4x4 Magazine - April 2020

4x4

NEWS • TECH • DEBATE • TRAVEL • MODIFIED VEHICLES • GREEN LANING

DRIVEN Ford Ranger Raptor fully tested

THE UK’S ONLY 4X4 AND PICK-UP MAGAZINE

POWER TO THE PEOPLE! Our D-Max project begins in earnest – with a major suspension upgrade

Pick-up projects tend to divide themselves into big-money builds and rough weld-ups. This Mitsubishi L200 is one company’s way of offering an affordable alternative – a truck with serious off-road ability that you can drive all day long Terrafirma’s magnificent new Defender 110 demo truck

£4.99

Easy but scratchy going on our East Kent Roadbook

APR 2020

Exploring the parts of Morocco even 4x4s rarely visit 4x4 Cover Apr SK.indd 1

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April 2020

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SCENE OFF-ROAD CALEN DAR

moving service

A Overseas

and repair

Adventure Travel

CONTENTS

parts

S 4x4 Show

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Convoy Tour three months Green Lane approximately shown up to lane tours are Dates for green Off-Road Playday does not represent on-sale date. in this listing the magazine’s any errors also that inclusion the consequences of the month following for ahead. Note to the end of responsibility it is still going space permitting are shown up but accept no a year ahead, to ensure that Dates for playdays adventure tours up to with the organiser accuracy of this information, overseas first checking care over the shows and event without We take great travel to an Trails and Tracks should never by 4x4 magazine. or organiser Important: You Tyne Valley of the event any endorsement 14-15 March

G

KEY

P

G

2-11 March 16 February

P P Muddy Bottom P Minstead, Hampshire

G East Midlands (night run) Protrax

5-20 March

22 February Green Adventure

Onelife Adventure

A Morocco

Tours

G Shropshire / Welsh Borders Landrover Events G UKDurham Dales

7 March Burnham Off-Roaders

P Tring, Hertfordshire Protrax G Wales Events UK Landrover G Eden District

23 February

S Stafford, Staffordshire Bures Pit P Bures, Essex Cowm Leisure P Whitworth, Lancashire Slindon Safari P Slindon, West Sussex 4x4 Thames Valley P Oxley Shaw, Berkshire 4x4 Expo

7-8 March

7-26 March

G East Midlands (night run) Protrax

– 1 March

Compass Adventures

G Wales Travel Road Adventure G OffWales 2-6 March

G Coast to Coast Ardventures

1 March Frickley 4x4

P Frickley, South Yorkshire Muddy Bottom P Minstead, Hampshire Picadilly Wood P Bolney, West Sussex

21 March

G Tynedale

21-22 March

14 April

Events Landrover Events UK Tyne and Wear

17-19 April

Dales to Coast G Yorkshire Moors andCoast Trailmasters G Lake District 18 April

UK Landrover

13 April

Active 4x4

A Morocco

G Eden District

UK Landrover

2020

A

Ardventures

Trails and Tracks

G North Wales

G Atlas Overland G Wessex Events UK Landrover G Wiltshire Ardventures North/Mid Wales

4-13 May 2020 Active 4x4

A Portugal

Tours

31 July – 3

2020

1-15 August

2020

27 May – 10

Ardventures

Off Road Adventure

A Pyrenees, Spain

Onelife Adventure

A Pyrenees

Billing Off-Road

July 2020

Off Road Adventure

A Albania

1-5 July 2020

A French Pyrenees Landtreks

11-24

July 2020

A Balkans

Ardventures

13-19 July Travel

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2020

Landtreks East Pyrenees

19-20 September

Travel

Overland Show

S Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire Adventure

Show

S Billing, NorthamptonLRshireShow Kelmarsh Original S Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire 28 June – 16

2020

A Pyrenees

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27-28 June

Protrax

Adventures

15-26 August

17-23 August

Billing Land

S Billing, Northamptonshore

Rally

2020

Active 4x4

A Botswana

July 2020

Atlas Overland

26-28 June

June 2020

5-19 June 2020

10-29 August

A Corsica

Follow-On

More shows and off-road events listed than ever before!

2020

A Galicia, Spain

2020

22 June – 7

A Pyrenees

Adventures

8-23 August

Ardent Adventure

A Pyrenees

2020

Atlas Overland

A Italian Alps

July

Onelife Adventure

ALRC National

/ Storm Jeeps

Ardventures

A Greece

20-27 June

August 2020

A Marquenterre, France

Protrax Pyrenees

Ardent Adventure

S Bilsington, Kent

August 2020

A Pyrenees Coast to Coast Landtreks

19 June – 3

25-30 May

2-3 May

28 July – 9

A Pyrenees

May

18 4x4 Calendar

Spares Day

S Malvern, Worcestershire

Adventures

13-20 June

Events

Trails and Tracks

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16-17 Events A Morocco UK Landrover Onelife Adventure 22 March Yorkshire Dales Burnham Off-Roaders G Yorkshire 4-5 April Safari P Tring, Hertfordshire& District 4x4 Club P Slindon 19 April Sussex Travel 2020 Slindon, West ShowAdventure16-24 May Off Road Essex, Rochford Land Rover Great British G Wales ire Events P Rayleigh, Essex 3 April UK Land Rover 24 March – S Newark, NottinghamshProtrax Parkwood 4x4 A Pyrenees Tours MayG Wales 4x4 Adventure P Tong, Bradford 24 April – 10 2020 A Morocco Trails and Tracks 16-30 May Slindon Safari Ardent Adventure G Cumbria, Eden and Yorks Dales P Slindon, West Sussex 6 April Atlas Overland 24 March – A Morocco Events UK Landrover A Portugal 4-16 April Trailmasters G Lake District Classic April 25 Marrakesh June 2020 A Morocco Atlas Overland 20 May – 2 Trails and Tracks 9-13 March Morocco Classic Trailmasters 26-27 March G North York MoorsA Road (extreme expedition) Ardent Off Morocco A Events 5 April UK Landrover G Coast to Coast Day 4x4 Spares G Cumbria/Yorkshire 25-26 April Overland Newbury 21-25 May Show Berkshire Adventure 14 March S Newbury, Warwickshire Rally ALRC National 28 March S Stratford Upon Avon, Tours Green Adventure S Bilsington, Kent Centre Compass Adventures Kirton Off Road G Shropshire / Welsh Borders Lincs Lake District Yorkshire / P Kirton Lindsey, NorthG 23-24 May Trails and Tracks Protrax G County Durham Protrax G Wiltshire G4x4 Wiltshire

8 March

Malvern 4x4

4x4 Adventure

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Adventures

19 July

A Pyrenees 10-24 June

2020

Active 4x4

A Alps

8-17 June 2020

10 May

1-3 May

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AdventuresMay

3-16 April

13-22 July

Ardventures

8-17 June 2020

A Pyrenees

parts

and repair

A Pyrenees, Spain

Events

P Dales and Eden 30 March –

moving service

6-21 June 2020

8 May

29 March

Road

Trails and Tracks Onelife Adventure

G Morocco Desert and Mountains Protrax

Explore Off

Events t 7-8 April UK Landrover P Silverdale, Stoke-on-Tren Belvoir Bures Pit Onelife Adventure P Bures, Suffolk G Lincoln and Frickley 4x4 G Yorkshire P Frickley, South Yorkshire Cowm Leisure 9 May Bottom P Whitworth, Lancashire UK Landrover Events 12 April P Muddy Minstead, Hampshire Frickley 4x4 G Durham Dales Events Yorkshire UK Landrover P Frickley, South Protrax Centre P Tixover, NorthamptonsGhirePeak District Kirton Off RoadNorth 9-10 May P Kirton Lindsey, LincsGaydon Land Rover Show 13 April 20 March Protrax ShireGaydon, Warwickshire Events Events UK Landrover P Tixover, Northamptons UK Landrover Protrax 4x4 G Northumberland G North York Moors Thames Valley Wales G Hampshire P Broxhead, UK Landrover

Trails and Tracks

G North of England

29 February

29 February

Tours

4 March

om for fast

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G Yorkshire Moors and Dales jeepspares.c Compass Adventures AD SCENE G Yorkshire / Lake District Atlas Overland G Wessex OFF-RO Protrax G Wiltshire 15 March Ardventures

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A Portugal

Road Explore Off t Silverdale, Stoke-on-Tren Frickley 4x4 Yorkshire Frickley, South

22-30 August

2020

Ardent Adventure

A Alps

24 August –

4 Sept 2020

A Morocco

Trailmasters

26-31 August

2020

Lost World

A Alps

Overland

9-24 September

A

2020

Protrax Ukraine

22 November Great British

Land Rover

S Stoneleigh, Warwickshire

Show

MARCH 2020

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“We want to offer accessories that move the game from us your Land Rover will have things that your

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66 12 ISSUES OF 4X4 – FOR JUST £12!

£1 per issue. Yes, really – that’s all it costs to have Britain’s only 4x4 magazine delivered to your door every month! Time to take action…

4x4 Scene: News, Products and More…

8 8 9 9 10 10 12 15 16 17 20 20 22 23 24 25

Land Rover Defender Order books open for the new 90; base price £40,290 Citroën Plans unveiled for centenary expedition to mark first Sahara crossing Volkswagen Touareg R Performance range-topper will be a plug-in hybrid Kia Sorento Details revealed of all-new model Vaxhall Combo Dangel 4x4 conversion creates unique high-mobility van Skoda Kodiaq Ambulance conversion creates paramedics’ dream car Arkonik World-class Defender restorer returns to UK market Great British Land Rover Show All ready for April’s curtain-raiser in Newark!

Nether Moor Time to have your say as a green lane’s future goes to review Green Lane Association Repairing a lane – and doing great PR for the hobby ARB New Landcruiser Air-Locker fitment introduced Maxxis Winning result for Razr MT in on-road tyre test Marsland Chassis Defender 110 frames now available from Britpart Ring New battery tester allows full electrical health checks Britpart Replacement seat boxes for rotted-out LT77s Mud-UK Double-DIN stereo mount brings Td5 Defenders up to date

Driven 28 32

Ford Raptor Can the ultimate Ranger possibly live up to the hype?

BMW X3 High-performance M Competition model tested in horrific conditions

Every Month 4 9 18 66 80

Alan Kidd Why don’t the police prevent anti-4x4 harassment?

Coming Soon Trucks and SUVs set to be launched in the near future Calendar Forthcoming playdays, lane runs, shows and expeditions Subscribe Your monthly fix of 4x4 delivered – for just £1 per copy!

Next Month A Volkswagen 4x4 like you’ve never seen before…

Features 34 40

Terrafirma 110 Restored, rebuilt and dripping with desirable gear Real-world L200 A new kind of build that’s neither big-money nor no-money

Our 4x4s 48

Isuzu D-Max Go 2 The work starts for real as Pedders’ suspension goes on

Travel

forward, so it you buy mates’ don’t”

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Morocco If you think you’ve seen it all, this itinerary is for you Canada Touring the north-west and meeting bears, wolves… and rednecks

68 Roadbook East Kent

are sharp rock Caution – there as you climb the steps to negotiate hillside

Step

Step 40: Turn left off the main embankment track, dropping then plunging down the straight into a water trough (right)

37

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13

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12.3 41

Abbey Strata Florida

8.75

track to the left Take the rocky track the main Cat A

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14

Step

38 13.1

of

More rock steps, water trough

Step

followed by a long

47

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15

There’s a couple of huge water troughs after the junction

13.1 Step

43

11.7 Step

16 11.8 Step

17 12.8 Step

18 12.8 88 | JANUARY 2020

It’s a steep, sharp climb up and over a bigger track – you can’t see ahead over your bonnet to start with

Caution over a steps as you short set of rocky drop down the hill

15.0

Step

4212.6

10.9

Step

48

Look out for you cross the the waymarker as ford

15.2

13.4 Step

Join the Cat A

track

44

You may find yourself driving a river bed along for a while…

13.65 Step

45

track Drop off the main the gate and immediately before trough water into yet another

14.7 Step

46 14.9 4x4

to clear these axleneed a bit of momentum right is much bigger to the Step 37: You might warned, the drop-off twisters – but be than it looks here

4x4

It’s very scratchy in places, but this route in the old Kentish coalfield is an entertaining day out – with a few twists and surprises to keep you on your toes JANUARY

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APRIL 2020 | 5

02/03/2020 11:34

4x4 Alan Kidd Editor

M

ost of us are on the side of green laning. Even if you don’t do it yourself, you see the appeal and accept that so long as people do it responsibly, they deserve the right to do it without being harassed.

That’s because we understand it, of course. Most people don’t; the vast majority of people are astonished to learn that there are rights of way in Britain you can drive in a 4x4, and even once they understand this they’re still left with the lingering assumption they’ve been fed that we’re all just hooligans driving where we want and wrecking the countryside.

As you probably know, hooligans driving where they want and wrecking the countryside are a major problem. They’re a problem to the people whose land they wreck, to those whose enjoyment of the countryside or of their own homes is disturbed and, in particular, those of us whose entire hobby is constantly under threat from self-interest groups who seize on the actions of a few criminals to paint an untrue picture of the rest of us.

The true picture is the one you see quite regularly in our news pages or those of publications like the monthly bulletin sent out by the Green Lane Association. Rights of way users going out with the police, national park rangers, forestry wardens and so on to run outreach operations on the lanes, educating users and patrolling areas where illegal off-roading is common.

I was pulled over one time by a couple of cops who were sat on a lane next to an old, abandoned quarry where people used to go to have a play. Aside from the fact that an old, abandoned quarry is surely the very best possible place to let people blow off some steam, and all the debate around that, what wound me up was that from the off, they talked to me like a criminal. When I pointed out that I was just driving a public right of way, the response was almost a ‘don’t get smart with me’ sort of line. It was like they expected me to be an illegal offroader and it hadn’t occurred to them that I might be a legit byway user.

Another frustrating conversion, another time and in another place, came with a landowner who clearly didn’t like the fact

4 | APRIL 2020

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We are on the law’s side. It would be nice to think that the law is on ours that he had a byway running past his farm.

Signposted, well surfaced, dry-stone walled, the works, but he wasn’t having it. My favourite pearl of wisdom, when I pointed out that I had checked it with the local authority and it was recorded as a byway, was ‘well then can you go back to them please and get them to change it.’

When he gave me the ‘I don’t want to see you here again’ line and I gave him the obvious answer, he said he’d just obstruct it. And the very next day, he had.

That was in 2009, and he’s still doing it today. I can’t say the name of the lane, as the laws of libel protect the guilty as well as the innocent, but since then the guy has tried to have it downgraded and then extinguished altogether. Even the local bridleway society agrees that it’s a byway.

But hey ho, the local authority is making enquiries. And who knows how long that will last, but while it’s rumbling along they’re refusing to take any enforcement action to stop the obstructions. Whose side exactly is the law meant to be on?

Oh yes, the law. It stops people from off-roading illegally on land next to rights of way, it’s very keen to do so and responsible green laning clubs are always willing to put up members who’ll help.

So here’s a question. What is the law doing about the rampant criminality of people who obstruct lanes and harass motor vehicle users? If the police can lurk beside rights of way waiting to treat drivers like criminals for being there, why can’t they go out, posing as green laners, to snare the troublemakers who’re forever out to wreck our days on the lanes?

Every single area rep knows every single problem lane, I’m sure, where you can’t go without being given abuse by Mr Angry from the farm. Why is nothing ever done about that?

We are on the law’s side. It would be nice to think that the law is on ours.

Tel: 01283 553243 Email: enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk Web: www.totaloffroad.co.uk www.4x4i.com Online Shop: www.toronline.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/totaloffroad www.facebook.com/4x4Mag Editor Alan Kidd Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Mike Trott, Dan Fenn, Paul Looe, Olly Sack, Rob Boseley, Jen Bright, Gav Lowrie, Barrie Dunbar Photographers Harry Hamm, Steve Taylor, Richard Hair, Vic Peel Group Advertising Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Manager Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 553244 Advertising Production Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Subscriptions Manager Catherine Martin Subscriptions Assistants Emma Emery, Kay Tunnicliffe, Abi Dutton Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription, call 01283 742970. Prices for 12 issues: UK £42 (24 issues £76); Europe Airmail/ROW Surface £54; ROW Airmail £78 Distributed by Marketforce; www.marketforce.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure the contents of 4x4 are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these.

When responding to any advert in 4x4, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org 4x4 is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House 1.08, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

© Assignment Media Ltd, 2020

4x4 01/03/2020 22:11

Performance Springs

The right choice when replacing the old sagging original springs!

Britpart Performance - Lifted Springs

Bar Rate Defender 90 Lift Load Diameter lbs/in DA4201 Front 25mm 25kg 16mm 200 DA4202 Front 40mm 50kg 16mm 230 DA4203 Rear 40mm Light 17mm 220 DA4204 Rear 50mm 100kg 18mm 300 - 340 DA4205 Rear 50mm 200kg 19mm 360 Defender 110 DA4201 Front 25mm 25kg 16mm 200 DA4202 Front 40mm 50kg 16mm 230 DA4206 Rear 40mm 100kg 17mm 270 - 295 DA4208 Rear 50mm 500kg 21mm 420 Defender 130 DA4202 Front 40mm 50kg 16mm 230 DA4208 Rear 50mm 500kg 21mm 420 Discovery 1 DA4201 Front 25mm 25kg 16mm 200 DA4202 Front 40mm 50kg 16mm 230 DA4203 Rear 40mm Light 17mm 220 DA4204 Rear 50mm 100kg 18mm 300 - 340 DA4205 Rear 50mm 200kg 19mm 360 Discovery 2 DA4199 Front 40mm 20 - 50kg 15mm 180 DA4198 Front 40mm 50 - 100kg 16mm 220 DA4203 Rear 40mm Light 17mm 220 DA4197 Rear 40mm Medium 18mm 290 DA4205 Rear 50mm 200kg 19mm 360 Range Rover Classic DA4201 Front 25mm 25kg 16mm 200 DA4202 Front 40mm 50kg 16mm 230 DA4203 Rear 40mm Light 17mm 220 DA4204 Rear 50mm 100kg 18mm 300 - 340 DA4205 Rear 50mm 200kg 19mm 360 Note - Spring quantity 1 = 1 pair

Free Height 420mm 390mm 435mm 425mm 430mm 420mm 390mm 445mm 445mm 390mm 445mm 420mm 390mm 435mm 425mm 430mm 390mm 390mm 435mm 430mm 430mm 420mm 390mm 435mm 425mm 430mm

Britpart performance springs are high quality, versatile and competitively priced - the right choice when replacing the old sagging original springs.

Developed by one of the world’s top spring manufacturers these high quality, powder coated yellow springs have been designed with the needs of today’s Land Rover owners in mind. Britpart performance lifted springs have the added benefit of improving your vehicles approach and departure angles which in turn allows you to overcome more obstacles when off-roading.

As Land Rovers are often working vehicles as well as the family car, uprated springs must offer the ability to carry loads, handle off-road terrain and provide a good ride on road. The progressive springs offer a compliant ride when lightly loaded, but firm up as the load increases.

www.britpart.com/springs

After Lowering

“Britpart performance springs are high quality, versatile and competitively priced...”

Britpart Performance - Standard Height Springs

Defender 90 DA4277 Front DA4278 Rear Defender 110 DA4277 Front DA4279 Rear Discovery 1 DA4277 Front DA4278 Rear Range Rover Classic DA4277 Front DA4278 Rear Note - Spring quantity 1 = 1 pair

Bar Diameter 16mm 18mm

Rate Free lbs/in Height 225 390mm 285 385mm

16mm 225 390mm 19mm 330 415mm 16mm 225 390mm 18mm 285 385mm 16mm 225 390mm 18mm 285 385mm

Britpart yellow springs are designed for the enthusiast who wants a performance spring without having to raise the vehicle. They offer a firmer ride with less body roll, ideal for a vehicle with uprated performance or one used for carrying heavy loads. The springs are designed to offer full articulation off-road with a compliant ride. Developed by one of the world’s top spring manufacturers these high quality, powder coated yellow springs have been designed with the needs of today’s Land Rover owners in mind.

Britpart Performance 1” Lower Springs

Reduce the ride height of your Land Rover by 1” (25mm) by fitting these lowered springs. By lowering your vehicle it will help reduce body roll as well as giving your vehicle a more sporty squat stance. The springs are designed in line with the standard spring rate specification. Finished in powered coated orange paint.

DA4563 Defender 90 & 110/Discovery 1/Range Rover Classic Front pair DA4564 Defender 90/Discovery 1/Range Rover Classic Rear pair DA6449 Defender 110 Rear pair DA1234 XD Handling Kit for Defender 90/Discovery 1/Range Rover Classic Kit contains lower springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars, turret rings and more...

OFF-ROAD SCENE

jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

NEW 4X4S

LAND ROVER CONFIRMS PRICES FOR NEW DEFENDER 90 AS ORDER BOOK OPENS

On sale now from £40,290 • Commercial models coming this year from £35,000 plus VAT

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and Rover has confirmed that the cheapest version of its new Defender 90 will cost £40,290. Order books are now open for the vehicle, following on from the ‘unprecedented demand’ Land Rover says it has experienced in response to the launch of the 110 version late last year.

The 90 is initially available with a choice of four engines. Most sales will go to the 2.0-litre SD4 diesel, whether in 200 or 240bhp form; a 300bhp Si4 petrol engine provides an alternative that’s price-matched to the latter, while the 400bhp i6 is reserved for the range-topping X 90.

Even with the SD4 200, prices climb to £47,595 for the mid-range SE model. With the SD4 240 and P300 Si4, the HSE trim tops the list at £55,475, while the P400 i6 X will set you back a monstrous £75,475.

That will only be the beginning for many buyers, too. Land Rover reports that of the 1.21 million De-

fenders that have been configured online since sales began, more than half have been specified with one of its four option packs. Perhaps

tellingly, the Urban Pack has been the most popular of these.

Later this year, the Defender 90 and 110 will also become available

in a variety of commercial forms.

Land Rover says prices for these models will start at approximately £35,000 plus VAT.

Citroën plans electrified expedition to mark centenery of first ever Sahara crossing by car CITROËN HAS ANNOUNCED plans to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the first ever vehicular crossing of the Sahara. In 1922, it was a pair of Citroën Kegresse autochenilles (half-tracks) that made the pioneering trip – and two years from now, the French manufacturer will return to the Sahara to follow the same route with a convoy of electric vehicles.

Titled Ë.PIC, the expedition will be led by replicas of the Golden Scarab and Silver Crescent vehicles that made the initial crossing a century ago.

These will run alongside the EVs, which will comprise various production models from the 2022 Citroën range – as well as a future fully electric vehicle which is yet to be announced.

‘This project involves both human and technological dimensions,’ says Citroën, ‘to promote innovative and sustainable forms of mobility. The objective of the challenge is not speed, but a human adventure on board three types of vehicle highlighting the past, the present and the future.’

The expedition will set out from Touggourt on 19 December 2022 and arrive in Timbuktu on 7 January 2023 – a total of 3170 kilometres in 21 days.

These dates coincide exactly with the anniversary of the original Sahara Cruise; Citroën aims to stick to the same historical route, too, as far as the political climate will allow.

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OFF-ROAD SCENE

jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

COMING SOON Forthcoming 4x4s due later this year and beyond

Hybrid power returns to Touareg line-up aboard new range-topping Touarag R model VOLKSWAGEN HAS UNVEILED the Touarag R – a new flagship model at the very top of its 4x4 range which combines the efficiency of a plug-in hybrid with the power of a performance SUV. The vehicle has 462bhp and 516lbf.ft, with all the pace that promises, but can also cover what Volkswagen calls ’typical commuter distances’ in zero-emission EV mode.

Unlike some hybrids, the Touareg R retains the 3500kg trailer capacity of models with internal combustion engines. It can do its thing off-road, too, and there’s an option pack available to help it make the most of what it’s got in this area.

The Touareg R will be joining VW’s UK range later this year. Prices are yet to be announced, but don’t expect a lot of change out of seventy grand.

• Kia has released details of the all-new Sorento. Due for production later this year, this is based on a new platform with a 35mm longer wheelbase – giving it what Kia says will be class-leading cargo space.

The vehicle will be powered by a choice of 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid and 2.2-litre diesel engines, the latter mated to a new eight-speed dual-clutch auto box. Respectively, these develop 230bhp and 258lbf.ft, and 202bhp and 325lbf.ft. Further into the vehicle’s life cycle, a new plug-in hybrid model will be added to the range.

Nissan has revealed a revised version of its range-topping Navara N-Guard. This gains a new electric blue colour scheme as well as blue seat stitching, illuminated footwells and a spray-in bedliner. On sale this month, it’s priced at £30,775.00 plus VAT.

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Aiways U5 Electric SUV Alfa Romeo Tonale Small SUV Alpina XB7 Performance SUV Aston Martin DBX Performance SUV Audi Q5 facelift Medium SUV BMW iX3 Electric SUV BMW X5 M Competition Performance SUV BMW X6 M Competition Performance SUV Bollinger B1 Electric off-roader Bollinger B2 Electric pick-up Cupra Formentor Performance SUV Ford Kuga Medium SUV Ford Mustang Mach-E Electric SUV Ford Ranger Pick-up INEOS Grenadier Off-roader Jeep Small SUV Jeep Cherokee Desert Hawk Performance Off-Roader Jeep Gladiator Pick-up Jeep Grand Commander Large SUV Jeep Renegade PHEV Hybrid SUV Jeep Wagoneer Luxury SUV Kia Sorento Large SUV Land Rover Defender 90 Off-roader Land Rover Defender 130 Off-roader Land Rover Defender PHEV Hybrid off-roader Land Rover Defender EV Electric off-roader Land Rover Discovery Spt PHEV Hybrid SUV Maserati Medium SUV Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 Performance SUV Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Performance SUV Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 Performance SUV Mercedes-Benz EQB Electric SUV Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe Large SUV Mercedes-Maybach GLS Luxury SUV Mitsubishi Outlander Medium SUV Peugeot 3008 Hybrid 4 Hybrid SUV Range Rover Evoque PHEV Hybrid SUV Rivian R1T Electric pick-up Rivian R1s Electric large SUV SsangYong Korando EV Electric SUV Suzuki S-Cross Hybrid Crossover SUV Suzuki Vitara Hybrid Small SUV Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pick-Up Tesla Model X Tri-Motor Electric SUV Tesla Model Y Medium SUV Toyota Landcruiser Active Van Commercial Off-Roader Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Medium SUV Toyota Yaris SUV Small SUV Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet Small SUV Volkswagen Tarok Pick-up Volkswagen Amarok Pick-up Volkswagen Touareg R Performance SUV Volvo XC40 PHEV Hybrid SUV Volvo XC40 EV Electric SUV

Summer 2020 November December April Autumn Early 2021 June 2020 June 2020 2020 2021 Early 2021 Spring October 2022 2021 2021 Spring June 2020 September 2021 September March March 2021 2021 2023 April 2021 April April June Early 2021 June June October April April Spring 2022 Summer 2022 September March March Late 2022 Early 2021 October March October Late 2020 April 2020 2022 July April Early 2021

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NEW 4X4S

Dangel conversion turns Vauxhall Combo into unique 4x4 van

V

auxhall has introduced a new version of its Combo Cargo van – with a 4x4 conversion by specialist engineering supplier Dangel. Designed to cope with the sort of terrain a light commercial vehicle might encounter in certain types of use, the vehicle has enhanced ground clearance and

underbody protection to go with its greater traction.

The Combo’s 4x4 system is a part-time set-up which can be used on-road in 4x4 mode. It’s normally powered only by the front wheels, but the centre diff starts sending torque to the rear wheels as soon as any loss of traction is detected.

In addition, drivers can select R

Lock mode to keep the rear axle fully engaged.

Modified suspension lifts the Combo by 90mm, raising its ground clearance to 185mm and giving it approach, departure and breakover angles of 26.6, 38.3 and 26 degrees respectively. By speccing the optional 4x4 Plus Pack, you can make these figures

more impressive still with another 20mm of clearance; this also adds fuel tank and rear axle protection on top of the engine and gearbox armour that comes as standard on the 4x4 model.

A limited-slip rear diff is also optional on the Combo Cargo 4x4, and with all this helping it on its way the vehicle should be pretty well equipped to get places. Vauxhall expects the vehicle to open new markets for it in the agriculture, construction and telecoms sectors, where it currently has no direct competition.

The new Combo Cargo 4x4 is priced from £34,660 to £36,010 plus the VAT. Similar money to the forthcoming Defender 90 commercial, then, and more than the current Landcruiser van. It had better be good.

SKODA HAS SUPPLIED a fleet of 18 Kodiaq 4x4s to the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT). The vehicles underwent specialist conversion prior to entering operational duty – giving them full emergency lighting and sirens along with full mobile communications and MDT systems and a custom rear storage solution compliant with current infection control criteria.

The conversion, which was carried out by Skoda’s approved partner Halls Electrical, also saw the inclusion of a second screen in the centre console and the movement of the existing infotainment system to be positioned above the glovebox. The new screen houses important information relating to 999 calls.

In addition, SWASFT required a fully converted storage area for equipment, additional power supplies, an auxiliary battery, split charging and mains shoreline capability. The Kodiaqs’ third row of seats were removed to make way for essential life-saving equipment and a combination safe for storing controlled drugs.

The vehicles, which will be on duty 24/7, were chosen by SWASFT for a variety of criteria – including their off-road ability. The service is responsible for an area covering 20% of the land mass of England, and this includes a large amount of rough roads, unsurfaced tracks and inhospitable terrain.

‘We have chosen the Skoda Kodiaq as our operational officer vehicle because of the space available for the specialist and technical equipment required by this staff group,’ says SWASFT’s Robin Gwinett. ‘The vehicle offers the level of safety and comfort that our crews demand from operational vehicles. It blends excellent on-road handling characteristics with enough off-road performance for the majority of the situations our operations officers face on a daily basis.’

10 | APRIL 2020

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4x4 02/03/2020 17:15

Land Rover Rummage SUNDAY 17 MAY 2020

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NEWS

Land Rover restorer Arkonik to expand with reintroduction into UK market – and project to develop fully electric Defender

S

omerset-based Land Rover restoration specialist Arkonik has announced its return to the UK market. The company, which for the last seven years has been selling only to clients in the USA and Canada, has built a formidable reputation for the quality of the vehicles it builds – and now it is once again open for business in its home market.

Founded in 2008, Arkonik initially withdrew from the UK market in 2012 in response to a slowdown in orders following the global financial crisis. The company developed a business model which sees it scour mainland Europe for left-hand drive 90s and 110s suitable for restoration; these are fully rebuilt from the ground up and sold to clients in North America.

The company’s premises, a little way south of Bath in the village of Mells, operate like a proper manufacturing facility. And with every vehicle being built from scratch, to a much higher specification than the original, in many ways it does resemble a car maker rather than a restoration outfit. Each of the Land Rovers it sells is unique, however; with a forward order book of around

eighty clients, it builds only to order, and those customers are given every opportunity to spec their vehicles to their own personal preference.

This is a key difference between buying a new car from a dealer and having one built by a specialist like Arkonik. The company has found that the interaction between it and its clients are a part of the process they treasure – so much so that

Arkonik staff appear fully invested in the company’s ethos, with a real sense of pride in the vehicles they create. American import rules mean vehicles must have their original chassis and engine, but don’t prevent them from being fully remanufactured

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many have come back to order further vehicles so they can enjoy speccing them again.

Naturally, these are wealthy customers. Arkonik says it’s possible to buy an entry-level vehicle for just under £100,000, and that at the top end you could pay twice as much as that. But these are heirloom cars built to last through generations and, if you’ve got it to spend, they represent a rock-solid investment.

Arkonik has to play by American rules when building vehicles for customers on the other side of the Atlantic, which means they have to use the Land Rovers’ original chassis and engine. However there’s nothing to stop them from doing more work once the importation process is complete – which is why, in addition to its Somerset factory, the company has established its SVO facility in South Carolina. This allows it to offer customers the option (and it’s a popular one) of replacing Solihull’s engine with a new Chevrolet LS3 V8, fresh from its crate along with a 6L80E six-speed automatic gearbox.

With no cross-border bureaucracy to worry about, this option will of course also be open to customers in the UK. The 430bhp Corvette-sourced LS3 is indeed the engine used in UJO, a spectacular 110 which Arkonik built to celebrate its re-emergence here. We’ll be looking at this vehicle in detail in a future issue, but it has already made a big entrance – it was displayed at the Autosport International show at the NEC in January before starring at an official launch event attended by various media, suppliers and TV celebrities.

‘This vehicle represents our past, our present and our future,’ said Arkonik founder and owner Andy Hayes, ‘and the first right-hand drive vehicle we have built in many years.

It has many contemporary modifications but is instantly recognisable as an early machine. UJO is our team’s interpretation of a true resto-mod.

For us it is the best of the old, the new, and ourselves.’

At present, Arkonik builds around 72 vehicles a year, however its return

to Britain is likely to see demand increase. Certainly, with a forward order book of around 80 customers at any one time, it doesn’t need to be growing its waiting list – though it has as much expertise at managing clients’ sense of anticipation as it does at building vehicles for them.

Those vehicles are also built with a unique sense of their ultimate owners’ personal taste. For Arkonik, it’s not just about fitting the parts listed on an order form; each vehicle’s build sheet includes pictures of the owner and information about who they are, where they’re from and how they live their life. The idea is that the workforce on the factory floor will get to know who the truck is being built for, which gives them a greater sense of engagement while creating it.

This might sound a bit pie-in-thesky, but a tour of the Arkonik facility as part of the launch event demonstrated that its staff are invested in the company’s ethos to a remarkable degree. Very unusually, there were no restrictions, save for those imposed by health and safety regs.

We could look where we wanted and talk to whoever we chose – normally on factory tours, you’re shepherded around by a cagey PR handler and the workers you get to talk to have been carefully chosen, sometimes

to the point where you wonder if actually they might be actors, but there’s none of that here. Wherever you look, you pick up a real sense of pride in the work going on.

That’s down to the people Arkonik employs, of course, as well as their working conditions – every part of the factory is beautifully clean, tidy and well presented, and with no shouting or loud music to be heard it’s almost more like a lab than a workshop. The workforce know they’re creating something special, and they understand that they’re doing it using modern technology and superior methods. Every vehicle is fully wired using an in-house loom, for example; chassis are taken back to bare metal and treated not just to be like new, but to stay that way; and doors and body panels are manufactured to Land Rover’s pattern, using thicker metal to prevent the curtaining effect you see on standard Defenders. There are 70 staff working for Arkonik, as well as more than 200 suppliers, and every one of them is at the top of their game.

There’s nothing backward-looking about Arkonik, either. The company specialises in giving new life to old vehicles, which is a laudable form of business in a world concerned with climate change, but doing so will only take you so far when there

are LS3 engines on the menu. Be in no doubt, though, that this is only one step on a journey. The return to Britain will see what the company says will be ‘unprecedented growth and investment,’ but this is about more than just doing the same thing for a wider audience.

‘Our next big project will be for a fully electric platform,’ says Hayes.

This will be ‘the ultimate coupling between restorative and regenerative processes and technologies.’

The argument that’s typically put forward for restoring an old Land Rover is that it’s a vehicle for life – taking you out of the car-buying cycle forever, should you so choose.

Against that, however, it’s a car for life with a high-emission engine, which will become more and more of an issue as the years roll by. Combining the longevity of a Defender with the low-carbon nature of an EV sounds like the best of both worlds – and if there’s anyone you’d trust to deliver it, it would be Arkonik.

For now, the company’s plans for EV development are simply an indication of its ambitions – and its belief in its ability to see such a project through. In the meantime, Arkonik has a long line of clients to keep it busy – and with its reintroduction to the UK market, you can expect that line to get bigger than ever.

UJO is an ambassador vehicle for Arkonik. To order one like it would cost you in the region of £200,000

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Great British Land Rover Show all set to kick off 2020 season with springtime curtain-raiser at Newark Showground 19 April 2020 • Newark Showground • £15 on the day, £7.50 when booked in advance PREPARATIONS ARE WELL UNDERWAY for the springtime version of the Great British Land Rover Show, to be held at Newark Showground.

The new event complements the November Great British Land Rover Show at Stoneleigh, which has come to be known as the big finish to the annual season. In 2019, indeed, the organisers were delighted to see it post its best ever figures for ticket sales – hence the addition of a new date and venue for 2020.

Like the November event, the springtime running of the Great British Land Rover Show will be for one day only. This is Sunday 19th April – when Newark Showground will be transformed into a festival of all things Land Rover!

This is additional to the winter show, which will once again be held at Stoneleigh. The date for this show in 2020 is 22nd November.

This is a return to the original format of the Great British Land Rover Show, which started out as a spring event before moving to its pre-Christmas slot.

Now, visitors and exhibitors are going to get the best of both worlds!

Both events are being supported once more by headline sponsors BFGoodrich. And to celebrate the arrival of a new show, tickets are already on sale at half-price – with further savings being offered when you book for both shows at the same time.

The new location won’t see the show move to an entirely outdoor format, however, as organisers are keen to keep this part of the show’s identity intact.

Newark offers plenty of flexibility, so exhibitors will be spread across a variety of stands located both indoors and outdoors.

As with the November show, the April edition of the Great British Land Rover Show will also be sponsored by Terrafirma, Paddocks and the All Wheel Drive Club – who will still be stewarding an on-site off-road course. The show will obviously also bring the best in Land Rover equipment, parts and accessories, along with discounts and special show offers.

Advance tickets are on sale now for £7.50 each, with tickets on the day priced at £15.

Book now for both shows next year, however, and it will cost just £12.50 per person to attend the show in both April and December. Spaces for the off-road course, meanwhile, are limited and are priced at £10 in advance.

This promises to be a great new event, in a venue that hasn’t seen any proper Land Rover action for several years. Want a piece of the action? Head to greatbritishlrshow.com for full details and to book your tickets.

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RIGHTS OF WAY

Council to review status of illegally blocked lane – time to have your say

K

irklees Council is reviewing the status of Nether Moor, a long-standing Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT) just outside Huddersfield.

The lane itself is fairly unremarkable, however it has become an important case due to a landowner’s relentless efforts to get it closed.

The lane has already been the subject of a public enquiry, prompted by a definitive map modification order to downgrade it first to a bridleway and then to a footpath.

The enquiry found against the order and a subsequent appeal failed, meaning it continued to be classed as a byway.

This hasn’t stopped the landowner from obstructing the lane with regular blockages at its eastern end.

Our picture was taken in January

2009; images on Google Street View show various blockages, and what appears to be a ‘road closed’ sign, dated August 2010, June 2017 and March 2019.

‘I have confirmation that it is currently a BOAT but is subject to review, possibly in June 2020,’ reports Alex Davidson, West Yorkshire Rep for the Green Lane Association.

‘However the landowner is pushing for the extinguishment of the route.

While this is under review, Kirklees are unwilling to take any enforcement action regarding the current illegal blockage.’

Alex adds that even the local bridleway group, which might not be expected to be very byway-friendly, is actively campaigning for the route’s retention as a BOAT. With the review pending, however, GLASS is

asking for all users to register their objection to its extinguishment and make clear that they want to see the right of way retained with its correct byway status.

‘It would be helpful if as many GLASS members as possible could email objections to Kirklees Council,’ says Alex. ‘Emails should be sent to publicrightsofway@kirklees.gov. uk, and please also CC the CEO of Kirklees Council at jacqui.gedman@ kirklees.gov.uk.

In addition to this, if you have used Nether Moor in the past and have any photos or other evidence of use, Alex would like to hear from you. It was included in a roadbook published in the April 2009 issue of Total Off Road, if that helps jog your memory. His email address is westyorkshire.rep@glass-uk.org.

IF YOU BELIEVE the online forums, you might assume that All Terrain UK and the Green Lane Association are sworn enemies. But while the two organisations do compete for members, the truth is that they’re both on the same side.

This was never better illustrated than last year, when ATUK crowdfunded nearly £3500 to pay for work on a lane near Dunmow in Essex – of which £500 was donated by GLASS. Sadly, the work required was to block off areas where criminal 4x4 users had been driving illegally. This was done by levelling out the damaged areas and blocking them off using cages filled with rubble.

As if to illustrate the vandals’ mentality, three months later the cages were pulled out and destroyed, and once again the surface away from the right of way was annihilated.

GLASS’ Essex Rep Robert Tongue takes up the story. ‘As nothing had been done to block it off again, four months later GLASS and its volunteers went back and did the job – this time with something more substantial. These areas are now blocked off again.

‘If any more damage is done, we are now in a position to repair more or less instantly. We also recovered some large fallen trees from the river to lay across the damaged tracks and make access even more difficult.’

GLASS and TRF team up to clear water gullies on Deadman’s Hill MEMBERS OF THE Green Lane Association and Trail Riders Fellowship recently teamed up to clear rocks and mud from the water gullies on Deadmans’ Hill, a long lane in North Yorkshire.

‘Absolutely beautiful day for it,’ says GLASS’ local Rep Barrie Mounty. ‘I had seven members out helping. It will save the track from getting waterlogged and eventually soft. A big thank you to all the members of both associations who assisted with this important work.’

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Ford Ranger Big Brake Kit Ad - Jan 2020 - UK.pdf

Essex laners repair an HGV-damaged right of way – and build bridges at the same time

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WHO’S TO BLAME when a green lane starts to fall into disrepair? No prizes for guessing the answer to that – whatever the truth is, every finger will point straight at the green laning community.

For Robert Tongue, Essex Rep for the Green Lane Association, a recent repair day on a byway near Wimbish in Essex proved the point – while offering the opportunity to build some bridges with the local community. The lane was subject to a winter TRO until last year, when it was repaired by the county’s Highways department – but within a few months it was once again full of holes.

Why? Because it was now in such a good condition that the council’s own dustbin wagons had taken to using it as a short cut. On top of that, a house along the lane was having building work done and HGVs were using it as an access route for deliveries.

With complaints starting to come in about the lane’s condition, Essex County Council’s Rights of Way department got in touch with Robert to ask if he could assess it. (It may be worth re-reading that sentence, particularly if you work for the Peak District National Park Authority.)

This led to a group from GLASS arranging to do some repairs – which in turn brought them into contact with some local residents.

‘It turned out to be an interesting day in more ways than one,’ explains Robert. ‘Ed Matthews and I made a start once we arrived – then shortly after this one of the local residents dropped by and mentioned that he

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couldn’t believe we were volunteers and not getting paid for our work!

‘Once this section was complete, we moved to the other end and carried on with the repairs there. A lady came out of her house and offered us a cup of coffee, which of course we didn’t refuse. While she was chatting to us, one of our volunteers came in from that end in his very dirty Discovery – the lady immediately said “oh, here they come!”

‘We pointed out that it was actually one of our volunteers. It was clear she was shocked at this and asked if we were all 4x4 drivers.

We explained all about GLASS and what we do, and her attitude totally changed. A bit of education goes a long way!

‘We met a few more people during the day, and the appreciation for what we were doing was clear to see. Also, a useful contact was made with a gentleman who is involved with volunteers on community projects, who asked if they could work with us in the future.’

You’ll never stand a chance of appeasing a fanatical anti, but the real-world people you meet while laning are human beings just like the rest of us. And however much the constant drip-feed of lies might have got into their minds, encounters like this can go a very long way to show them the truth that 4x4 users are decent people too.

‘So,’ concludes Robert. ‘Drain-offs dug and pot holes filled equals one byway repaired. Locals’ perceptions were changed and they were very grateful for our efforts. You can’t ask for better than that!’

For the discerning driver who is particular about how eXtreme Brake Kit. The braking results are staggering with the inclusion of a larger 6 pot caliper design, high tech TrakRyder eXtreme kevlar ceramic pads mated with a 10 slot dimpled and geomet coated larger diameter rotor.

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CALENDAR KEY

P Off-Road Playday

G Green Lane Convoy Tour

A Overseas Adventure Travel

S 4x4 Show

Dates for playdays are shown up to the end of the month following the magazine’s on-sale date. Dates for green lane tours are shown up to approximately three months ahead, and for shows and overseas adventure tours up to a year ahead, space permitting Important: You should never travel to an event without first checking with the organiser to ensure that it is still going ahead. Note also that inclusion in this listing does not represent any endorsement of the event or organiser by 4x4 magazine. We take great care over the accuracy of this information, but accept no responsibility for the consequences of any errors

13 March

24 March – 6 April

4-5 April

17 April

Adventure Tours G 4x4 Bath

A Trailmasters Morocco Marrakesh Classic

G Wye Valley

14 March

26-27 March

17-19 April

Adventure Tours G Green Shropshire / Welsh Borders and Tracks G Trails County Durham

G Cumbria/Yorkshire

Road Adventure Travel G Off Wales G Protrax Wales and Tracks G Trails Cumbria, Eden and Yorks Dales

28 March

4-16 April

18 April

Off Road Centre P Kirton Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs Trails and Tracks G Tyne Valley

Overland A Atlas Morocco Classic

G Yorkshire Dales

5 April

18-19 April

P Tring, Hertfordshire Bottom P Muddy Minstead, Hampshire 4x4 Spares Day S Newbury Newbury, Berkshire 4x4 P Parkwood Tong, Bradford Wood P Picadilly Bolney, West Sussex

G North Wales G Trailmasters Wales

14-15 March Adventure Tours G 4x4 Mid-Wales G Ardventures Yorkshire Moors and Dales Overland G Atlas Wessex

15 March Off Road P Explore Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent 4x4 P Frickley Frickley, South Yorkshire Bottom P Muddy Minstead, Hampshire P Protrax Tixover, Northamptonshire

20 March Landrover Events G UKNorthumberland

21 March Landrover Events G UKTynedale

21-22 March

G Yorkshire Moors and Dales G Trailmasters Lake District Trails and Tracks

UK Landrover Events

28-29 March Adventures G Compass Yorkshire / Lake District G Protrax Wiltshire

29 March Pit P Bures Bures, Suffolk Leisure P Cowm Whitworth, Lancashire Pit P Devils Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire 4x4 P Frickley Frickley, South Yorkshire Off Road Centre P Kirton Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs P Protrax Tixover, Northamptonshire Valley 4x4 P Thames Broxhead, Hampshire Events G UKDalesLandrover and Eden

30 March – 13 April

Burnham Off-Roaders

UK Landrover Events

4x4 Adventure Tours

19 April

Adventure G Onelife Yorkshire

12 April

22-23 April

Rochford and District 4x4 P Essex, Rayleigh, Essex 4x4 P Frickley Frickley, South Yorkshire P Protrax Tixover, Northamptonshire Safari P Slindon Slindon, West Sussex Events G UKPeakLandrover District

Adventure Tours G 4x4 Norfolk and Thetford Forest

7-8 April

13 April

22 March

3-16 April

Safari P Slindon Slindon, West Sussex

A Ardventures Morocco

Events G UKNorthLandrover York Moors

14 April

24 March – 3 April

4 April

Adventure Tours A 4x4 Morocco

Off-Roaders P Burnham Tring, Hertfordshire

Events G UKTyneLandrover and Wear

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Adventure G Onelife Coast to Coast

P Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent British Land Rover Show S Great Newark, Nottinghamshire Muddy Bottom P Minstead, Hampshire Mud Monsters P East Grinstead, West Sussex

4x4 Adventures A Active Morocco

18 | APRIL 2020

4x4 Adventure Tours

Explore Off Road

24 April – 10 May Adventure A Ardent Morocco

25 April Off Road Centre P Kirton Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs and Tracks G Trails North York Moors

25-26 April Adventure Tours G 4x4 Lake District Overland Show S Adventure Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire Adventures G Compass Yorkshire / Lake District

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G Wiltshire

16 May

6-21 June 2020

26-28 June

and Tracks G Trails Northumberland

A Ardventures Pyrenees, Spain

Land Rover Show S Billing Billing, Northamptonshore

Leisure P Cowm Whitworth, Lancashire 4x4 P Frickley Frickley, South Yorkshire Off Road Centre P Kirton Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs Safari P Slindon Slindon, West Sussex Valley 4x4 P Thames Harbour Hill, Berkshire

16-17 May

7 June

27-28 June

Adventure Tours G 4x4 North Devon

Landrover Events G UKNorthumberland

Adventure G Onelife Yorkshire

8-17 June 2020

Off-Road Show S Billing Billing, Northamptonshire Original LR Show S Kelmarsh Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire

1-3 May

16-30 May 2020

G

A

Protrax

26 April

Trails and Tracks North Wales

16-24 May 2020

A

UK Land Rover Events Pyrenees

Atlas Overland Portugal

2-3 May

20 May – 2 June 2020

G Overland G Atlas Wessex Landrover Events G UKWiltshire

A

21-25 May

4-13 May 2020

23-24 May

A

G

Ardventures North/Mid Wales

Active 4x4 Adventures Portugal

S

Trailmasters Morocco (extreme expedition)

ALRC National Rally Bilsington, Kent

Protrax Wiltshire

8 May

25-30 May

G Landrover Events G UKLincoln and Belvoir

S

4x4 Adventure Tours Shrewsbury

8-25 May

G

Saxonis Overland Greece Pindus Mountains

9 May

ALRC National Follow-On Rally Bilsington, Kent

27 May – 10 June 2020

A

Protrax Pyrenees

1-2 June

G

UK Landrover Events Eden and Tynedale

Landrover Events G UKDurham Dales

4 June

9-10 May

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Adventure Tours S 4x4 Welsh Borders Land Rover Show G Gaydon Gaydon, Warwickshire Protrax G Wales

9-23 May 2020

UK Landrover Events Lake District

5 June

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4x4 Adventure Tours Ridgeway

5-19 June 2020

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Off Road Adventure Travel Pyrenees, Spain

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

6 June

10 May

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Events G UKEdenLandrover District

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UK Landrover Events Tynedale

4x4 Adventures A Active Pyrenees

28 June – 16 July 2020

8-17 June 2020

A Albania

Off Road Adventure Travel

Adventure Tours A 4x4 Pyrenees

1-5 July 2020

10-24 June 2020

A Landtreks French Pyrenees

A Protrax Pyrenees

11-24 July 2020

13-14 June

A Balkans

Ardventures

and Tracks G Trails Lake District/North Yorks Dales

13-19 July 2020

13-20 June 2020

A Landtreks East Pyrenees

Adventure A Ardent Pyrenees

13-22 July 2020

15-30 June 2020

4x4 Adventures A Active Alps

Safari A Peru Jaguar Tracks / Manu Jungle

19 July

19 June – 3 July

4x4 Spares Day S Malvern Malvern, Worcestershire

A Greece

22 July – 5 August 2020

Onelife Adventure

20-21 June

G North Pennines Trailmasters G Yorkshire

4x4 Adventure Tours

A Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu Peru Safari

28 July – 9 August 2020

A Pyrenees Coast to Coast Landtreks

20-27 June 2020

31 July – 3 August 2020

A Pyrenees

/ Storm Jeeps A Ardventures Marquenterre, France

21 June

1-15 August 2020

Events G UKDalesLandrover and Eden District

A Italian Alps

22 June – 7 July 2020

8-23 August 2020

Overland A Atlas Corsica

A Galicia, Spain

25-28 June

10-24 August 2020

Adventure Tours G 4x4 Wales (winches only)

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

Ardent Adventure

Atlas Overland

Ardventures

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OFF-ROAD SCENE

jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

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PRODUCTS

ARB introduces new Air-Locker fitment for 70-Series Landcruiser

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RB has introduced a new fitment for its legendary Air-Locker – and, in Britain at least, it’s a bit of a niche one. The 70-Series Toyota Landcruiser isn’t what you’d call a common sight over here, but unless you’re at the extreme end of the brand-blinded fanboy brigade it’s a truck for which every off-roader has no end of respect. If Toyota actually brought it here, it would be a go-to 4x4 for many.

Anyway, what makes this new Air-Locker interesting is that it’s designed to go in an axle that already has a locking diff as standard. So it’s not just the need for traction that’s prompted ARB’s customers to ask for this fitment (which the company says has been launched on the back of popular demand).

Connecting to the factory-fitted locker switch, the Air-Locker can be engaged at any speed. So you don’t have to lose your precious momentum if the need for traction has taken you by surprise. Which it shouldn’t, of course, but we’re not ones to preach.

Mainly, however, just as Toyota has an enviable reputation for the strength of its off-road vehicles, ARB is famous for the strength of its Air-Lockers. There’s a reason why they’re used by almost everyone at

the top end of off-road competition, after all – and if a full-house Hammers rig with 40” tyres and 600bhp can’t break them, not even the

weight of a laden 70-Series Cruiser with an unfeeling size 12 on its case should carry a threat.

Air-Lockers are commonly avail-

able in Britain, even if this particular one would need to be imported specially. You can find out more about them by visiting www.arb.com.au/

Maxxis Razr produces winning result in on-road test of mud-terrain tyres One of the most common questions people ask about off-road tyres is how they perform on the road. However much time you intend to spend in the mud, after all, it’s only going to be a fraction of the amount you spend on the road – unless you never take it on the road at all, in which case you’ve already fitted a set of dumpers.

A recent investigation into this thorny question was carried out by 4x4 Australia, using a range of wet and dry performance tests on a tarmac track. Up against a range of strong competitors from the usual A-list brands, the winner that emerged was the Maxxis 772 Razr M/T. Still fairly new to Britain, this is the company’s new flagship mud-terrain, a mantle they’re taken up from the 764 Bighorn – which we used on our old Landcruiser Colorado and were highly impressed with.

In particular, the Razrs proved very effective in wet braking, pulling up at least 1.3 metres shorter than the rest of the field. They took the highest points score overall, too, and testers reported that the outer edges of their tread stood up well to initial wear after prolonged and intensive hard cornering.

Maxxis is well known at the top end of off-road competition, where the Trepador is almost a must-use tyre, but its mud-terrains are still establishing themselves. Our experience with the Bighorn was a very good one, and we reckon the Razr will go on to become a more common sight on green lane and playday trucks. You can find out more about them by visiting www.maxxis.co.uk.

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4x4 02/03/2020 17:42

PERFORMS EXCEPTIONALLY ON ALL-TERRAINS The Grabber AT3 combines superior on-road performance, with exceptional off-road capabilities. It’s a tyre developed to enhance the potential of your 4x4 driving experience.

• Features an aggressive pattern to work on multiple surfaces with enhanced grip.

• Provides a robust compound for improved tread life on rugged terrain.

• Designed for a smoother, confident and quieter drive • Safe handling in all-seasons, indicated by the M+S mark and the snowflake symbol.

General Tire. A brand of Continental.

GRABBER 3 AT

YOUR ACCESS TO ANY ADVENTURE

Visit our website for further technical information and details of your nearest 4X4 stockist

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OFF-ROAD SCENE

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PRODUCTS

Marsland chassis for Defender 110

W

hether you’re turning an old dog back into something worth a king’s ransom, or creating a mega off-road machine, rebuilding Land Rover Defenders is as big a business as ever. And whichever route your own personal vision of perfection may take you down, so too is doing it on a galvanised chassis.

Manufactured by GKN Wheels and Structures, the Marsland chassis is a well known option in this area. It comes galvanised as standard – and is supplied with a GKN Certificate of Authenticity, which is accepted by the insurance industry as confirming that it was constructed using the same materials, processes and quality control techniques as were stipulated at the time of original-equipment manufacturer.

The chassis is type-approved, too, and has even been crash

tested. Good kit, then. GKN builds them to 2016 type specification, including the rear crossmember and A-frame crossmember.

The chassis uses pressed C-section main rails made from 2mm steel. This is augmented with 3mm stiffeners which are fitted and spot welded internally for added strength, effectively giving you 5mm of material where you need it most.

You don’t need to expect these chassis to be cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for. For example, they’re supplied with a bolt-in gearbox crossmember, rear crossmember to body brackets and A-frame to chas-

sis bushes. Power steering pipe, fuel filter, fuel tank and fuel line rivnuts are fitted to the chassis, too, and all holes are drilled and tapped (excluding those for the rear tow pack).

Three versions of the chassis are available – for 110s with V8 and 300Tdi engines, as well as a third which is suitable for the 2.5 petrol, 2.5 naturally

aspirated diesel, 2.5 TD and 200Tdi. Like so many of the best things in life, they’re supplied via Britpart, whose dealers will give you change from £3000 including VAT if you shop around. You’ll find these bad boys at www.britpart. com.

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22 | APRIL 2020

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4x4 02/03/2020 17:42

OFF-ROAD SCENE

jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts PRODUCTS

New graphical battery analyser from Ring allows full health checks of 12v and 24v electrical systems BATTERY HEALTH is one of those things that are very easy to ignore. But the more you use them, the easier it also gets to find yourself wishing you hadn’t.

At the sharp end, if you do a lot of winching you really don’t want to neglect your batteries. Not least because if you’re fully set up for recoveries, you’ll have a pretty significant sum of money tied up in them.

That’s why you ought to be pleased to learn that Ring Automotive has launched the RBAG750 – its first 12V and 24V graphical battery analyser. An upgrade to the existing RBAG700, this allows you to carry out a complete health check on the battery and electrical systems of your 4x4 – be it running a 12V or 24V system.

The RBAG750 can be used with batteries either installed in the vehicle or on your workbench. It can analyse and test the battery capacity without applying a load, providing fast, accurate results on batteries up to 1700CCA. With what Ring calls ‘an intuitive graphical interface making it easier and quicker to diagnose faults’, the RBAG750 will test not only the battery’s cranking performance but also the alternator (including a diode ripple test), starter and earth system, providing a complete health check of the battery system to help you diagnose potential faults. Safe to say it’s designed primarily for commercial garages, but if you take your off-roading seriously it will cost less than your batteries themselves and will prove to be every bit as much of an investment. Go looking for it at www.ringautomotive.com.

Britpart launches 24-volt version of DB12000i winch BRITPART HAS INTRODUCED a new model to its popular DB range of electric winches. The DB12000i24R is something of a mouthful to say but, as you might guess from its name, combines a 12,000lb rated pull with the power of 24-volt electrics.

The winch comes with wanderlead as well as a wireless control unit, and is wound with Dyneema rope boasting a suitably hefty breaking force of 25,800lb. It typically retails for around £550 plus the VAT; to track one down, start with a visit to www.britpart.com.

land rover defender upgrades & accessories

Head Linings for Defender 90 Comes as a 5-piece kit with sun visor covers & all fittings and fixings.

Available in black, light grey & dark grey.

Head Linings for Defender 110 Comes as a 4-piece kit with sun visor covers & all fittings & fixings.

Available in black, light grey & dark grey.

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/masai4x4

Internal Window Trims TD5

Replacement Seat Covers TD5

4-piece kit, sides and rear quarter panels.

Available in black and grey. For Defenders 1987 to 2005 (TD5).

Available for the front seats, middle seat & both types of middle row (60/40 or 3 seats) Many designs on our website!

Internal Window Trims for Puma 4-piece kit, sides & rear quarter panels.

Available in black & grey. For TDCi/Puma with or without side windows (Van Type).

Replacement Seat Covers for Puma Available for the front seats, middle row (60/40) & rear foldable seats.

Many designs on our website!

TD5 Inward Seat Covers Can go over the top of your old inward seats. Fits tightly, and comes in a variety of designs. Buy in PAIRS.

Lockable Sporting Boxes / Storage Neatly store, protect and lock away items that you regularly or permanently keep in your vehicle.

APRIL 2020 | 23

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OFF-ROAD SCENE

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PRODUCTS

% E 10 E V A D S CO U S E M AG 44

Replacement seat box kit for LT77 Defender joins Britpart range

P Vehicle Wiring Products

We supply a comprehensive range of wiring products for repair, modification or complete rewire to your vehicle

ca F ta re lo e gu

e Visit our website, phone or email for a free catalogue

www.vehicleproducts.co.uk

Tel No: 0115 9305454 and email: sales@vehicleproducts.co.uk

Vehicle Wiring Products 9 Buxton Court, Manners Ind Est, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8EF

24 | APRIL 2020

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eople are still turning modded Defenders back to standard as values for the vehicles continue to stay sky-high.

But Land Rover’s much-loved old warhorse remains a favourite among off-roaders – indeed, we’ve picked up a few signals recently that enthusiasts might be starting to look at them again.

Either way, a common problem on old 90s and 110s is that their seat box frames are falling to pieces. So the replacement kit available from Britpart ought to be an equally common answer.

Suitable for Defenders up to and including the 200Tdi, this is shaped to go around an LT77 gearbox. It comes in pieces – specifically, two ends, two

middle panels, two end panels, a front panel and a back angle.

Britpart says it will take 5-10 minutes to assemble using the included fixings, though as these include two sets of rivnuts and a hundred Type B rivets, we wouldn’t be popping out to the shed to knock it together while leaving anything on the stove.

If you shop around, the kit should leave you a few quid’s change out of £300 when the VAT’s taken care of. To find out more, visit www.britpart.com.

DEI’S FLOOR AND TUNNEL SHIELD is now available in black. The product, which comes as a sheet of dimpled material whose 10mm facing is bonded to a finely woven layer of temperature-resistant glass fibre to withstand heat from turbos, catalytic convertors or exhausts, has only previously been sold with a bright silver finish, but it now looks altogether more appropriate to the kind of 4x4 that’s likely to need it most.

Available in 42” x 48” and 21” x 48” sheets, the material is available in the UK from Demon Tweeks. You’ll find it at www.demon-tweeks.com.

4x4 02/03/2020 17:42

OFF-ROAD SCENE

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Mud-UK launches double-DIN stereo panels for late Td5 Defender

MILNER OFF ROAD Est. 1981

FILTERS • DISCS • PADS • BELTS • CLUTCHES • TYRES • SNORKELS

IF YOU’VE GOT a Land Rover Defender Td5 built between 2002 and 2007 and you’re looking to keep it up to date (insert joke of choice here), a simple but effective way of doing so would be to modernise its stereo. To help you do this, Mud-UK has launched a new Td5 Double DIN Console – allowing you to enjoy the increased features and functionality of the larger screens, including touch-screen units, found on Double DIN Head units.

The new unit is a direct replacement for the factory-fit radio facia. It has a one-piece design, making it stronger than the two-piece original, and its injection moulded manufacture means it should fit perfectly – as well as having a standard OE appearance.

Fitting the console should be a simple DIY job, too, as it’s installed using all the same fixings. Thus it requires no cutting, drilling or modifications to be made to the Defender’s dashboard.

Mud’s Td5 Double DIN Console is available in a Matt Black or Brunel Silver, priced at £149 and £199 respectively. To find out more, head for www. mudstuff.co.uk.

The word ‘altimeter’ might make you think of those good old silly Mitsubishi Shoguns which used to have ridiculous little pods stuck to the top of their dashboards. You’ve been able to buy cheap and predictably crummy imitations of this already-quite-crummy original for many years – but the new 4x4 Altimeter is something different.

For starters, this is electronic. For seconds, as well as the old familiar altimeter and inclinometer displays it connects to the GPS network to function as a clock, compass and speedometer.

But you’ve already got a speedometer, right? Didn’t have it recalibrated when you fitted those big gnarly tyres, though, did you? And anyway, this one’s accurate to within 0.36km/h (0.22mph in words we understand) – and even on a totally standard vehicle, the thing you see through the steering wheel won’t ever stand a chance of getting near that.

The unit measures the vehicle’s cabin temperature, too, and it has back-lighting which adjusts automatically to reduce glare. ‘A perfect match for any adventure on uneven terrain,’ says Britpart.

A typical price of £125 suggests that this is not the sort of cheap and crummy stuff mentioned above.

You can find out more by visiting www.britpart.com.

4x4 Scene Apr AWAITING PAGE NOS AND ADS.indd 25

www.milneroffroad.com TEL: 01629 734411

Mon-Fri: 8am - 5:30pm Sat: 8am - 12:30pm

Old Road | Darley Dale | Matlock | Derbyshire | DE4 2ER | LEADING THE WAY SINCE 1981 | GENUINE & NON GENUINE PARTS | SAME DAY DESPATCH |

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www.rlgtyres.co.uk

APRIL 2020 | 25

02/03/2020 17:42

To find out more visit intu.co.uk/lakeside

Š 2020 intu properties plc

In partnership with

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03/03/2020 13:35

Festival of motoring.

24–26 Apr Visit intu Lakeside for a weekend of famous car and motorbike brands, plus test drives and live entertainment.

Here for life

Untitled-2 3

03/03/2020 02/03/2020 13:35 12:17

DRIVEN

FORD RANGER RAPTOR

Ultimate version of Ford’s market-leading double-cab has more power and highly specialised suspension but isn’t classed as a commercial vehicle ON TEST Ranger 2.0 EcoBlue 210 Raptor

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e don’t get many vehicles in on test that people stop us to ask about. But even before the Raptor arrived at our office, we knew it was going to attract attention.

There are quite a few Ranger drivers based on our business park.

Every single one of them who saw one of us climb out of it came over

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to ask what it was like, as did a few others too. The petrol heads from around the place who know what we do for a living had all asked when we were going to have one on test, too.

Safe to say, the Ford Ranger Raptor has caught people’s imagination, with its race-bred image and new, range-topping engine. Yet with 210bhp, it’s well

short of being the most powerful truck on the market – by something like 20%, in fact, thanks to the Merc X-Class and Volkswagen Tiguan.

It’s about more than just raw power, though. The Raptor’s styling is sensational – you don’t realise how much bigger and more imposing it is than a standard Ranger until you see them together, but it really is a whole different truck to look at.

This comes from a bigger wheels and tyres, a wider track and taller springs. Much has been made of the Raptor’s Fox suspension, and we’ll get on to this later, but for now we’ll just comment on the kerbside appeal it gives the vehicle – which is lots.

‘Lots’ is also the word for the amount of money the Raptor costs.

At £48,785 OTR including the VAT,

it’s not the most expensive truck you can buy – however the topspec versions of the Isuzu D-Max, Volkswagen Amarok and Mercedes X-Class that hover around the same price point all have one thing in common that the Raptor doesn’t – namely that you can get your VAT back on them. The problem is that the Raptor’s payload is less than 1000kg, which means that being a five-seater, it’s not classed as a commercial vehicle.

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY The Raptor has a few upgrades to call its own inside, but mainly its cabin is that of a Ranger Wildtrak.

Which is to say that it’s very good.

Its dash is clearly laid out and

4x4 02/03/2020 16:49

Above: There are a few extra touches, like blue stitching on the sports-styled seats and a centre marker on the steering wheel, but by and large the Raptor’s cabin is pretty similar to that of any other high-spec Ranger model. Which is to say it’s very good indeed. Build and material quality are both excellent, and equipment levels are as high as it gets – as is the driving position, which is absolutely masterful Right: Ever since it was first launched in 2012, the Ranger has led the way on rear-sear legroom.

Almost everything else on the market is newer, but no other pick-up has managed to match its combination of all-round space for front and rear passengers alike executed in good quality materials, and it’s very well put together with almost no groans, creaks or unwanted movement in the fixtures and fittings.

As with the rest of the Ranger model range, the front seats are good and spacious, with loads of leg, head and elbow room. And as with its fellow double-cab models, it’s simply the best on the market for space in the back. The Raptor arrived last summer as part of a mid-life refresh, but the fact is that the Ranger’s basic design dates from very nearly a decade ago – yet none of the more recent models to

have been launched since then can hold a candle to it for the rear-seat accommodation it offers.

That says something for how good the Ranger was when it first arrived, and it’s still one of the best on the market now. We’re particularly fond of lower-spec models, which demonstrate that you don’t need a load of toys to make its cabin special – though having said that, the Raptor is at the top of a tree which demonstrates that a load of toys can make it better still, so there you are.

The front seats are sporty without being all-out buckets, with

pronounced back bolsters which hold you in very well. They’re trimmed in leather with special stitching and a Raptor logo sewn into it, and they look pretty good – as does the top-centre ring sewn into the steering wheel, which has a very rally-car image to it.

Elsewhere, you get the best infotainment set-up Ford has to offer. Its graphics aren’t what we’d tend to call the last word in elegance, but the screen itself is decent sized and very clear, and all the various functions it supports work quickly and efficiently. As well as things like radio and sat-nav, it

Below left: Controls are well laid out and positive to operate, though a few are situated well out of your eye line and the graphics on the buttons aren’t always the easiest to read. The infotainment screen is quick to respond and logically laid out, and it shoulders the burden of controlling many vehicle functions such as heating and climate, in addition to the usual stereo, phone and sat-nav

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DRIVEN Ford’s 2.0-litre diesel engine is tuned here for 210bhp and 369lbf.ft, and that’s enough to make the Raptor feel assuredly strong. It’s not brutally fast the way its in-your-face appearance might lead you to expect, but you can certainly build plenty of pace on that wave of torque

operates the climate control system and various other vehicle set-up functions besides.

All this is the stuff of a typical high-spec pick-up, and the Raptor does it every bit as well as its fellow one-tonners. Aside from one or two styling tweaks, however, there’s nothing special about it – though

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the view ahead feels even more imperious than normal.

DRIVING That’s aided by the fact that the Raptor sits usefully higher than a standard Ranger. It comes as standard with Fox suspension units which, in conjunction with a hefty set of allterrain tyres, give it more height. From the driver’s seat, this

combines with the view over its pronounced haunches to make it feel like you’re the master of all you survey – even by typical truck or 4x4 standards, it’s a mighty driving position.

The suspension gives it more than height, too. Ride quality is superb – it is perhaps just a touch firmer than in a standard Ranger, but not so that you’d notice any difference after about the first 30 seconds on board. Body control is excellent, with none of the rear-end unruliness to which one-tonners are prone, and it feels well balanced from front to back. All too often, pick-ups are well sorted at the front

but their unladen dynamics make them skittish at the back; modern engineering has done a lot to dial this out, but the Raptor takes it a step or three further.

It also has a variety of drive modes – including the muchvaunted Baja setting in its digital palette, which is designed for highspeed off-road work. A thing you basically never use in Britain unless you’re out looking for it on purpose, but rest assured you’ll do what we did and banged it in every time we found a rough, unkempt road or one with a load of broken pot holes along its verge. Just in the interests of testing it out, you understand.

4x4 02/03/2020 16:49

SPECIALIST 4X4 VEHICLE DISMANTERS JEEP - LAND ROVER AND MOST MAKES AND MODELS QUALITY GUARANTEED USED PARTS

And yes, it does work remarkably well. Impacts that would normally launch the vehicle off-line come through as a firm but controlled thump. You feel it through the chassis but even when it’s the front end that’s taken the pain, there’s no disturbance at all through the steering wheel. The feeling of control is absolute.

In this way, the Raptor is a very, very fast vehicle indeed. In fact, we’d say there’s no other showroom vehicle in existence that could keep up with it over this kind of terrain.

However on the road, it feels strong rather than eager. These days, 210bhp isn’t even considered fast in a hot hatchback, and in a sodding great pick-up truck it’s assertive but hardly quick.

As mentioned above, there are more powerful trucks around.

And they do feel usefully faster, especially as their extra horses come with a load more torque.

Nonetheless, 369lbf.ft is hardly the stuff of sluggishness, and the Raptor builds speed very effectively.

It’s just that it comes on so strong

that without being the very fastest truck around, it’s always going to attract awkward comparisons.

There are other off-road settings in the drive mode palette which only activate when you’re in low range, and whether or not you choose to use them the Raptor is every bit as capable as the rest of the Ranger line-up. Its suspension flexes well, grip levels are excellent all-round and you can position it on the ground with remarkable accuracy for such a big beast. The 10-speed auto box works as well in low range as it does the rest of the time, and there’s a locking rear diff should you need it to help you on your way.

Ultimately, the Raptor is very good in all the ways in which the Ranger was already very good. It’s a fine cruiser and an excellent truck about town, and when you want to cut loose its extra power and highend suspension add a tasty dash of spice to what was already a pretty strong fun factor. It’s not a race truck – but it’s an all-rounder with an extra big smile factor, and what’s not to love about that?

SOME OF THE VEHICLES WE HAVE RECENTLY DISMANTLED:

2015 JEEP WRANGLER JK 2.8CRD

2007 DODGE NITRO 2.8CRD

2016 RANGE ROVER EVOQUE 2.0 TD4

2014 RANGE 2016 ISUZU 2014 JEEP ROVER SPORT 4.4 D-MAX 2.5 DIESEL CHEROKEE MK5 V8 DIESEL KL 2.0 MULTIJET

2010 JEEP 2007 LAND ROVER CHEROKEE MK4 DISCOVERY 3 2.7 KK 2.8 CRD TDV6

2008 HONDA CRV 2.2 CDTI

★★★★✩

Ford Ranger 2.0 210 Raptor The best truck there is at driving very fast over rough ground – and giving off a king-of-the-road image The Raptor looks stunning, with a king-of-the-road image that’s continued from its brutal styling right the way into its utterly dominant driving position. We doubt its lack of VAT-reclaimable status, nor the 25.4mpg we got from it, will put off anyone who’s serious about buying one – however the fact that you can spend less to get a faster VW Amarok might. If you like the Raptor’s looks, though, there’s simply nothing else that will do

4x4 7.5 Road Tests Apr AWAITING ADS.indd 31

2006 JEEP GRAND 2006 NISSAN CHEROKEE WK PATHFINDER 2.5 5.7 V8 HEMI DCI Charlton Recycled Auto Parts Vehicle Recycling Centre, Gravel Pit Hill, Thriplow, Cambridge, SG8 7HZ Tel 01223 832656 Email parts@charltonautoparts.co.uk PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHARLTONAUTOPARTS.CO.UK APRIL 2020 | 31

02/03/2020 16:49

DRIVEN

BMW X3 M COMPETITION Latest addition to the X3 range takes BMW’s latest 3.0-litre engine and uses it to create one of the most thrilling SUVs you can buy

BMW’S SUVS don’t appear in these pages all that often, but we recently had the chance to go for a blast in the highest-performance version of the company’s latest X3. Actually, it was more like a slosh and a squelch, because we were being battered by some of the most torrential rain anyone has ever seen – but hey, if you want to drive like a maniac in conditions like those, a fast SUV must surely be the best thing to do it in, right?

So we’ve got the X3 M Competition, £77,190’s worth of hot Beemer with a 3.0-litre six-pot yowling out 510bhp and 443lbf.ft. It has a cabin whose design is instantly recognisable as that of a BMW, and the steering wheel has a couple of big, purposeful looking M1 and M2 buttons on it. You don’t need to read the book of words to know that when you press them, things will happen.

That engine, which is new to the BMW range, pulls hard. Really hard. It doesn’t matter what you do with the drive mode buttons – put your foot down and you’ll be heading for the horizon. An eight-speed auto box is standard, and you don’t notice it shifting at all. You’re too busy noticing the relentless acceleration instead. Top torque only arrives at 2600rpm, which sounds a bit vulgar if you’re used to an old-school diesel, but there’s so much of it available from tickover that by then you’re already going like a rocket. Given enough road to do it, you can keep the hammer down to 6250rpm and beyond, though by the time you get anywhere even close to the vehicle’s potential you’ll be well into licence-losing territory.

Better, perhaps, to satisfy yourself with the boorish fun offered by a 4.1-second 0-62 time. Or, to be more sensible about it, with the X3’s capacity to put a dynamic thrill into every corner, irrespective of speed.

You wouldn’t expect anything less than a driver-focused suspension and steering package here, and BMW doesn’t disappoint. Even on a shockingly bad road covered in an inch of surface water, its responses were pin-sharp. You turn the wheel and it does exactly what

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you expect, with a sense of connection that gets clearer and more powerful the harder you push. We’re off-roaders, not performance fiends – but if this SUV doesn’t make you feel like a driving god, nothing will.

Most surprisingly, given the experiences we’ve had in the past with early X3s, even on one of Britain’s worst road surfaces this one didn’t try to smash our teeth out.

It’s incredibly firm, of course, and if you choose the most hardcore drive modes at the wrong time you’ve only got yourself to blame, but all things considered its adaptive shocks do a pretty good job of keeping it civil.

Does this mean you could use the X3 M Competition as a daily driver? Well yes, of course you could, though to be fair it’s not exactly the most relaxing thing in the world when all you’re doing is getting from A to B. For those purposes, there are plenty of other X3s to choose from.

All of them, including this one, can be relied on to give you a classy interior with a clear, elegant layout and absolutely top-notch build quality.

It’s well equipped, comfortable and extremely spacious up front, with excellent legroom and plenty of headroom – even with a panoramic sunroof taking a bite out of the latter.

Knee room is more limited at the back, but the seats ahead of you are deeply sculpted so it’s still possible to fit one six-footer behind another, making the X3 entirely suitable for use as a four-seater. Those seats fold close to flat when you want to carry big loads, too – though the boot’s so big as it is that you’ll rarely need to do this.

What you will need is deep pockets, because with a mighty list of options that list price is just the start. Don’t expect running costs to be anything other than heavy, either.

If you can afford, it, though, and you want an SUV that’s also a true driver’s car, the X3 M Competition answers your call. It doesn’t quite have the same hairy-chested charm as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, but few things can match it for pure precision – even when Britain’s roads, and weather, are at their monstrous worst.

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DEMO-GRAPHICS Words: Rob Boseley Pictures: Terrafirma

With more and more modified Ford Rangers and Jeep Wranglers appearing at the top end of the off-road scene, you might be forgiven for thinking no-one is doing it with Land Rover Defenders any more. But while 90s and 110s have indeed been redefined by their galloping values, they’re still right at the heart of the UK off-road scene – as very ably demonstrated by this slick new demo truck from Terrafirma, and of course its cool Union Jack artwork 34 | MARCH 2020

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O

ver the last few years, we’ve seen a steady drop-off in the number of Land Rover Defenders being used for off-road projects. People who would once have built one almost by default have been turning to the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Ranger instead, as Defender values have continued to go up and up to the point where they’re just too valuable to risk trashing.

But there’s life in the old dog yet.

The Defender has turned into more and more of a classic since it went out of production, and the advent of the new one doesn’t appear

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to have changed that, but quality builds are still being done. And the aftermarket which supplies the parts for those builds is still thriving.

Indeed, said aftermarket continues to develop new products at a relentless pace. And this 2010 Defender 110 2.4 TDCi is a very good example of that – as well as being pretty tidy evidence of the fact that people are still building them the way they ought to be built.

Having started life in the service of the Military Police, the 110 came to Terrafirma last year as a standard-spec truck with a good, well known history – just what you want if you can’t be starting with a brand new one. Which, obviously, you can’t when they stopped making them four years ago.

Since then, it has been turned into a self-propelled advert and a calling card that illustrates what the company is all about.

‘It shows people what

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The 110’s suspension is a tick-list of all the good stuff, with +2” springs and 8-way adjustable remote-reservoir dampers mounted in tubular towers. Caster corrected front radius arms compensate for the effects of the lift, while cranked trailing links add articulation at the back – something that’s also aided by relocation cones all round they can do using our products,’ says Terrafirma boss Eddie Priscott. ‘We want to offer accessories that they haven’t seen before – things that move the game forward, so that if they buy from us their Land Rover will have something their mates’ don’t.’

But let’s start with something your mates might have – but this 110 doesn’t. One of our closest off-roading acquaintances spent a small fortune a couple of years ago to become the owner of a TDCi Defender with a lavish suite of performance upgrades fitted in-house by a very well established tuner. On the way home from picking it up, its dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree, and a few months later he’d had enough and got rid.

Eddie knows all about this stuff – which is why, despite what you might expect, engine-wise at least you’re looking at a stock ‘un. He says he would only tune a Defender to make it more economical, but that seems a bit futile when adding a roof rack and snorkel is going to drop its

fuel consumption into the teens anyway. Add in the barrage of electronic issues and dash warning lights you hear about so frequently, and he’s been happy to leave well alone.

In other areas, it’s a very different story. And while the aim hasn’t been to turn the 110 into the ultimate off-road weapon, its ability has definitely been enhanced.

They’re the kind of enhancements that don’t come at the expense of a vehicle’s on-road ability, which is something you hear a lot. Sometimes as an excuse for doing it a bit half-heartedly, but in this case it’s the opposite – the mods have been chosen with thought, and carried out to the highest standard possible.

There’s nothing new about a 2” suspension lift, for example. But when the longer springs are backed up by 8-stage remote reservoir shocks, you know you’re looking at the good stuff. ‘You can adjust them to suit the balance of ride and handling you want, or the load you’re carrying,’

explains Eddie. ‘I normally keep them set at level 2-3, as I’m tending to use the 110 unladen – obviously the equipment we’ve fitted does have some weight in it, though it’s not as much as you might assume, so there’s no need to go over the top with the damping.’

The big one for weight on a build like this always tends to be the winch and its bumper – however, while this isn’t something you’d want to try balancing on the end of your nose, it’s way lighter than some of the traditional solutions. And we’re not just talking about the old ARC favourite of making everything out of scaffold, either.

Believe it or not, Terrafirma’s new Skeleton bumper and A12000 winch only tip the scales at about 45kg between them. That’s impressively light, given the strength in the former, which has a 6mm steel plate winch tray, and the series-wound 6hp motor giving the latter its 12,000lb of pulling capacity. Having a huge amount of weight slung out ahead of your front axle is the worst possible

Above left: Terrafirma’s new Skeleton bumper looks pretty jaw-dropping on the front of the Defender, and with its upswept ends it allows for the best possible approach angle. It’s home to the company’s big-selling A12000 winch – and with the latter wound with the synthetic rope that comes with it as standard, the whole assembly weighs in at less than 45kg Above right: More good stuff from the Skeleton range – these rear corner protectors are the perfect answer to nadgery breakovers, and note the grippy section for access to Terrafirma’s newly designed ladder

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thing for your vehicle’s steering, ride and handling, so keeping this to the minimum is always going to be beneficial.

Better still, it doesn’t get heavy in terms of price, either. You’re looking at something in the region of £450 for the winch – and that gets you 80 feet of 11mm synthetic rope, too, as well as both wired and wireless remotes. Anticipating your next question, Eddie comments that ‘we’ve sold more than 1000 in each of the two years since it was launched, and we’ve had almost no warranty claims on them. We’ve got a full spares support service for people who need it, too.’

The taller suspension, which is catered for by caster-corrected radius arms and an adjustable panhard rod, makes room for a set of 285/75R16 BFGoodrich KM3 Mud-Terrains. These stand at about 33” tall and 11” wide, so they’re a less lardy answer than the 33x12.50s you often see; they’re mounted on 7x16” Terrafirma Dakar rims, with a 30mm offset to give the vehicle the right stance and side-to-side balance.

On that subject, Eddie says he’s tried numerous tyre sizes over the years and reckons this is the best thing you can get for a Defender, giving it as much size as it needs without wrecking its overall gearing, needing clunky great spacers so you can go round corners or putting you in mortal danger of brake fade every time you go down a hill that’s longer than the truck’s wheelbase.

Not that stopping would be a problem on this vehicle anyway, as it runs an upgraded system using Terrafirma performance pads and crossdrilled, grooved discs with a superbike-style ‘wave’ edge pattern for better still heat dissipation. If you get these things too hot, you really need to learn what engine braking is for…

Eddie points out that the Terrafirma pads bite better when cold, too – which is definitely worth thinking about when you’re off-roading. Drive it right, and you might not get on the anchors for half an hour at a time or more, and in typical British conditions that means they’ll be properly chilly – not ideal when you want instant bite, but these pads are designed to get over that.

The brakes are fed by extended stainless steel hoses, as you’d expect with a suspension lift – especially one that’s part of a system designed to dislocate. Relocation cones are fitted front and rear, along with cranked trailing links at the back and extended polyurethane bump stops.

Everything is made to be both functional and very strong.

In the case of the heavy-duty halfshafts, CV joints and steering rods, being very strong is their function. The same can be said of the diff and fuel tank guards, as well as rock sliders and rear bumper corners which also come from Terrafirma’s Skeleton range.

Elsewhere, you can’t help but have noticed Terrafirma’s raised air intake, which is a brand new design, as well as the company’s low-line roof rack and rear ladder. And as well as LED upgrades to the headlamps, something very cool indeed is the new bulkhead light mounting kit which allows a pair of LED spots to be positioned at the bottom corners of the windscreen. If there’s anything cooler than the swoopily shaped spare wheel carrier, though, we’re yet to see it…

There’s no such thing as an uncool snorkel, but there are precious few as cool as this new design from Terrafirma. Also new, and cool, is the company’s bulkhead LED light mount – and if you didn’t think it was possible for Defenders to look sexy, just clap your eyes on that spare wheel carrier. Even sexier are Terrafirma’s performance brake discs – note the superbike-style wavy edge to help heat dissipation. The roof console is one of several items helping you make better use of the 110’s cavernous interior space, and the fuel tank guard and rock sliders are part of an extensive range of off-road protection products

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Seat fabric was originally designed for, we kid you not, Formula 1 racecars. Good to see it finding a home in something interesting

Inside, it’s set up for better use of space, with Terrafirma’s own cubby box, roof console, dash store and parcel shelves all offering places for your odds and ends. You’ll be doing well to notice any of this, however, when you clap your eyes on the inside of this Defender and see its seats – which have been treated to an F1 retrim.

Yes, really. Eddie tells the story that the material was originally created for Red Bull, but the team turned it down because it was too heavy.

Creating a Defender with a strong claim to be considered the world’s funkiest sounds like a pretty natural way to trade up from a purpose like that, at any rate. ‘We wanted something that looks classy and contemporary,’ says Eddie. ‘But quilted leather seats aren’t what we’re about. We needed them to be tough and comfortable, as well as breathable and wipe-clean.’

So, how funky does this 110 rate on a scale of one to, well, max funkiness?

Oddly enough, it’s one of

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those vehicles which, by being very good at everything, might fall short for people whose idea of the ultimate Defender is completely without compromise.

As Eddie has just explained, Terrafirma isn’t the place to go if you want a 90 or 110 build solely to tart your way around town: if million-quid leather treatments and monumental stereos are your thing, you’ll probably be looking at this one and thinking if only.

You might also be thinking that if you want your ideal Defender to be as hardcore as possible, too. This one is clearly showing some major enhancements over standard – but if your idea of heaven is a fully lockered, triple-winched trayback running 40” Maxxis Trepadors on beadlock rims, chances are that what you see here is your dream towing barge.

For everyone in the middle, though, it’s spot-on.

You could use this Defender as a daily driver without any problem at

all – and when you want to show it some proper action, it’ll be with you every step of the way. It certainly shows off what Terrafirma is all about, and in its muted blue Union Jack wrap is looks cooler than even the majority of the poshed-up 90s manage to be.

For a while there, it was looking as if we might have seen the end of off-road Defenders. People were flocking to take them back to standard, or tart them up with shiny bits, and the steady stream of quality hardcore builds we were used to seeing seemed to have dried up. Some clubs had even started setting out RTV trials to suit Freelanders instead, because their members said their 90s were too valuable to knock about.

Would this translate itself into a collapse in demand for off-road accessories, we wondered?

Well, this Defender appears to provide a pretty unequivocal answer. Terrafirma clearly hasn’t seen any reason to think the rise and rise in Defender values is stopping people from using them properly – indeed, it’s bringing out new products all the time for the 90 and 110 alike.

So no, the end of the Defender as an off-road machine is not nigh. People haven’t stopped building them – it’s just that, if anything, they’ve started building them better. Which is definitely where Terrafirma comes in.

4x4 01/03/2020 22:27

You've seen the new Defender, and at last you can buy one.

But should you?

The answer is in the 2020 Land Rover Yearbook – the ever-popular annual for fans and owners of all things Landy.

And in addition to its analysis of the new Defender, the Yearbook is jam-packed with features on rare, classic and fascinating Land Rovers and Range Rovers – including some of the most extraordinary custom builds you'll ever see.

If a six-wheeled 110 motorhome isn't your thing, perhaps a hot-rod Range Rover pick-up might be? Or a 90 rebuilt as the pinnacle of a lifetime's work by one of the best known names in the off-roading scene? How about an early Discovery that still looks like the day it left the showroom, or a teenager who grew up to own the car he lusted after in his youth - a Series IIB forward control…?

That's just for starters. We've got Ford and Cummins-engined 110s in profile, a £450,000 Mk2 Range Rover that once belonged to Noel Edmonds and a long-lost Series I that came home after many years to the family that had learned to drive in it.

Oh, and there are tales of adventure travel from Europe, Africa and South America, as well as advice on living in your Land Rover and step-by-step workshop guides to a jobs on a variety of Land Rovers. Plus tests on the new Evoque and the ultimate long-wheelbase Range Rover - and a comprehensive Buyers' Guide to every vehicle Land Rover has ever made.

The Land Rover Yearbook is on sale now - don't miss it! Buy online at www.toronline.co.uk for just £6 (no P&P) or from your nearest WHSmith store for £7.99.

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Refurbishment/Restoration Specialist, Land Rover Servicing, MOTs, Mechanical, Diagnostics, SKYTAG Agent, Galvanized Chassis, Body Repair/Paint Shop Works Astwood Bank, Astwood Business Park, Astwood Lane, Redditch. B96 6HH Tel : +44(0)1527 892 377 Mobile : +44(0)7974075932 Email: info@astwood4x4.co.uk www.facebook.com/Astwood4x4 www.twitter.com/Astwood4x4

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TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 51

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STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE

There’s nothing very middle-of-the-road about Dave Yates’ Mitsubishi L200. But with modified double-cabs tending to divide themselves into big-money builds and bargain-bucket weld-ups, with not a lot in between, the company that helped him build it hopes to become the go-to supplier for people wanting to plough a new furrow down the centre ground Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Richard Hair 40 | APRIL 2020

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A

common conundrum, if you’re in the lucky position of being able to base your off-road build on a brand new truck, is that there’s hardly any choice left in the 4x4 market. The Suzuki Jimny is affordable but you can’t get hold of them, the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Landcruiser are pricey enough to put off most people and the Mercedes G-Class is brilliant but you’re in a really lucky position if you can mess with one of those.

That’s why so many people are turning to pick-ups nowadays. It was a rarity to see them being used off-road a decade or so ago, but now they’re commonplace.

What’s noticeable about modded pick-ups, however, is that they tend to be split into two types. We’ve featured plenty of big-budget vehicles based on new or nearly-new vehicles, and there’s also a world out there of DIY spanner men creating honest playday wagons from the sort of trucks you can pick up for a couple of grand.

But there never seems to have been very much in between. Perhaps it’s because the £10-15,000 bracket has always been, and probably always will be, full of Land Rover Defenders, but trucks in this kind of territory tend to be more of a rarity.

However there’s a company in the off-road world that aims to change this. Alex Sugden, of Viking Fabrication and Design, reckons there’s a market for mid-range pick-up builds – and the Mitsubishi L200 you see on these pages is an illustration of what you can create by becoming one of his clients.

It’s the property of Dave Yates, who’s not so much a client as a co-conspirator. He and Alex go

back a long way, to when the latter was making bumpers and rock sliders for the previous-shape L200 to this one, so it was a natural fit for the two of them to plan a full build together.

‘Plan’ is one of those words that are normally followed by ‘however’ when you’re talking off-road projects, and sure enough it wasn’t long before there was a spanner in the works. Dave had had the vehicle for a bit less than a year when they started pulling it apart, the idea being for the build to progress nice and steadily… but then the engine died on his other L200, which was meant to be his daily driver for the duration, and suddenly this one was a distress purchase.

Dave is no stranger to the spanners himself, and prior to all these he had fitted heavy-duty Midland road springs. ‘These were needed for two reasons,’ he says. ‘The old ones were woefully inadequate, and I carry huge amounts of useful and useless junk.’ We’ve all been there.

This was the first of several suspension changes, the second of which came early on in the build. ‘The front wishbone suspension doesn’t allow for huge lifts without a considerable amount of engineering,’ says Dave. ‘To gain a maximum lift while still retaining wishbone movement is a fine medium. The first attempt seemed great on a budget – but we were to find later in the build that cheap is not necessarily better.’ We’ve all been there, too…

By now the L200 was riding on a 3” body lift and the guys were going flat out to make it work on 35” tyres. That’s easier said than done, of course – and that’s before you even get to the road wheels. Before thinking about things like a

‘Plan’ is one of those words that are normally followed by ‘however’ when you’re talking off-road projects…

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Above left: Old Man Emu front struts are very much a ‘spend it once, spend it right’ kind of a purchase. Or at least they would be if Dave and Alex hadn’t previously tried to get away with using a cheap set. There’s about 2.5” of lift in the suspension, with an extra 10mm on the front to cope with the settling effect of the 75kg winch and bumper assembly Above: Rear suspension uses Midland Road Spring leaf packs, which have survived through several incarnations of the vehicle, along with Pro-Comp ES9000 extended shocks Left: The bigger the tyres you’re trying to fit, the bigger the job it is. That tends to be exponential, too – and by the time you’ve got to 315/75R16, which is the size of these Cooper Discoverer STT Pros, you’re looking at significant modifications. There’s about 5.5” of lift between the suspension and the body mounts, and the upper wishbones out front needed to be changed for longer units to save them from death by ball joint

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The engine is the original one that was fitted in the Mitsubishi factory, though it has gained a Ralliart tuning box to help get the most from it. It’s a work in progress, though – at the time of writing, Dave and Alex were looking at a custom remap to bring in the turbo at lower engine speeds. The big problem is that the much bigger tyres have led to much bigger fuel bills; another potential options, which they’re also currently weighing up, is converting to a Mercedes 605 diesel engine

winch bumper, Alex had to figure out how to make a suitably strong spare wheel carrier fit over the top of a roller shutter bed cover. Safe to say it’s not the simplest of jobs, and nor is it the simplest of designs, but it works and it does have the by-product of looking very cool.

The winch bumper looks cool, too, and needless to say this too dished up some headaches.’

If we had used sheet steel,’ says Dave, ‘the weight and shaping would have caused numerous issues. So a tubular bumper was agreed on. We also decided the best option was to retain part of the original, so as to make it aesthetically pleasing and make it easier to blend it to the truck.

‘After many cups of coffee and many drawings, at about two o’clock on a Sunday morning we finalised a design and started piecing it together!

‘The original bumper was cut, removing about two thirds of the lower bumper to use it as a filler for the lights. We did find that to locate the winch as close as possible to the radiator, the intercooler needed moving. The original is not suited to this, so a new universal intercooler rated to up to 200bhp was used instead. This upgrade allowed the bumper to be as flush as possible to the original plastic and kept the winch sat squarely on the chassis, reducing any stress.

With the bumper finally made up and mounted, it was tested with a high-lift to ensure it really was as strong as it looks. The rock sliders and rear recovery bar got the same treatment – all three passed with flying colours, so the guys were now looking at an L200 that was both pleasing on the eye and robustly fit for purpose. In Dave’s words,

the latter in particular ‘have saved the truck from numerous damaging encounters already.’

Heavy-duty equals just heavy, of course, and guess which part of the story so far we’re going to revisit now? Yes:’ It was at this point the front suspension came back to haunt us,’ says Dave.

‘Despite being heavy-duty ones, the cheap struts and coils weren’t up to about 75kg of combined winch and steel bumper. The strut seals blew, giving it no rebound.

‘We replaced them with Old Man Emu front suspension, sourced from Devon 4x4, and these have coped without a problem. Even so, we still needed to use strut spacers to give an equal amount of lift between the front and rear.’

And guess what? More awkwardness. ‘Off the shelf spacers were far to big and caused the

How do you make a carrier for a 35” spare wheel to go on a vehicle with a roller-shutter cargo bay cover? Like this – and without anybody noticing, you’ve also created a medium-duty roll bar complete with mounting points for a high-lift jack and four auxiliary driving lamps

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The front bumper was built out of tube rather than plate to keep it from getting too heavy, which is just as well as between it and the winch it was enough to blow the seals in a cheap set of front struts. Despite housing 13,500lbs’ worth of Winchmax heave, it’s very well tucked back, improving approach angle over the standard unit, and a stinger-style top hoop provides a home for a pair of LED bars – very much in keeping with the philosophy behind the build, which was to make it look cool and be fit for purpose at the same time

wishbones to lock out. So after many, many, many visits to the lathe, custom strut spacers were machined and fitted – which, with the bumper and winch in place, were right on the limit of what the suspension could do before it locked out.’

All good, except that the upper ball joint was now operating beyond its working parameters.

Cue many more hours of painstaking work… had it not been for the fact that a Thai-made longer upper arm conversion is available. With these in place, says Dave, the L200 once again has an upper ball joint that’s non-stressed and fully

working across its whole range of travel. The new upper arm has the added benefit of bringing the camber angle in the front suspension back to standard, too.

‘They have been battered and still work fine,’ says Dave. ‘Having a pressed-in joint has made a roadside fix more difficult, though, so I now carry a complete spare arm just in case.’ A small price to pay, you’d have to agree.

It’s been a prototype sort of a build, this, with so many of the modifications having to be thought through, tried out and refined along the

‘I would like to thank Alex very much for putting up with me.

We did have laughs – but the type of laughs you have when you are nearly in tears of frustration while trying to adapt a Japanese engineered vehicle to do something it wasn’t designed for!’

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Left: Alex at Viking Fabrication and Design has made more rock sliders in his time that most of us have had hot dinners. These little beauties will yield for nothing – if the L200’s doors get wiped out with them on duty, it’s because Dave has been hit by an air strike Centre: The rear bumper isn’t as overtly macho as the front one, but it does the same job of protecting the truck’s vulnerable bits – very vulnerable in this case, because of that huge overhang – and has more than enough strength to take the weight via a high-lift jack Right: However much you’ve lifted your vehicle, there’s always room for protection. Steel plates protect everything that can be protected

way. That’s the way to create something special and unique, though – and, in the case of Viking Fabrication and Design, something that will hopefully set the tone for a good business model.

‘I would like to thank Alex very much for putting up with me for nearly every weekend and in some cases all week,’ says Dave. ‘We did

6pp Sugden Yates L200.indd 45

have laughs – but the type of laughs you have when you are nearly in tears of frustration trying to adapt a Japanese engineered vehicle to do something it wasn’t designed for!’

It’s all been worth it, though. And it has proved that if you’re not in a position to spring for a big-budget build on a nearly new truck, there’s

a totally viable and indeed very attractive set of options at a level just below.

‘This newer-shape L200 is far more comfortable and in a very small way better than the previous one,’ is Dave’s conclusion. ‘Having had both to a high level of modification, I am glad that as the bones get older, I now have this one.’

01/03/2020 22:14

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OUR 4X4S Vehicle: Isuzu D-Max GO2 Year: 2018 Run by: Alan Kidd Last update: March 2020 On the fleet since: January 2020

Kept in Suspension…

LAST MONTH, we introduced our new project vehicle – the one and only Isuzu D-Max GO2. We say ‘one and only’ because that’s exactly what it is – it’s a one-off which we’re building in association with Isuzu, using a variety of the company’s own original-equipment accessories as well as various items plucked from the aftermarket.

You may have seen other projects along these lines which have appeared in the press before now, but the D-Max GO2 is a bit different.

It’s not one of those ‘project-lite’ vehicles which try to convince you that a stick-on inclinometer is the stuff of hardcore off-roading, and neither is it a show truck. Not in the all-fur-coat-and-no-knickers sense,

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at any rate – it’ll appear at a number of shows during its lifespan, but if you see it at one of them it’ll be demonstrating its fitness for purpose, not the eyeball-burning effects of more chrome and a tengrand wrap.

That’s because the D-Max GO2 is all about being able to GO2 places other trucks can’t reach. Geddit?

It’s based on the Utah model, which is a nicely equipped upper-mid sort of spec with leather, cruise, climate control and a worthwhile infotainment system, and it found its way to us having first hit the road in September 2018 and covered around 20,000 miles in the intervening period. We’re not sure who had it before us, but we reckon

they might have lived by the sea as the exposed steel underneath shows signs of having been in a salty sort of atmosphere.

Anyway.

Another way in which this definitely isn’t just a project-lite is that it’s a proper prototype.

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A feature of changing the suspension on a one-tonner is normally that the rear takes about five minutes and the front takes the rest of the day. Pedders’ high-arch leaf-springs are all ready to lift the back of the truck and it’s just a case of bolt-off, bolt-on to fit them… well, perhaps that’s simplifying things just a little, but compared to the independent front end it’s a cinch Over the last few years, Isuzu in the UK has forged a strong relationship with Australian suspension specialist Pedders, whose kit is already available as an option with the Hunstman pack and as standard equipment on the XTR, and what we’re fitting is an evolved version of the system used on the latter.

By ‘evolved’, we’re talking remotereservoir shocks and multi-setting adjustability for bump and rebound alike. This is, as they say, the good stuff. It’s been fitted in combination with Pedders’ own forged upper wishbones, which are designed to work at the angles required by taller springs and shocks and are

shaped to provide clearance for the concomitantly bigger tyres you can fit to go with them.

Tyres like the 285/75R16 General Grabber X3 mud-terrains we’re using on the vehicle. Or we will be so long as the lift is enough to let them fit. This is where the prototype element of the build comes in

– we think they’ll go on, but we don’t know. There may be other modifications required too, but we’ll only find out what they are as the build progresses.

So there’s going to be a bit of trial and error to come. As always, you look at it and you try to figure out what will work and where the

You look at it and you try to figure out what will work and where the problems might crop up, so you can plan in advance for how you’re going to deal with them

Above: As always, having a fully equipped workshop with a set of hydraulic ramps makes life a lot easier. There are various ways of juggling the weight of the vehicle and the axle while you’re taking springs off and on, some of them bodgier than others – countless numbers of people have done this job on their drive, and some of them didn’t even risk their lives in the process, but what you’re looking at here qualifies as doing it right Above right: You don’t often see cart springs being used in conjunction with remote-reservoir shocks. But with the ever increasing popularity of double-cabs for off-road builds, this is going to become an ever-more common sight. As is the Pedders logo on said springs and shocks, if our experience of the Australian company’s suspension kit is anything to go by – we’ve not driven our D-Max yet, because at the time of writing it’s still in build, but we’ve had Pedders equipment on previous vehicles and rated it highly Below: The Pedders kit includes a new anti-roll bar for the rear, along with the hardware to mount it

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OUR 4X4S

Above left: You can see here the difference between the shapes of the original upper wishbone and Pedders’ replacement unit. The latter is designed to work with lifted suspension, with a ball joint that will work at greater angles of droop, and to provide more clearance behind the wheel in the same position Above right: With the new arm in place, the roadwheel is refitted so the steering can be cycled in search of fouling issues. Fingers crossed, we ain’t got any…

Below: Off comes the lower wishbone, allowing the suspension strut to be removed

problems might crop up, so you can plan in advance for how you’re going to deal with them.

The standard front bumper might normally need some trimming, but it’ll be making way for an ARB unit supplied by Britpart (more on

that in a later instalment) so that can be ignored. The width of the standard wheelarches appears to be right on the limit for legality, however, and the guys from Isuzu were a bit concerned about that (even with all the work being done post-registration, and therefore not subject to homologation, construction and use regulations still apply as rigidly as ever), so there’s a bodyshop on standby with, we’re reliably informed, the ability to basically work magic. We’re looking forward to seeing that happen, and hopefully share it with y’all when it does…

The boys from the bodyshop are also going to be called in to modify a body mount riding on

an outrigger at the rear edge of the front wheelarches. This has two mounting positions to suit different panels used in various markets around the world; happily, UK vehicles only need the rear one, so there’s about an inch of metal nearest to the roadwheel that’s basically redundant and which can be ground off without weakening the structure of the chassis. Just as well, because that’s the bit which looked like it was going to get in the way.

First, though, step one is to start building it up and see what happens. Not in a ‘suck it and see’ fashion, of course – we’re testing hypotheses here, not just bashing on regardless. It’s the same process

that manufacturers go through when creating special-edition models or testing accessories for OE approval.

With that, it’s time to start making noise. On the basis that you always start with the easy bit (sometimes, this is because you’re waiting for the WD40 to work its way in elsewhere but, though the underside of our D-Max does have some surface rust around it, solid fixings aren’t a problem), the rear springs and shocks are first to be changed, along with the anti-roll bar that goes with them.

Mainly, it’s a case of juggling the height of the vehicle and axle, which means supporting each separately, in order to get the old suspension

Turns out the new, longer coil-over wasn’t very interested in being wrestled into place with the upper wishbone already mounted up. Freeing off the anti-roll bar was just enough to make it see sense, but this is the sort of job that’s best approached with a large vocabulary of swear words

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Above left: Old and new suspension units for comparison. The difference in length is greater under load than it is here at rest Above right: Pedders’ Extreme kit is adjustable for both bump and rebound. It’s very much a case of trial and error, however based on the extra weight we’ll be putting through the units with the heavy-duty bumpers, winch, underbody guards and rock sliders we’ll be fitting, we’ve started with the settings that were recommended by the company’s UK importer Below left: With the coil-over finally in place, the three bolts securing it in the top mount are fastened. The front suspension comes with brackets for the remote reservoirs – be sure to have them in position before dropping the bolts into place

off and the new stuff on. This is much easier if you have a set of hydraulic ramps and high-level support stands at your disposal – as is fitting the anti-roll bar, simply because of the extra space you get in which to manoeuvre such a big,

awkwardly shaped item into place.

A common problem, etc…

That’s nothing compared to how awkward it proved to be to get the nearside suspension strut into place, though. By this time, the Pedders upper arm had already been fitted so that the suspension and steering could be cycled to see if the roadwheel was going to foul, and sure enough the unused part of the body mount, as well as a small amount of wheelarch trim, was going to need to go. But as it turns out, it’s a whole lot easier if you fit the strut before the upper arm – it did turn out to be possible, aided by removing the anti-roll bar and grunting a lot, but hey ho, you live and learn, and doing the same job

on the other side of the vehicle was no problem at all. That’s the perils of prototyping…

Another bit of trial-and-error fun will come when the vehicle is actually ready to drive. The Pedders Extreme suspension kit has enough adjustability in it to cope with everything from baja racing to climbing stairs while carrying a grand piano balanced on a stick of celery (what do you mean you’ve never done that?), so all we can do at this stage if guess.

Actually, that’s not true because we could listen to the man from Pedders who recommended settings for bump and rebound based on what he knew of the extra weight the D-Max is going to be

getting bolted on to it. It pays to listen to the experts, and the same bloke’s knowledge of his products has served us very well on two previous project vehicle builds, so that’s exactly what we did and to be honest, our money’s on the adjuster dials never being touched again.

So that left us with some very cool suspension and a very cool set of wheels and tyres to use with it… but no point in mounting them up until the bodyshop lads had done their thing. Fortunately, they were ready and waiting, and they turned out to be very able indeed – more on that next month. For now, Project D-Max GO2 might not be on the road yet – but it’s already well and truly up and running.

With the coil-over in position and the anti-roll bar reattached, the lower wishbone can be slipped back into its chassis mounts. You can decide for yourself how optimistic the word ‘slipped’ is here – it won’t be like Last Tango in Paris, but it shouldn’t be too much of a wrestling match either

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MOROCCO: BEYOND THE TOURIST It may be the most popular destination by far for adventure travel, but Morocco still has

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f all the destinations visited by Britain’s overlanders, Morocco probably counts for more trips than all the rest put together. And for good reason, too.

It’s a beautiful, unspoilt country with sensational landscapes, a welcoming culture and almost limitless opportunities for exploring off-tarmac.

It’s a proper overland destination, too. You’re definitely in Africa here.

Morocco feels very, very different to anywhere in Europe – and yet it’s just a short ferry crossing from the southern tip of Spain.

This all helps make Morocco a perennial favourite for Britain’s offroad adventurers. But although there are many who return there time after time, its popularity can make it feel like the off-road equivalent of Blackpool or Center Parcs.

If you yearn for an overland trip that’s a bit different to the norm, however, Morocco is still the ideal destination. There are well trodden tourist trails there, for sure – but much of it remains undiscovered.

I’ve spent more than 25 years exploring the most remote and unspoiled parts of the Maghreb region – the real Morocco, consisting of areas well off the beaten track and unknown to tourists. As a result, I’ve been able to create an itinerary for my company, Active 4x4 Adventures, which offers something unique – and like all our tours, it also stands out from the crowd by being fully catered!

The route takes in all the very best for the intrepid traveller. From the Rif Mountains in the north, we travel southward through the Cedar Forests before traversing the majestic High Atlas Mountains. This is followed by a lengthy crossing of the Sahara Desert before we conclude with an exhilarating ascent of the beautiful and isolated AntiAtlas Mountains.

Fascination lurks around every corner, afforded as much by Morocco’s people as by its geology, flora and fauna. Throughout the journey, no stone is left unturned in the quest to experience genuinely exotic Morocco – while the off-

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roading is guaranteed to provide some the most memorable experiences you’ll ever encounter behind the wheel. And best of all, the adventure is perfectly scheduled for the spring, when the temperatures are warm but not too hot.

This is an adventure that illustrates Morocco in all its dramatic variety.

If you fancy a go at haggling in the souks of Marrakech, you’ll get the chance. But if your idea of heaven is to travel through isolated wilderness areas where few humans are ever

seen, there’s no shortage of that either. You’ll see Morocco and its people in their true sense, away from the tourist hotspots, and witness landscapes that will make you wonder whether you’re still even on Planet Earth at all.

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T

TRAIL the power to surprise – you just need to know where to look…

Words and pictures: Barrie Dunbar

Indeed, if you’re wanting to be spaced out then wild camping amid the huge pink-hued dunes of Erg Chigaga, with the Milky Way clearly visible above, should do the trick.

In the Sahara, you’ll experience the need for self-sufficiency at its

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most acute. Our route follows those used by the region’s semi-nomadic Berber people as they herd their dromedaries through the vast backdrop of the desert. You can get in on the act with a camel ride of your own, or feel the adrenaline

pumping with a quad biking session on the dunes.

The adventure starts with a ferry crossing into the Port of Tanger-Med. Following this, the tour embarks southwards through the Moroccan interior, meandering

through the beautiful Rif Mountains as the you breeze past fragrant pine trees. Finally, you’ll arriving at Azrou, located on the northern edge of the enchanting Cedar Forests – home to raucous troops of North Africa’s primate, the Barbary Ape.

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Went and used a photo of Norway by accident, didn’t we? No, actually: up in the mountains, Morocco’s climate is a lot more like Britain’s than you might expect. You’re unlikely to experience conditions like these on the itinerary described here, but the point is that they can happen – you need to take a lot with you when you go overlanding, but most of all you need to leave your preconceived notions behind It’s a captivating drive south, through vibrant and bustling towns whose sights, sounds and smells are a delight to behold. A lunch of local breads, houmous and tomatoes will keep any hunger pangs at bay – and it’s all the better for being taken on the beach-like bank of the Oued Ouerrha.

Our route from here skirts the Roman ruins of Volubilis, near Moulay Idriss, which is surrounded by sprawling olive plantations, before passing through the imperial city of Meknes. The journey continues to El Hajeb, whose

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characteristic street barbecues billow out their enticing, appetising plumes of fragrant smoke.

Your campsite for the evening is a rustic place near Azrou. It’s little more than a clearing among an ancient cherry orchard, though it does offer excellent showers – heated by an old donkey boiler, itself fuelled by shards of dry cedar wood from the local mill which incense the air with an exotic, heady perfume.

A mere ten minutes after setting off the following morning, our convoy of 4x4s leaves the tarmac.

This is a theme that sticks for the

next fortnight – and we’ll be offroad for long enough now that it’s worth pulling over to drop our tyre pressures for the tracks.

What ensues is an exhilarating day of exploring Morocco’s mystical Cedar Forests. The driving features regular challenging sections, with washouts caused by the region’s winter weather, and the scenery is magnificent throughout.

At every turn, you’ll find yourself gasping at picture-perfect vistas across rugged valleys, overlooked by the majestic mountains of the Le Moyen (Middle) Atlas – a smaller

cousin of the High Atlas just to the south, which is our next destination.

That night, the hills are your home as you feast on tenderloin from the charcoal-fuelled BBQ. Eating like kings is part of the adventure.

Now the awesome High Atlas range lies ahead, famous around the world for its scale and grandeur.

And don’t think that because this tour is guided and fully catered, you won’t have to work for your living off-road: depending on the degree of destruction inflicted by the preceding winter, there is occasionally some rock-shifting

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and road-building required to allow progress. The river crossings can require careful scrutiny, too.

You’ll also get another opportunity to witness the Berbers’ lifestyle here.

The route brings us into contact with some of the more isolated tribes, who skilfully husband the harsh terrain to cultivate barley and shepherd livestock.

Talking of livestock, meals during this stage of the tour include rib-eye steaks, chicken breasts and spare ribs, all barbecued to perfection on our specially customised charcoal braai. In between, meals from the pot including chicken tagine (it wouldn’t be Morocco without this), Bolognese and Thai green curry.

From the heights of the High Atlas, there’s a transitional region of semi-desert to cross prior to reaching the Sahara. The ambient temperatures get higher, vegetation becomes sparser and the rocky terrain gradually gives way to tracts of sand and intermittent mini-dunes.

For many people, the desert is the main attraction, though personally I feel it’s the combination of both mountain and desert which makes Morocco such an experience.

Having navigated the High Atlas, fuel tanks are brimmed and supplies of bread and water are replenished on the way to camp, situated at the foot of the dunes of Erg Chebbi.

From here, the following few days will entail a remote desert crossing as we negotiate shifting areas of deep sand and stony hamada, with salt pans lodged in between.

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First, though, we motor to the top of the golden sands of the Erg Chebbi dunes. Not in our cars this time, but on 500cc quad bikes – the ideal makings of the first adventure activity of this tour. It’s a truly wonderful experience, with the quads’ automatic transmission making it fully suitable for the whole group – from die-hard petrolheads to the most novice beginners, including confident children.

In the evening, for those who enjoy a more peaceful ascent of the dunes, the group gets to enjoy a camel trek to the top and watch the sun set over the horizon, before returning to camp for another feast.

Crossing the desert in a southwesterly direction from Merzouga to Foum Zguid is an other-worldly experience, and camping out under the Milky Way is as wondrous and enchanting as the diverse landscapes and terrain which we encounter along the journey.

Travelling parallel to the Algerian border, the itinerary passes as many old military forts as it does desert kasbahs. Many of these are still manned, by friendly soldiers grateful for a little company and temporary respite from the boredom of their remote postings.

Eventually, the convoy reaches the pink complexion of the Erg Chigaga dunes. If you’re feeling energetic, you can take the opportunity before dinner to hike to the apex of the highest adjacent dune and relish the dazzling sunset – not a bad way to build up an appetite!

After skimming across the seemingly endless salt pan of Lac Iriki, it’s time to wave goodbye to the desert at the garrison town of Foum Zguid and move on to Morocco’s hidden gem – the Anti-Atlas. Not as well known known than the ever-popular High Atlas, this is a mountain range that was blessed by nature with incredible gorges, canyons and mesmerising rock formations. Travelling through this area offers one marvel after another.

Having been exploring the region since 1995, I am fortunate to be able to take my clients where others don’t go, providing them with a uniquely special insight into the real, unspoilt Morocco. We make a point of exploring new tracks on every trip, thereby enabling the group to experience first-hand the concept

of a surprise around every corner.

Which there always is.

Descending the northern aspect of the Anti-Atlas, via the fabulous Tizi-n-Test mountain pass, we reach our luxurious campsite on the outskirts of Marrakech for hot showers and a good scrub. Suitably cleansed and refreshed, the next day is spent exploring the city’s ancient medina and haggling for bargains in the souks.

Marrakech is a continuously buzzing, good-natured hive of activity. The main square, Jemaa elFna, is a bright, bustling melting pot of North African and Sub-Saharan cultures. The sights, sounds and smells of Marrakesh remind you of how exotic a land Morocco really is – making it the perfect conclusion to this stunning adventure.

This year, Active 4x4 Adventures’ Fully Catered Morocco Adventure Tour runs from 30 March to 13 April. The company specialises in unique, fully catered 4x4 tours, all of which include exciting adventure activities at no additional cost. The prices the company quotes are all-inclusive.

To find out more, visit active4x4adventures.com.

01/03/2020 22:16

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02/12/2019 20:53

GRIN AND BEAR IT… Overlanding in Canada and the US Northwest means many things. One is visiting lots of

Pictures: Jen Bright and Gav Lowrie

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ne of the great things about overland travel is that you go overland. Obviously.

Except when you don’t.

For most of us, the idea of driving from Chile to Canada in a selfsufficient Land Rover 110 sounds

like heaven. Perhaps a slightly masochistic form of heaven, but heaven nonetheless.

Jen Bright and Gavin Lowrie, however, whose travel stories we’ve been featuring on and off for the thick end of a year now, had already completed a massive loop of South

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national parks. Another is seeing lots of huge grizzlies…

America by the time they got to the Chilean capital, Santiago. By then they’d seen some wonders of the world, met some amazing people, got out of one or two mechanical scrapes and survived an earthquake, and now they wanted a pint and a curry. So with a whole lot more

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driving still to come, they put Ruby (the 110, not a dog, or child) on board a container ship and flew home to Britain.

Says something when normality becomes your idea of a holiday, doesn’t it? Life on the road is a wonderful thing, but it’s hard too.

Something Jan and Gav were able to ponder while sat in the familiar surroundings of their local. Their local Wetherspoons.

This, or British Columbia?

They were soon back in the air, and sooner yet touching down in Vancouver. Here, they had arranged

a five-week work placement at a vineyard while waiting for Ruby to arrive (not that she spent all that time on the water, obviously; container ships don’t take the long way round), with days off in between spent exploring the area and watching the sort of wildlife you don’t get at home. Not even in Wetherspoons, though killer whales and bald eagles could probably be seen as some sort of allegory.

As it turned out, Ruby was ready to be picked up from the docks on the morning of Jen’s birthday. And here’s an unexpected present: she started first time.

That sounds like a call to arms, and without any further hesitation the 110 was on its way north-east into the neighbouring state of Alberta. This is Rocky Mountain territory, home of the Banff and Jasper National Parks… and of wolves and bears. There’s also a town in Alberta called Medicine Hat, which is when you know you’re not in Wakefield any more.

You can even go on a bear walk with park rangers, which sounds a little hazardous, but they came back knowing a lot more about these magnificent and hugely misunderstood animals. They also walked to the foot of the Columbia glacier in Jasper National Park, drove down the aptly named

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Orcas, wolves and bald eagles are all pretty capable of killing things, but by far the scariest kind of creature Jan and Gav encountered were the swarms of cruiser losers who spent two weeks amid all this wonderful wildlife and landscape but were only interested in the ship’s casino. Give us a supremely hostile 7000-mile round trip any day…

Icefields Parkway and found what was their favourite campsite to date (called Waterfowl Lakes, in case you ever happen to be passing).

But there was trouble ahead. ‘We had heard that there were numerous wildfires in British Columbia and that it had been declared a state of emergency,’ says Gav. ‘We decided we needed to head back and made for Vancouver prior to crossing the border into USA at the Peace Arch, before spending a couple of days just outside Seattle, getting our stuff together for Alaska.’

The original plan had been to drive all the way through Alaska to

the furthest accessible point, but in something of in a break from the overlanding norm Jen and Gav decided they didn’t fancy that particular 7000-mile round trip after all. Instead, being devoted watchers of all things marine and avian, they booked themselves on to a cruise ship for a fortnight on the waves en route to and from the biggest state in the union.

Which would you choose? Us too.

But Alaska is not a place to take lightly – and it’s unlikely that they’d have got to see eight grizzlies in close order without having been on the wildlife watching excursion they

took when their cruise docked at Icy Strait Point.

‘It was brilliant to see them in their natural habitat,’ says Jen ‘We saw a mother with her two cubs ambling after her and another in the river hunting for salmon.’

‘One bear came right under the bridge we were standing on,’ continues Gav. ‘He was only about forty feet away!’

The views of a rugged, mountainous coastline clad in fir trees and soaring glaciers was pretty special, too. As was the experience of looking on in awe as schools of whales breached

alongside the ship – if that happens when you’re in your vehicle, the river crossing you tried back there didn’t go as planned.

In other ways, though, life aboard the nine-story floating city was every bit as ghastly as life aboard a nine-storey floating city may sound. For some of the passengers, who spent all day every day holed up in the on-board casinos, those breaching whales and coastal views might as well not have been there.

Having lived out of the back of a Land Rover for more than a year by now, seeing people load their plates with double portions in the

‘Ruby is quite the attraction in the USA. One man stopped and said, in a deep southern drawl, “that’s about the sweetest car I ever did see!”

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restaurant and fighting each other for discounted luxury goods in the on-board shop made for a pretty tasteless spectacle. Precious few of Jen and Gav’s shipmates were interested in the wildlife – but the talks on which shops to go to during their time on land at each port were always rammed.

Who needs to go out and watch bears hunting for salmon in the wild, though, when you could put on a tux and fill your plate with so much salmon of your own that most of it ends up in the bin?

Not surprisingly, despite the many natural wonders they had experienced thanks to the cruise, Jen and Gav were pretty happy to be reunited with Ruby. First stop was Mount Rainer National Park – this is the most glaciated in America, and its name comes from the active volcano which dominates this part of the Washington State landscape.

Part of the park is named Paradise – which sounds optimistic, but it lived up to the tag. ‘It was so beautiful, particularly the superb views of the ice-clad Mount Rainer and the meadows covered with colourful subalpine flowers,’ says Jen. ‘It was one of the prettiest places we have ever been.’

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Not somewhere to go steaming around willy-nilly in a hefty great 4x4, obviously. So they pegged their tent for a couple of nights and took in the sights through various hikes around the park.

On the second day, however, something more familiar started causing a stir.

‘Ruby is quite the attraction in the USA,’ smiles Gav like a proud father.

‘Numerous people approached us to ask about her and admire her. One man kept walking past Ruby and when we stopped to talk, he said, in a deep southern drawl, “that’s about the sweetest car I ever did see!” I swear Ruby batted her headlamps!’

Via a stop-off at another active volcano, Mount St Helens, the trio headed into Portland. Here, Ruby was due some much-needed pampering at the PDX British Garage – four hours of which came as a gift after the owner Francis and his wife Elsa had spent a good part of the day hearing Jen and Gav’s tales of the road.

Next stop was across the state line in Oregon, where Jen and Gav stayed with a family they had got to know aboard the cruise ship. And this is one of the truest delights of overlanding – the way the people

you meet along the way can become your passport to experiences no everyday tourist could hope to have.

Their friends, Stacey and Ryun, recommended a visit to the

Tillamook County Fair. And once again, you know you’re not in Wakefield any more when you find yourself watching the Pig N’ Ford World Championship.

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Above left: Formed in the caldera left when a volcano blew its top in ancient times, Crater Lake is the deepest in the USA. It’s also one of the purest in the world, and its water is an almost unnaturally inense shade of blue Above right: Street art an public sculpture in the Vancouver area tells the story of the city’s relationship with the ocean. Canada is every bit as rich in wildlife as other, more commonly thought-of destinations for overland travel This dates from 1925 and, possibly not surprisingly, it’s unique to Tillamook. It’s got to be the ultimate in redneck sports.

‘It involves the driver collecting a piglet, cranking up their Model T Ford and then racing around the arena, swapping piglets each lap,’ explains Gav. The drivers have to

hold their pig under one arm while cranking the engine, then steering the car, with the other. Winners get bragging rights (or, potentially, in the case of the winning pig, eaten).

The Pig N’ Ford World Championship was followed on the bill by a demolition derby, which sounds almost normal by

comparison but, Gav reports, was every bit as entertaining.

Following the madness of the fair, Ruby took Jen and Gav down the coast towards Crater National Park. En route, they followed a long coastal road from which they could see grey whales breaching offshore, and spent a couple of

‘You know you’re not in Wakefield any more when you find yourself watching the Pig N’ Ford Championship…’

64 | APRIL 2020

Ruby Canada.indd 62

nights in motorhome parks where, memorably, a fellow camper asked them the question that really mattered: ‘What does the Queen think of Donald Trump?’

The park itself is a sight to behold. Yet another volcano, Mount Mazama, erupted violently thousands of years ago, blowing its top off to leave a crater which is now the deepest lake in America.

‘We have seen many beautiful lakes on this trip,’ says Jen. ‘But we have never seen anything like the deep blue of Crater Lake. Because it is so isolated, the water is free of pollutants, making it one of the purest lakes in the world.’

It’s big, too – so much so that there are two islands in it. The road around the lake is beautiful, with loads of winding hairpins as it scales the mountainous terrain, but it’s not open in the winter – that’s the kind of place we’re talking about here. At any rate, Jen and Gav left Ruby parked up and set out on foot to hike to the highest point in the park. And they’re ALL high.

Next up was another kind of high, in the shape of the Humboldt Redwoods. The national and state parks in which these titans grow is big in itself – the road through them is 31 miles long. And many of the trees stand at more than 100

4x4 01/03/2020 22:22

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The essential essential annual The annual for for Land Land Rover Roverowners ownersand andenthusiasts enthusiasts

Makes an Makes an ideal gift for ideal gift for a Land Rover a Land Rover fan! fan!

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Land Rover 22019 019 LONG-RANGE

YEARBOOK LONG-RANGE CHARITY RUN CHARITY RUN An expedition with a VENTER TRAILERS UK LTD UNIT 3 ORCHARD COURT ARMSTRONG WAY YATE, BS37 5GW

4 Modified Modified dd 4 expedition The Land RoverAn Yearbook, now in its 5th with Year and a on-

her inside insideThe The Land RoverRover Yearbook, now in its in 5th noble cause The Land Yearbook, now itsyear, 5th covers Year and onsale Rover in timeYearbook, for the lucrative Christmas Annual her Land now in its 5th year, coversmarket, noble cause everything from the latest vehicles off the production line in sale in time for the lucrative Christmas Annual market,

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Yearbook full of essential information forSolihull Land Rover owners andvehicles. enthusiasts production line in to classic Series The t 01454 325109 m 07894 529452 Yearbook is full of information for Rover essential information foressential Land Rover owners andLand enthusiasts from Yearbook parts and accessories to improve and maintain your e info@ventertrailersuk.com is full of essential information for Land Rover from parts and accessories improve and your owners and enthusiasts from parts andmaintain accessories to vehicle to adventure travel. to The Landy Rover Yearbook has owners and enthusiasts from parts and accessories to vehicle to adventure travel.inThe Landy Rover Yearbook has improve maintain your vehicle to adventure travel something for and every taste Land Rovers! improve maintain something for and every taste in your Land in everyone’s favourite type vehicle ofRovers!

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Who Should advertise: Garages, parts advertise: retailers, accessories retailers, parts Should 72 | JUNE 2019 Who manufacturers, accessories manufacturers, tyre companies, Garages, parts retailers, accessories retailers, parts 76 | AUGUST 2018 overland travel tour operators, Land Rover dealerships, manufacturers, accessories manufacturers, tyre companies, suspension upgrades, wheels and tyres manufacturers and overland travel tour operators, Land Rover dealerships, TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 48 TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 51suspension retailers, lighting, underbody protection, winches, brakes, upgrades, wheels and tyres manufacturers andoff TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 48 TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 51 road equipment, towing and trailer manufacturers, onboard retailers, lighting, underbody protection, winches, brakes, off Venter.indd 1

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The essential annual for Land Rover owners and enthusiasts

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The essential annual for Land Rover owners and enthusiasts

2 019 2 019

YEARBOOK 2 1YEARBOOK 12 £X.XX

£X.XX

the year’s pages of ts for best produc er d Rov your Lan the year’s pages of ts for best produc er d Rov your Lan

Future Glories Future Glories

How a wrecked old farm hack restored into this better-than-new 110 A FINAL FLOURISH110 Plug-in Rover HowRange a wrecked old farm hack restored into this better-than-new

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144 pages BENEFITS FOR 144 £6.99 pages Only BENEFITS FOR ADVERTISERS IN Only £6.99 ADVERTISERS THE 2019 LANDIN Available in WHSmith and THE YEARBOOK: 2019 LANDand Available innewsagents WHSmith independent or ROVER independent newsagents or ROVER orderYEARBOOK: online at

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APRIL 2020 | 63 4 Be seen in front of the 20,000+ TheofLand 4 Be readers seen in of front the30/04/2019 26/02/2019 03/07/2018 Rover Yearbook.

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4x4 4x4

11:16 14:21 11:35 14:08

A breath of fresh air for your Land Rover

“Breathing efficiency for your engine means more power or better fuel mileage” > Easy fit, directly replaces standard air filter. > Ideal for use in hot dusty conditions to reduce engine wear. > No need to replace as easy cleaning means maximum performance guaranteed. > Maximum breathing efficiency for your engine means more power or better fuel mileage. > Compatible with snorkels, ideal for use in conjunction with other performance modifications. > No compromise on quality - the engine gets more air but the dirt particles are trapped by the quality filters. > Filters don’t need pre-oiling and if the filter gets dirty there is no need to use a cleaner to clear the dirt on the filter - just use air, water or detergent.

Corresponds To Series 3 DA3138 4-cylinder - fits Zenith and Weber carbs DA4274 605191 LWB - 3.5 V8 - 2 filters required 1979 - 1982 Defender DA4269 DA4269 DA4270 DA4262 DA4262 DA4260 DA4379 Discovery 1 DA4274 DA4262 DA4262 DA4268 DA4264 DA4261 DA4261 DA4261 Discovery 2 DA4260 DA4260 Discovery 3 DA3139 Discovery 4 DA3139 DA4376 Discovery Sport DA4637 Freelander 1 DA4267 DA4267 DA4263 DA4260 Freelander 2 DA4375 DA4637

NRC9238 NRC9238 NTC6660 NTC1435 ESR2623 ESR4238 PHE500060 605191 NTC1435 ESR2623 RTC4683 ESR1049 ESR1445 ESR1445 ESR1445 ESR4238 ESR4238 PHE000112 PHE000112 LR011593 LR029078 ESR4103 ESR4103 PHE100500L ESR4238 LR005816 LR029078

2.5 petrol 2.5 D & Td 2.5 200Tdi 2.5 300Tdi 2.5 300Tdi Td5 Puma

1983 - 1990 1983 - 1990 1990 - 1993 1994 - 1997 1994 - 1997 1999 - 2007 2007 -

Corresponds To Range Rover Classic DA4274 605191

DA4272

DA4266

3.5 V8 carb - 2 filters required 1972 - 1986 3.5 carb V8 - cone type off-road extreme power filter 2 filters required 3.5 carb V8 - cone type - replaces 605191 2 filters required 3.5i V8 Efi 1985 - 1989 2.4D VM Turbo 1986 - 1992 2.4D VM Turbo 1986 - 1992 2.5D VM Turbo 1986 - 1992 2.5D VM Turbo 1986 - 1992 3.9i 1989 - 1994 4.0i V8 1990 - 1995 4.2i V8 1990 - 1995 4.6i V8 1990 - 1995 2.5 200Tdi 1991 - 1993 2.5 300Tdi 1993 - 1995 3.9i V8 Efi 1992 - 1994

DA4268 RTC4683 DA4262 NTC1435 DA4262 ESR2623 DA4262 NTC1435 DA4262 ESR2623 DA4268 RTC4683 DA4265 ESR341 DA4265 ESR341 3.5 V8 carb - 2 filters required 1989 - 1990 DA4265 ESR341 2.5 200Tdi 1989 - 1992 DA4264 ESR1049 2.5 200Tdi 1989 - 1992 DA4261 ESR1445 3.5i V8 Efi 1990 - 1993 DA4261 ESR1445 2.5 200Tdi 1992 - 1994 Range Rover P38 2.0i Mpi petrol DA4265 ESR341 Diesel up to TA346793 2.5 300Tdi 1994 - 1997 DA4265 ESR341 Petrol up to TA346793 3.9i V8 1994 - 1997 DA4260 ESR4238 Diesel from TA346794 up to VA376579 DA4260 ESR4238 Petrol from VA346794 up to VA376579 Td5 1999 - 2004 DA4260 ESR4238 Diesel from WA376580 4.0i 1999 - 2004 DA4260 ESR4238 Petrol from WA385949 up to WA410481 DA4265 ESR341 Petrol from WA376580 up to WA385948 2.7 V6 diesel, 4.0 V6 petrol & 4.4 V8 petrol DA4260 ESR4238 Petrol from XA410482 Range Rover Sport 2.7 V6 diesel, 3.0 V6 diesel & 4.0 V6 petrol 2.7 V6 diesel, 4.0 V6 petrol DA3139 PHE000112

2005 - 2013 5.0 V8 - nat. asp.

& 4.4 V8 petrol

2010 - 2013 DA4376 LR011593 5.0 V8 nat. asp. & supercharged 2.0 petrol & 2.2 diesel

2014 Range Rover L322 DA4378 PHE000050 4.4 V8 (BMW engine) 2002 - 2005 1.8 16v 1997 - 2000 DA4377 PHE500021 4.4 V8 nat. asp.

2006 - 2009 2.0i Tcie diesel (Rover engine) 1997 - 2000 DA4377 PHE500021 4.2 V8 supercharged 2006 - 2009 2.0 Td4 (BMW engine) 2001 - 2006 DA4377 PHE500021 3.6 Td8 2007 - 2009 V6 petrol DA4259 PHE000040 Td6 2002 - 2009 DA4376 LR011593 4.4 Td8 2010 - 2012 Petrol & diesel DA4376 LR011593 5.0 V8 nat. asp. & supercharged 2010 - 2012 from CH000001 - 2.0 petrol Range Rover Evoque LR029078 2.0 petrol & 2.2 diesel DA4637

Images of each filter go to www.britpart.com/filters

Whether it’s the Pacific Coast Highway (above) or Banff National Park (right), Canada doesn’t really tend to do mundane. It’s a place to explore if you love amazing landscapes and wonderful wildlife – as well as having no end of fantastic roads and trails and, it would appear, plenty of people who appreciate Brits in old Land Rovers metres, making them among the tallest of any kind in the world.

‘We stopped many times, taking walks through the forests and gazing upwards in awe at the height of the trees,’ says Jen. ‘We had never seen anything like it before.

And it gets better. ’We were in Redwood State Park for a total eclipse of the sun. It was a great experience, surrounded by the majestic trees and watching nature at its best.’

After the untamed wilderness they has experienced in many parts of South America, it might

say something that Jen and Gav’s experience as they travelled through the US seems to read like a list of national parks. Or maybe it’s just that the US has a lot of really great national parks. Either way, next came Yosemite, which has got to be one of the most famous national parks anywhere in the world.

By now, Ruby had covered more than a thousand miles on American soil. And for every one of them she seemed to gain a new admirer. ‘We met wonderful people every day in America,’ says Jen. ‘They have a genuine interest and curiosity about

Ruby and we are stopped at least three or four times a day. This has been the most interest from people in any country so far!’

Good news, then, that there was plenty more to come. But as they headed off towards Utah, where they had been offered the chance of another four weeks’ voluntary work, Ruby ground to a halt. Right in the middle of a junction, controlled by traffic light and, of all places, in Los Angeles. Spectacle.

‘Clearly Ruby wanted to seek fame in Los Angeles, as she’d had her head turned by all the interest

in her!’ Jen laughs. ‘So we took her to a mechanic and left her there while doing our month working in Utah – which unfortunately meant making do with a hire car. But as long as Ruby is out seeking fame and fortune in LA, she’s happy!’

Another prolonged break from the overland life, then, and this one was unscheduled. But as Jen and Gav had had plenty of chance to learn by now, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Being reunited with their game old Defender 110 for the next leg of their adventure was going to be sweeter than ever…

APRIL 2020 | 65

Ruby Canada.indd 65

01/03/2020 22:22

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ROADBOOK

EAST KENT

Quiet trails in a corner of England that’s little used by green laners

68 | APRIL 2020

10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 68

4x4 01/03/2020 22:23

ROADBOOK For most people, East Kent is a place you motor through as quickly as possible on the way to cross the Channel. But the area south of Canterbury is a region of sweeping, elegant countryside – within which you’ll find occasional hidden relics from a past built on coal mining. It’s home to a good number of green lanes, too – though you need to be a bit of a masochist to enjoy them, as many will give your paintwork a pasting. It’s a fun few hours, this – but it’s no place for shinies!

USING OUR ROADBOOKS Our roadbooks guide you through the countryside on a mixture of surfaced and unsurfaced roads.

The tracks we use are public rights of way, either Byways Open to All Traffic or Unclassified County Roads, all commonly referred to as green lanes.

NAVIGATION

We’ve deliberately made it as easy as possible to follow the route, using a mixture of instructions, tulip diagrams and grid references. We normally only include junctions at which you have to make a turning or don’t have right of way, so stay on the main road or continue straight ahead unless we tell you otherwise.

You’ll find a guide to using grid references on the legend of any OS map. Our aim is for you to be able to do the route without maps, whether paper or online, but you should certainly take a set with you.

SAFETY

The notes on thee pages advise you of how suitable the route is for your vehicle. These are just guidelines, however. We’ll warn you of any hazards or difficult sections, but the nature of any green lane can change quickly. Wet weather can make a huge difference to the conditions underfoot, and what’s wide open in winter can be tightly enclosed and scratchy in summer.

The responsibility is yours!

Our roadbooks are designed to be safe to drive in a solo vehicle. We do recommend travelling in tandem wherever possible, however. The risk of getting stuck can be greater than it appears – and even the most capable of vehicles can break down miles from anywhere.

RESPONSIBILITY

Irresponsible driving is a big issue on green lanes. In particular, you must always stay on the right of way. Never drive off it to ‘play’ on the verges or surrounding land, even if you can see that someone else has; doing so is illegal and can be tremendously damaging.

This kind of illegal off-roading is a key reason why green lanes get closed. If you see others doing this, they are NOT your friends. They’re criminals, and you are their victim.

If it’s safe to do so, film them in the act and pass it to the police.

4x4 10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 69

Elsewhere, let common sense and courtesy prevail. Keep your speed down, be ready to pull over for others and show the world that we are decent people just like them.

ANTIS

Anti-4x4 bigotry does exist, but it’s less common than you’d think. By and large, it’s limited to organisations who just want to get the countryside all to themselves.

These organisations are beyond being reasoned with, but it’s rare to encounter real hostility even from their rank-and-file members. If you’re friendly towards the people with whom you share the countryside, the vast majority will respond in kind. There are always bad apples, but no more so than anywhere else.

Likewise, most local residents will accept your presence if you’re driving sensibly. What suspicion you do encounter is likely to be from farmers worried that you’re there to steal from them, so be ready to offer a word of reassurance. Once satisfied that you’re not after their quad bikes, their mood will lighten.

DO…

• Keep your speed right down • Pull over to let walkers, bikers and horse riders pass

• Leave gates as you found them • Scrupulously obey all closure and voluntary restraint notices

• Ensure you have a right to be

there. We research the routes on our roadbooks very carefully, but the status of any route can change without notice Be prepared to turn back if the route is blocked, even illegally If you find an illegal obstruction, notify the local authority Stick absolutely scrupulously to the right of way Always remember that you are an ambassador for all 4x4 drivers

• • • •

DON’T…

• Go in large convoys: instead, split into smaller groups

• Drop litter. Why not carry a bin bag pick up other people’s instead?

• Go back to drive the fun bits, such as mud or fords, again

• Cause a noise nuisance, particularly after dark

• Get riled up if someone challenges you. Be firm but polite, stay calm and don’t let them turn it into a fight

APRIL 2020 | 69

01/03/2020 22:23

ROUTE GUIDE

is it suitable?

START FINISH HOW LONG? TERRAIN HAZARDS

TYRES

OS MAPS

Goodnestone (TR 254 545) Barham (TR 207 501) 34.75 miles / 4-5 hours Wooded hillsides and farmland Scratching and possible panel damage; slippery ground when wet; occasional ruts Landranger 179 (Canterbury and East Kent)

WEATHER LOW BOX SOFT-ROADERS SCRATCHING DRIVING DAMAGE

Step

1

0.0

TR 254 545

Start outside the Fitzwalter Arms, on The Street in Goodnestone, which would make a good place to stay the night before if you’re coming from some distance to do the route. Zero your trip with the pub to your left and set off heading north-east

Step

Step

7 Aylesham Adisham

214 234

Step

10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 70

1.9 Step

4

70 | APRIL 2020

Continue ahead on a smaller track

1.6

Chillenden Eythorne

3

1.0

TR 259 538

1.2

6

Step

0.5

5

Step

2

0.15

Step

All-terrains recommended. Road tyres will struggle in the wet Do not drive when very wet Ideal, but do-able without it Mainly suitable, if recovery at hand About as bad as it gets Care required on tight tracks and built-up areas alike Danger of panel damage from contact with trees

8 Chillenden Eythorne

2.1 4x4 01/03/2020 22:23

Step

9

TR 285 552

Immediately after the building on the right, take the grass track along the field edge

3.9 Step

10

Where the track splits, the right of way appears to run between the trees, though most 4x4s seem to have taken the field edge instead

4.0 Step

11

After the tracks rejoin, the way ahead looks very narrow. It’s okay, but you do need to scrape the left of your vehicle along the undergrowth to stay out of the field

4.1 Step

12 13 5.1

Beyond this, as the track runs between hedges marking a field border, your paintwork will take a proper battering

Step

16

Once more, you’re in among houses

8.0 Caution – watch out for kids playing as you climb a short hill to emerge between houses and into suburbia

Chillenden Nonington Aylesham

212 4 434

17 8.15

18

14 THORNTON LANE

ROMAN WAY

Step

Step

Step

5.15

15

TR 288 523

6.8

4.2 Step

Step

TR 275 505

Leave the road by the byway sign and keep the sectioned-off area of grass to your left

8.2 Step 13 (left): Dead slow as you emerge between the houses – keep your eyes open for kids at play Step 18: A series of posts keeps youu on the byway and off the grass to your left

4x4 10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 71

APRIL 2020 | 71

01/03/2020 22:23

Step

25 1.6 Step

26 2.0 Step

19

Step

TR 274 501

27

8.5

2.05

Step

Step

9.3

2.4

20 Step

21

28 Step

ZERO TRIP

29

9.4

2.5

Step

Step

22

30

0.2

LONG LANE

Step

31

0.75

24 0.8 72 | APRIL 2020

10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 72

2.6 Step

23 Step

Barham 2 Canterbury 3

Shepherdswell 2 Coldred 4

TR 253 492

Turn right straight after the railway bridge – it’s the same one you crossed in Step 30, so ignore what your trip says. Immediately after turning, follow the track as it heads off left along the hedge line, over a mild axle-twister

3.1

WOMENSWOLD

Step

32 3.4 4x4 01/03/2020 22:23

Step 35: This picture makes it look as if we were in full rally mode on the way down the track, but actually we were only doing about 10mph. That’s how dusty it gets when it’s dry, so make sure to keep your speed down too Step

Step

3.5

4.2

Step

Step

3.6

4.5

33

36 37

34 Step

35 3.7

TR 225 513

Caution – you’re crossing two T-junctions in one, and they’re both pretty busy roads

Step

38

Follow the track to hug the field edge. Water gathers here and it’s very prone to flooding, so you’ll encounter ruts

4.7 Step 38: The corner at the bottom of the field has a habit of staying wet, even when the rest of the world is bone-dry

4x4 10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 73

APRIL 2020 | 73

01/03/2020 22:23

Step

Step

5.5

9.5

Step

Step

6.2

9.6

Step

Step

39

45

40

46

41 6.9

47 Kingston Barham

10.0

Bishopsbourne 112

0.2

Step

Step

7.8

0.9

Step

Step

44

10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 74

Bossingham Stelling Minnis

212 4

49

43

74 | APRIL 2020

ZERO TRIP

48

42

9.0

Follow the track ahead along the line of telegraph poles with the woods to your right

Step

Step

7.2

TR 170 509

50 Burstead Manor Upper Hardres

1 134

1.5 4x4 01/03/2020 22:24

Step

51

TR 180 496

Caution as you climb the hill – there are sleepers in the track which create steps

1.7 Step

52 2.1 Step

Step

53

56

3.9 Step

54

VALLEY ROAD

TR 192 471

55 6.1

4x4 10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 75

6.3 Step

57

The main track swings left and upwards; you follow the red waymarker on to a faint grass track leading along the left-hand ďŹ eld edge

6.4

6.0 Step

Join a bigger track and follow ahead through the gate

Immediately after the road becomes a track, take care not to fork right into Thomas Acre Farm

Step

58

Follow through the gate then keep the tree line to your right. Look for red and blue tape on the gateposts

6.45

APRIL 2020 | 89

01/03/2020 22:24

76 | APRIL 2020

10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 76

4x4 01/03/2020 22:24

Step

Step

6.85

1.1

Step

Step

7.1

1.95

Step

Step

8.15

2.25

59

67 68

60

69

61 Step

62

TR 201 441

Step

70

8.6

2.55

Step

Step

8.65

2.75

64

ZERO TRIP

Step

72

10.25

3.3

Step

Step

0.25

4.0

65 Step

66 0.45 4x4 10pp Roadbook Apr.indd 77

Turn left, slightly back on yourself, to take the track running along the hedge line. As you follow the edge of the field, the famous Lydden Hill rallycross circuit is to your right

Caution as you emerge – visibility is rubbish in both directions

The track is very tight for much of its length, and there’s a hefty tree stump to ease your way over at this point

71

63 Step

Geddinge Shepherdswell

Turn left then immediately right at the next T-junction – which is with a fast, busy road

73 Turn right immediately after the building and before the 30mph signs at the start of Denton

Step

74

CHURCH LANE

Arrive outside the Duke of Cumberland pub in Barham for the end of the route

5.1 APRIL 2020 | 77

01/03/2020 22:24

78 | APRIL 2020

TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 48

4x4 03/03/2020 14:06

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CLASSIFIEDS SECTION CALL With interest in the Land Rover Defender new ABI COOPER O Nall-time 0 1high,2Defender 8 3 5tells5the3 2 4Brand 6from the at an story of Solihull's go-anywhere legend from O R MtheAearliest I Lprototypes to the Publishers and HEROIC LAND ROVERS OLD AND NEW –E

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Writers of ABIGAIL.COOPER@ASSIGNMENT-MEDIA.CO.UK personalisation and expedition prep.

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of accessories, This high-quality bookazine also You've seen the new Defender, and at last youspacan res andbuy tools forone. But should you?

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er The answer is in the 2020 Land Rover Yearbook –endthe ever-popular annual for fans–and the all-new Defender which was recently owners of all things Landy. And in addition to its analysis named of the new Defender, the most eagerlythe anticipated vehicle of all time.

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4

JL Rubicon The hardcore off-road version of Jeep’s latest Wrangler gets put through its paces, on and off-road. We all know it’s incredible in the rough, but what’s it like to live with on the school run?

8

Hurricane On the surface, it was just a hint at how the JK Wrangler was going to look.

But this twin-engined, all-wheel steer concept also has a strong claim to be known as one of the most radical off-road vehicles ever built

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Ultimate Rubicon Recon The Rubicon Recon was created by Jeep to be the most capable Wrangler of all time. But then Storm Jeeps got their hands on one – and set about making it more capable then ever

16

When Cherokees ruled the world Back when used XJs were plentiful, people were modifying them left, right and centre. They’re a rare sight these days – but John Lyne’s hardcore Cherokee is bound to bring on the nostalgia

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More than a Renegade The highest-selling model Jeep has ever brought to Europe may have become a success on the back of its on-road qualities. But in Trailhawk form, it’s a serious bit of kit – and in Storm-built form, it’s better still!

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ISED R RUUGGGGEEDD OFF E O G N E A G R N A A R G RIDGE D DEEAALLEER R SSTTOOCCKKIINNG ALIFTKKIITTSS T F X I E L L F X AUTHORISED RUGGED RA LE TEE FRAF version of Jeep’s new halo vehicle has an unfamiliar engine but delivers the GETO ANLong-wheelbase

JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON

GAR RIDGE DEALER S T ultimate in off-road intent I X LIFT K ON TEST Wrangler 2.0 GME 5-door Rubicon

W

hen Jeep first brought the Rubicon model to Britain, it was at the start of the JK’s glorious reign back in 2007. You could only get it with a petrol engine and automatic gearbox, however, which didn’t do its sales any good because everyone kept saying it would be the perfect off-roader if only they’d do a diesel version.

Jeep did introduce a diesel later in the JK’s life, but they didn’t bring

4 | THE JEEP FILES

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it to Britain. By this time, we were starting to feel like we were being picked on, but then they finally brought out the JL model and at long last, there was a full range available with the right spec and the excellent new 2.2 MultiJet II engine.

However there’s also a Rubicon available with another engine. If someone had told you five years ago that Jeep was going to bring in a petrol model, you would most likely have pictured a hefty V6 with loads of lazy torque, but in fact

what we have here is a 1995cc turbo whose peak output figures of 272bhp and 295lbf.ft come at a distinctly breathless sounding 5250 and 3000rpm respectively.

Now, that’s plenty of power and a good bit of shove. But there’s no shortage of revs there, either.

Sounds like this is an engine that needs to be worked hard – not least because even though the JL is usefully lighter than the JK that came before it, in the five-door form tested here the engine still

has more than two tonnes of metal to shift.

Something else it has weighing upon it is a £48,405 price tag.

You can argue all day long about whether the original JKs were under-priced (a Rubicon, albeit with only three doors, cost less than half as much back then) or this new one is just plain greedy, but either way we’re not many options away from the £50k mark here.

Talking of options, our test vehicle looked a million dollars

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The combination of an upright dash, big buttons and switches, a tough, rubberised media screen surround and a deliberately bolted-together image makes the Wrangler’s dash feel at once old-school and completely modern. The materials it’s made from are stout and durable, if not the most tactile in every case in its Hellayella clearcoat. Jeep definitely knows how to name its paint colours. Still, with that box ticked we’re now within hundreds, not thousands, of being aboard fifty grand’s worth of Wrangler.

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY Inside, it certainly does feel special.

Not premium-car sumptuous by any means, but the cabin is well equipped and there’s a definite sense of occasion to it. If you like proper, traditional 4x4s, the

Wrangler is what a modern offroader should be.

There’s a truck-like uprightness to the dash, with big, chunky switches and a bolted-together image that manages to feel at once retro and up to date. Some of the controls are situated quite low down, in the murky depths ahead of the gear selector, but it’s big enough that you won’t struggle to see what you’re looking at.

The off-road controls are at the very bottom of the facia, too, which sounds wrong but makes sense.

When you do need to operate things like the locking diffs and sway-bar disconnect, after all, you’re

likely to be doing it in extremis – but if you’re not travelling very slowly indeed at the time, you don’t know what you’re doing.

There’s a certain amount of creaking from the dash, but the materials it’s made from feel good and strong. This doesn’t mean they feel premium – the upper portion has a leather finish, but lower surfaces are hard and scratchy and overall there’s a definite wipe-clean vibe to it.

Nonetheless, the whole cabin has the demeanour of something that was made to last, with a quality to its build that goes with the perceived durability in its design.

It has a proper handbrake and transmission lever, too. You do have to make do with an on-off button for actually starting the thing, but two out of three ain’t bad.

‘Ain’t bad’ would be a good verdict for the oddment stowage aboard the Wrangler, too. There’s a decent cubby and a usably sized glovebox, and though you only get nets instead of door pockets they’re full-length and surprisingly useful. So too is the deep stowage bin you’ll find on top of the dash.

As the lack of door pockets suggests, elbow room is limited.

Legroom is fine, however – though there’s nowhere to put your left

Above: The Wrangler’s rear body is basically a big box, and this is put to good use in a cargo space that makes the most of all the width, length and height available.

Right: Headroom is enormous in both rows of seats, though elbow room is tighter. There’s enough legroom for one six-footer to sit behind another so long as neither is greedy

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Basically, the rear end of a Wrangler

is just a huge square box on wheels, CALL US ON: 01482 666491 AUTHORISED RUGGED and that shape is put to good use EMAIL: SALES@JEEPEY.COM AUTHO RIDGE DE ALER R IScreating ORfor ED a usable space for

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G N E A G R N A A R G RIDGE D It’s for smaller luggage, DEEA ALhandy LEER R SSTTOOCCKKIINNG ALIFTKKIITTSS too. Beneath the rear floor is a T AUTHORISED RUGGED RAAFFLLEEXXLIF big, hidden stowage compartment E T R E T F O that would be ideal for things like AN GE

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laptops, tablets and so on.

DRIVING

Jeep’s new 1995cc petrol engine is powerful enough at 272bhp but needs a lot of revs to do its best work. It’s very smooth, but a lazier delivery would be much better suited to the Wrangler’s nature foot, which in an automatic feels like an oversight. Headroom is huge, as you’d expect, and visibility is excellent all round, even with what is quite a shallow windscreen.

The bonnet’s shape means you can’t see the edges of the vehicle, something that’s exacerbated by the ridiculous length of the standardfit front bumper. The A-posts are thick but quite well shaped not to get in the way of your view around corners, and even without relying on parking sensors and reversing cameras the squared-off nature of the Wrangler’s back body means you can see enough in the mirrors to be able to cope when parking. You’ll definitely fall back on whatever electronic aids you’ve got, though, as the space between the C and D posts as you look over your shoulder is cluttered mainly by the roll cage.

Talking of electronics, the upper part of the dash is dominated by a big, almost square multimedia screen with a tough, rubberised surround. This is great, and operating the system is no problem, but we did find it very easy to reset the radio by accident as the tuning dial (an actual, physical thing) is perfectly positioned to catch a passing finger when you’re steering and indicating at the same time.

We variously found our choice of listening suddenly turning into a Bollywood station, some sort of radio evangelism and so on.

Further equipment includes cruise control, dual-zone climate and heated seats and steering wheel. Said seats are leather clad, which may or may not take your fancy in an off-roader but doesn’t detract from the way they hold you in place. The leather itself feels

suitable, too – not like an offcut from a vinyl showroom, but also not so soft that you’ll damage it first time you climb aboard.

In the back, a stadium seating arrangement means one six-footer should be able to fit in behind another without anyone losing their sense of humour. The front seatbacks are hard but well sculpted, and with just a little movement from the driver a tall adult will be able to fit in very comfortably, in particular because headroom is as good as it is in the front.

For carrying things rather than people, the seats fold as good as flat to create what is an enormous cargo bay. This is accessed through a traditional Jeep tailgate featuring a side-hinged lower half-door and top-hinged upper glazed area, leaving a mighty great aperture for loading large and bulky items.

The Wrangler has received some absolutely ridiculous criticism from the mainstream motoring press, seemingly based on the fact that they can’t accept that there’s any difference between a BMW X5 or Porsche Macan and a something designed to go off-road. Not that there’s anything new there – the Land Rover Defender copped it non-stop, and the Suzuki Jimny has been widely reviewed with a similar level of ineptitude.

If you expect the Wrangler to drive like a performance SUV, or in fact any kind of SUV, you’re going to be disappointed. It has the high-set stance of a truck and the cheerfully wafty body movements of a vehicle designed to flex its way over rough terrain, and it you know your offroaders you’ll love it.

Naturally, its steering isn’t very sharp and its ride is heavy. It’s perfectly controllable, though, and even on heavy-duty live axles it shudders, not crashes, when you hit pot holes. Its turning circle is absolutely brilliant for such a big, long vehicle, too.

We don’t think the 2.0-litre petrol engine suits its character,

The Rubicon model tested here is the focused off-roader in the Wrangler range. It’s equipped with locking front and rear diffs and a detachable front anti-roll bar, and comes as standard on 255/75R17 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains (opposite page, top). The multimedia screen is mounted in a rubberised shroud like the ones you get to make your iPad childproof, which isn’t really necessary on a dashboard but is a very easy image to roll with

6 | THE JEEP FILES

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road manners and settle down to remains beautifully smooth when though. There’s a lot of power

take it easy – whereupon, unless of the ground gets rougher, making it there, as we said earlier, and it might finally figure out what it is you’re driving.

All the same, a less racy performance around town and more flexibility on A and B-roads would be far preferable. If only they did a diesel. Oh, they do…

There’s another reason for paying a few extra quid for the diesel, too.

In a week of varied driving including school runs, motorway work, A and B-road sessions and a good bit of green laning, we got 22.9mpg out of it. That translates into two things – big fuel bills and, by Wrangler standards, equally big depreciation.

We said above that it feels the way that a modern off-roader should – but in its fuel consumption, it’s what an old, gas-guzzling off-road monster was.

OFF-ROAD You’re expecting us to say we’d far sooner be driving a diesel here, too. But in fact, with the Wrangler’s transfer case dropped in to low range, it gains a flexibility that defies its high-revving torque figure. You can drive almost anywhere on a thread of gas, and power delivery

Again, the spread of gears helps here. And so too does the Wrangler’s flexible suspension, aided if you want it to be by a button on the dash which frees up the front anti-roll bar to allow greater wheel travel.

That feature is exclusive to the Rubicon, and so too are the locking front and rear diffs which mean you almost never mean to spin your wheels to maintain progress. In this way, vehicles with lockers are unsung heroes of the 4x4 world, because if driven responsibly they can take life at a crawl – meaning they do little or no damage to the ground, and therefore to the

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reputation your way of life endures among everyday people.

Once again, manoeuvrability is outstanding for such a big truck.

The Wrangler is very easy to drive slowly, to place on the terrain and to keep under control as its weight shifts. With its revvy, squirty engine, you can very easily lapse into driving it like a jerk, but there’s no need for that. Whether on rocks, mud or wet grass, it gives you a combination of grip, balance and control that’s enough to turn a rank beginner into an off-road pro.

There’s not a lot of restraint to its styling, far less its colour as tested here. But if you can show some in the way you drive, the reward will be a performance so sure-footed it makes you feel like a driving god.

★★★★✩

VERDICT

comes with a lot of revs, and that’s not well suited to the Wrangler’s relaxed steering and chilled-out body control. You’ll stun a few people from a standing start when the lights turn green, but the engine wants you to press on and the rest of the vehicle doesn’t.

Having said that, even on the BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain tyres that come as standard on the Rubicon, the Wrangler has an almost baffling amount of grip. You can choose to select four-wheel drive for the road if you want it, the way you used to be able to on the (very) old Cherokee, and it’ll become remarkably composed, but even in two-wheel drive and on wet roads it’s not easy to make the back end break away. The engine might be a bit of a culture shock if you don’t like revs, but the drivetrain is extraordinarily forgiving.

It’s not geared for a flexible midrange, however. There’s loads of pull around town (though the gearbox can get jerkily confused by hard acceleration from near-standstill), and a lot less noise than we were expecting at motorway speeds, but planting your right foot in the 40-60 zone doesn’t have a lot of effect.

This is where, if you hadn’t already, you need to accept the Wrangler’s

01482 666491 course you’re reviewing it for one very easy to crawl steadily across 01482 666491 of the adolescent car mags, you the obstacles.

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Jeep Wrangler 2.0 5dr Rubicon Brilliant at what it does, and its on-road compromises are almost endearing The Wrangler’s styling is all about its roughneck brashness, and that might not appeal to you. But everything about the way it drives is defined by a sober focus on being the best in the business at off-roading, and that certainly should. If you love what it’s about, you’ll happily accept, even enjoy, the way it is on the road, and you’ll delight in its brilliance on all kinds of terrain. We’d choose the diesel option, but each to their own.

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ISED R RUUGGGGEEDD OFF E O G N E A G R N A A R G RIDGE D DEEAALLEER R SSTTOOCCKKIINNG ALIFTKKIITTSS T F X I E L L F AFLEX AUTHORISwas E OnTT the of it, the Hurricane concept vehicle built to draw RRAface ED Rjust E UGGaED F O E G N A G A R attention to the then-new RIDGE JKDWrangler.

But in typical Jeep style, it was EALER S T I K T F I XL also an engineering masterpiece. In fact, this astonishing one-off from early 2005 might just be the most extraordinary off-road vehicle any major car maker has ever built WORDS: GARY NOSKILL PICTURES: JEEP

8 | THE JEEP FILES

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J

eep has an impressive track record of building concept vehicles that make you want to swoon. Most of these see the light of day at the annual Easter Safari in Moab, but back in January 2005 the North American International Auto Show in Detroit witnessed the debut of perhaps the most extraordinary offroad machine ever built by a major manufacturer.

Jeep described the Hurricane as its way of paying tribute to the extreme machines built by enthusiasts for rock crawling and the like. But a swift glance at its remarkable specification sheet confirms that while this may be a tribute of sorts, it’s definitely not a copy. Not of anything even remotely recognisable, anyway. And while it is almost impossibly outlandish in terms of what it does and how it goes about doing it, it provides serious food for thought for vehicle builders looking at ways of addressing the problems extreme off-roading presents. This may be a glamorous show car – but when the going gets tough, it was built to out-drive pretty much every other 4x4 on the face of the earth.

So, that spec sheet. If you’re into off-roading, you might want to have a box of Kleenex ready before you read this.

Let’s start with the engine. Oops, the engines.

Two of them, that’s right. And each of them is a 5.7-litre HEMI, putting out 335bhp and 370lbf. ft. Just in case you’re feeling too dazed to do the sums, that’s 670bhp of go and 740lbf.ft of shove.

And that’s just for starters. How does 14.3” of ground clearance sound? The Hurricane’s 305/70R20 tyres (that’s around 37” tall) do it no harm on this score, proving that even with independent suspension a vehicle can snort with derision in the face of ruts.

Big ground clearance means big approach, departure and breakover angles, but you’ll be hard pressed to comprehend just how big. Try 64 degrees for size, and that’s just at the front. Behind it, the Hurricane lifts its skirts up to the tune of 86.7 degrees, ensuring that if you manage to wallop the back end of this little beauty, it’s because you’ve tried to drive it off a concrete block. You’d probably not be without success in trying to get

4x4 4pp Hurricane.indd 9

it up there in the first place, though, thanks to a breakover angle of 31.5 degrees – not half bad for a vehicle whose wheelbase, at 108.1 inches, is longer than a contemporary Grand Cherokee’s.

Going back to the independent suspension, it’s actually not quite as simple as all that. For starters, the combination of long and short arms at each corner is controlled by remote-reservoir coilover units which allow a staggering 20” of travel.

And then, as you may already have spotted, there’s a rather severe absence of diffs from between the suspension arms – and it’s this that hints at the engineering design concept that makes this Jeep so extraordinary.

Normally, of course, you have an engine which talks to a gearbox which talks to a transfer case which talks to the diffs which talk to the wheels.

Not here. Not when you’ve got a couple of HEMIs at your disposal.

Take a look at the diagrams. These give you an idea of how the Hurricane’s transmission works, and how it delivers the engines’ output to all four wheels. Each feeds into a five-speed automatic gearbox and three-speed transfer case (yes, three), but after that all the bets are off.

Fundamentally, whereas most 4x4 have just the two propshafts, the Hurricane has four. These are fed via two side units from the primary transmission, meaning there’s a dedicated prop running to each wheel.

Which is where Clever Bit number one comes in. Because whereas with a conventional single propshaft, the torque reaction through the diff means one wheel will inevitably be pushed into the ground while the other is fighting against the weight of the vehicle, in this case each wheel is pressed downwards with equal force. Not so important when your pride and joy is propelled by a tired old diesel, possibly, but less of a trifle when there’s a couple of sodding great V8s trying to make mischief beneath your rear end.

But the real piece de resistance in the Hurricane’s design comes when its quad-propped transmission starts working in tandem with its four-wheel steering system. Of course, four-wheel steer has been seen before, and Jeep’s system

THE JEEP FILES | 9

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Split Solid Axles have no conventional diffs, thanks to the vehicle’s radical quad-prop transmission. With each wheel having its own dedicated propshaft, there are no problems with a torque reaction going through the axles and trying to push one side down while lifting the other up. Complex multi-prop steering allows the Hurricane to turn in conventional four-wheel steer form, crab sideways or pirouette on its own axis, providing a turning circle of zero degrees

10 | THE JEEP FILES

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Above left: The Hurricane’s interior was as eye-catching as you’d expect from a concept vehicle, but also relentlessly technical. It looked like something you’d expect Action Man to drive Above right: A one-piece carbon fibre body shell helped keep weight down to a manageable 1750kg. Not bad for a vehicle with two V8 engines, two transfer boxes and four propshafts… allows the Hurricane to perform the usual tricks – you can turn the front and rear wheels against each other for a tighter turning circle, or point all four in the same direction and ‘crab’ sideways.

But then comes the function that makes this vehicle unique. By hitting the ‘Zero Steer’ button on the transmission tunnel (it’s one of five which select various options, including a skid steer function), you can turn all four wheels to toe in on themselves, allowing the vehicle to be driven right round on its own axis. Imagine sticking it on a pole and spinning it like a top – that’s the action it describes, with no forward motion at all.

An impressive party trick, but what use in the real world? Well, how many times have you fought and fought to pull off a three-point turn on a green lane when the route ahead has turned out not to be suitable?

Elsewhere, too, there are elements to the vehicle that are pure common sense. Going back to the engines, for example, these feature Chrysler’s Multi-Displacement System, which automatically

shuts down banks of cylinders which aren’t being used. Thus with the two engines at your disposal, you can be running on four, eight, twelve or sixteen cylinders, allowing you to get from A to B with an at least halfway sensible level of fuel consumption – or to nail the throttle to the floor and accelerate to 60mph in less than five seconds.

This brutal turn of pace is enhanced by an all-up weight that’s estimated at 1750kg – not the lightest, but considering you’ve got two engines, two auxiliary transfer boxes and two extra propshafts adding to the lard, hardly what you’d call over the top. The vehicle is based on a one-piece body made from high-strength carbon fibre, which plays the role of the traditional ladder-frame chassis and is backed up by an aluminium spine.

This holds the underside together and also acts as a full-length skid plate.

In keeping with the image Jeep wanted to portray with the Hurricane, everything about the vehicle is technical. Take a look at the huge bank of dials on the dashboard, for example, includ-

ing separate monitors for each engine. Up top, meanwhile, individual roll hoops go with a pair of menacing power bulges and an enormous chrome Jeep badge on the tailgate to make the thing look like a new line from the Action Man catalogue.

This points to the Hurricane true role as a concept car. It dates from a time when Jeep was ramping up for the launch of the JK, and it wanted to demonstrate that a long wheelbase needn’t mean diminished capability. To be fair, if you have to go to these sort of engineering lengths to match what a three-door can do, chances are you’ve got a problem, but in typical Jeep style this was an eyeball-popping spectacular of a vehicle.

Some concept cars are little more than styling exercises, while others are direct pointers to showroom models. The Hurricane may have been a last-minute teaser for the JK, but most of all it represents the branch of the industry which deals in the art of the possible. And it showed just how much is possible if you refuse to let conventional wisdom stand in your way.

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Capability Brown

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Jeep calls it Gobi, actually. Either way, it may or may not be brown – but it’s very, very capable WORDS: WINSTON CAT T PICTURES: STORM JEEPS

B

ack in 2017, with the Wrangler JK soon to come to the end of its run, Jeep announced a version that made a very bold claim for itself. ‘The most capable Jeep Wrangler ever.’ Sounds good, right?

The Wrangler Rubicon Recon was based on the Rubicon – a model which itself could reasonably

12 | THE JEEP FILES

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claim to be the best turn-key off-roader in the world. With extra deep gearing in low range, mechanical front and rear lockers, a detachable front anti-roll bar and more, it’s a sensational off-road machine. In JK form it never came to the UK with a diesel engine, which was a shame, but that didn’t stop it from gaining cult status among Jeep fans.

The Recon model went a step further. It gained a heftier front axle, with 25% thicker tubing and heavy-duty end forgings, as well as enhanced rock rails and a stronger cast iron rear diff casing.

These modifications weren’t designed to get you more places so much as to make sure you got back again afterwards, which is a sure sign of

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a vehicle builder who knows his priorities. And thus armed, the Rubicon Recon came and, pretty quickly, went again.

There aren’t many of these ultimate Jeeps around, and there’s only one like this. In fact, if we’re playing around with the word ‘ultimate,’ by definition there can only be one and we wouldn’t

4x4 4pp Storm Rubicon Recon.indd 13

mind betting that this is it. That’s because the guys at Storm Jeeps got their hands on it – adding more capability still with a series of quality mods designed to make it better than ever off-road.

There’s a lot going on here, but you should base any build around the tyre size you want to use and Storm wanted to use 37x12.50R17s.

Dinky little numbers, then. The Wrangler’s underlying design means it can take unusually big tyres with only a modest lift, and in this case that means three inches. But it’s not just any old lift.

No, it’s a 3” TeraFlex Falcon Alpine CT3 suspension system. This uses TeraFlex coils and Falcon shocks to achieve the extra height; the

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Above left: The standard Rubicon is well shaped to avoid contact with the ground, but with JCR Offroad’s Crusader front bumper in place it’s better shaped than ever – as well as being sturdily armoured against damage should you somehow manage to exceed its now-epic approach angle. This is made even less likely by the 37x12.50R17 Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tyres whose overwhelming size is well illustrated here, but if the worst comes to the worst that bumper is also home to a Warn Zeon Platinum 10-S winch Above right: The rear bumper is a JCR Offroad Crusader unit, too, and it’s every bit as cool as the front one. Up above it, a Teraflex HD spare wheel mount has the capacity to cope with 37 inches of Cooper’s best, and it makes a handy home for a high-lift too latter are enhanced for low-speed performance, while spring retainers are used to keep the coils retained in their mounts even under full droop.

Talking of full droop, the kit also includes extra-length braided brake hoses. You also get heavy-duty panhard rods, adjustable at the front,

14 | THE JEEP FILES

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as well as a Jeep-specific steering damper promising ‘balanced and controlled side-to-side steering response and return to centre dynamics.’

The real star attraction here, though, is that the axles are controlled by a full set of Alpine flex arms. These are engineered to be fully adjusta-

ble, allowing fine-tuning of the pinion and caster angles, anti-squat geometry and tyre position as well as optimising the front and rear roll centres – meaning you can set the vehicle up exactly the way you want it, whether for road or off-road use.

With this little lot in place, there’s room beneath the Wrangler’s arches for those 37x12.50R17 tyres. Storm Jeeps used Cooper STT Pros, fitting them on a set of 17” road-legal beadlockers from Hutchinson. These are the real thing, with proper internal beadlocks meaning you can air down to single-figure psi pressures without the risk of throwing a tyre. An ARB Twin air-compressor and tyre inflation kit mounted beneath the passenger’s seat means this is more than just theoretical.

Something else you don’t risk is damaging anything. Well, that’s not strictly true, but it’s less likely to happen than ever thanks to some of the other mods Storm has applied to the vehicle.

Which in turn brings us to something else that’s not strictly true.

Those tyres? That lift? Well, yes, they may have been helped by a set of flat wheelarch flares from JCR Offroad. These are part of the company’s Crusader range – as are the front and rear bumpers and rock sliders also to be found on the vehicle. All of these have high-lift jacking points engineered into their design, and the former also happens to have a Warn Zeon Platinum 10-S winch bolted on top of it.

Oh, and the rock sliders? They contain LED rock lights. And what’s not to love about that…?

The same can be said of the dual-exit stainless steel Borla exhaust, which helps get the best from

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Left: This amount of flex hardly scratches the surface of what the Teraflex 3” suspension system can do. With Falcon adjustable shocks, hydraulic bump stops and fully tunable control arms, this is a seriously capable set-up – the sort of high-end kit you need to be fitting if you want to improve on the Rubicon’s already impressive standard set-up Below: The 37” Coopers are wrapped around a set of 17” Hutchinson alloys with internal beadlocks. These are fully road-legal and allow the tyres to be aired right down for the most extreme off-road work

the 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine powering the Wrangler. This makes it both look and sound good, and further kerb appeal comes from a variety of other details – Drake door handle inserts, Rugged Ridge alloy bonnet latches and JW Speaker LED headlights, fog lights, indicators and tail lights.

If you want a cool looking truck, though, one of the key perils to avoid is having four enormous tyres on the ground and a tragic old piece of scrap on the spare. The problem here is that manufacturers’ spare wheel carriers tend only to be designed to hold the standard issue, and all too often there’s precious little clearance for anything bigger. Not to worry, though – it’s Teraflex to the rescue again, with a heavy-duty carrier which comes complete with its own high-lift jack mount.

One other problem you get with huge tyres is that they wreck the calibration on your speedo.

Certainly, a 37” fitment is unlikely to fall within the margin of error allowed by the man from the ministry. Hence the use of an AEV Procal, which resets the reading to suit the tyres down below.

4pp Storm Rubicon Recon.indd 15

With all that going on, what we have here is a vehicle that can reasonably claim to be the ultimate version of the ultimate Jeep. There are bigger, more extreme examples out there, but these are definitely moving beyond the realms of the everyday off-roader and getting very specialised – at which point you might well start wondering about their viability as road transport.

This, on the other hand, is a Wrangler that will rumble its way around town without a fuss, take you on holiday or pick up the kids from school. All you have to do is worry about the enormous stir that’s likely to surround it wherever it goes. And you need be in no doubt that ‘wherever it goes’ is very much wherever you want it to go.

The vehicle itself was actually for sale at the time of writing, with 7500 miles on the clock and an asking price of £69,995. That’s a hefty sum to pay for a Wrangler – however

if you look after it, it probably won’t be worth much less in five years’ time, and you might like to try comparing that to the value of the nice Audi or BMW you’re looking at for around the same money.

And quite right too. This is, after all, a piece of Jeep’s history. Seventy large for the most capable Wrangler ever, made more capable still? If you’ve got it, we can think of no better way to flaunt it.

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Not so soft after

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In fact, sometimes you didn’t even need to modify it all that much…

WORDS: ROBIN TURNER PICTURES: STEVE TAYLOR

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W

hen 4x4s first became a full-on craze in the early nineties, nothing embodied their popularity more than the then-new Jeep Cherokee. Big, powerful and well equipped, it looked cool, went well and sold in bucketloads, giving traditional family saloons a bloody nose and heralding an era of off-road largesse and a devil-may-care approach to fuel consumption.

What this meant was that ten years later, there was a huge supply of old XJs available for next to no money. Most had never been off-road, either – yet with two live axles and a proper transfer case, this was the best-ever Cherokee for modding into a playday weapon.

Yet when John Lyne bought his Cherokee in 2001, he didn’t even intend to do much with it.

His first 4x4, he got it to replace an ancient Volvo estate which kept breaking down, expecting it to be nothing more than a car.

Just down the road, however, was a place called Tong. Also known as Parkwood Off-Road Centre. Having read about it in a local paper, John decided to go along to one of the site’s playdays and see what the Jeep would do in completely standard form… and he instantly became a regular.

He also became a serial modder. First, the Cherokee went up by 2”. That lift didn’t work out so well, though, so John replaced it with a 3” Pro-Comp job. This did work but he replaced it anyway, creating a hybrid system using Pro-Comp shocks and Rubicon Express springs and control arms, along with coil spacers and extended shackles, to take the overall lift to 4.5”.

Cherokees are a funny breed in that you can lift them way more than even this and the same

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The exo cage provides jackable rock-sliders and picks up on six mounting points, including a solid rear bumper which replaced the laughably flimsy original. An Internal cross made from steel box creates a brace between the floor and roof, adding strength to a structure that’s primarily intended to protect the body from tree hits size of tyres will still knock the bodywork from time to time. But having cut out the wheelarches John found that a set of 33” Simex Jungle Trekkers would do the job just fine.

These went on to a pair of completely standard axles. Conventional wisdom has it that the Dana 30 front and 35c rear units Jeep used on the Cherokee aren’t up to heavy off-road use, especially once they’re having to turn bigger rubber, but here’s evidence to the contrary. ‘I’ve never broken a halfshaft,’ says John. ‘On 33-inch Jungle Trekkers, I’ve never done that. I blew a back diff once, but that was my own fault.’

With the standard limited-slip diff in the back axle, and not a locker to be seen, these really are as they left the factory – despite fitting 33s, John

hasn’t even bothered changing the ratios, finding that the effect on the vehicle’s overall gearing doesn’t warrant it. The only mod they’ve received, in fact, is a set of Solid cast diff covers. These protect the diffs from impacts, and also increase the axles’ oil capacity.

Even the propshafts are standard, thanks to a clean bill of health from another local company, the famous Propshaft Clinic. ‘We took the back one for him to look at,’ says John. ‘He said it’s fine; it doesn’t vibrate or anything. We get away with that, though. I think we’re lucky!’

Also completely standard are the Cherokee’s original 4.0-litre engine, four-speed auto box and Selec-Trac transfer case. The big six-pot, which is among the most reliable engines ever built,

breathes in through a snorkel and out through an exhaust which has been re-routed to exit through the offside rear body, but that’s about it. It’s also cooled by a trio of electric fans, which are switchable from the cabin to prevent them from sending water everywhere when John goes wading, but even the rad itself remains standard.

As you’ll be gathering by now, but for its suspension this deceptively gnarly looking Cherokee is actually pretty standard. What gives it the appearance of a full-house mod job, however, is its larger-than-life exo cage, which John and his off-roading mate Brian Crabtree built together out of seamless tube. ‘We actually had to make it while it was on, which was a lot of hassle.’ Say what? ‘It won’t fit over the vehicle, so it had to

‘I’ve never broken a halfshaft. On 33-inch Jungle Trekkers, I’ve never done that. I blew a back diff once, but that was my own fault’ There’s so much to see here in terms of modifications. First thing you’re likely to notice are the 33” Simex Jungle Trekkers, which age the vehicle somewhat but are likely to make you feel warm and fuzzy about the days before the Fun Police turned up. The XJ rides on +3.5” Rubicon Express springs and Pro-Comp shocks, with lower control arms from the former company helping keep the front axle were it should be, and coil spacers and extended shackles add another inch to its overall height.

You’re also looking at an adjustable panhard rod here, as well as a Dan Bar originally intended for a Land Rover, and the diff casing has been replaced by a heavy-duty Solid job which also adds extra capacity to the axle’s oil reservoir

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A Superwinch EP9, running 12-strand

Plasma and a hawse fairlead, is

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mounted on a home-made tubular bumper which also carries a heavy-duty recovery point. The Cherokee didn’t have a separate chassis, so building hard bumpers and rock sliders is a lot less simple than it would be with a Wrangler

be welded on in place. We had to put the side runners on, then the sides, and so on.’

Those side runners are welded to the chassis and bolted up through the floor. Needless to say, they’re jackable: ‘we’ve sat it on all sorts of things,’ says John, ‘and it’s never moved!’

The cage picks up on six points and is braced by a massively strong internal cross, made of suitably ugly steel box, which is bolted up through the roof. ‘It works,’ is John’s modest but definite verdict. ‘It moves trees when you go underneath them… It’s solid.’

We can imagine it getting jammed in when other vehicle’s would simply crumple, which is a good and a bad thing. At least it would give John the chance to show his Superwinch EP9 some action. Mounted on a home-made tubular front bumper and fitted with internal switches, this is juiced by an Optima Yellow-Top and spooled with Plasma – no bad thing, considering the vehicle’s lack of lockers and the relentlessly wet terrain in which it seems to see most of its action.

4x4 4pp Lyne.indd 19

Further good stuff includes a full Polybush kit on the suspension, an adjustable panhard rod and a heavy-duty steering bar, originally made for a Land Rover but cut down at each end to fit the Cherokee. The bushes in particular get a lot of praise – despite the extra height, John reports, the vehicle handles like a stock one in corners, with no extra body roll at all.

He’s full of praise for the vehicle itself, too.

Stressing that it’s a pretty standard XJ which hasn’t received a vast amount of modifications, he reports that aside from a few UJs, a new transfer box chain and the occasional seized pulley caused by total immersion in mud, he’s had little cause for complaint.

A generation of XJ owners would, we think, say amen to that. The vehicle’s heyday may be past, with so few being left now and most of the off-road builds having long since been beaten to death, but for a truck that started life in the UK market as a sort of Volvo on steroids, the original Cherokee certainly proved that the Jeep badge on its bonnet stood for something worth having.

John’s vehicle is living proof that even though it wasn’t a Wrangler, the XJ could really do the business off-road – and that you didn’t need to make massive mods to get it there. It was a vehicle from the days when SUVs were still proper trucks – and above all, it was a Jeep in every sense of the word.

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Cooking up a

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G A R AN RIDGE DEALER S T I K T F I XL If a full-house Wrangler build isn’t for you, it’s still possible to create

a late-letter Jeep with Trail-Rated off-road ability and more street presence than you can shake a stick at. That’s because the Trailhawk version of the Renegade comes with some proper go-anywhere engineering – and because the guys at Storm Jeeps have figured out how to make it more serious, and cooler, than ever…

A

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t the upper end of the Jeep modding game, it’s possible to spend major sums of money on a new or nearly-new Wrangler. Whether you want it to be a street star or an off-road superhero, there’s no end of kit available to help you convert your JK or JL into the truck of your dreams – the only limiting factors are your imagination and, of course, the depth of your pocket.

At the other end of the scale, you see old Grand Cherokees being butchered into budget playday toys and hammered until the wheels fall off. Nothing wrong with a bit of redneck motorsport, of course. But what if you want a Jeep that treads the middle ground between these two extremes?

The cost of buying even a standard Wrangler means it’s off-limits even in standard form unless you’re loaded. But if you want a late-letter Jeep that’ll double up as a cool daily drive and capable off-road toy, there is another way. And here it is, courtesy of Storm Jeeps.

Launched here in 2015, the Renegade quickly became Jeep’s highest-selling European model of all time. On the face of it, it’s a trendy little SUV for school runs and shopping trips – but at the top of the range, the Trailhawk model adds a serious level of off-road ability.

Don’t be fooled. Some car makers do versions of their SUVs with ‘modifications’ like different paint, LED headlamps and technical seat covers (whatever that means), lob on an ‘extreme’ badge and claim some sort of off-road superiority. It’s easy to sneer, but it’s also easy to make generalisations and if that means dismissing the Trailhawk as another of these fake 4x4s, the joke’s on you.

Yes, the Trailhawk has hill descent control, which if you’re of a certain age will always make you grind your teeth. But it also has low range – and of course that makes all the difference.

It’s the reason why Jeep was able to take on the Rubicon Trail in one of these vehicles, earning it the ‘Trail Rated’ badge that’s worn so proudly by the company’s vehicles.

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Left: 225/65R17 BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrains wrapped around Trek 8 alloy wheels from Rugged Ridge might not look like the last word in off-road equipment. And for sure, it’s a compromise. This is a pretty sound way of getting a bigger tyre under the vehicle, however, making use of the extra height allowed by a 1.5” Daystar suspension lift.

Seen beyond the wheel here is one of the Terrafirma HD Rock Rails which provide added protection to the vehicle’s sills and doors Above: Slimline and light in weight, the Frontrunner roof rack was specifically designed with off-road use in mind

The Trailhawk has hill descent control, which if you’re of a certain age will always make you grind your teeth. But it also has low range – and of course that makes all the difference The Renegade also has underbody bash guards protecting its transmission, suspension and fuel tank, as well as luxuries like leather, cruise, climate and sat-nav. So it’s a well equipped daily driver with real off-road intent, at a price that makes it seriously attractive. And as you can see here, it cuts quite a dash – whether on that school run or a green lane, you’ll be noticed in this thing.

That of course is a little to do with the Renegade and a lot to do with what Storm Jeeps has

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turned it into. Obviously, its Hyper Green paint scheme means you won’t struggle to draw attention to yourself, and there’s a nice bit of stance going on there too – this comes courtesy of a 1.5” Daystar suspension lift and 17” Rugged Ridge Trek 8 wheels.

The Daystar kit tackles the issues that come with lifting a vehicle with independent suspension, addressing the geometry of the control arms, the angle of the driveshafts and the length of the

anti-roll bars to maintain factory-standard levels of stability and ride quality. The company says the Renegade will handle as crisply as ever with this kit installed – which is good because, however good an off-road toy it might be, ultimately you won’t buy one like this unless you intend to use it a lot on the tarmac.

With this in mind, the tyres wrapped around those eye-catching gloss black lightweight alloys are BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrains – a classic com-

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Smoked side reflectors, LED fogs, Rugged Ridge headlight guards and Terrafirma wind deflectors go together to make this a Trailhawk with serious road appeal. And when you’re not enjoying all those admiring glances around town, they’ll do no harm at all to where the vehicle can take you off-road promise between on and off-road excellence. At 225/65R17, these are taller than the standard-fit tyres, adding purpose to the vehicle’s appearance and allowing it to triumph over even more rugged terrain. Considering the Trailhawk can take on the Rubicon Trail in standard form (if you’ve ever had the good fortune to drive this legendary trail, you’ll understand how significant a claim it is), with these extra enhancements you can expect it to go places even a well sorted Wrangler will have to work at. Ultimately, of course, you can push a Wrangler further, whether on the trail or in the workshop, but there’s more ability in this vehicle than you’d believe possible.

It’s even better protected underneath than the standard Trailhawk, too, thanks to the addition of Terrafirma’s HD Rock Rails. These come with

built-in tubular tree bars to protect the vehicle’s sills and doors from what would be an extremely expensive seeing-to at the hands of Mother Earth, and double up as an access step to protect the owner from an ear-bashing at the hands of passengers less agile or not as tall as himself. Either way, a sound addition…

So too as a 40” LED bar from KC, which has a combo beam lighting pattern including both spot and spread reflectors and delivers an output of up to 27,000 lumens. This is mounted on a slimline roof rack from Frontrunner, whose aluminium construction and low-profile design makes it ideal for off-road use.

With JW Speaker LED fog lights, smoked side reflectors, Rugged Ridge light guards and Terrafirma wind deflectors, this particular Renegade

has a good bit of show about it. That may or may not be to your own personal taste, and of course you could spec your own build with more of a bias towards hardcore off-roading if you wanted – though this actual vehicle was for sale at the time of writing, priced at £24,995, and that’s a lot of Jeep for your money.

‘The Storm Jeeps Renegade Trailhawk is the ideal vehicle for anyone who wants to stand out from the crowd,’ says the company, ‘and is a comfortable and capable companion for all of life’s adventures.’ It all sounds a bit like the sort of thing those car manufacturers might say about their ‘extreme’ special editions – the difference being that in this case, however cute the Renegade might look on the road, it has the toughtruck skills to back it up.

KC HiLiTES’ 40” C-Series LED bar is a dual-row monster whose 27,000 lumen output gives it the potential to fry the world ahead of it. A combination spot and spread beam pattern allows it to adapt to the situation, too

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hasing your dreams is a risky business. All too often, that holiday in paradise can turn out to be a fortnight spent dodging cockroaches and timeshare touts, and that sporting hero or rock god can turn out to be a bit of an idiot when you finally get to meet them.

As for your dream 4x4… well, we all hear the stories about builds that turn into nightmares. The good news here, though, is that when things go horrendously wrong, the traumas are normally self-inflicted.

That’s why, when Karl Pearson set out to build his dream Jeep, he didn’t leave anything to chance. Careful planning, well-sourced parts, expert craftsmanship and a whole lot of off-roading bottle were the ingredients. And the result? ‘It’s my absolute dream vehicle that I wanted for years and years and years, and I finally got around to doing it.’

What makes this TJ Wrangler extra special, however, is the fact that when Karl built it, it represented his first full-on foray into off-road fabrication. But it’s even more special than that.

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The Wrangler rides on a Pro-Comp +4” Stage Two lift using the company’s ES9000 dampers. This creates plenty of space for a set of 33x12.50R15 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws, mounted on the same company’s Classic 2 rims. ‘They are a very good tyre,’ Karl says, ‘but it doesn’t bear thinking about how much they’ve cost me!’ He wouldn’t opt to buy the same wheels again, however: ‘They’re terrible to keep clean and have started pitting already, but obviously they’re made for America so they’re not really suited to this climate.’ Also visible here are the sway-bar quick disconnects that went on at the same time as the suspension, and Karl would definitely recommend these to anyone: ’They make one hell of a difference. By disconnecting the anti-roll bar from the axle, you get a lot more articulation. You can then put them back on when you’re driving on-road and the vehicle’s not like a big wobbly jelly’ Unique, even – because how many off-roaders can say it was their other half that got them into it?

That’s what happened to Karl when, way back in 1990, his wife took him away for a surprise off-roading weekend in Clyro. ‘I’d always liked the big, chunky look of 4x4s, but I’d never owned one,’ he explains, reminiscing about that life-changing moment. ‘But shortly after I came back, I just

had to go out and buy one. I’ve been completely hooked on off-roading ever since!’

On returning home, Karl embarked on a fifteen-year learning curve during which he invested in a string of different 4x4s which he treated to minor modifications, such as new wheels and a few ‘home-made odds and ends,’ before hastily selling them on. However, in the same way that

there’s a book inside every aspiring author, so there’s a build inside every makeshift mechanic; and when Karl decided he wanted to own the ultimate off-road toy, it was time to take a Jeep of faith in his DIY skills. ‘A lot of thought went into every modification: I mean, if you’re going to do it, you want to do it right. But I love getting my hands dirty and this was my dream.’

‘A lot of thought went into every modification. I mean, if you’re going to do it, you want to do it right. But I love getting my hands dirty and this was my dream’

Up front, a stubby bumper is home to a Superwinch EP9 mounted using a modified kit from Goodwinch. Out back, there’s a Pro-Comp bumper with a 2” receiver hitch, and both carry a brace of recovery points. Beneath that rear bumper is a heavy-duty fuel tank guard from Skid Row

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The TJ’s original 4.0-litre, six-cylin der petrol engine remains in place, though it breathes through a snorkel and runs a throttle body spacer to give it some more in the way of mid-range torque. ‘This is one area in which I’m not planning on making any more changes to,’ says Karl. ‘It’s thirsty enough as it is!’

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After deciding on a TJ because of its ‘good looks and superb off-road performance,’ Karl sourced a completely standard model from a private seller in Sheffield and set about turning his fantasy into reality. The Jeep would never have to play a dual role as Karl’s everyday on-road vehicle, so his goal was simple: to create a lean, mean playday machine that was as capable as it was good-looking.

And so, over the course of about eighteen months, Karl invested his evenings, weekends and more than £10,000 into a project that took him from a green green laner to an experienced engineer and mud-plugger. He trusted one or two jobs to a local garage in Rotherham that had the specialist tools required, but did all the rest himself. ‘I started with the small bits first, like adding small mud-terrains and a raised air intake,’ he says.

‘Bigger wheels went on after the lift – and then it just went silly after that!’

There’s no such thing as a finished project, of course, and back when we first spoke to Karl the

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next job on the list was going to be to do a ring and pinion conversion to cater for the gearing effect of the taller tyres. ’But if I’m doing that, I may as well put diff locks in. Although I’m still a bit unsure whether they are a good idea – I do think they take some of the skill out of driving.’

Proponents of diff locks would of course argue that knowing when and when not to use them is just another skill. And Jeep dealers would no doubt point out that the company itself uses them in the Rubicon version of the current Wrangler.

But you’ll certainly learn more basic driving techniques without having such a powerful tool to fall back on – and for Karl, driving is what this build was all about.

‘Everything works very well,’ he says of the vehicle. ‘In fact, with the lift it’s like a mountain goat – it will go anywhere! The noise the engine makes is just unbelievable, too. I’m not ever going to sell this one, ever!’

This is a story in which it’s not just the vehicle that’s made a journey. For Karl, this TJ isn’t just a great off-roader – it’s the great off-roader that he created himself, just the way he wanted it. It’s taken him to all sorts of places since the build was complete (or at least far enough through for him to start using it), and the adventure continues to this day. And it all started with what seemed like such an innocent weekend away in Clyro those thirty years ago…

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Route 66 is famous for being a road, not a trail. But ever since it was replaced by Interstate 40, parts of it have been fallen out of use and some have started to be reclaimed by nature. Which means that if you really want to explore the Mother Road, ya gotta do it by Jeep…

T

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here’s a hot, dry sun beating down on the plains and mesas all around us. On the radio, some good ‘ol boy and his gee-taw are singing about mom’s apple pie. Actual physical tumbleweed is blowing across our path. And the tarmac road ahead has just disintegrated into a ribbon of dusty gravel.

If you think the above sounds like a shower of clichés, well, you’re right. It does. But it’s all true – and after a 2500-mile trip along Route 66, it no longer sounds unusual.

Route 66 itself might be the biggest cliché of the lot, a highway that only exists as a historical curiosity and wouldn’t even have an ounce of fame left were it not for the fact that its name happens to rhyme with the words ‘I get my kicks’. But for the heritage clustered alongside its winding path through the Midwest, and the landscapes through which it passes as plains give way to mountains and mountains turn into deserts, it’s a legend of a journey. And though it might once have been a road, these days it’s

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a mish-mash of everything from interstate to rough dirt trail. Perfect for a trip – and better than ever aboard a Jeep.

This doesn’t mean the Mother Road is anything like the Rubicon. The dirt sections are still fairly flat, even if they’ve become increasingly corrugated in places as the years roll by. But no matter. A trail’s a trail, and America’s America, so here we were setting off from Chicago to explore this intriguing ribbon of US history.

I was driving my cousin Ryan’s JK Wrangler, while he led the way aboard his Grand Cherokee. He probably thought I’d drawn the short straw for a journey of 2000-plus miles, but as far as I was concerned I’d hit the jackpot.

We were determined to try and get on to the correct historical road as early as possible, but in Chicago that’s easier said than done. In the end, we settled for not still being in town by nightfall.

As it turned out, by the time darkness gathered over the Illinois skyline we’d made it as far as Springfield. Ryan’s JK was a Rubicon model with cruise control, which came in handy

once we hit the interstate; long sections of old Route 66 were dualled when I-40 was built, and with better things to see further west we settled for a few long stints early in our trip to get us through the less exciting countryside. Ryan could only spare a week for the trip, but if you ever do Route 66 I’d suggest giving it a month and staying on the backroads all the way. You see some wild stuff – every moment will be time well spent.

Talking of wild stuff, Springfield was where we stopped to stock up for the following week’s camping. I’d been looking forward to my first experience in an American hypermarket, and the last Shop’n’Save before the Missouri state line didn’t come as a disappointment at all.

Guacamole Pringles? Smucker’s Goober? Head Cheese? We left with all these things and more in the back of our Jeep.

Head Cheese. I don’t even know what that is (still). But you’d have to give it a punt, right?

What makes America so fascinating isn’t the difference to Britain: it’s the similarity. It’s like being at home, only something’s not quite right.

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As a Brit, you get taught that America doesn’t have any heritage. But Route 66 itself is heritage, and there’s no end of roadside curiosities as you follow it. These include Galloway’s Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma, a 14-acre garden in which retired teacher Ed Galloway built a collection of totem poles including this 90-foot monster – you can just pull over and go in for a wander among these extraordinary structures. Also in Oklahoma is the Round Barn in Arcadia, a complete one-off built by a farmer in the 19th Century which claims to be the only truly circular barn in America Like the standard of the camp sites we stayed at, for example. We’re used to it being a bit hit and miss over here, but Ryan recommended KOA (Kampgrounds of America, which has more than 450 sites throughout the US and Canada) and we looked no further. People often talk about the exceptional standard of service you get in America: they’re not always right (just try visiting New York), but KOA’s staff got full marks every time.

The sites may all have had the same branding, but no two had the same character.

In Springfield, we drove for miles along ever-

narrower backroads to find a small campground nestled in a wood. The following night, in Joplin, Missouri, we were literally only seconds from the interstate; despite this, while throwing out a bag of rubbish, I opened the lid of the dumpster to find a pair of raccoons staring out at me. Many miles later, the site in downtown Albuquerque combined a bizarrely suburban setting with breathtaking views of the parched mountains overlooking the city, while Williams, Arizona combined genuine isolation with a convenient if hardly idyllic location in the back yard of a roadside filling station.

Texas is a state where big is beautiful – though there’s more to it than just sheer scale, as illustrated by the old U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, now restored as a visitor attraction in the style of an art deco Conoco filling station. But the 190-foot cross, a couple of counties further west in Groom, is definitely big – note the life-sized human sitting at its base

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Williams is the jumping-off point for the Grand Canyon, and like many people who follow Route 66 we had that in mind as a destination.

Which is cheating, really, because the town itself is as close as the highway ever passed to the Canyon on its relentless march west towards LA, but that’s unlikely to be too great a concern when you’ve crossed the Atlantic to see what America’s all about.

And you certainly will have seen America by this stage. You’ll have seen it as its wildest, bleakest, homeliest and most beautiful, from its most urbane and modern to its most spent and run-down. Most of all, , you’ll have seen the real history of a land many people assume has none.

That’s apparent from the word go on Route 66. The morning after our hilarious supermarket experience in Springfield, we were walking across the Chain of Rocks Bridge – an old, now-disused structure across the Mississippi upstream of St Louis, which links Illinois to Missouri and is famed for having a sharp bend halfway along its length, necessary to leave uninterrupted clear water for river traffic.

The bridge was built in 1929 and decommissioned in 1967, when a new two-lane crossing was built just upstream of it. More than thirty years later, during which time it had been in constant danger of demolition, it was restored as a historical attraction; today, as you walk across, you’ll find a period gas pump, an old fire engine and a long line of plaques placed on the parapets by sponsors. Many allude to road trips; our favourite simply said ‘Here’s to Life!’

It’s easy to assume that America will be full of tawdry attractions with ever-present ticket booths and souvenir stands, but our overall experience was quite the opposite. The bridge doesn’t even have a proper car park – it’s just

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The First Motel in Texas / Last Motel in Texas stands in the hamlet of Glenrio, just east of the border with New Mexico.

Its decaying state is a sad metaphor for the decline of Route 66; shortly after you pass here, the road surface gives way to a lengthy section of loose gravel there, part of the land, with life going on all around it. If you want to come take a look, it seems to be saying, be my guest.

It’s the same story as the miles, counties and states roll by and the Route 66 heritage comes and goes. How could you fail to be moved by a sign reading ‘Historic Route 66,’ with an arrow leading you off to destinations unknown? One reason, above all others, why you should leave plenty of time for the trip.

Another is that there are so many passing curiosities, each of them tempting you just to stop and consider for a moment. It might be a line of decrepit buildings in the high street of Galena, Kansas, unchanged since they were built during the town’s lawless heyday as a mining outpost. It might be the Marsh Arch Bridge in nearby Riverton, the last remaining concrete truss bridge on the route, recently saved from impending demolition along with decades of colourful local graffiti. It might be the superbly preserved art deco filling station in Shamrock, Texas, or the water tower in Adrian, a little further west in the same state, which proudly claims to be the midway point on your journey.

Don’t just rush from one of these wayside curiosities to the next, though. Route 66 is fascinating enough in its own right, but as you push ever-westwards you’ll be within a detour here, a loop there of no end of discoveries.

These are as infinitely varied as the landscape itself. Witness Galloway’s Totem Pole Park, in Foyil, Oklahoma, a 14-acre roadside garden in which, from 1937 to 1962, retired teacher Ed Galloway built a variety of totem poles and other objects. Seeing is believing.

You don’t need to pay to wander around the park, and the same is true of one of the great Route 66 icons. Just west of Amarillo, as you cross the Texas Panhandle, is Cadillac Ranch, where a line of ten old Caddys are buried nosefirst in the ground. This is pop art at its purest; most visitors add their own contribution to the lurid graffiti covering the cars, so no two will ever see quite the same sight.

By this stage, you’ll have spotted the gigantic cross near Groom, which rises 190 feet above the surrounding plain. You might also have done what we did and stopped at the Big Texan, which first opened on Route 66 in 1960 and has become famous for its 72oz steak. Eat it within an hour, and it’s free: only about 20% of those who step up to the mark come away successful.

The record is 90 seconds, though it was set by a tiger so it doesn’t count. Anyway, for humans it’s under five minutes and if you ask me, that’s even more impressive.

As Texas gives way to New Mexico, just off the interstate there’s a poignant insight into the decline of Route 66 within yards of the state

line. Here, in the bleak little outpost of Glenrio, are the remains of the Last Motel in Texas / First Motel in Texas. Now, the buildings are being reclaimed by weeds, the cheerful sign that once welcomed tired drivers is derelict and the only life we saw was a trio of dogs, one with a tell-tale nose full of porcupine quills, who came to see if we were likely to throw them anything when we pulled over.

Beyond here, the Jeeps came in to their own as the sealed surface petered out and Route 66 became unpaved. Miles of dusty, bumpy track wending its way through the wilderness, flat enough but rough and loose – it’s great fun, and something that certainly adds another dimension to the same scenery everyone else was surveying from amid the Peterbilts on the interstate just a few miles away.

We’d found some other unpaved sections back in Oklahoma, where white Route 66 signs painted on the surface were still visible through the patches of gravel. These were much shorter and far less isolated than this, though – and the more time we spent in New Mexico, the more of these trails we found.

A detour on one of these took us to Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave. Here, you can walk up to the top of the volcanic cone and gawp in awe at the crater below, before heading underground into an open cave where ice started forming

The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Parks are basically one and the same – you drive through both without realising where one ends and the other begins.

Leaving the tarmac here would get you a well deserved ticket; instead, explore it on foot

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Cadillac Ranch is one of the most symbolic attractions along Route 66. Just west of Amarillo, it’s a pop-art installation of ten old Caddys buried nose-deep in a field like some sort of automotive Stonehenge. A little way west from here you’ll pass the town of Adrian – the midway point on an end-to-end journey on Route 66. Brenda’s Cafe is on the south side of the road, opposite the water tower proclaiming that you’ve made it halfway 3400 years ago – and has never melted since. Even in the heat of the New Mexican summer, the mass of the ice is such that the air temperature never gets above freezing.

If that’s not chilling enough, when we asked the woman at the ticket booth what we might see on the walk to the crater, she said ‘bears.’

Compared to this, the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks are almost quite timid. They’re no less beguiling for it, though, not least because they straddle the line of Route 66, making them a gimme to visit. We actually

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vaulted beyond them to Holbrook for the night, retracing our steps the next morning via Bucket of Blood Street; a little research afterwards yielded the distinctly unnerving fact that this was named after a gunfight in 1886.

This was our last stop before the detour north to the Grand Canyon, but there was still one last rendezvous with Route 66 at Kingman.

The road carries on to Los Angeles, but Ryan talked us into leaving it behind and heading for Las Vegas instead, crossing the Hoover Dam on the way.

We’d have followed him anywhere, to be honest. His Grand Cherokee carried him north in luxurious style, but that Wrangler was like one of the family by now. Folding the top down and kicking up dust on the unpaved roads of the Midwest was an experience we’ll never forget.

I’ve driven extreme trails in many different countries, and in terms of off-roading Route 66 was among the tamest. But don’t be in any doubt that this is a truly iconic 4x4 experience. There are many ways of seeing America: if you ask me, from aboard a Jeep is the best way of all.

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