There was a time when every brand had at least one off-road version of an average car. Or at least one with plastic wheel arches. There was a Renault Scénic RX4, a Volkswagen CrossPolo and a Cross Country of every Volvo. Nowadays it is more the more expensive brands that come up with off-roaders, such as the Porsche 911 Dakar and the Huracán Sterrato. Not exactly budget off-roaders…
So what if you have an off-road craving but are penniless? Then you can cycle better. But if you have a reasonable budget of up to 7,000 euros, what would you choose as a budget off-roader? The editors of TopGear make a number of crosses for some unexpected budget off-roaders. If you can’t figure it out, you can always visit Delta4x4 for a modern Golf Country.
Mattijn – Seat Altea Freetrack
Secretly I would like such a Scénic RX4 and otherwise a Mazda MX-5 with a lift kit. But always but the creed ‘Miata Is Always The Answer‘, that would make this profession too easy. An S60 Cross Country is also cool (sedan off-roaders are rare), but just a bit too expensive. This is a good chance to get one more guilty pleasure to mention: the Seat Altea Freetrack.
A strange mutt with large plastic bumpers, but in many cases with a 2.0 TSI and four-wheel drive. That is the powertrain of the Golf R, but slightly reduced to 200 hp. I would raise it another 10 centimeters, a metal bump bar on the nose, LED spotlights on the roof and have the power increased to 300 hp. You can have fun with it.
Reuben–Pontiac Aztec
I’ve already publicly admitted that I love the Pontiac Aztek. Yes, even before he came in breaking bad popped up. After all, sometimes a car is so endearingly ugly that it becomes cool again. But not only that: the Aztek is full of nice finds, such as a center console that can serve as a portable cool box and a tent that you can attach to the tailgate. This way you can turn your sad MPV into an (almost) full-fledged living space.
The Aztek has an asthmatic 3.4 V6 with a four-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, or optional AWD. That will not get you very far, but for the rest it is already reasonably ready: plastic protective covers, tough upholstery, quite a bit of space in the wheel arches. Raise it a little more, mount fat BFGs and – roll up your sleeves – tie in the 4×4 technique of an S10 Blazer, and you have an off-road beetle that will terrify every mountain goat. Render master Abimelec has already told the world what such a thing could look like shown. Pretty cool, right? However?
Bas L. – Ford Fiesta ST
As a little Basje I went to see the ELE Rally a number of times, a rally event that is held in the vicinity of Veldhoven, Helmond and Eindhoven. The route passed (and still does, I believe) occasionally through the village where I grew up. There I saw and heard rallying for the first time with my own eyes and ears.
I still remember rallying versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Focus RS and Subaru Impreza. The coolest of them all was the Fiesta RS. For this challenge I would have liked to use the ST brother of the sixth generation Fiesta, but it is just too expensive.
Well, the first Fiesta ST will also suffice. I’ll pick one up for a thousand or three or four. That way I have some money left over for off-road tires and some new dampers and springs to jack it up a bit. This makes the Fiesta ready for off-roading, or for rally driving. Win win!
Jeroen –
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