Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

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chris217
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Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

Post by chris217 » Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:20 pm

hi all, looking at getting a Bongo shortly and whittled it down to 1 which is a 2 Wheel drive model but just wanted a view from experienced Bongo people
so my question;
what is the preference 2 or 4 wheel drive ?
I would be interested to know about any issues , experiences from people who own both 4 wheel and 2 wheel drive models

in my limited knowledge I am aware the 4 wd is heavier buts that's about it

appreciate any input

cheers
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g8dhe
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Re: Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

Post by g8dhe » Tue Jul 03, 2018 7:15 am

You can only get 4WD or more correctly AWD on diesels. The petrol versions never had AWD.
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Bob
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Re: Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

Post by Bob » Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:42 am

Welcome. 8)

Geoff is correct, so that may influence you.

4 WD is very useful if you camp in fields rather than posh campsites or live in an area prone to snow ( remember that?), but the main thing is finding a good one. :wink:

Note the Bongo does not have the ground clearance of an off roader.
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Re: Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

Post by JoeC » Tue Jul 03, 2018 3:24 pm

My Bongo AWD is my everyday vehicle. I bought AWD as I live in a hilly area that gets snow and I also may camp on wet grass/fields. AWD was therefore for me.
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Re: Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

Post by mikeonb4c » Tue Jul 03, 2018 4:28 pm

......whereas i decided AWD was not as important as not narrowing my chances of bagging the best Bongo. In the end i got a 2wd. It can't cope with muddy fields like an AWD (but is a lot better than some cars, being middish engined and better weight over traction wheels) though i keep grip strips on board and these can help mitigate things. But there's less potential issues with a 2wd, 2mpg approx better fuel consumption, less potential for transmission noise, which - taken together - are useful compensations for less tractability.
chris217
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Re: Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

Post by chris217 » Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:16 pm

thanks all for comments and sorry if I was unclear, it is a Diesel

and i have decided and have just bought it so hopefully i will be using this site quite a bit

its a 2WD 2.5TD 1996 90,000 miles , paintwork immaculate and all the arches have been done and hoping its a good one

thanks all again
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Re: Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

Post by Bob » Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:47 pm

You need to come to a Meet now. :D
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Re: Newbie - Bongo purchase advice 2wd or 4wd ?

Post by Tony x » Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:40 pm

I've had both a 2wd and 4wd
We do a lot of driving down muddy lanes and wet fields.
The 4wd we currently have has the limited slip differential at the rear which is a major plus when it comes to not getting stuck and it is much, much better than the 2wd Bongo we had when going off road. It is also much better in the snow. We have semi off road tyres fitted - Michelin Latitude cross (which are great)
However the 2wd was probably a bit faster and some report better performance when converting 4wd to 2wd.
Basically, it all depends what you need. If your not going anywhere you might get stuck then 2wd, if you are then 4wd and the differential if you can. (look for a yellow dab of paint on the differential)
Ground clearance can be increased by putting the air suspension in the back springs -about £100 and one of the best additions you can make to any Bongo.
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