Which are the best Frontera Estates to buy?

OK: I have a decision to make this year.

I currently run a great wee 1996 2.0i 8v Sport S and it is a really good vehicle off road where I do RTV events each month, and I do a modest amount of on road miles.

I find the Sport S lacking in a few areas (to my taste):

1) I now have a young son and getting him and his kit and the car seat in and out is just not possible. I have tried and it is a nightmare.

2) The 2.0i 8v engine is fine - it has enough power and torque to forgive my novice driving but it sure likes a drink or 2.

My needs are this then:

a) Family Friendly - LWB Frontera Estate then
b) Reasonable power and torque
c) Some kind of realistic fuel usage
d) Must be reliable and easy enough to get bits for / work on

I have looked at 2.3D, 2.5D, 2.8D, 2.2DTi and 2.2petrol estates and am totally baffled.

Which one is better for me?

Maybe easier to ask what are the comparitive strengths and weaknesses of the above listed engines?

I would really appreciate your help and I am definitely staying in the Frontera fold - my 4x4 club are kind of amazed that it is so capable and so am I! I love them!

Thanks.

Colin.

Depends on your budget really.

The general concensus of opinion is that the 2.8 is the way to go in an A series and the 2.2dti in the B series.

The B series are obvously later and therefore are a little more expensive.

Others will be along to add to this i'm sure.

S

Hello and Welcome!

I have a 2.2 Petrol and its torquey enough and will tow an equivalent sized vehicle with little or no trouble. Unfortunately when I got mine I didnt pay enough attention to the engine and the bottom end went at about 80000 miles. however, I got a factory reconditioned engine and Im now touching 112000 miles with no leaks or other problems. As people say its definitely not one of VX's best engines. Regular servicing and maintenance seems to be the way to go with the 2.2.

Economy wise I get 400 miles give or take a few depending on driving style to a full 80 litre tank.

Hope this helps.

I'd forgotten the 2.4

Still, I'd like to see a noticeable improvement over my really rather thirsty 2.0i 8v which is probably doing about 21-22.

A dirty derv sounds like it should fit my bill, and the 2.8 is still looking like the safest bet, with a really clean 2.3 a healthy second choice.

Any other opinions?

Last edited by huggy on Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:01 am, edited 2 times in total.

Ok, so I think for my £1500, a nice 2.8TD is going to be the best bet.

With that in mind, can anyone tell me the trouble spots and how to spot them?

As before, all help gratefully received.