don't shoot me.... LWB vs SWB

[domino]

I know this is down to personal taste and what have you but I have to ask, what do people generally prefer?

The SWB has less space but doesn't run the risk of grounding offroad.. and vice-versa for the LWB.

I wanted to go for a LWB because they're big, look cool and have bags of room. I've just read a post on here saying that changes would be made to a course to help the LWB driver.

Is there really such a huge difference and is the SWB a lot better for churning up the peat?

I'm a bit lost now... and don't know what I want

[alex]

Ive had both, the differences arent that easy to spot.

The LWB is more stable at speed and on the rough, will allow higher lifts, lots more room (my main reason) and has back doors.

The SWB is more maouverable but not by a huge amount.

In all pick the one you want as the actual driving isnt a million miles difference.

[drinksoptional]

I have SW aka the sport. tilting the seat back and forth can be a pain in the butt as you need to keep reseting the seat position so a LWB 4dr good option if you have lot of rear passengers. The roof of in the summer is cool except if you want rear passenger you cannot take roof with you but hey who cares you can always tell them about your great day. The back door swing open i might be wrong but the LWB door drops down. There is tardis room in the back an the rear seats fold down and flip up giving plenty of boot space. I used mine everyday in and out of glasgow for comute to college, cash and carry run for family business and genral shopping, A-B and trips to coast and i am quite happy. My only beef is the 2.0 petrol does 22-25mpg and maybe smidge more on the motor way. It has to be revved to get the power out of it. I would take a LWB diesel if i had the choice as a family car.the the roof wins it for me on the sport just wish i bought a diesel.

I cannot complain about the driving it handle great and quite confident in its ablities. Shame it has the typical vauxhall back pain seats

[headbanging]

I've owned both, and am now on the LWB.

The SWB is a great little car, and even though i only had a 2l , it was great fun to drive. The room in the back (with the seats down) was adequate for most things. The only major problem I had, was having one kid in a car seat, and one to big for car seats. Getting the little one in and out was a bit of pain. And if someone parked to close at Tesco, then you were buggered.

Since we had rugrat No. 3, we have had no choice but to buy the LWB. You cannot get 3 people on the back seat of a SWB (unless you really squeeze them in). The LWB easierly takes 2 car seats and an adult with room to spare. The boot space can take the pushchair, wifes shopping, spare tyre, tool boxes and still have room for more. But in the SWB we could just squeeze in the pushchair in the 'boot'.

I personally couldn't notice alot in the driving difference. When i got in the LWB it was strange (try just jumping in the biggest thing you've ever driven, and then drive Liverpool to Oxford, it's an experience!), but this was due to the LWB being a bigger car. It is longer and wider, and has different blind spots to the SWB.

I can't really comment about the off road ability, as the SWB only went off road a few times, and was fine. The LWB was heavierly modified before i brought it, so i can't really comment. But the driving felt just the same.

I really like both cars, and when you come up behind a granny in her C1, they do tend to move out the way a little bit. Since i've been driving the LWB I have only been cut up once, and that was by another frontera.

The reason that the course will need a few trees down is due to the length and width of the LWB. The LWB can handle most tracks, but when you have a virgin site you can do anything to, and you choose to put a route in somewhere, there may be the need to remove a few trees here and there. Don't worry to much about it, as green lanes are used by tractors, and if they can squeeze through, then i'm sure the LWB will.

Whichever you choose, they are both good fun to drive.

[gregster]

Hiya mate...

With reference to my post about modding the course for lwb fronties....

The bit that needs clearing is an access track to the bottom of the course, which may need to be used to extract busted motors.
This route needs to be cleared so sensibly a car can be towed out easily in the event of a breakdown.
The bottom section that I was talking about is probably the most densely tree'd section,
but the flat area is relatively narrow and the side slope is a bit awkward to the side of it to use as an extraction route.
The rest of the course is better spaced with trees and the routes can be picked to weave safely between the trees that are there.
The idea really is that all the main routes are easy and driven safely by a lwb stock fronty with a newbie offroader driving it...
..the more challenging stuff can be attempted as the driver gains experience and confidence and maybe the truck gets some mods.

The short wheel base fronty can negotiate very tight turns slightly better as it is shorter...
as demonstrated by badboys swb vs my chevybravafing (which is about the length of a cross channel ferry!)...

Badboy got through with a few shunts,
I got through with a lot more shunts a bust windsceen,a dented door and got stuck on a tree stump!!

Granted between very tight trees a lwb will need a bit more skill because of its length,
but it doesnt have the big flared wheel arches that the sport has, just waiting to hit something.

The sport has a better breakover angle, but the lwb is far more stable on severe climbs and descents.

I like the lwb as a much more practical vehicle than the sport which is 2 seater and boot, or 4 seater and no boot....
I have a huge dog that needs all the boot in sport, leaving nowhere for shopping (she'll eat it or slime it, if its in the back with her!) .....
that being said I do love the looks of the sport with them loverly big arches.

Wheel base needn't make too much difference off road, bits where either vehicle will crossaxle (the single biggest problem with IFS 4x4's) the other will drive straight through.

They both have there plus and minus points....

...but in honesty I wouldnt recommend anyone buying a crewcab brava/isuzu tf as an offroader,
they are much too long and a real headache (arm ache!) to drive when it is pretty tight,
and will need extensive lifting to get around the very long wheelbase as mine has.

Hope this helps you matey...your lwb will be cool off road...bring it down and put it up against some shorties and you will be impressed!

[Rifleman]

I dont know if the seats are different, even though the SWB ones tip forward. I have a 2.5TD LWB and i have had 4 operations on my lower back and 1 on my neck, so in constant pain really. I bought mine from Rugby and drove it all the way home to Edinburgh in traffic jams etc, taking me the best part of 8 hours. Usually i would have had loads of stops in the journey to get out and ease the pain in my back. Not with this baby, only stopped for something to eat and had no extra back problems at all.
Most comfortable drive ive had in a long time.
The 2.5 gives me a return in the high 30s as far as MPG goes, infact we worked ut that on the journey home from Rugby it reached 40MPG. I'm chuffed with that.
I cant comment on the off roading, because as yet, i havent been able to go there, so i have to leave that to the experts there. Read through the forum and read the answers to your thread mate. Only you can make the decisions on what you want the car for and what you prefer. Good luck with your quest.

[SPEEDBIRD 202]

I have a SWB Fronty because its easier to find a parking space in the crowded South East area

[Roo]

Hi Domino

I haven't had my 2L Sport for very long, and as I wanted a convertible car and I am chuffed to bits with her
If my kids had been younger and I had the 2 German Sheppard dogs then I would of more than likely gone for a LWB fronty, because of the room and the convenience of a 4 door..
I use my car mainly just as a toy, to go off camping and laning etc I am lucky as I have the use of another Car..

Think it depends what your after and if you have a family to the type of car that suits you really ..
Good Luck

Cheers ..