FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE SHORTLIST
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Citroen C25D 1400 4x4 Renault Trafic T1100 4x4 Vauxhall Brava 4x4 Testers' Choice:
Citroen C25D 1400 4x4 The demand for four-wheel drive vehicles isn't an enormous one in the UK, and in the light commercial sector the market tends to be dominated by imports which have been developed to cope with the harsher conditions more common overseas (the evergreen Land Rover proving the most notable exception).
Our sample from the world of 4x4s reflects this, featuring models from France, Japan and Russia. From these, two didn't make it through to our shortlist: the Lada Niva's bargain price and off-road enthusiasm drew praise, but its crude interior and on-road hysterics prompted derision; and while the Daihatsu Fourtrak offered more sophistication, its modest carrying capacity caused us to doubt its breadth of appeal.
Of the three fmalists, the most easily dismissed is the Renault Trafic. Though the Trafic is rightly popular for its considerable load volume, we can find little to recommend the 4x4 version as a serious off-road proposition or even as an all-weather delivery vehicle, with its crude part-time four-wheel drive system shouldering much of the blame.
Our testers were more impressed with the latest diesel version of the Vauxhall Brava 4x4 pickup, which we drove in the days when GM was not ashamed to have 'Bedford' stencilled boldly on the rear of their light commercials. The Japanese-built Brava boasted the latest direct-injection 2.5-litre diesel from Isuzu and, as well as providing more oomph than the rather gutless 2.2-litre IDI unit used before; the new engine also gave classleading fuel economy. The pickup's strong showing off-road also impressed, but the interior (soon to be revised) and price counted against it.
The best all-round package was provided by one of the latest Sevel 4x4s, in our case the Citroen C25D 1400 turbodiesel panel van. Like its close relations from Fiat and Talbot, the Citroen C25D 4x4 is not intended to be an out-and-out off-roader; by using the latest viscous coupling technology, however, it offers instead a full-time 4W1) system which allows it to cope with all road conditions as well as less demanding off-road forays. Combine this with a payload of well over a tonne, excellent performance and reasonable economy, and the result is, despite a few rough edges, a value-for-money package. Continued on page 38.