got to the stage where you buy for today & accept that you might get 3-5 years.