Overclocker

Oregon Trail refrence FTW!

But seriously, have you thought about a 2nd set of wheels and tires for the Range Rover? You should be able to do most anything with that British beasty.

b1gredek

got a deal on a 2007 tahoe that i couldnt pass up... 2wd,, gonna test it out next weekend,, if it doenst do too well,, the range is going to the beach!!!!

mmarshall

Count me in wth the 4X4 recommendations. Two wheels, LSD or not, IMO, is just not going to cut it if you are in soft sand. And be careful......in really deep or soft sand, even 4X4 and a high ground clearance may not cut it either.

My recommendation, though, is to stay away from any vehicle that, like many current and older pickup trucks, have only a part-time 4WD that locks up all four driving wheels at the same speed. These systems are useful only for off-road surfaces because they do not allow for any wheel slip for differences in cornering speeds among the four wheels. Use that system on dry pavement or on pavement that is not consistantly slippery underneath all four wheels and you can risk tire and driveline damage from binding and stress.
So my recommendation is a vehicle with a 2WD/4WD/AWD system like on the Ford Explorer that, with a dash switch, allow you to choose either a pure off-road part-time 4WD with a low range or a full-time AWD that you can set and forget. That gives you the best of both worlds. Most SUV's have already converted from only part-time 4WD to this multi-kind of system, ( or full-time AWD ) but most pick-ups are seriously lagging behind. Only the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra offer it....and they have been unreliable. This is something that the hot-selling Ford F-150, you would think, would have offerred long ago, but no, not yet.

Lil4X

I second mm's recommendation. I've put a lot of miles on both the part-time and full-time 4X4 trucks, and those that give you the option to select full or part-time 4WD are great. While the old 2-speed transfer case with lockers and Warn hubs are unbeatable off road, they can't be used on pavement - unless you lay in a stock of transfer cases. Otherwise, onroad you are strictly a 2-wheeler. The sheer utility of AWD on the road beats any other system for practicality.

If you are going to be hauling a load or especially towing, that 4X4 is helpful, and that low range might get you out of some things you wish you hadn't gotten into. One thing you learn early, there's no disgrace in backing out the way you came when the ground gets soft. It could save you a lot of digging and jacking!

UberNoob

why not test drive an FJ cruiser on the beach
see if really is underpowered or not

i agree though, it uses too much fuel for the amount of power it produces

a 4L V6 that only pumps out ~250HP and 278ft lbs of torque seems too low
even a 3.5L V6 in IS350 gets 306hp
and FJ cruiser uses premium too
really strange why toyota went this way... maybe to save money?

but i guess u would never know how it performs until u tri it out
FJ's interior is really beach friendly too
everything is made to be rugged and interior wouldnt be a hassle to clean with sand inside


so yeah, i would recommend FJ cruiser if u find its power adequate and just use the range rover to tow or whatever

valgs350

iTrader: (1)

Since you have a Range Rover work on that!

I would sell the Range Rover and get a Land Cruiser!

lol

http://expeditionexchange.com/

Check out the FJ Cruiser forum at IH8MUD!

http://forum.ih8mud.com/forumdisplay.php?f=41

Kepeli

Go ahead and make a mistake of buying the Chevy but don't say I didn't warn you when this happens to you....

valgs350

iTrader: (1)

Just buy a used Land Cruiser, the Range Rover is just to nice!