Agree it would be incorrect to expect a 4Motion van to be as capable as a purpose built 4WD for rock crawling and other very specific 4WD scenarios. That being said they can be more capable than people expect for a decent amount of off road scenarios (obviously not rock crawling etc where you want long wheel travel) with the right tire pressures, driver handling even with basic mods such as good tire choice. I bought mine specifically to go off road in Australia mainly for beach, island driving to get the kids to places you can't go with a normal car.
I've taken my 6.1 Transporter, 4M, diff lock running 235/65/17 tires (+50mm diameter increase = 1inch lift under diffs) as the only mod across the whole of Moreton Island off QLD coast (similar sand island to Fraser but 3rd largest instead of worlds largest) and it went everywhere the lifted "proper 4WD's" running 33 and 35" tires went. Obviously i didn't charge up rutted holed tracks at 50km/h like the 200 series cruiser's or the lifted Hilux's did as i'm still on standard suspension but it easily walked up holed soft tracks in 1st gear never bottoming out the diff or dragging its arse.
Long story short the proper 4WD's got to all parts of the Island and so did we. So we got to go everywhere and see everything all the other 4wd's did so for me that's the result. We cruised past a lifted 200 series Landcruiser bogged in really soft sand that obviously thought power and capability guarantee'd performance. He was on 24PSI and we were on 12PSI tire pressures as the day before the van had started to drop in the soft stuff on 18PSI. We stopped, dropped to 12PSI got the kids to throw some Maxxtraxx under the wheels and it walked out in 1st gear and for the rest of the trip it went across that soft sand like a hovercraft. Lots of comments, thumbs up and calls from others around who saw it wheeling.
If you want there is some video pics etc on instagram at ferdinand.the.bulli
Bob,
for my needs and use the 4M works completely fine but i'd never drop it as I need the clearance and wheel travel but if you don't need that for your use then maybe it will work for you.
@CRS Performance do you have a recommendation for a suspension solution for going up 2 inches? It's not a camper and not a work van so not consistently taking a big payload. Will likely build in some drawers and pull out kitchen at some point for the back part similar in size to the Vanessa type builds (yes i'll be doing a diff drop with it)
cheers
