Which car do you have in mind based on the requirements?
Oooh, I like these questions. Like what would you have after a pools win.
Actually, your question is much easier.
There are a plethora of very capable 'ordinary' cars on the market that come with part time four wheel drive. From various Volvo estates like the cross-country versions, Audi all roads and BMW xdrive equipped cars etc etc. Cars that look normal and cars that are 4x4 shaped like the yeti, quasqai etc. These cars have much lower purchase and running costs than the range rover but still have a lot of the extra grip if you need the moderate extra ability that you've described. Put proper winter tyres on a car like the Skóda Superb off road and see massive savings on costs and the reassurance of the superior reliabilty.
Spend the savings on curry and driving around the Nurbugring. Job done.
See, there is only one problem with this advice... it is too sensible data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 I am not a sensible guy at all data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Just kidding. Thank you. I need to give it some thought
Actually, and this is a general observation not in anyway aimed at you,the driver has a greater effect on making progress in any given situation than the car or any component thereof.
So, there are plenty of tips and tricks that may help someone about to drive on different surfaces than they are used too. Some resources are effectively free such as the I.A.M. Rospa is also well thought of etc. There are also off road courses that will really open the eyes of your average driver.These courses invariably save the driver a fortune over the life time of their driving careers. The problem is no one thinks they are 'average'.
(Like me, I'm perfect)
Oh, I have no problem admiting I am not the best driver out there. A course would definitely be a good idea, but they don't make them cheap, therefore your 'average' driver can't afford them. Ideally I would like to have a bigger budget for the car as wll, but I will have many many big bills in the coming year or two, that is the reason why I cannot stretch the car budget any further and also why I might not be able to fo any additional stuff just now. Maybe in future, after the changes are done and paid for.
how much is the car budget?
Around 10k
Actually, I've got a specific suggestion.
( I'm sat in a test centre waiting for my pupil to come back and bored ).
The kia Sante fe.
Very capable, very reliable, excellent warranty, half the price of a Range Rover sport and you still get the ground clearance so you can look down on plebs.
Questionable looks,but then so have I and my wife loves me.
Do you mean the Hyundai Santa Fe?Kia's offering is the Sorento or the smaller Sportage.
For £10k I would be looking at a 2010 full fat Range Rover with the 3.6 TDV8 engine.
The interior feels fresh, the car has dated really well imho and you don't get the issues with the FF RR that you get on the RRS due to the fact there is loads of air around the turbos in the engine bay so they don't overheat and give up.
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I loved mine, genuinely the only car you ever need really.
However, I also had a 2012 Mercedes E350 estate, and that on winter tyres got me everywhere I needed to go, even in Norfolk this winter.
A lot of the niggles were sorted on the 2010 model, and I know owners who have had them 8 years now with nearly 200k miles on them and not really had any issues at all.
2.7 RRS has issues.
3.6 RRS has issues.
4.2 and 5.0 RRS wil piss you off with 10-12mpg and unless you get the 2010 model with the updated cabin it feels really dated imho.
Also, I can't see the point, the Discovery 4 makes far more sense and has a classless feel to it, sorry but there is an image problem with the RRS, let alone a 10 year old RRS.
3.6 FF RR from 2010 on, so dual vision nav and digital instrument cluster is a really good buy imho. If you can squeeze to a 4.4 TDV8 then do so.
Don't get me wrong I love petrols, but these are so thirsty they just annoy.
Nothing does luxury, waft and load space better than a FFRR imho. I have had 7 Series and S Classes, but the FFRR does it better and far more practical. I'm sure a new Isuzu Trooper would be more reliable but that interior is not for me.
Mercedes ML is a good choice, had 4 of those, and very underated, much nicer than the X5 from that era (2013 X5 is better than 2012 ML though) and so much nicer than the Audi offerings.
Have a look on the FFRR forum in the classifieds, that is where I would buy from.