Report Abuse

“Compared to my previous 2.8 Shogun this new model is...”

written by Stuart. on 28/12/2001

Good Points
Very spacious, quick, second row seating reclines, 3rd row seating folds completely into the floor, small turning circle. The manual Tiptronic gear option is fun & useful

Bad Points
Very noisy engine - sounds like a Transit! Side steps not fitted as standard (hard to wash the roof!).

General Comments
Compared to my previous 2.8 Shogun this new model is not a revamp of it's predecessor - they threw away the drawings and it's now a totally different car. It's wider & longer and whilst it was spacious before now it's even more so. The previous method of having the 3rd row seats fold up and to the side really cramped the load space if you wanted to put anything really huge inside but now you can't even see the rear seat until you want it. When necessary it folds easily out of the floor and is sturdier than previous too. All 7 seats have inertia reel - there's no waist type seat belt now, meaning every passenger is as safe. The computerised gearbox remembers your driving style and comes to handle exactly to your preference. If you feel like having fun then the you simply push the auto lever sideways (at any speed) and your in manual. Not quite the same as normal manual as you don't have a clutch and you can change gear with your foot hard down on the accelerator. If you forget to change down then auto takes over before it stalls so it's really worry free. The Equippe has dual zone air-con for fussy passengers (like the wife whose always too cold). It has lots of little niceties like a CD changer, ice warning, arm rests, leather, two huge glove boxes, good alarm system (including proximity alarm), huge electric sunroof etc. etc. It's got a turning circle like a taxi whereas it's predecessor needed a roundabout. Unfortunately it also sounds like a taxi which was a bit disappointing! (It's predecessor was as quiet as a petrol). Overall - the best 4x4 on the market1 (The Range Rover is overpriced and useless on space and seats!)