When you think of a 4×4 most people’s minds conjure up an image of an ancient boxy vehicle lumbering around a field. The preconception of 4x4s for many is that they are about as sporty as a walrus, with many still seeing them as a merely functional vehicle. Here at CWS 4×4 we have 18 years of experience in 4×4 salvage. We have witnessed the incredible development of 4x4s from farmyard transport into some of the most useful and flexible vehicles on the road.
The preconceptions surrounding these vehicles may be about to change forever though as the idea of a sporty 4×4 is now a very real prospect. The last fifteen years have seen a market that was once full of vehicles that, despite their off-road prowess, performed terribly on tarmac. In this blog we are going to look at how the market place has changed and how technology has helped to ensure that a huge percentage of vehicles on UK roads are now 4x4s of some description.
Where did it all begin?
There are many debates about the first sporty 4×4 and rally fanatics will instantly butt in with the Audi Quattro but this was merely a sporty car that was four wheel drive. The birth of the sports SUV market really began with the first iteration of BMW’s X5 in 1999; it promised new levels of handling balance and body control. The sceptics were soon silenced as the X5 was and still remains one of the very finest handling 4x4s available. The X5 also prompted other manufacturers to follow suit, most notably Land Rover with their Range Rover Sport and Porsche’s Cayenne and the market is now booming. With a starting price of almost £43,000 the X5 remained a premium option and didn’t really bring the technology to the masses.
The future of sporty 4x4s
For a while if you wanted a sporty drive coupled with the practicality of a 4×4 you rarely got change from £50,000 once a few options had been added. This price really kept them away from huge sectors of the market, this gap in the market for a smaller, cheaper 4×4 that provided a sporty drive didn’t take long to fill. BMW again lead the way in filling this niche with their X3 and more recently their even sportier X4 which fights for market space with Porsche’s brand new Macan for table space. Both of these cars can be had for way under the price of bigger vehicles and are much more achievable as an everyday car that provides a great mix of practicality and sportiness.
If you are one of the few remaining cynics that believes that all four wheel drive cars drive like double-decker buses then book a test drive in your model of choice and prepare to have your mind changed. For advice on 4×4 maintenance and parts for any make or model of off-roader, feel free to contact us and our experienced staff will be happy to help.