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Best estate shite ever made?


Uncle Jimmy

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My main thought is that anything sold as a load lugger MUST have self-levelling suspension. Given it only seems to work on Citroens, it's starting to look like I need another Citroen.

 

Or Merc S124 / S210.  My utter-heap-of-shite S210 has a similar self-level system on the back as the S124 (although clearly more cheaply made) and it works very well.

 

But if you're towing, the big Citroen wins.  Mainly because the ratio of wheelbase-to-rear-overhang is better.  The S210's rear axle is too far forward, so a trailer pushes it about more.  Look at a CX safari.. the wheelbase is massive and the rear overhang is tiny.  Absolutely brilliant for towing.

 

Part of the reason why a Classic Range rover / Discovery 1/2 is not the awesome towcar that people think it is... they all get pushed about by the trailer too much.

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Speaking of which...

 

These:

post-3568-0-86491400-1515753197_thumb.jpg

 

Are about as cheap as they will ever be now.  Sub-£1000 gets you a decent one.  RWD, Self-levelling rear, absolute cavern inside, 7-seats, and you can even get an AMG E55 version (athough not for £1000) which is blisteringly fast.  The E300 OM606 is also extremely veg-friendly too.  Just wish the headlamps didn't look quite so silly and dated now..

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.... if you're towing, the big Citroen wins.  Mainly because the ratio of wheelbase-to-rear-overhang is better.  The S210's rear axle is too far forward, so a trailer pushes it about more.  Look at a CX safari.. the wheelbase is massive and the rear overhang is tiny.  Absolutely brilliant for towing.

 

Part of the reason why a Classic Range rover / Discovery 1/2 is not the awesome towcar that people think it is... they all get pushed about by the trailer too much.

 

Before 4x4s became a sine qua non, what did people tow their horse trailers with? Well, er, cars.... So if it's cars, it might as well be a CX.

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But if you're towing, the big Citroen wins. Mainly because the ratio of wheelbase-to-rear-overhang is better. The S210's rear axle is too far forward, so a trailer pushes it about more. Look at a CX safari.. the wheelbase is massive and the rear overhang is tiny. Absolutely brilliant for towing.

 

 

 

Yes, I agree. But it wasn't just the massive wheelbase and lack of overhang, the back axle was huge and hugely strong, with stiff little aluminium trailing arms pivoting within it, no squishy rubber bushing anywhere other than between the monocoque and substructure. I've never seen anything like it on a car or light commercial.

 

Add to that the extra tyre grip associated with the hydraulic suspension and a huge towbar which was sprung in the vertical axis and took the horizontal load to the back axle through large tubes.

 

It's the only car I've ever driven which felt capable of bending the laws of physics, whether a 75hp na diesel estate or Maikonics Turbo with 250hp.

 

post-4845-0-81329500-1515775292_thumb.jpg

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I was trying to remember what the Matchbox estate with the sliding roof was, it just came to me ; Studebaker.post-17414-0-40685000-1515775043_thumb.jpegpost-17414-0-98768000-1515775071_thumb.jpeg

 

Apparently they leaked, so a fixed roof became an option and was more popular, the step is a neat idea , not so much for loading but to use as a viewing platform.

Fun fact: the 8 seat version had no spare wheel so was fitted with 'puncture proof' tyres.

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My mum had one of these with a tuned Cooper engine, It was unspeakably rapid if you could control the wheelspin.

mattlausersmini_resized.jpg

 

Since then I have had an ID19 Safari, a Mk3 Cortina estate, two 2.4 litre CX familiales, several Volvo 740/940 estates, an XM estate (still in this parish) and a DS21 Safari

6137459975_070f542429_z.jpg

Citroen DS21 Safari by Jean-Pierre Declemy, on Flickr

 

My favourite? Probably the CX estates because Diravi powered steering meant you could park a 16ft car in a 17ft gap totally effortlessly.

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..... it wasn't just the massive wheelbase and lack of overhang, the back axle was huge and hugely strong, with stiff little aluminium trailing arms pivoting within it, no squishy rubber blushing anywhere other than between the monocoque and substructure. I've never seen anything like it on a car or light commercial.

 

Add to that the extra tyre grip associated with the hydraulic suspension and a huge towbar which was sprung in the vertical axis and took the horizontal load to the back axle through large tubes.

 

It's the only car I've ever driven which felt capable of bending the laws of physics, whether a 75hp na diesel estate or Maikonics Turbo with 250hp.

 

attachicon.gif005.jpg

 

That's because it does bend the laws of physics. You drive over the potholes and bumps and it feels like they're just....not there.

 

I bought one, and I feel vindicated. I'm going to give it a jet wash tomorrow and then give it a lengthy spin.

 

post-23014-0-44434000-1515799821_thumb.jpg

 

post-23014-0-65188000-1515799972_thumb.jpg

 

..... Diravi powered steering meant you could park a 16ft car in a 17ft gap totally effortlessly.

 

You know all those recent car adverts which show the driver taking his hands off the wheel whilst the car parks itself? DIRAVI / Varipower sort of got there first.

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I haven't used it much this week as circumstances handed me a modern estate (Ford Connect Tourneo) but despite all Vauxhalls being shit this makes a brilliant daily drive.

 

post-4555-0-74642500-1515801426_thumb.jpg

 

The best bit is the length,  I took a 3M length of guttering out and tried to put it in a Discovery,  it didn't fit by quite a lot.

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Before 4x4s became a sine qua non, what did people tow their horse trailers with? Well, er, cars.... So if it's cars, it might as well be a CX.

 

I remember loads of safe/default choice Volvo 1/245s used by the more boring and class-conscious English middle classes, a few battered Landy 109s, the odd titled or wealthy sort in a Range Rover or big Citroën and quite a few mad Matra Ranchos. But most just used their everyday larger (and less so) cars and just got on with it - Triumph 2000s, Dolomites, Avengers, Solaras, Marinas, bigger Renaults (seem to remember 20s and 30s were popular with horsey sorts) and Peugeots, Granadas, Cortinas, Carltons, Landcrabs, Cavaliers, Toyota Crowns, Jag XJ6s, Rover P5, P6s and SD1s and even a few strange Germans with painted metal interiors.

 

Lifestyle once meant a fitting a towbar, throwing wellies and warm clothes in the boot as well as your horse/sailing gear then getting on with your activity rather than trying so hard to look the part. The Rancho was a sign of things to come.

 

post-4845-0-82541800-1515804501_thumb.jpg

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Apologies if it's already been mentioned, but obviously I'm going to say Camry.

 

34494848865_3581b5a186_c.jpg

My Toyota Estates by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Both the ones I've had have been the 2.2 4-pot, and TBH I reckon they drive nicer than the 3-litre V6 (but that's an option for sound/complexity/higher spec). All the ones sold here are 7-seaters and they work brilliantly as a proper estate. Difficult to say if it's significantly bigger inside than my Avensis Tourer, but being older and tattier I don't really worry about what I chuck in it and the tailgate is almost vertical so it's more useable as a loadcarrier.

 

1990s Toyota build quality is very good - the switches have a much better feel than the Avensis. Despite being fairly big and heavy it has an incredibly light feel to the way it drives, and for a multivalve 'four' the engine does a good job of combining torque and revving freely. I'm probably going to go back to a petrol daily when I replace the Avensis, but I bet it'll feel a bit weak after the Camry.

 

Difficult to know why anybody would choose not to get an estate - they're usually the same footprint as the saloon/hatchback but far more useful.

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Before 4x4s became a sine qua non, what did people tow their horse trailers with? Well, er, cars.... So if it's cars, it might as well be a CX.

I once saw some woman, a horsey type, towing a big horse box with a Capri! It looked absolutely stupid tbh!

Seemed to be doing the job well enough but certainly wouldn't have my first choice for the job.

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....Difficult to know why anybody would choose not to get an estate - they're usually the same footprint as the saloon/hatchback but far more useful.

You've reminded me of a car sticker I used to see in the 1980s, which read:

 

"They said I'd inherit an Estate. This is it!"

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Rememba, our US counterparts, who are our new Brexit best friends, bought estates too...

 

Ford Taurus. Designed by a glass blower I think.

 

tl_600x340.jpg

 

Chevrolet Caprice and other GM siblings:

 

Chevrolet_Caprice_Estate_04.jpg

 

Unbelievably, that's not actually real wood on the panels.

 

Now for the exam question.. what's the difference between an estate, tourer and station wagon?

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That 164 is so half arsed it could have been done by Farnham.

 

In about 87/88 the Works Lancia Team had a couple of Thema Estates as Chase cars on the RAC, they were bloody quick and sounded like a rally car complete with flames from the exhaust.

Which made me wonder if an 8.32 existed...

attachicon.gifimage.jpeg

Of course there is , but only one for Snr Agnelli.

Perhaps it replaced his 130

attachicon.gifimage.jpeg

I once had some fun with a Thema Station Wagon Turbo DS, very comfy and nice interior, extremely rare today. The 5-pot petrol ones sounded awesome!

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Looking at this question from another point of view... I once owned a Volvo S40 (saloon).  I bloody loved it - brilliant car - but totally pointless from a load-lugging point of view, which makes you wonder why it had the Volvo badge on.  I still hope to own a Volvo V40 2.0T one day.

While I owned it I was asked to move a wheelbarrow and I had the embarrassment of borrowing my then-girlfriend's Fiesta to do so.

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