"JP Roberts" > wrote in message
...

> With the weight of so much experience on your back, it's plain to see
you've
> got behind the times in this aspect. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a thing of
> the past! Knowledgeable people talk Tuareg, Cayenne, Range Rover, and
> Discovery, when efficiency is concerned - not that I am one of those
> The Audi will start, but then again, so will your 535 if pulled by a Land
> Rover Defender!

Let me jump in here real quick. I happen to be a 4x4 enthusiast and enjoy a
great amount of offroading out here in the beautiful West. In our club's
annual extravaganza's we always hire a tri-roller to the site and always
have SUV's and 4x4's of various models, makes and levels of customization
compete. And when we go out on trails we have members of every marquee
persuasion.

*****the only out-of-box AWD/4x4 cars, SUV's or trucks that ever beat the
tri-roller (three vehicle wheels on rollers and one wheel on solid
substrate, all which changes from wheel to wheel as the vehicle tries to
ascend over the ramp) are the Jeep Grand Cherokee with Quadra-Drive, not
Quadra-Trac, and the BMW "x" models in either 3 series or X5/X3 form*****

Nothing else has ever made it over the ramp......nothing, and we have seen
every model and make on the road in the USA. Quattro, on various Audis, all
the LR vehicles, Land Cruiser, 4Matic, Suburu, 4-Motion, Cayenne,
Toureg...the list goes on. The tri-roller is the perfect test of which
system offers torque to the needed point(s) at the four corners of the
vehicle.

The first measure of capability is how the vehicle tries to power the
tractioned wheel(s), the next is what rubber it is fitted with. Outside of
that, and before issues like articulation and approach/departure/breakover
angles, throttle tip-in, gear ratios etc., nothing else matters yet. On
slippery conditions, particularly uphill conditions, how the power is
applied is the most important factor (assuming proper rubber).

I like the Rangies, and they are better than stock Jeeps in certain areas,
but they don't do well in this type of condition. Particularly given their
rather high weights. And the Cayenne and Toureg are pretty fair awd units,
but also pretty much hype in real difficult conditions. Don't even think
that Quattro is the equal of any of those mentioned. Car magazines don't
have a clue when it comes to real 4WD/AWD functionality.