I have a 2.8-litre diesel jeep bought new in 2000 (yes, 26 years ago). What do I buy now? I needed a powerful towing engine then, and it can pull 3,500kg. I don’t need that now, but would still like 4WD. Diesel seems to be a serious pollutant, and I see no point in a mild hybrid. Any suggestions? I favour buying new again.
From Donal McG, Co Wicklow
Don’t worry Donal, if you still fancy keeping four-wheel drive, but want to move away from diesel, there’s a whole fleet of potential options from which you can choose.
On its age, first off – well done. I’m assuming, going by the year and the 2.8-litre engine, it is a Toyota Land Cruiser? If so, then it’s hardly surprising that it’s lasted this long, as Land Cruisers tend to keep on trucking.
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If you fancied a like-for-like replacement, there is a new Land Cruiser, which has deeply desirable styling and unimpeachable rough-terrain ability. It still has a 2.8-litre engine but, of course, you’ve said you want to move away from diesel.
There’s another good reason for skipping the Land Cruiser this time around – the seven-seat passenger version is wildly expensive, with a price tag of more than €140,000.
Going for a two-seat commercial version, if that suits your lifestyle, brings the price down a bit, but possibly not enough. It’s still a very expensive car, although a day spent in the hugely comfortable leather armchairs that are the Land Cruiser’s front seats, watching the world roll past through the big, square windows, might numb you to the cost.
But let’s look at something far more affordable. If you fancied going electric, and want to keep the four-wheel drive, there’s the Skoda Enyaq, which is spacious, classy to look at, good to drive, has a decent 540km range (figure on 450km in real-world driving) and can be had in 85x Sportline form, which gives you two electric motors and four-wheel drive. If you can charge up at home, it’s an excellent choice from a running costs point of view, although you’ll have to swallow the not-insubstantial €54,000 price tag up front, of course.
[ Skoda Enyaq EV should suit Ireland perfectly – so why isn’t it?Opens in new window ]
For the same money as the Skoda, if you fancied shying away from a SUV, there’s the option of a Pole Star 2 Long Range Dual Motor. That gets you the four-wheel drive you crave, with a potential range of 596km (more like 500km in real-world conditions) and you can still tow up to 1,500kg on a braked trailer, if that helps. It may also help that the Pole Star 2 is blisteringly quick (4.5 seconds to 100km/h) and seriously enjoyable to drive, if rather less roomy inside than you’ve been used to.
Of course, all of the above is just rambling along suggestions lane, because there’s one car I’ve had in mind for you from the start. You’ll have to wait another few months for it to arrive in Ireland, but it comes with hybrid petrol power (not mild-hybrid, but a proper hybrid), four-wheel drive, an automatic gearbox, a 556-litre boot, and a 1,500kg towing weight.
It’s the Dacia Bigster Hybrid 4x4, which we tested a few weeks back. It should land in Ireland with a price tag that ducks under the €40,000 mark, and yet it’s spacious, comfortable, economical and surprisingly good to drive, not to mention being really talented at tackling rough terrain. Honestly, by my reckoning it’s one of the very best cars – of any description – that you can currently buy.
