SpudH
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 1,256
- Location
- County Kerry, Ireland
...
I apologise in advance for using the following language on this site....but on Monday night I went to look at a Rexton ...going back on Saturday to test drive !
Omigod!! I'm going to take off my RR tinted glasses for a minute and put you straight on something. The Rexton is by far the worst 4x4 I've ever driven. One of the clients I work for has 2 rextons, 5 Sorentos and 1 L200 for their staff. I've had the misfortune to have spent a good bit of time in each of them.
The L200 is great old bus, does exactly what it says on tin, uncomfortable but tough and honest. Its only downfall is a terrible turning circle.
The Sorento is cheap and cheerful, quick, very willing engine but bad plastics and more than a bit bouncy, not too bad though.
The Rexton is awful! Its got every toy you could want inside it, a 6 disc front loading blaupunkt cd changer even but the plastics are really cheap. Its got seven seats but none are comfortable. Its traction control is terribly intrusive. But none of these are a show stopper. What kills it for me is how dangerous it is on Irish roads. It suffers terribly from bump steer. Now I'm not talk axle tramp or patter you get with a live axle LR. I'm talking serious change of direction when the suspension travels through its movement. I went over a hump back bridge at 55mph that my old E200 merc used do at 70mph without acknowledging and the RRC and P38 dismiss at 60 but the Rexton needed the whole road to recover from. If there had been anything coming the other way I was toast. After that incident I drove it as little as I could and then with treppidation. Talked to the other guys who drive it regularly and its the same. They've all had 'moments' in them. If Ralph Nader was still on the go he'd have a field day with this one.
They're only fit for posing.
The manufacturer has given them a 3,500kg towing weight capacity for UK and Ireland.
This is a salesmans pitch and is possibly criminal. There is no way they are fit for it. Toyota only rate the Landcruiser at 2,800kg and it is a far superior vehicle in every aspect. FFS the hilux is rated at 2,250kg. In Australia the Rexton is only rated for 2,300kg. Thats more like it. Coming from someone who has towed all sorts of weights for thousands of miles but also totaled a LWB Landcruiser while towing a 3 tonne mini-digger I can tell you there is a hell of a difference between towing 3,500kg and 2,300kg.
I know it will be cheap, and maybe all you want is a lump of metal a few extra inches of the ground but there are far, far better options out there. I'd even drive a freelander before a Rexton!!
Give it a month or 2 and 4x4's will have dropped in price again once people have forgotten the ice and are faced with taxing their cars again.
What is your budget?
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