Crosslander SUV's...

[CaptainHenreh]

Ok, so I've been praying that Crosslander can overcome its certification troubles and actually become a viable vehicle in the US.

I read about the Crosslander last year some time in Car and Driver and I've been keeping an eye on them ever since.

What is a Crosslander?


It's a 4X4 based on a Romanian Military design, with a Ford 4.0 V6 and an honest-to-god manual locking hubs.



All for the princely sum of about 20 grand.
Thoughts?

[Sijray21]

the US has too many roads for this to be useful

might be a good suv for actual off-road use

[Feersty]

Got lights?

[CaptainHenreh]

might be a good suv for actual off-road use

Well, that's kind of my point. There's a large group of enthusiasts out there bringing CJ's and stuff back from the dead just to have a decent off-road platform. To, you know, *actually* go off road with. As opposed to say, a Hummer H2 or something which...um, is pretty much limited to the "off road" definition of a well-graded gravel driveway, as long as there are no styrofoam cups, vegitation of any kind (including grass) and wildlife.

[ScottyB]

i'd love to see it over here....if people would use it for what it's made for

[Mike]

educate me: what does a locking hub do? i've seen those button thingies on like old toyota pickups and such... is that the same thing? what do they do?

[Chris]

if people would use it for what it's made for

fo' reel yo!


I'd love to get some old jeep or a real H1 hummer and go crashing through small trees and through mud... but who has time or money for that.

[Mike]

if people would use it for what it's made for

fo' reel yo!


I'd love to get some old jeep or a real H1 hummer and go crashing through small trees and through mud... but who has time or money for that.

:raises hand:

parents would murder me, though. if i sell the hatch i'll probably pick up some fun old truck.

[CaptainHenreh]

educate me: what does a locking hub do? i've seen those button thingies on like old toyota pickups and such... is that the same thing? what do they do?

From HowStuffWorks: (clicky-pow)

Each wheel in a car is bolted to a hub. Part-time four-wheel-drive trucks usually have locking hubs on the front wheels. When four-wheel drive is not engaged, the locking hubs are used to disconnect the front wheels from the front differential, half-shafts (the shafts that connect the differential to the hub) and driveshaft. This allows the differential, half-shafts and driveshaft to stop spinning when the car is in two-wheel drive, saving wear and tear on those parts and improving fuel-economy.
Manual locking hubs used to be quite common. To engage four-wheel drive, the driver actually had to get out of the truck and turn a knob on the front wheels until the hubs locked. Newer systems have automatic locking hubs that engage when the driver switches into four-wheel drive. This type of system can usually be engaged while the vehicle is moving.

Whether manual or automatic, these systems generally use a sliding collar that locks the front half-shafts to the hub.

My big thing is that it's a traditional, rugged, mean and beastly SUV for a very (seems to me) reasonable price. Alot of people I've read talking about it have said "But what about parts?!?" But considering the engine and transmission are both ford units (and I imagine the diffs are too) I can't imagine parts prices being that out-of-this-world.

[HAULN-SS]

New 4WD's are all wheel drive all the time generally, or have an electronic mechanism to do the same job as you would do when you lock the hubs. As far as that vehicle goes, if you really wanted something like that, Toyota LandCruisers have been inthis country for a long time, and a small block chevy V8 bolts right in...

[ScottyB]

and a small block chevy V8 bolts right in...

anything is better than that 4.0 Ford V6

[Kaan]

I'd tow with it :p AND mudd the shit out of every puddle on the planet... 20k is nice

[HAULN-SS]

haha..I dunno about ANYthing...

Our Airplane Tugs at work have the 4.0 V6's in them..speed governed of course, but they are torque monsters..certainly a good tow motor (planes we tow are about 60,000 lbs fully loaded)..if you're going less than 15mph

[ScottyB]

haha..I dunno about ANYthing...

Our Airplane Tugs at work have the 4.0 V6's in them..speed governed of course, but they are torque monsters..certainly a good tow motor (planes we tow are about 60,000 lbs fully loaded)..if you're going less than 15mph

when i drive our explorer it pretty much feels like i'm towing a 60,000 pound plane and limited to 15 mph :lol:

its durable as hell though, i'll give it that.

[Jeff]

Like most things Romanian (AK's, SKSs, or really any military supply) it is likely cheap and useful...however crappy quality. It would be hard to find a daily use for something like that...the same way it SHOULD be for an H1

[CaptainHenreh]

It would be hard to find a daily use for something like that...the same way it SHOULD be for an H1

But that's what I mean. I mean, the thing is gear-limited to 99mph,
Gear ratios:
3.40;
2.05;
1.31;
1.00;
0.79;
R-3.40

With a 3.73 final drive.

Sure, I doubt you could drive it every day. But...that's not what it's for, now is it?

[Mike]

Like most things Romanian (AK's, SKSs, or really any military supply) it is likely cheap and useful...however crappy quality. It would be hard to find a daily use for something like that...the same way it SHOULD be for an H1

did the founder of dodge happen to be romanian?

[Jeff]

fuck you mike

[.RJ]

fuck you mike

rawr!

[Andy]

Like most things Romanian (AK's, SKSs, or really any military supply) it is likely cheap and useful...however crappy quality. It would be hard to find a daily use for something like that...the same way it SHOULD be for an H1

did the founder of dodge happen to be romanian?

Don't bad mouth Chrysler to that man, he's killed for less.