Ix 35 Offroad?

[bluelight]

Hi guys, brand new to forum so having fun getting lost in the threads!! Had our 2010 Highlander 6 months and are quite happy, 11000k's no probs. Well apart from arattle in the left front door that drives the handbrake(wife!) mad, but i pretend i can"t hear it<waiting till the 15000 service to sort it ,anyway ,looking for advice/experiences of anyone who's ventured offroad in their 2010 ix35/tuc.
I know the old ones had more ground clearance but just wondering how far I can wander before I get the minister for war & finance(wife!!) stuck.Looking forward to replies.
Cheers
Bluelight

[blue_icestorm]

Gday Bluelight,

Me Iceblue Highlander has had a few hard runs around the kimberlies, we live in Broome, ive had this beast in same spots as i'd take me old hilux (89) model.
They are capable, just when comes down to off road its a whole new learning experience, ya get to be lazy, the only thing i can fault is the tyres, road based not much grab to em expensive as, and little ability to upgrade size especially with the factory 18 inch rims.

Weve taken the car to cape leveque which rattles the crap out of patrols and landcruisers, she handled beautifully and overtaking that 200 series cruiser, well the look on the owners face hehehee great fun.

Im thinkin bout gettin me missus out and i drag the hilux out and see exactly what it takes to bog it, see what there capable of, havent done it yet but yeah im sure curious. But ey if they handle the kimberley's they can handle anywhere

[bluelight]

Sweet, Cheers for the feedback.
Time to go out and get mine dirty.

[Patriotblue]

Hey guys , just about to order my Highlander this week and was wondering the same thing re off road capability. I've some favorite beaches I'd love to travel across. I'm guessing Fraser is probably out of the question but at a low psi it sounds like its fairly capable....

Cheers

[Paulas2]

Originally Posted by Patriotblue

Hey guys , just about to order my Highlander this week and was wondering the same thing re off road capability. I've some favorite beaches I'd love to travel across. I'm guessing Fraser is probably out of the question but at a low psi it sounds like its fairly capable....

Mate, I would be happy to drive your ix35 on Fraser Island, but I certainly would not take mine.
Cheers,
Paul

[Iceblueaccent]

I'm not the type that enjoys off road drives, but I thought CUV's in general, and the Tucsons specifically were not designed for off road activities?

[bluelight]

They will go anywhere that their ground clearance will let them, so beach= no probs! Took ours (Highlander) on a 4WD basic course and had a ball. Only 1 thing could stop it, ground clearance on a very deep, rutted sand hill! Apart from that, no worries
I just wish someone would do a lift kit!!

[bluelight]

King springs $490 35mm lift!!
Also, dont know if I believe it. But on subaru forum a bloke reckons he's taken his stock Forester to Fraser twice and "never even come close to gettig stuck!"
4WD Overlander mag did a comparo with the IX35 Highlander2.0R ,2.0 Diesel- series Subaru Forester and the Volkswagen Tiguan 103 TDI and wrote of the Hyundai;" it's the best choice if off roading is high on your priority list"
..Makes you think!

[vanilla35]

I know this thread is now over a year since the last post, but I thought it worth putting a different point of view.

Fraser Island is a cinch - if you stay on the beaches. The beaches are hard and flat - they actually post 80km/h signs to slow people down. If you want to take an ix35 to Fraser, go for it. I'd take mine (my other car is a 100 series Landcruiser). Getting on and off the barge can be a little tricky if there's been lots of traffic, but generally drive on top of ruts and you'll be fine. Time it for low tide (so you don't have to take the inland track) and stay on the beach and all will be fantastic. Be careful around Eli Creek and the many water soak/drains along the beaches. Only cross Eli Creek on very low tide.



Going inland is different. Many of the tracks would be fine, but some have deep ruts and you will get hung up or do some damage.

I'm currently looking to find a 4 corner lift kit for mine - 2" should do the trick. The Kings' lift is only for the rear - it is actually the front that is the problem. Actually, if you look under, apart from the wishbones and flimsy front plastic 'bash plate', the rest has a lot more clearance.

I have taken my ix35 on some very soft beaches (it costs around 1/3 of the Landcruiser to run!). I've done some damage to the plastic bash tray - I may even investigate ripping it off entirely though I think it holds the bottom of the front bumper in place. But as long as you stay on top of the ruts, it has plenty of sand ability. I'm also considering having a second set of tyres (say 14" high profile) to get better tread lengthening effect from letting the tyres down. All this because it actually drives really nicely on the beach and I would like to get fishing for a lot less cost than the Landcruiser.

BTW if you look in my pictures, you'll see a couple of my ix35 on Tagon Beach, Cape Arid National Park near Esperance in WA.

BTW..2...bluelight - a Forester would handle Fraser - all of it - fairly comfortably. Not sure what Overlander was thinking, but Forester ground clearance is better than ix35. Approach and departure angles on ix35 are better, but neither of those will come into the equation on Fraser. If I can find a lift kit for my ix35, it will definitely be my new beach fishing vehicle and my Landcruiser will stay home.