4x4 Magazine February 2019 inc. 4x4 of The Year Supplement

4x4

NEWS • PRODUCTS • TRAIL GUIDES • WORKSHOP • CALENDAR • OFF-ROAD SCENE

DRIVEN Ultimate version of Volkswagen’s Amarok

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

FREE with this issue: 4x4 of the Year 2019 – the experts’ verdict on the best SUVs and off-roaders you can buy

‘IT’S PERFECT’

This is it: Suzuki’s all-new Jimny tested on and off-road – by people who understand what 4x4s are about Jeep Gladiator: Full story of the Wrangler-based pick-up that’s coming to the UK

£4.99

Chilled North-East Leicestershire laning Roadbook

FEB 2019

Jimny built for long-distance off-road adventures 4x4 Cover Feb 2.indd 1

21/12/2018 13:10

EXPERIENCED DRIVER DEPICTED

WHAT AR E YO U BU I LD I NG FOR ?

B U I LT T H R O U G H E X P E R I E N C E … E AR N E D O N T H E T R A I L BFGO ODRICH.CO.UK

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21/09/2018 15:49

PMENT TERRAFIRMA RECOVERY EQUI ...FROM £9.99

Recovery equipment is essential off-road kit, all 4x4 vehicles should have at least a tow rope, a couple of shackles and a pair of gloves on board.

Winch equipped vehicles should carry more to make the best use of the winch and of course recreational and competitive ‘winchers’ will have selected a whole range of useful items such as different length straps, various shackles and snatch (pulley) blocks.

Only the best performing recovery equipment is considered to support Terrafirma 4x4 accessories. Terrafirma offers a range of products to ensure your off-road activities are carried out with safety and performance in mind.

TF3311 A brand new kinetic recovery rope

This super flexible easy to handle 9m long, 22mm diameter double braided nylon rope is the most advanced snatch recovery rope on the 4x4 market. Bright red UV, water and abrasion resistant with black nylon reinforced eyes this new rope comes in a mesh storage bag for easy cleaning and has whopping 13,000kg load rating. 30% stretch with quick recovery makes this one of the most effective kinetic or snatch recovery ropes for off road 4x4 vehicle recovery.

TF3314 Strong, lightweight snatch ring The Terrafirma winch “Snatch Ring” offers a strong, lightweight and safe alternative to the traditional metal snatch block. It fits perfectly into a pocket or glove box, making it an ideal accessory to have in your truck for overlanding expeditions or in competition when your co-driver is having to climb steep slopes.

TF3312 Recovery gloves available in medium and large sizes

Terrafirma recovery gloves are manufactured tough to handle the rigours of handling 4x4 winching and recovery equipment but also supple enough to be used for general tasks to protect and keep your hands clean.

ALSO AVAILABLE...

TF3310 11mm soft recovery shackle

EXTENDED WINCH CABLES

TF3309 Extended winch cables (4m) and isolator switch

The location of your winch and battery may not be ideal or the cabling route uses all the cable provided with the winch. Terrafirma TF3309 is the solution. 4m of red and black cables with swaged ring terminal ends, an isolator switch with removable key and a short length of cable to connect the switch to the battery. These high quality leads are ideal for all 4x4 vehicle winches.

TF301 ELECTRIC WINCH 12000lb of pulling performance and modern styling with high quality synthetic rope and wireless remote control

www.terrafirma4x4store.co.uk | T: +44 1235 832900 | E: sales@frogsisland4x4.com

GOODRIDGE BRAKE HOSES Terrafirma have teamed up with the industry leader Goodridge to produce a full line up of the best quality stainless braided brake lines.

For over 40 years, racers from across the globe have turned to Goodridge for products to out-perform the competition. Every Terrafirma Goodridge brake line is individually 100% pressure tested and guaranteed to be leak free. Terrafirma Goodridge brake lines do not expand under pressure, are corrosion resistant and come with a lifetime guarantee. A simple but effective upgrade to deliver precise braking.

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Standard length and +2” hoses available for:

TF641GD

LR Freelander

Nissan Navara

Plus 2” extended kit with 4 hoses

LR Defender

Mitsubishi L200

LR Discovery

VW Amarok

LR Range Rover

Toyota Hi-Lux

LR Range Rover Evoque

Ford Ranger

Please check our website for full fitment details:

TF658GD Standard length kit with 4 hoses

www.terrafirma4x4store.co.uk

OFF ROAD FOAM FILTERS

BY PIPERCROSS ...FROM £29.99 TF392 Foam filter for LR Evoque

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Obtain more efficient air flow by fitting one of our performance air filters. Not only can you improve air flow by 30% but the foam technology is proven to be capable of capturing twice the amount of dust particles of paper or cotton alternatives without any detrimental effect on air flow. Washable and reusable, these foam filters can offer lasting performance and reliability for the life of the vehicle.

LR Freelander

LR Range Rover Evoque

LR Defender

Mitsubishi L200

LR Discovery

VW Amarok

LR Range Rover

Isuzu D-Max

LR Range Rover Sport

PRACTICAL GIFT IDEAS FOR OFF-ROAD ENTHUSIASTS Terrafirma has one of the largest ranges of 4x4 and Pick-up related upgrades and accessories in the world. Amongst our range of flagship products such as competition-grade suspension, braking, protection, lighting and recovery essentials are a number of excellent gift ideas for the 4x4 enthusiast in your life. Here are some recently updated product ranges that are proving popular with our customers.

SCENE DOWNLIGHTER 3 low-power LED’s producing over 600 Lumens with a 65 degree spread

...FROM £26.40

NOW AVAILABLE… WILDERNESS LIGHTING Selected by the Terrafirma 4x4 Store for their proven class leading technology, the unbeatable toughness and lasting durability of Wilderness Lights mean they are ideally suited for the most extreme conditions and challenging terrains.

20 SOLO 50 & SOLO

with a to 27000 lumens Light bars with up m nce of 2k visible beam dista

COMPACT 8 8 LED Spot Light producing 3000 lumens from just 2.8 amps

Very few lights out in the market today have a water and dust proof rating of IP68 and IP69K (the highest standard available) and we now have available from stock the most popular Wilderness Lighting options to give you game changing visibility when you most need it.

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WWW.TERRAFIRMA4X4STORE.CO.UK Please note, the last order date for Guaranteed Christmas Delivery is Thursday 20 December. Any orders placed after this date will be processed for delivery in the new year unless alternative shipping methods are arranged. If you are concerned, please call to discuss with the team who will be able to advise on any available options. *Free Shipping available only to Mainland UK addresses (excluding Highlands and Islands) on orders under 30kg.

February 2019

T H IS M O N T H 26

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92 12 ISSUES OF 4X4 – FOR JUST £12!

This has got to be the best value offer in the history of publishing… subscribe to 4x4 for a year and it’ll only cost a quid an issue!

News 14 18 21

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Jeep Gladiator Full details of mighty Wrangler-based double-cab Rivian R1T All-new, all-electric super-truck coming to the UK Coming Soon Off-roaders, double-cabs and SUVs on the way

Tested 26 34

Suzuki Jimny Full test of the most talked about 4x4 of the moment VW Amarok 256 Driving the fastest pick-up on the market

Every Month 4 6 8 10 12 22 80 95

Alan Kidd Every adventure starts with the decision to just go for it Gallery Celebrating the might of the one and only Unimog Destinations Fraser Island – the beach with a rainforest on it…

Lost Lanes Parkamoor: a very British tale of corruption What Jeep Did Next… Pork Chop: not porky, definitely chopped Products Tools, parts and goodies to make your world go round Roadbook An SUV-friendly day out in North-East Leicestershire Next Month Stunning 6x6 Wrangler, and the Hilux of your dreams

Features 38 42 48 52

Skoda Kodiaq Tough SUV proves itself on roadbook duty Defender 90 DIY servicing – nothing to be afraid of?

Off-Road Scene 70 74

Odyssey Challenge Fancy dress finale for a winch championship JE Defender Petrol conversion to future-proof your 90 or 110

Off-Road Calendar 71 75 76

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Goodyear Eagle Track testing the latest premium SUV tyre Long-Range Jimny An unusual purpose for a much-loved 4x4 Camp Polaris ATV heaven in the wilds of France The Rubicon Wranglers take on the world’s most famous trail

Our 4x4s 60 64

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“It’s only the second 4x4 we’ve ever been able to describe as being perfect”

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UK Convoy Tours Tag-along runs on public rights of way Pay-and-Play Events Go in as hard as you want Overland Travel Long-range adventures in your 4x4

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Alan Kidd Editor

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The best advice for would-be overlanders: Don’t Die Wondering

he spirit of adventure is right at the heart of what makes people love 4x4s. From the very beginning, when early Jeep owners would go out exploring America in their old military trucks, to the off-roader boom of the early 90s when the Land Rover Discovery made a name for itself, people have been won over by the idea that by driving a 4x4, they have access to a world that’s closed off to everybody else.

Since then, car manufacturers have been honing that image and using it to sell family wagons and urban runabouts that look like they were built to conquer the Silk Road.

Most are no more capable of that than the Cortina your dad drove back in the days before the car market got so complicated, but that’s not the point.

Instead, let me get back to the subject of adventure. Which, in one way or another, is what first inspires most of s who et into the scene he first off road ehicle drove was a Defender 90 which I got as a company car when I became editor of Land Rover World. At the time I lived an hour’s drive from work, and many’s a time I’d take a detour via a few green lanes on the way home, just for the hell of it.

In particular, I remember one occasion when snow started falling just after the morning rush hour, and by home time the whole of the south-east was a disaster zone. Thousands of people spent that night on the M25, and I might have been trapped too by the sheer number of stuck cars. But as luck would have it, decided to go home via Titsey Hill, which some of you might have heard of. It’s a fairly steep road scaling the North Downs, and it happens to have a green lane running parallel to it. I can still remember the feeling of absolute triumph when I trundled past all the cars sat waiting for their turn to get stuck, stopped to open the gate and set off into the woods. It felt like their could have been bears in there, it was so isolated, though a single set of tyre tracks in the snow (BFG Mud-Terrains, the original pattern) indicated that someone else had already had the same idea. The sense of comradeship I felt towards that guy has never gone away.

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That’s a perfect example of how owning a real 4x4 can turn everyday driving into a real adventure. And it possibly illustrates how deeply one incident is etched into my memory, because it was more than twenty years ago.

Something else that’s pretty deeply etched is the adventures I’ve not had. Not had so far, hopefully, but you get the point.

The Monks Trod was still open when I started laning, but I never made it over there. Ditto the Gap. Ditto Walna Scar.

Ditto Chapel Gate.

Not that that even counts as adventure if you’re the kind of person to whom a 4x4 is a means of seeing the whole world from close up. I’m constantly in awe of the travellers we all read about who simply get up and aim for the horizon; for the spirit of adventure, the stories these guys send back beats everything else you see in magazines like this hands down.

Something every one of them will tell you is that if you dream of overland travel, just do it. It’s the easiest thing in the world to put off because, you know, next year you’ll have saved a bit more or you don’t want to miss Auntie Gladys’ 80th birthday or whatever.

My personal regrets over never having taken that old 90 of mine to tackle Walna, Chapel Gate, the Gap and Monks Trod are tiny compared to how it would feel never to have lived your overland dream. But as with so many of life’s dreams, if you’re a would-be overlander, the best advice anyone will ever give you boils down to three words: Don’t Die Wondering.

Overlanding is a scary prospect. But looking back on a life spent always wanting to do it? That’s terrifying. If you’re reading this and feeling a new year’s resolution coming on, my work here is done.

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 Assistant Editor George Dove Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Mike Trott, Paul Looe, Dan Fenn, Pip Evans, Olly Sack Photographers Harry Hamm,Vic Peel, Steve Taylor, Tomas Jarecki, Nick Hood Group Advertising Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Manager Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 553244 Advertising Sales Manager Peter Topley Tel: 01283 553245 Advertising and Exhibition Sales Executive Abigail Cooper Tel: 01283 553246 Advertising Production Sarah Lowe Tel: 01283 553242 Subscriptions Manager Catherine Martin Subscriptions Assistants Emma Emery, Kay Tunnicliffe, Abi Dutton Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Lowe Email: sarah.lowe@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 G11, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

© Assignment Media Ltd, 2019

4x4 09/12/2018 22:34

Bowler Motorsport Accessories Add that extra special touch to your Defender

Lightweight Steering Guards Used in the Defender Challenge, the lightweight steering guard will offer protection to steering arms and linkages, but also offers access for maintenance. It uses existing mounting points and comes with 2 x red towing eyes for recovery work.

Lightweight Sill Protectors Made from lightweight aluminium and available in black and graphite, these sill protectors are used in the Defender Challenge. Supplied with a fitting kit, they bolt onto existing mounting points and do not require welding.

Compatible with XS side steps.

Lightweight Front Bumpers – Road & Race Both lightweight and high strength, the aluminium bumpers are handmade at Bowler. They use the existing bumper mounting points and are available in black and graphite. Note - Excludes spotlights shown.

A selection of great looking, high quality accessories from Bowler Motorsport.

Bowler is a market leader in the production of racing and high performance all terrain vehicles, and has been since 1985. Based in Derbyshire in the UK, they use both technology and craftsmanship to deliver vehicles and accessories with style, strength, performance and an unrivalled spirit of adventure.

Spectre’ Wheel Arches Produced in the UK and inspired by the JLR Special Vehicles produced Defenders for the film Spectre, these arches are identical in terms of size and shape, are finished in gloss black and come complete with fitting templates.

16” & 18” Lightweight Wheels Made in the UK exclusively for Bowler, these lightweight, high strength wheels are TÜV tested and are used in the Defender Challenge. They have a manufacturers guarantee and are used extensively in motorsport.

Maximum load rating 1,250kg. Black & anthracite available.

Rear Step Bumpers Designed to be practical, robust and stylish, this is the Bowler version of the popular NAS rear bumper. Available in black and graphite. The original tow bar and electrics are kept in the same place, and the step, with durable rear treads, conveniently attaches to the rear cross member.

Find more images and part numbers online at www.britpart.com/bowler

GALLERY

In pictures: 4x4s and off-road stories from around the world

What’s the ultimate in off-road trucks? Everyone who’s ever ‘wheeled will have a different answer, t yo won t find many willin to dismiss the mi hty nimo ercedes i east has ecome famo s for its stren th, its e i ility, its portal a les and st for ein a i east t it s those a les that define it, i in it mon mental ro nd clearance aided, of co rse, y mon mental tyres t s not that the nimo is indestr cti le, of co rse ho h it is almost nstoppa le t that s act ally ite a handy com ination, especially as a lot of them tend to see ser ice with or anisations that don t necessarily look after them ery well he res lt eaten p, knackered and enerally worked to death ehicles ready to e roken p and donate their a les to the world s most ad ent ro s ehicle ilders id we mention that they normally ha e lockin diffs as standard old yo it was the ltimate in off road tr cks Main picture: 1977 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416 DOKA, by SoulRider.222 @ flickr.com, CC BY-ND 2.0 Above right: Jens F. @ flickr.com, CC BY-ND 2.0 Right: Mercedes Unimog snowblower, by Glen Wallace @ flickr.com, CC BY-SA 2.0 Below right: Unimog, by Mr. Tom Tramwajowy @ flickr.com, CC BY-ND 2.0 Below: Unimog Truck, by Neil @ flickr.com, CC BY 2.0

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Extreme performance and durability on all surfaces The General Tire X3 delivers outstanding off-road performance and superb road-going capabilities.

Designed with an aggressive tread and sidewall pattern for enhanced traction in mud, dirt, sand, snow and gravel An efficient self-cleaning tread pattern The complete range has a speed capability of a Q-rating (99mph) – highly unique for this pattern type Provides a 3-ply construction on all sizes* with a tough compound for durability and ultimate stability (DuraGen™ Technology) General Tire. A brand of Continental.

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18/07/2018 12:43

DESTINATIONS

The world’s greatest 4x4 travel adventures caught on camera. This month, the whole world in one island –that’s accessible only to off-roaders

Fraser Island This huge sand island off the east coast of Australia might be crawling with tourists, but that doesn’t stop it being a wonder of the off-road world.

You need a 4x4 simply to get about – indeed, no other kind of vehicle is allowed on the island, and with newbie tourists doing much of the driving there’s a whole lot of getting stuck going on even then. For an island, it has more variety to it than some whole continents – the landscapes range from balmy coastal cliffs and golden beaces to actual rainforest, and you might spot wild dingoes – though you’re probably more likely to come face to face with a huntsman spider. The real treat, at any rate, is 75 Mile Beach, a wide strip of smooth sand on the seaward side of the island which you can drive on to your heart’s content. Hire a vehicle at Hervey Bay, where operators are ten a penny, and take the beach all the way to Champagne Pools – where surf on the incoming tide creates a natural jacuzzi accessible only by 4x4. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Pics: Sarah Maia

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LOST LANES

In memory of Britain’s many rights of way which, over the years, have fallen victim to petty politics and local self-interest

Parkamoor This sensational right of way in the Lake District is still drivable, albeit under seasonal restrictions. But thanks to the genius of the 2006 NERC Act, it’s now a dead end. The lane is a public highway for its whole length, but the northern section was also a bridleway – and thanks to some well planned opportunist meddling with the legislation as it was going through parliament, that lower status takes precedence over the higher one.

The result is that you can only drive it from the south, but that’s no hardship – because from here it climbs through a series of increasingly technical (and, be warned, potentially damaging) rock-crawls to finish at a magnificent viewpoint overlooking Coniston Water. The perfect picnic spot, if you can reach it.

You’re allowed to carry on for a short section after this, but there’s little point in doing so as it’s just a farm track leading to the inevitable ‘no vehicles’ signs (at which turning round is awkward, too). So you’ve got to obey the law and go the whole way back, enjoying those rock-crawls all over again. Damn.

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4x4 20/11/2018 22:11

T HE NE W ISUZ U D-M A X

£199 FROM ONLY

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PER MONTH + VAT

INITIAL RENTAL £1,791.00 +VAT

BUSINESS CONTRACT HIRE 23 MONTHLY RENTALS. EXCESS MILEAGE CHARGES AND RETURN CONDITIONS APPLY. VAT PAYABLE AT 20%. PROVIDED BY ISUZU CONTRACT HIRE.

CALL 03303 335126 OR VISIT ISUZU.CO.UK TO FIND OUT MORE #Over 40 MPG figure applies to manual transmission models. MPG figures are official EU test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. Official fuel figures for the Isuzu D-Max range in MPG (l/100km): Urban 30.4 - 38.7 (9.3 - 7.3). Extra Urban 40.9 - 50.4 (6.9 - 5.6).

Combined 36.2 - 45.6 (7.8 - 6.2). CO2 emissions 163 - 205g/km. For full details please contact your local Isuzu dealer or visit isuzu.co.uk †Important Information. Business users only. Rental amounts shown are for an Isuzu D-Max Fury Commercial Vehicle On The Road with manual transmission, excluding special paint finish.

Excess mileage charge 10.14p + VAT at 20%. Contract based on 8,000 miles per annum, non-maintained. Vehicle must be returned in a good condition to avoid further charges. Provided

by Lex Autolease Ltd trading as Isuzu Contract Hire, Heathside Park, Heathside Park Road, Stockport SK3 0RB. Available at participating dealers only. Excludes motability and fleet sales, not available in conjunction with any other offers (including the Work Pack offer) or with BASC, NGO or NFU member discounts. Available until 31st March 2019. Finance options available at participating dealers, subject to status. Features and specification may vary in appearance and/or availability. *3.5 tonne towing applies to all 4x4 models. **125,000 miles/5 year (whichever comes first) warranty applies to all new Isuzu D-Max models. Terms and conditions apply. Visit isuzu.co.uk

20516 Isuzu 4x4 Magazine Fury Ad_AW.indd 1

13/12/2018 14:45

WHAT JEEP DID NEXT…

Historical highlights of the concept vehicles Jeep builds every year for the Moab Easter Safari. This month: a stripped-back lighweight Wrangler

2011: Pork Chop We’re not sure where the name came from, but the idea of this stripped-back Wrangler Sport was to trim away every last bit of fat in order to lose as much weight as possible. That’s why Jeep’s team started by removing its doors, roof, tailgate, bumpers and even its carpets.

At the back, the tailgate hinges and latches were removed to make way for a custom surround, while the inner wing panels were reshaped and the tail lamps repositioned closer together. Up top, a custom roll cage was mounted to the chassis, while the windscreen height was dropped by two inches. Inside, a set of Sparco reclining buckets matches the red powder-coating of the cage.

Next came a set of unique aluminium bumpers and a prototype al mini m and car on fi re onnet lsewhere, yo ll find opar s own li htwei ht wheelarch ares, sl sh mats and mirror relocation rackets, t somethin yo won t find is any anti roll ars these were stripped off when the weight-loss programme began.

Going back to the Wrangler’s severe diet, this ended up with the vehicle shedding an enormous 850kg over standard. This alone was eno h to create a s spension lift, tho h it was f rther modified with opar sprin s, ilstein shocks and era e air mps all ro nd to help make space for a set of ickey hompson a a Claws What the suspension sits on is a pair of Dynatrac ProRock 44 front and rear a les containin : diffs, ir ockers and prototype aluminium diff covers. The axles are located using aluminium control arms.

With the idea being to lose weight, this is one Wrangler that didn’t go down the familiar route of gaining a bigger engine. Instead, the original V6 was fettled using a set of long-tube headers and a dual-pipe exhaust, while possi ly o r fa o rite mod e er the e aporation canister for the emissions system was replaced with a smaller unit from a Fiat 500.

Now, that’s why Fiat o ht Chrysler

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Jeep Parts and Accessories Tel: 01482 666491 Jeepey.com

Replacement parts and accessories for all models of Jeeps.

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4x4 TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 51

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4x4 NEWS

DOUBLE-CAB MARKET SET JEEP PLANS 2020 ARRIVAL Wrangler-based pick-up • 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, eight-speed auto • Dana 44 axles front

T

he Jeep Gladiator is set to bring new levels of off-road ability to the pick-up sector when it arrives in Europe in 2020. Based on a stretched version of the Wrangler JL itself brand new to the British 4x4 market, the company s first pick up in a quarter of a century goes on sale in America this coming spring – and promises to bring features like all-round beam axles and even open-air motoring to the normally conservative onetonne sector.

Whether the Gladiator will actually be a one-tonner remains to e confirmed, as the model is quoted as having a payload of 726kg and towing limit of 3470kg. hese fi res are likely to e re-assessed for the UK, however, allowing it to be classed as a commercial vehicle – and to tow the legal limit of 3500kg.

Making space for a pick-up ed meas rin some fi e feet in length is a chassis that’s 31” longer than that of the fourdoor Wrangler and 19.4” longer in the wheelbase. The design retains the lightweight strategy Jeep introduced on the JL; the chassis and pick-up bed are made from steel, however as

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much as possible of the vehicle’s bodywork uses aluminium.

A much longer wheelbase cannot help but be more vulnerable off-road, however underbody components such as the transmission, fuel tank and gearbox sump are protected by heavy-duty skid plates as standard. Jeep is adamant that the Gladiator will mimic the Wrangler’s immense all-terrain capability, with long suspension tra el permitted y fi e link front and rear suspension designs using full-width panhard rods.

The front set-up is lifted from the Wrangler, however the rear, which uses two upper and two lower steel trailing links, is unique to the Gladiator.

The combination of suspension height and body design yields approach and departure angles of 43.6 and 26 degrees respectively, as well as a 30” wading depth.

The huge length of the wheelbase means breakover angle is limited to 20.3 degrees, however ground clearance of 11.1” means the Gladiator is still a true highmobility vehicle.

As if to emphasise this fact, the Gladiator will join the Wrangler in being available in Rubicon form. This spec package already

4x4 02/01/2019 14:41

F

4x4 NEWS

FOR MASSIVE SHAKE-UP AS FOR GLADIATOR

and rear • Only soft-top 4x4 pick-up • Rubicon model brings enhanced off-road ability

4x4 9pp News Feb ADS.indd 15

FEBRUARY 2019 | 15

02/01/2019 14:41

4x4 NEWS

US Gladiators are rated to tow 3470kg and carry a payload of up to 726kg. Both figures can be expected to have been revised upwards by the time the Gladiator arrives in the UK, allowing it to be classed as a commercial vehicle turns the Wrangler into the most capable turn-key off-roader on the market, and with deeper gearing, longer suspension travel and locking front and rear diffs is promises to create the most agile and tractable pick-up Britain has ever seen.

Rubicon models also gain rock rails to further protect their bodywork and pick-up beds from ground contact, as well as a steel rear bumper as standard. A typically

enormous options list includes a front winch bumper with removable ends, similar to the one already offered on the Wrangler.

All models ride on Dana 4x4 axles front and rear and have high and low range gearing as standard. As well as the Rubicon, the Gladiator is available in the US in Sport and Overland forms; these come with what Jeep calls ‘full-time torque management,’ though they

can also be optioned with a limitedslip rear differential if you don’t feel it’s going to be full-time enough.

Turning the wheels, at least on US models, is a choice of 3.6-litre V6 petrol and 3.0-litre V6 diesel engines. The former is also available in the Wrangler, though not in the UK market, which suggests that the Gladiator will be offered exclusively with the 260bhp, 442lbf.ft diesel unit – a version of which has served

for several years in the Ram pickup. Figures for fuel economy are yet to be released, however the Ram returns 27mpg; Jeep’s updates are sure to improve this, but the result is unlikely to be far away from the low-30s achieved by the similarly sized engine in the Volkswagen Amarok.

The diesel engine is mated exclusively to an eight-speed auto box with two overdrive ratios

The Gladiator's front cabin is pure Wrangler, from the dominant driving position and upright centre console to the retro-inspired styling and chunky equipment. In the back, however, it’s unique, with rear seats which Jeep says offer best-in-class knee room. They’re certainly flexible, with a 60:40 split, folding backs and bases and stowage areas both behind and beneath them

16 | FEBRUARY 2019

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4x4 02/01/2019 14:41

4x4 NEWS up top. A version of the unit that’s standard across the entire Wrangler range in the UK market, this is modified to deal with the higher torque output from the V6 oil-burner; Jeep promises ‘a responsive driving experience, whether comm tin d rin the week or rock crawlin or ha lin car o on the weekend deep first ear allows the o to et mo in smoothly when towin a hea y load, and in Rubicon models it helps deli er a crawl ratio of : in low ran e more than makin p for the gearing effect of the 33” tyres that come as standard with this model.

All Wranglers are designed with modification in mind, and Jeep says the Gladiator’s standard spare wheel holder which locates it under the pick-up bed behind the rear axle) is capable of accommodating a tyre size of up to 35”. Up top, in true Jeep style the doors can be removed and the windscreen dropped forward on to the onnet, while a soft top option allows for f ll or partial open air motorin an entirely unique feature in the pick-up segment. A choice of hard-tops is also a aila le, with lift o t panels a ain allowin the ca in to e opened to the elements.

Inside, the cabin is predictably similar to that of the Wrangler, at least up front. The rear seats, howe er, are e cl si e to the Gladiator, and Jeep says they offer greater legroom than any of the vehicle’s rivals. The seats can also e folded at to create a load platform, and also to access a locka le stowa e area ehind them he s a s, meanwhile, are rear-hinged for access to a large nder seat oddment area and this can also be occupied by an optional f ll width locka le stowa e chest with two doors and p to fi e compartments These features add a level of practicality that promises to mimic the Gladiator’s off-road potential by oin well eyond what s normally found in the double-cab sector. Like the ran ler, it also offers a wide variety of modern infotainment options and icon models come with a front facin off road camera showin the ro nd in the blind spot immediately in front of the vehicle.

4x4 9pp News Feb ADS.indd 17

With North American sales starting soon, the Gladiator is all set to become an instant hit for eep which expects to sell more than 100,000 of the vehicles in the first year alone s always, the rest of the world will inevitably come second to such vast numbers, howe er ri ht hand drive production is scheduled to start at the same time as the diesel engine is introd ced y which time the initial rush of demand should have calmed down Nonetheless, don’t expect the Gladiator to be cheap. Jeep boss Sergio Marchionne said as much d rin an inter iew at the etroit show like the ran ler, it will e deli erately positioned

in the market as an expensive, premium vehicle. Prices are yet to be announced, even for the USA, but most forecasters there expect it to cost about the same as the four-door Wrangler.

Given the specialised nature of the ehicle, we d e pect this to mean that by the time it goes on sale here, yo ll do well to et

much meaningful change out of £50,000. Assuming it does qualify as a commercial vehicle, there’ll e a hefty slew of to claim ack from that howe er it s clear that while the ladiator will rin new le els of oth character and off-road ability to the double-cab market, it will also o ri ht to the top in terms of cost.

JEEP'S PICK-UPS • PICKUP (1947-1965) illys erland s first attempt to mo e eyond the C models that were already a eep staple had a wheel ase and chan ed little d rin almost two decades on sale

• FC-150/170 (1957-1965) hese forward control tr cks are m ch lo ed icon from eep s history he FC had an wheel ase, while the FC stretched this to 103.5” and offered the option of auto transmission and a dually rear axle

• GLADIATOR (1963-1987) ased on the a oneer, the ladiator rode on first eneration ana a les and offered a choice of and wheel ases hese two ersions were known simply as the and from onwards which didn t stop them from clockin p ery nearly a arter of a century on sale

• CJ-8 SCRAMBLER (1981-1985) ased on a stretched ersion of the C , the cram ler offered a choice of hard or soft top odies t was sold alon side the eries, which may e one reason why less than , were ilt

• COMANCHE (1986-1992) eep s last pick p prior to the arri al of the new ladiator, the Coman che was ased on the old Cherokee that ro ht the rand tri m phantly back to Britain in the early 90s

FEBRUARY 2019 | 17

02/01/2019 14:42

4x4 NEWS

RIVIAN’S ELECTRIC PICK-UP NEARS LAUNCH US order book open now • UK engineering • SUV model also coming • Likely £75,000 price

E

very car show around the world seems to bring forth at least one new electric vehicle manufacturer with a conceptual supercar and fantastical sounding promises of world dominance at some vague point in the future.

Sure enough, there was an EV start-up exhibiting at the recent Los Angeles show. But Michiganbased Rivian is a bit different. The company first s rfaced in , when it intended to build low-cost cars with hi hly efficient petrol engines; having abandoned this strategy, it started work on allelectric 4x4s – and its news at LA was that the first of these, the , will go on sale in the US towards the end of Designed with the aid of an in-house engineering facility in the , the is a fo r door pick p – however its platform will also yield the station wa on, which

will share the truck’s technology and range of battery options. These incl de , and k h versions, all of them delivering high

performance and, by EV standards, a long range.

Conceived with double-wishbone suspension at the front and a

multi-link layout at the rear, the also has a low centre of ra ity – with its batteries and drivetrain all located below the height of the

18 | F

9pp News Feb ADS.indd 18

02/01/2019 14:42

4x4 NEWS

ENHANCE ENHANCE

THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR 4X4 YOUR ISUZU D-MAX

Pedders TrakRyder Suspension Lift Kit makes the workhorse D-Max

R1T's architecture was designed from scratch with 100% electric propulsion in mind. This yields non-traditional voids within the vehicle’s structure, creating unusual storage spaces like the ‘frunk’ above while allowing the spare wheel bottom to be housed beneath the bed floor.

There’s even a 350-litre stowage tunnel nestling under the back of the cabin (below)

wheels. There four four batteries, one per wheel, giving the vehicle as much as 700bhp and 823lbf.ft and a 0-60mph time of three seconds at Even the entry-level model dishes out 402bhp and 413lbf.ft, accelerating to 60mph in 4.9 seconds. Still not exactly sluggish, then.

The real difference, however, comes in the vehicles’ ranges. The base-spec 105kWh can cover 230 miles between charges, while the 135 gives you 300 miles and

into a more refined passenger vehicle.

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• Enhanced ride quality in laden & unladen • Not coping well with that largesituations. trailer?

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• Heavy duty kits also available ability tosuspension cope with loads.

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the 180 promises 400. The R1S will get a few miles further on a single

Specialising in Suspension solutions since 1950 For further information go to www.pedders.co.uk 01296 711044 or please contact your local Pedders experts.

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FEBRUARY 2019 | 19

02/01/2019 14:42

4x4 NEWS

The R1T is still in pre-production form at present. But if the show car’s interior is anything to go by – and if they maage to carry it off without falling into any of the build quality traps that so often trip up new manufacturers – it’s going to bring a new level of premium style to the one-tonne market charge, but all quote 125mph as their top speed.

Also uniform across the range are a towing capacity of 5000kg (which will be re-plated to 3500kg for the UK market) and a wading depth of a metre. Using airsuspension, there are four ride

20 | FEBRUARY 2019

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height settings: Park at 7.9”; Aero at 9.4”; Standard at 11” and OffRoad at 14.2”. This off-road setting produces approach, departure and breakover angles of 34°, 30° and 26° respectively.

A strong indication that the R1T is indeed almost ready for production is that Rivian is able to ote firm fi res for its dimensions.

Its pickup bed measures 1.4 x 1.39

metres with the tailgate up, or 2.1 x 1.39 metres with it down.

The vehicle also has a frunk (a ‘front trunk’, which will presumably have to be renamed a ‘froot’ for Britain) with a capacity of 330 litres.

Another 200 litres are available in a rear bin, 350 litres in a tunnel below the cabin and 95 litres below the seats.

At present, Rivian is quoting a payload of 800kg. As with its towing weight, however, this is sure to be re-plated for the UK market to let the truck qualify as a commercial vehicle for tax purposes.

The R1T may still be almost two years away, but an order book is already open in America. The 135 and k h models will e first

to hit the road there, with the 105kWh following on around a year later – as which time right-hand drive production is also expected to start, with e ports firmly on the agenda.

The R1S will be along just a few months later, with US deliveries due to start in the first arter of Again, right-hand drive production should kick off another year or so down the line. Prices are likely to re ect i ian s ass med position as the Tesla of pick-up trucks, which is to say that they’ll be a lot higher than those for conventional UK pick-ups – don’t be surprised if the R1T starts in the region of £75,000 at launch, with the R1S set to cost still more.

4x4 02/01/2019 14:42

4x4 NEWS

C O M IN G S O O N Forthcoming 4x4s due later this year and beyond Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Alpina XD3 Aston Martin DBX Audi SQ2 Audi Q3 Audi Q4 Audi Q8 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid BMW X7 Bollinger B1 Bollinger B2 Cupra Ateca DS3 Crossback DS 7 Crossback E-Tense Ford Ranger Raptor Hyundai INEOS Grenadier InďŹ niti QX50 Jeep Jeep Cherokee facelift Jeep Cherokee Desert Hawk Jeep Gladiator Jeep Grand Commander Jeep Wagoneer Lamborghini Urus Land Rover Defender Land Rover Discovery SVX Land Rover RR Evoque Lexus UX Maserati Mercedes EQB Mercedes GLE Mercedes G-Class Mercedes-AMG G-Class Mitsubishi L200 Nissan Juke Renault Alaskan Rivian R1T Rivian R1s Seat Ateca X-Perience Seat Tarraco Skoda Karoq Scout Skoda Kodiaq Coupe Skoda Kodiaq vRS Ssangyong XAVL Ssangyong Korando Suzuki Jimny Suziki Vitara facelift Toyota RAV4 Volvo V60 Cross-Country Volkswagen T-Cross Volkswagen Tarok

4x4 9pp News Feb ADS.indd 21

Small SUV Large SUV Performance SUV Performance SUV Performance SUV Small SUV Coupe SUV Large SUV Luxury SUV Large SUV Electric off-roader Electric pick-up Performance SUV Small SUV Medium SUV Pick-up Fuel-call SUV Off-roader Large SUV Small SUV Medium SUV Performance Off-Roader Pick-up Large SUV Luxury SUV Performance SUV Off-roader Large SUV Medium SUV Small SUV Medium SUV Electric SUV Large SUV Off-roader Performance off-roader Pick-up Small SUV Pick-up Electric pick-up Electric large SUV Medium SUV Large SUV Small SUV Medium SUV Performance SUV Medium SUV Small SUV Off-roader Small SUV Medium SUV 4x4 Estate Small SUV Pick-up

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02/01/2019 14:42

PRODUCTS

STYLISH BUMPER FOR LAND ROVER DEFENDER FROM UPROAR 4X4 THERE’S NO SHORTAGE of bumpers on the market for the Land Rover Defender. But this one from Uproar 4x4 means you’ll also have no shortage of places to put your auxiliary light.

The Quad Recessed DRL Bumper, to give it its full name, is made from 4mm thick 304 stainless steel, making it massively stronger than a standard 2.5mm unit. Available in gloss or satin black, it has four mounting positions for lights, each of them recessed for a stylish appearance and greater protection from stones and so on.

At £304.99, this isn’t the cheapest bumper in the world. But if you follow the ‘spend it once, spend it right’ philosophy, it looks like a bright investment. And if you don’t, well, you should. A visit to www.uproar4x4.com will help convince you.

IRONMAN 4X4 HAS LAUNCHED a new auxiliary battery tray to suit the Toyota Land Cruiser from late 2017 onwards. This allows you to locate t e atter n er t e nnet iea a ing t fit in t e arge t a a it nit a ai a e it t e ini t r e i e a e r 2 eet t e tra i re i i n e an I e e t e it t e t e an ing n iti n It a ate a atter t 0 1 0 in i e an it e r a t e ar are an atter a nee t fit it a i Ir n an a i ta e a t t ent in te fin t re e t Ir n an U i rter e t a t a entre at e t a t r a

PRO//TOP LOAD COVER ADDS STYLE AND SECURITY TO RANGER WILDTRAK NLG HAS JUST LAUNCHED a ne a a er e i i t t e r anger i tra e r er i a ar t nnea er it a a e er ate ini e igne t g it t e i tra tan ar ar gre rt ar a ing t e a a t i as well as secure. a e t ee r arg t ar a t e er i a e ing ig a it n er inning an i t inge It en n ga tr t t a ing it a ea t i t i re t e ner a it i ar t rea int i re n t ee ing r a a e in an t er en e are ea an rainage anne ritain n nee t arr t nt it an r er tran er e a ar a an ti na e tra a an ee t e e are itte in t e tr t gra e ere L a r i e t at a an en nee t re ert t an en rear e t e er an e re e it t a r e at a e t e ti e t en t ee t at r e g ing i it ng

22 | FEBRUARY 2019

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4x4 02/01/2019 14:49

PRODUCTS

NEW WRANGLER LIFT KITS FROM ALLOY USA TRUSTED ON ALL SEVEN CONTINENTS

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WITH OVER EXPERIENCE, TRUST US TO LIGHT YOUR WAY. ALLOY USA HAS LAUNCHED a new range of suspension lift kits for the Jeep Wrangler. Ranging from 1.5” to 4” in height, these cover the Wrangler YJ, TJ, JK and JL – or, to put it another way, all of them.

A long-standing name in the Jeep suspension aftermarket, Alloy USA says these packages offer ’outstanding performance and reliability’ and that they are ‘some of the most complete kits available on the market today.’

To back this up, they include all the components you need to carry out a full suspension lift – springs, control arms, brackets, hardware and, where applicable, shock absorbers.

‘Alloy USA has long been known for its commitment to creating quality, long-lasting products,’ said Engineering Manager Alain Eboli. ‘With our new offerings, we’ll be able to support more Jeep owners than ever before.’

Alloy USA says that each component in the kits was selected to provide the ltimate alance of sta ility, e i ility and o erall ride ality on a wide ariety of terrain t also acks them p with a fi e year limited warranty o find a dealer, isit www alloy sa com YOU DON’T GET MUCH FOR £5. Unless it’s BHS, Homebase, Barings Bank, Chelsea FC and the Millennium Dome, each of which has been sold for a quid, but you get the idea. at an get r a fi er i t i ne ar ing e n gie I ati e S it nt i et U t i i t e r fir t it nt it t e a a it t fit i it e into a single DIN aperture. i ean an en t g I a in a an t t in r a ane e ne nt r i e a i an ea a adding extra switches and controls into an unused standard car stereo aperture, after which all you need to do is add the switches theme e e t t in t e ane are e igne t a ate aring e n gie e er ar V Serie it e i are e a equipment by many car manufacturers. ri e e a re a t a fi er ere a a ti e en a e a a 50 ta e in er r t at Sa e t a i iting www.mudstuff.co.uk will probably turn out to be a etter in e t ent

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4x4 3pp Products Feb.indd 23

FEBRUARY 2019 | 23

02/01/2019 14:50

PRODUCTS

IRONMAN LAUNCHES HEAVY- DUTY PROTECTION FOR CURRENT LANDCRUISER IF YOU’RE IN THE HAPPY POSITION of being able to modify a Toyota Landcruiser 150-Series, you probably already know what Ironman can do for you.

The company is one of Australia’s most respected aftermarket o tfits – and with the Landcruiser being a vehicle the guys Down Under love more than life itself, it stands to reason that Ironman will make some pukka kit for it.

Kit like this. Ironman’s UBP Series of underbody protection equipment is not new, but the 150-Series (and the structurally similar 2009-on FJ Cruiser, which has never come to Britain as an official import has st een added to the ran e as a fitment Made from 4mm fabricated steel, the plates pro ide p to fi e times as much protection as the ori inal mm pressed o s a ainst impacts and penetration. They cover something like three times as much area, too, shielding the engine bay and transmission, as well as the radiator and steering, from impacts on rocks and tree stumps.

The plates’ design includes an integral framework which gives them the greatest strength in areas where ground strikes most commonly happen. This reduces deformation y de ectin the force of the impact into load-bearing elements in the vehicle’s structure.

By smoothing out the vehicle’s underside, the plates also allow it to slide over sharp crests in the ground. All its mounting hardware is fully recessed, and high-tensile fasteners are used all-round – while the plates themselves have an anticorrosion layer and black powdercoated finish to keep the metal healthy after the inevitable happens.

Which it will. n the s ect of ine ita le things, the plates are stamped with inspection holes for easy access during routine servicing and maintenance. They come with a two-year warranty and are available from Ironman’s UK importer, West Coast Off-Road Centre who yo ll find at www westcoastoffroad.co.uk.

24 | FEBRUARY 2019

3pp Products Feb.indd 24

WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT of Ironman kit for the Landcruiser 150, also new this month are a Mounting Kit and Wing Kit for use with the company’s 900mm Locksafe Drawer System.

These are designed for use on seven-seat versions of the Cruiser – or rather, for what were seven-seaters nti t t t e t ir r ing ea e an ne en r i t e nting it re tifie r i ing a at r a e r Ir n an ra er t nt n t With these in place, the Wing Kit comes in to its own. It’s designed to create a more functional space ar n t e ra er nit ering er t e ee ar i ter t r i e a at area r a t a in the rear of the vehicle. e it i a e r 12 arine ine it arine ar et an r nte a a er ate a ia e a r i ing a at r a e t it e it i t t ane i t rn t e i t eit er side of the drawer unit into easy-access storage areas.

S n i e an i ea a a ing a g e i e etter e e ia i re re ing r r i er r overland expedition work. Once again, the place to go is West Coast Off-Road Centre, Ironman’s importer in the UK – they’re at www.westcoastoffroad.co.uk.

4x4 02/01/2019 14:50

PRODUCTS

Everything electrical for your 4x4 project at great prices. 1000’s of parts in stock for immediate despatch with fast delivery.

NEW WHEEL SPACERS FOR VW AMAROK FORGE MOTORSPORT is now offering new wheel spacers for the Volkswagen Amarok. Available in 16mm and 20mm widths, these can be used to make the truck look meaner on the road – or, and this is the bit we appro e of, i e yo yo r sta ility ack after fittin a hefty s spension lift. While also making the truck look meaner on the road, obv.

The spacers have a 5x120mm PCD and 65.1mm centre bore, with an alloy spi ot to allow centrin on the h for easier wheel fitment once they e een offered p hey come with a lack anodised finish to inhi it corrosion, so that getting them back off the hubs again should still be possible if you decide to remove them some way down the line. heel spacin is a pop lar sol tion when a ehicle has een fitted with lifted suspension, both as a way of compensating for the heightened centre of gravity and to help aftermarket wheels clear the brake discs and calipers. These new units from Forge are priced and sold in pairs – though they don’t come with extended wheel nuts, so be sure to factor that in. efinitely worth the effort, at any rate, if yo re oinin the ranks of happy punters discovering the Amarok’s off-road potential. The 16mm spacers cost £51.90 per pair, while the 20mm units kick that up to £55.28,

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25TH

ANNIVERSARY

SILICONE HOSES a re e it ri e n a range ite e ifi t the Land Rover Defender and Discovery. These are being sold off as ‘end of the line’ items – which means that when they’re gone, they’re gone.

The range on offer mainly covers vehicles from the 300Tdi era, although there are several others on sale too. The hoses are variously available in blue and red – as well as black, if you want to keep your engine bay looking a little more sober.

The clearance comes as the company prepares to rationalise its off-road range in order to make way for new products. Prices for items included in the sale start at a ridiculously low £4.04 plus VAT – so you an i agine i t e re g ing t e ing t e e e get them before they’re gone, pay a visit to www.siliconhoses.com.

4x4 3pp Products Feb.indd 25

FEBRUARY 2019 | 25

02/01/2019 14:50

DRIVEN

SUZUKI JIMNY

The most eagerly anticipated 4x4 in many years finally arrives in Britain. But after all the hype has died down, is it as good a vehicle as we all so desperately hope it will be?

DRIVEN Jimny SZ5

A

decade and a half ago, we started an article on the Tata Safari by apologising.

We explained that instead of our usual balanced review, it was just going to be a list of reasons why you must not buy one.

Now here we are starting with another apology. Other car magazines have already tried to publish balanced reviews of the new Suzuki Jimny, but in doing so they’ve missed the point of it altogether and ended up making themselves look totally irrelevant.

26 | FEBRUARY 2019

6pp Jimny SZ5.indd 26

But we’re not going to do that.

Not us. We get what the Jimny is about – and that’s why, instead of our usual balanced review, this may well just turn out to be a list of reasons why you must buy one.

We’ll start with the bad things about it. Don’t blink, though – this bit will be over faster than a Swindon Town cup run. And, unlike Swindon Town, one of them’s not actually bad at all.

First, the paint finish is amateurish. It’s okay, albeit rather thin, when viewed from the outside, but under the bonnet it fades off to

the point where, by the time you get to the bulkhead, you’re looking at pure body-in-white. The bonnet hinge arms are a bit of both. If this weren’t a new car, we’d have had ringer alarms sounding in our ears.

It’s one of the very few areas in which you can see plainly where they’d done it on the cheap.

Second, the seats could do with more support under your shoulders. They’re okay, but that would make them better. The fabric in which they’re trimmed doesn’t feel very long-lasting, either. Again, it feels cheap.

Third, the pedals are positioned oddly, with a huge gap between the clutch and brake and a tiny one between the brake and throttle – which in turn is right up against the wall of the footwell. This is presumably so you can brace your foot while being bounced around by the terrain, but it means that ntil yo et sed to it, yo can find yourself pressing the wrong pedal.

Nothing cheap there, just a quirk, and a well conceived one at that.

Fourth? There is no fourth.

It’s not what you would call a comprehensive list of black marks,

4x4 20/12/2018 23:41

The cabin is simple and well laid out, with stout plastics and good quality controls that make it feel like it’s built to last. The driving position is excellent and there’s a great deal more space up front than you might expect – especially if you’re comparing it to the old Jimny is it? Not much of a case there, at any rate, for any of the tens of millions of people who’ve been raving about the Jimny on social media since they first saw a pict re of it to drop their interest.

And boy, have they been raving.

We’ve seen the odd grumpy comment from people who think they’re clever because they know there was a thing called a Suzuki LJ once, and the Jimny looks a bit like a modern copy of it, but it’s overwhelming: swarms of people want one. Even the journalists on the press launch wanted one. And most of Japan wants one, too, with

a waiting list which, based on early production volumes, at one point stood at four years.

What’s the formula behind this extraordinary popularity? The Jimny’s looks have a great deal to do with it, of course – but so, we think, does the fact that Suzuki hasn t tried to fi what wasn t broke. It still has a ladder chassis, beam axles at both ends and a part-time transfer case that’s operated by a lever, not a button.

It’s still a completely mechanical 4x4 – and it still comes at a price that makes every one of its rivals look like a clo d oatin in the sky

The entry-level SZ4 model costs £15,499, while the SZ5 is £17,999 or £18,999 with an auto box. t s diffic lt to call the imny a lot of car for your money, because there’s not a lot of it. But it’s definitely a lot of off road a ility for your money – and it’s an absolute shedload of charm.

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY For such a compromised day-to-day vehicle to achieve such immense

popularity speaks volumes for its ability to make people’s hearts rule their heads. Either that or it’s not really as compromised as you’d been given to assume.

It’s certainly not as cramped as you’d think, especially if you’re going on what the old Jimny was like. It’s not stretch-out-and-burp spacious, but two big blokes can sit in the front without any awkward personal space issues cropping p t s definitely roomier than a Defender, and we’d say a G-Wagen too (based on the last one we drove, at least, which was a model from before the recent relaunch).

argo space behind the rear seats is pretty tiny, but there’s a flap that folds up to reveal a decent si ed bin beneath the floor. With the seats down, the load floor is hard and waterproof, and it extends from wall to wall it’s not the longest, but with a door aperture that’s almost full-width and full-height the Jimny is actually very usable as a makeshift van

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The front seats are good enough but not great – they could do with more shoulder support if you’re any kind of tall, and the fabric covering them feels rather cheap. Controls are generally well made and positive in action, and a wonderful thing to see if you’re an off-road traditionalist who likes their technology to be mechanical is a good old-fashioned transfer lever sticking up from the transmission tunnel

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The view from the driver’s seat is good, with a nice, high position that gives you as commanding a view as is possible from inside such a small truck. You don’t

tower o er the traffic the way yo do in something like a Land Cruiser, but you certainly don’t feel invisible either. As we’ve mentioned, the seat itself isn’t as supportive as we d like, t it s definitely not a backache special either – and having done seven hours in it over

the course of a day, we wouldn’t hesitate to go there again.

The dashboard is made from hard plastics, which actually seems appropriate rather than cheap.

And they certainly don’t feel cheap, either – it’s all stout and dense, with solid build throughout and good, chunky controls. There’s a smallish media screen which is mounted in a console protruding out from the upper facia, making it look acceptably like it’s meant to be there; it’s not the best of its kind for the clarity of its graphics and interface alike, but it does the job smartly enough and lets you connect your phone through Apple CarPlay and so on.

We should add that the media system is standard only on the SZ5 model. So too, among other goodies, are alloys, LED headlights, climate control and heated front seats, all of which add up to a pretty well loaded Jimny.

Even the SZ4, however, gives you air-con, cruise control, DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity and front fog lamps. Which is a lot more than any version of the old Jimny could muster. This model doesn’t offer the option of an auto box, however, and it has a restricted range of paint colours, but we can certainly

4x4 20/12/2018 23:41

imagine Suzuki devotees seeing it as the one to go for. In fact, one of Britain’s best known devotees has done just that, and you’ll see the

results in these pages a few issues from now.

Getting back to the cabin, the rear seats are predictably short

on leg room. There are doublecabs with less, but don’t expect to get comfortable unless you’re either enviably young or enviably petite eadroom is a sol tely fine, though, and there’s a good view out through the big side windows.

For cargo carrying, the boot space behind the rear seats is eye-openingly small. There’s a lift-up panel for access to a couple of ins eneath the oor, t yo still needn’t expect to get much in there – an average visit to the supermarket, or enough recovery gear to get you out of most situations off-road, but even then you’ll have to load carefully to avoid either crushing your eggs or getting a snatch block on your toe when you open the back door.

Talking of the back door, when it opens it reveals a really big, square aperture posing almost no obstructions to getting bulky items on board. And when the back seats are folded down, they lea e a at oor with a hard, smooth surface which means the Jimny is actually quite a spectacular proposition as a miniature van. It’s a bit all-or-nothing, but if you’re in a position to run it as a two-seater the space behind you is a very usable one indeed.

To this end, it may be worth noting that an aftermarket van conversion is due to become

a aila le in the first arter of – and that you’ll be able to claim your VAT back on it and/or run it as a commercial vehicle for income tax purposes. Watch this space…

DRIVING If you believe some of the stuff that’s been said about the Jimny by the mainstream motoring press, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s like driving an old Series II Land Rover on the road. We’ve become used to disagreeing with the big boys of the media when it comes to off-road vehicles, but seldom have they missed the point by as great a distance as they have here.

Around town, the Jimny is not slow. Its engine revs away happily, and its transmission whines in a sound-deadening-is-for-sissies kind of a way, but while there’s no great shove of torque it’ll still pick up its skirts without the need for any extravagant downshifts. If you do need to change gear, the box is light and precise.

Naturally, it doesn’t glide around like a Range Rover. You hear the drivetrain and you feel the bumps, but you don’t need to get upset about it. The suspension draws the sting, even if the body’s being jostled around; it’s uncouth, maybe, but absolutely not loutish.

The 1.5-litre engine revs happily and has enough torque to shove the Jimny around in gear, so long as you’ve chosen the right gear in the first place. It’s not as noisy as you might expect even at a fast motorway cruise, you can have a normal conversation. In the light of what we’ve read in some of the mainstream motoring publications, we’d suggest that it needs a turbocharger like a fish needs a bicycle. ar less impressive is the paint finish under the bonnet, which fades to nothing as you get towards the bulkhead. It’s one of the few areas where the Jimny looks full-on cheap

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‘Even on standard tyres, its ability to keep moving forward in really nasty conditions is exceptional’ It’s fun to steer, too, with the feeling of a direct mechanical connection to the ground. People who’d sooner be driving a hot hatch might point to a lack of feedback, but there’s certainly no shortage of feel – and once you’re used to it, you can chuck it around corners with complete confidence This translates into a performance on A and B-roads that’s lively, vigorous and full of fun.

No, it’s not fast, and when there’s

a mobile chicane to get past you need a lot of road and at least one cog lower to wind it up for a heroic overtake, but the good news is that makes 50mph absolutely hilarious.

Just as it romps around joyously in town, it leans from side to side in fast corners with the sort of seatof-your-pants verve no-one else can experience without breaking the law.

Being part-time four-wheel drive, you could lose the tail end if you

really give it death, but that doesn’t compromise its chuckability one bit – even on wet roads. We’ve heard the I-want-to-be-Lewis-Hamilton brigade slagging it off for lacking grip at the ragged edge, but we’d gently suggest that it’s on beam a les and hi h profile tyres for a reason. Guess what? If you try to drive it like a Golf R it won’t be happy. Guess what else? If you try to drive it like a Golf R you need to send your licence back and settle for playing Gran Turismo instead.

On the motorway, we expected it to be breathless, unstable and deafening. It’s none of those things.

For sure, the engine is spinning away by the time you reach a realworld cruising speed (by which we mean around 80mph, not a slavishly obedient 70), but even then it’s

entirely possible to have a normal conversation. You’re not shouting, not straining to hear or be heard, and we say that after seven hours on board.

You don’t need to be making constant adjustments to the steering, either, and while the ride isn’t silky smooth it’s certainly not harsh. With the cruise control set and the stereo doing its thing (it’s adequate, but won’t blow your windows out), you could drive all day with no concerns.

OFF-ROAD The foregoing should be reassuring to everyone who fancies a Jimny because it’s a cool car. But the point is that it’s made for off-road

The Jimny’s gearing is low enough for general off-road work. If you want to fit a suspension lift and bigger tyres, however and you will , the ever-popular ock obster conversion will transform its drivability on really extreme terrain just as it did for the old Jimny

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VERDICT

use – and we’ve found that even on standard tyres, its ability to keep moving forward in really nasty conditions is exceptional.

We’re not talking about bottomless mud, which is just a test of your tread pattern and the size of your engine; this was in a arry with firm ro nd hidden beneath a top two or three inches of saturated clay mud. In these conditions, which are typical in Britain, you want tyres about you that are lean – and the 195/80R15s that come as standard are just that.

With its light weight and foursquare stance, the Jimny is easy to place on the ground. Its small proportions mean it tends not to fall into ruts created by Land Rovers, too, which is good news

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as clearance beneath the axles isn’t huge. What’s really noticeable, though, is just how tractable it is – not just at romping up hills with yo r foot to the oor, t at keeping moving, often at a snail’s pace, over ground which seems completely devoid of friction.

We’d like it if Suzuki were to put a locker in the rear axle, however.

At times, when approaching the limits of articulation, we found that it would start spinning opposite wheels a little early, we’d guess as a result of its light weight. Those limits are about where you’d expect; the beam axles have enough travel to pass muster, though the real enefit they rin is in how easy they ll make it to fit a suspension lift.

With the bigger tyres this will allow, we’d imagine you’ll use low first more or less e cl si ely off road. As it is, the Jimny’s gearing is perhaps a trace on the high side; we were able to use second for general tooling about without it feeling over-geared, but hill descent control is fitted as standard and we can imagine it being pressed into service. Certainly, if you’re an old hand at the Suzuki game, you’ll know all about Rock Lobster transfer box conversions, which allow for a much deeper range of ratios in low box, and we don’t see the new model doing anything to put an end to demand for these.

Even as standard, however, you’ll be able to reach a lot of places in a Jimny. With nothing more radical

than a set of mud-terrains, it will perform remarkably well offroad – we can picture it providing an excellent form of personal transport for people working in the estates or agricultural sectors (which Suzuki says is exactly what it’s built for) – and if you want to wipe the oor with all comers in an FVT trial, there could be no better vehicle in which to turn up.

This is a seriously agile, amazingly tractable and very manoeuvrable 4x4 whose out-of-the-box abilities are sky-high and whose potential is almost limitless. The off-road aftermarket is oin to ha e a field day with it. There’s going to be a new generation of super-Jimnys on the way – but even as standard, it’s already a super Jimny.

HHHHH

Suzuki Jimny SZ5 Winsome looks are just the start –it’s good at everything it does The new Jimny is every bit as good as it looks.

And it looks amazing. It’s well made, generously equipped and more practical than you’ve any right to expect – and it’s an absolutely cast-iron prospect as an everyday car, just so long as you get what it’s about. It’s in its element off-road, but that doesn’t come at the expense of on-road manners the way people seem to assume it must.

Between us, we’ve been doing this job for more than half a century, and between us we had only ever once felt moved to describe a car as perfect.

Until now. That’s how good the Jimny is.

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DRIVEN

VW AMAROK 258 HIGHLINE

New version of the 3.0 TDI engine moves the Amarok further upmarket than ever and creates a truly premium alternative to traditional SUVs DRIVEN Amarok 3.0 TDI 258 Highline

V

olkswagen says it has always positioned the Amarok at the premium end of the pick-up market. We recently gave the cheapest, lowest-spec version of the tr ck a fi e star ratin , which tends to suggest to us that they’ve certainly got the basics right – but now here’s one from the opposite end of the range.

All Amaroks are powered by a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine. It’s been available since launch in 204 and 224bhp form; recently added to the range was a 163bhp version, which

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is what we drove in work-spec form in last month’s issue, and a range-topping unit with 258bhp at 3250rpm and 428lbf.ft at 1400rpm.

It’s the latter we’ve got here, mated as standard to an eight-speed automatic gearbox and available only in top-spec Highline trim.

The range-topping version of a premium vehicle is only ever going to be a pricey thing, and sure enough you’re looking at a vehicle that lists at £32,235. That’s £42,233 on the road after VAT, which definitely p ts this marok towards the very top of the market.

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Two-tone leather and all the electronics you can think of mark out the Highline model as a premium double-cab. It’s acceptably practical as a working truck, too, though oddment stowage is only average and rear-seat legroom is limited.

The overall standard of build, fit and finish, however, marks this out as a truck with star quality

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY The feeling of quality in the Amarok’s cabin is obvious from the word go. That’s the case whichever model you buy, but in Highline trim it adds a dollop of class on top of the appealing simplicity and stout build that are such familiar Volkswagen trademarks.

An impressive looking multimedia screen gets things off to a good start here, and in addition to the usual electronic toys the seats are clad in a nicely designed leather finish e d ha e liked to see them featuring adjustable lumber support,

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however – all the heating, fancy hide and power-operated adjustment in the world counts for little if you’re feeling achey after a couple of hours.The seats are by no means uncomfortable, but such a simple addition would make them more comfortable and at this price we think you’ve got a right to expect it.

In the rear, we’ve commented before on the Amarok’s rather limited legroom. This does seem to have improved during the current model year, which may or may not be down to our imagination, but it’s still not great.

It’s far from the worst in the onetonne market, but the Ford Ranger continues to show the others how it’s done.

Elsewhere in the cabin, oddment stowage is just about adequate but certainly not anything special. The cubby, glovebox and door pockets are all rather small and awkward to get into, so you’re likely to end up leaving things like your phone, wallet and house keys in the bin and cup holders in the centre console. There’s further stowage under the seats, though, and the rear ench drops at for carryin items you wouldn’t want to put into the rear bed.

Overall, this version of the Amarok is a decent, practical truck that’s just a little bit frustrating in what you feel it ought to give you but doesn’t. More to the point, though, as personal transport it’s

nothing short of outstanding, with a lovely looking dash design and almost all the equipment you’d expect of a pick-up you’d buy to do the job of an SUV. Build quality is superb and your view of the road ahead is imperious.

DRIVING e e tested the marok i hline before and found it smooth, composed and easy to drive. This time, of course, it’s all about the engine – which is, not to put too fine a point on it, e traordinary e fo nd that with lower powered versions of the 3.0 TDI engine, the auto box took a bit of

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winding up. But with 258bhp at your shoulder, not to mention 428lbf. ft from way down at 1400rpm, it’s pulls you up to speed startlingly quickly and without any apparent effort. It hardly raises its voice at all in the process, and there’s not even a hint of hardness or vibration as it whisks the vehicle forward. It leaps ahead when kicked down and pulls in ear with ama in e i ility, and in terms of outright pace it’s on a different level to any other pick-up we’ve driven.

With so much power and torque going down, it’s reassuring to know you’re being looked after by full-time four-wheel drive. The Amarok grips superbly even on wet

roads and stays stable and planted in corners, with body control that s e cellent y standards in general and particularly considering it’s a one-tonne pick-up. We did find the steerin nnat rally hea y on initial turn-in, however, to the e tent that it felt almost alarmin – though once into the corner, it’s completely predictable and vicefree in terms of handling. en with the lower profile tyres in the range, too, the Amarok rides beautifully smoothly. What thumps you do get coming up through the suspension are well muted and have the harshness damped out of them, and there s ne t to no road noise at speed. You don’t need to be making

constant adjustments to your line on the motorway, either, which could be interpreted as the upside of that heavy steering. o d e pect all this to make the Amarok a monster of a tow truck, but even in this form it’s only rated to 3100kg. That’s still a lot, but there are plenty of sers who insist on the le al ma im m and for the sake of 400kg, it seems silly for Volkswagen not to have done whatever it would have taken to match the rest of its rivals here.

What this is, however, is a new high in terms of performance from pick-up trucks. It’s easy to drive, and easy to drive fast; we’ve yet to e perience the latest en ined version of the Mercedes X-Class, but for now this Amarok is miles ahead of any other pick-up for to pace t s the first pick p that’s felt truly like an SUV to drive.

OFF-ROAD If you want an Amarok for offroading, this isn’t the model to go for. Not just because of all the nice chrome, big alloys and so on, but because models with the automatic o don t ha e low ran e any people have turned to pick-ups as

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an alternative to the Land Rover Defenders they would once have bought, and for them this would be an instant deal-breaker.

We’d highly recommend the or hp man al maroks if you do need a truck with low range. If you don’t, however, this one is still pretty capable, with the inevitable off-road button there to help yo o t and a ood, deep first ratio in the a to o meanin it s not entirely uncontrollable in tight woodlands and so on. You do spend most of your time holding it back on the brakes, though, which is not how it’s meant to be done – and, if you spend a lot of time in quarries, will mean you go through brake pads at an absolutely fearsome rate.

The Amarok’s options list includes a locking rear diff, and the ehicle tested here had one fitted That sounds a bit like Swindon Town trying to sign Ronaldo witho t first ha in a team that can take on the likes of Carlisle without getting booed off the pitch by their own fans, but it’s still a useful item to have at your disposal – and to be fair on the Amarok, we managed to find off road sit ations in which it made a genuine difference. e d still maintain that low o is essential in a truck designed to

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HHHH

easily to be considered a proper off-road machine. If you want that from an Amarok, a manual model is the only answer.

VERDICT

be used properly offtarmac, however.

As it is, with the Off-Road button engaged the Amarok’s steering lightens up nicely and hill descent control comes in to keep on top of things on long, steep hills.

It still doesn’t allow you to crawl over the terrain the way you want to be able to in tight or technical situations, however, and e en with the o kept in first sin the paddles it still runs away too

VW Amarok 258 Highline The most convincing premium double-cab we’re yet to experience This Amarok isn’t the best off-road, but its talents lie elsewhere – and what talents they are. The 258bhp version of the 3.0 TDI engine is superb, it en r a e an refine ent It ea and rewarding to drive – and thus equipped, the Amarok is the closest thing the pick-up market has yet come to producing a genuine alternative to an SUV. It’s not cheap, but this Amarok is the most convincing premium truck we’ve seen.

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WHERE EAGLES DARE WORDS: GEORGE DOVE PICTURES: GOODYEAR

There’s more to an SUV tyre than just making a car tyre in the right size. Goodyear has just adapted its Eagle F1 to suit bigger vehicles – and we’ve had an early experience of the results

G

oodyear has recently adapted its Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 to suit bigger vehicles than ever. The newly designated Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 SUV (EFA3S) is the latest version of this cutting-edge SUV tyre, and we recently had the chance to experience it in wet and dry conditions on a dedicated test track.

The Eagle F1 Asymmetric range promises strong grip and braking performance in all weathers. Goodyear says this is down to its

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active braking and grip booster technologies, as well as SUV-optimised construction.

Active braking technology? By this, Goodyear is referring to a tread design which maximises surface area under braking. Essentially, it means the three central blocks in the tread compress and become wider under the added pressure that comes with braking, therefore increasing the tyre’s hold on the road and ultimately shortening braking distance.

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Grip booster technology lives within the compound from which the EFA3S tread is made.

The mix includes natural rubber polymers, silica, acid agents, resins and oils to create a tyre that’s durable yet stickier than before. Again, this aids the tyre in allowing a shorter braking distance, and it also makes it grippy and easy to handle – even on a wet track.

SUV-optimised is a plainer concept. Obviously, SUVs are considerably bigger than cars in general, and therefore there is more weight on their tyres’ shoulders. To deal with this, nylonaramid hybrid cords have been integrated, and there are several layers to the tyre – adding strength and durability.

How well does all this work? To answer that, let’s talk about our day spent at Goodyear’s test facility in Mireval, France, where we put the EFA3S to work with the help of a variety of Range Rover Velars. These were powered by a selection of engines including the familiar 240D and 300D diesel units – as well as the distinctly up-for-it P380 petrol.

This most powerful of the Velar’s engines was only available to drive on the track itself, and it certainly allowed us to push the tyres hard. The rubber gripped furiously, however, controlling the Velar’s mass well. Naturally, the combination of 375bhp and a vehicle weighing two-and-a-half tonnes meant traction started to wane near the limits t this was only e er eetin , and most importantly it was predictable.

More akin to real-world Britain, we also tested the tyres’ handling on a wet course using a 240D Velar. And this was where the tyres were at their most impressive; Goodyear explained to us that the EFA3S’s compound contains resins chosen specifically for their rip in the wet, and

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the results were there for all to see. The Velar didn’t feel its size and weight, remaining neutral through sharp corners on a very wet surface.

On longer, faster corners, the rear end could be provoked to step out when pushed hard – but only by a matter of inches, and it was back under control in fractions of a second.

Braking was impressive in the wet, too. From 55mph to a standstill, the Velar consistently stopped around two metres sooner than on the competitor tyres Goodyear provided for comparison. It was a smoother affair when the ABS kicked in, too. n addition to ein refined, comforta le and beautiful, handy off-road for what it is and more than a little nippy with the right engine, the Velar is surprisingly agile. The course started off with a row of slalom cones then looped round through an arc into a sprint back to the starting point. And we were to do it in the quickest time possi le, finishin with an emer ency stop from hi h speed to finish as close as possi le to a wall forty metres or so away.

The Goodyears worked wonders here. In and out of the cones, the Velar felt agile and alert, its power was easily put down upon exit from t rn and rakin was confident Converting a performance road tyre into one suitable for an SUV is neither an easy task not one that’s guaranteed to work. But Goodyear has added features which help the rubber perform which helps these tyres atter the ehicles on which they re fitted Hybrid cords have been mixed into the tread for strength; a cool cushion layer reduces rolling resistance for more cornering stability and also aids f el efficiency and the metallic thread alon the rim has been strengthened for contact against the alloy.

The result? Very impressive, if you can’t tell.

These tyres offer control through grip in turning and braking and are as comfortable in the wet as they are in the dry hey re refined and iet, too The Velar is a very good SUV – and with a set of oodyear a le F symmetric s fitted, it handles more like a car than ever.

FEBRUARY 2019 | 39

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THINKING

When you’re considering your options for a long-range expedition truck, the Suzuki Jimny doesn’t normally get a look in. But after a trans-European adventure involving a major traverse of the Alps using high-level off-tarmac tracks, this highly modified example of the breed came home triumphant WORDS: GEORGE DOVE PICTURES: GEORGE DOVE AND REDMOND NEALE

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BIG T

hese days, if you’re going to build a bigbudget off-roader starting with a brand new vehicle, there’s a strong chance that you’ll do it with a pick-up truck. But even as recently as st fi e years a o, yo d almost certainly have used a Land Rover Defender. he ki imny has rown to ecome a firm favourite in off-road circles. The SJ410 and 413 were for a lon time almost the only alternati e to and o ers, and the third eneration model the first to act ally e called the imny in Britain) carried on where those vehicles left off. ike the that came efore them, all these kis shared the same desi n philosophy hey had the ladder chassis, eam a les and d al ran e transfer gears of a proper off-roader – but in a compact, li htwei ht packa e championin a ility and manoe ra ility s a res lt they were tr e giant-killers off-road, routinely defying the odds y con erin m ch more than was e pected of them he new imny, which is st arri in in the now, looks set to follow on where the previous model left off t this is the story of one of those third en imnys one which, like so many others, has een modified to make it etter than ever off-road. s with all ood stories, tho h, the direction of this one doesn t follow the norm hen edmond eale o ht his imny, it had already een modified a little t he went on to take things to a whole new level. It had een lifted already, and fitted with a snorkel and hea y d ty mper as well as a set of wheelarch e tensions ori inally intended to o

on a efender Clearly, the imny had een kitted out for off-roading – but it wasn’t the kind that edmond had in mind hen o ht the imny, it had a few mods and had seen a small it of off roadin , he e plains ll ery occasionally o o t reen lanin with a few friends, but that sort of off-roading isn t what e cites me m more one to co er tho sands of miles in a new and forei n co ntry and e plore it that s off roadin for me ormally, yo ll y a andcr iser for this kind of st ff f not a andcr iser, may e a Patrol or some kind of pick p tr ck ome people e en still do it in and o ers t a imny reat at what it s reat at, t s rely too small to work as an e pedition tr ck ell, edmond didn t let that fa e him e had a plan for the trip lon efore the imny was up to scratch, and knew that there would be a journey before the travelling could even begin. is intention was to head to the lps, where he wo ld co er tho sands of miles oth on and off-road, so the vehicle needed to be versatile, capa le and comforta le o, with a imny that s een tailored for a different type of off-roading and has plenty of work ahead, where do you begin turning it into yo r own o erlandin companion ‘I had to do the build in a few stages. But the first step was to treat the imny to a f ll professional weld treatment, down at in ckfield think a so nd chassis and body is the best place to start – I knew what was in store for the car, so needed somethin co ld really rely on st died mechanics

myself for three years, so co ldn t wait to et my hands dirty.’

From here, edmond enlisted the help of his rother in law, whose ara e C otors in Cranlei h did m ch of the work on the imny e also enlisted the help of fa rication specialist C eldin er ices in orsham and y the time it was ready for lps, the imny s spec list was more comprehensi e than the chapter in anye est s a to io raphy titled hin s lo e a o t me Buzzwelding aside, the chassis has been left well alone as has the en ine, with the most nota le mechanical chan e ein the addition of a Rock Lobster transfer case built by Richard attam at ockwatt t dri es as if it was standard says edmond n a : ratio, the en ine works really well with it otorway cr isin is ery comforta le and there s still plenty of r nt off road not to mention it s more relia le than a chain dri en o like the standard one.’

The Lobster tranny is paired to the standard ear o , t ahead of this an prated cl tch has also een fitted a tricky to so rce edy afari ff Cl tch from own nder lsewhere in the drivetrain, the original propshafts have been replaced with hea y d ty hi h an le o s from imny its p t the imny on alloys from imny its with one inch rail ear spacers and Cooper isco erer Pros, contin es edmond he rakes prated with e tended stainless steel lines, and m also r nnin a disc brake conversion at the back.’

‘I think a sound chassis and body is the best place to start – I knew what was in store for the car, so I needed something I could really rely on’ 4x4 5pp Redmond Neale.indd 43

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Top: Protecting the front axle with some heavy metal was never going to be a bad idea – hence the diff guard from Jimny Bits. Inside, the axle is stuffed with ongfield heavy-duty oints and 22-spline halfshafts. ote also the ro- omp steering damper, which is mounted using a ookbob fitting kit bove: n the face of it, you’re ust looking at a rear recovery bar here. But the axle contains ongfield heavy-duty halfshafts and if you peer into the shadows, you’ll see four things of note. ne is a pair of shocks, whose extra length and flexibility makes the most of the Jimny’s 4 springs, and the second is a set of shock mount guards from Jimny Bits. Another is that the rear drums have been replaced by discs, which has got to be a good thing when you’re up high in the mountains and you’ve got outsize tyres doing their best to provoke brake fade. Finally, and perhaps most telling of all, you can ust see a bash guard under the transfer case this is protecting what edmond reckons is the most valuable mod on the whole truck, a ock obster conversion which allows it to crawl properly on the toughest terrain he cares to tackle ight: Suspension from Jimny Bits adds four inches to the height of the vehicle, making room for a set of 23 ooper iscoverer STT ros

6

You don’t get to put 235/85s on a Jimny without doing something to the suspension first, and once a ain imny its was edmond s o to s pplier he ehicle rides on sprin s and f lly ad sta le shocks of the same len th i in him plenty of hei ht and also no shorta e of e idin them in this department are castor corrected radi s arms, mo nted sin perPro shes, and the s spension also feat res ad sta le panhard rod mo nts and ook o e tended mp stops espoke rock sliders ha e een painted in weld C , as has a c stom steel mper which plays home to the mo nt on which a , l ech winch is to e fo nd Powerin the winch is a d al attery set p r n y a a d al attery relay and monitorin system F ll i imny e tended reathers ha e een fitted to the ear o , transfer o and differentials, and the en ine ets its air ia a

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Above left: The engine is still standard, which is a good way for an engine to be. Obviously it’s plumbed in to the raised air intake, but the main thing of note here is the presence of a second battery. This is in place for the benefit of the winch; the system is governed by a T-Max set-up with in-cab monitoring Above right: The snorkel was already in place when Redmond bought the Jimny. It looks well with the wheelarch extensions he added, though – these were originally intended for a Land Rover Defender, but they work like a charm on the Suzuki. The snorkel is also used for routing a set of breathers up high to keep the axles, gearbox and transfer case out of harm’s way snorkel – which, as you’ll recall, is one of the mods that were already in place before the build started. To help toughen the Jimny up for the more challenging adventures ahead, Redmond also fitted a front diff ard and hea y d ty f el tank guard, uprated the transfer box mounts and had the odywork professionally modified to ens re the tyres don t catch at f ll e ‘I have always been into exploring,’ explains Redmond. ‘I used to own a Ford Puma, which I drove 4500 miles across the entire European continent, and I drove to Milan and back in a 1992 Proton. The memory of these trips is partly what lead me to getting the Jimny.’

Suddenly, you can see why he wasn’t bothered about getting a Landcruiser. I mean, there’s literally nothing that wouldn’t be an improvement on an old Proton. What mattered as Redmond planned his Alpine adventure was that he realised he wo ld need to y his first 4x4 – and that is exactly what this Jimny was.

But enough about the Jimny now. What did the trip itself entail?

‘My partner and I drove 2500 miles to and around the French Alps,’ he explains. ‘It was fantastic! The main route we did was called the ta lpes , which yo can find on the Wikiloc app. It was a fantastic route, and the Jimny proved to be a fantastic rock crawler!’

The route, which meanders through the mountain range from Chamandrin down to Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée, is made up mainly of steep climbs on gravelly tracks which yield some breathtaking views. But, as Redmond found, it’s not without its challenges. he map was a it diffic lt to follow at times, he reports. ‘This meant that a few times we took tracks that didn’t exist anymore! We’d get halfway up and have to back down again. But e en then, the imny mana ed it fine Pro ress could have been quicker, but it wasn’t a problem.

I just saw it as part of the fun!’

Climbing up and down various tracks in the Alps, combined with the hundreds of miles

4x4 5pp Redmond Neale.indd 45

covered on tarmac to and from the mountain range, proved to Redmond the absolute versatility of his creation. It also left him in no doubt at all as to what is the best alteration made to the Jimny. And if you’re a regular reader, it will be a familiar tale.

‘The Rock Lobster transfer box conversion has transformed the car both on and off the road. It drives as though it is standard but with the 5:1 ratio it’s so capable and works seamlessly with the standard engine. On the motorway it cruises along easily at speed and off-road it gives you plenty of grunt.’

t, as with all off roadin , r nt doesn t fi every problem. Sometimes when the weather takes hold, you just have to stop – as Redmond and the Jimny found out.

‘One night, we were heading down a track and towards our stopover for the evening,’ Redmond begins. ‘But then a storm broke out and we had no choice but to stop and wait it out. The rain was pouring down so hard that the track was like a river beneath the Jimny and the wipers couldn’t clear the windscreen fast enough! Plus, because of how high we still were, we could see the lightning above the mountains.’ Scary.

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fabricated front bumper has been finished in Bu sliders have been treated with I , too

Eventually, the weather did begin to subside – and, with the help of a 30” light bar, progress continued through the French mountains as Redmond searched out more destinations to explore. Among them was something quite surreal that really captured his imagination.

‘At the top of one of the mountains there was this structure, and once we headed into it what we found was strange. My partner stayed at the top because she found it creepy, but I wasn’t bothered and headed in for a look around!’

Built down into the mountain, Redmond had stumbled upon a bizarre abandoned building, with rooms and bunks beds seemingly forgotten long ago. Staircases led further underground, with myriad corridors and rooms to be explored.

‘It was so cool. I really enjoyed just looking

5pp Redmond Neale.indd 46

weld

I

and fitted with a 3,000lb T- ech winch.

around and imagining who had been there and what it had been made for.’

Now, that’s the kind of experience you only get from truly independent travel. And there are few better ways to travel independently than by doing it aboard a competent 4x4 of your own.

‘The Jimny worked just how I wanted it to,’ says Redmond, ‘if not better! It took us on a real adventure, and I felt a great sense of pride from having created the vehicle that took us on it myself!’

If this journey with the Jimny has taught Redmond anything, it is that he wants more.

However, that does mean he is moving on from the little Suzuki – albeit with with a heavy heart.

‘Over the last few years, I have loved my time with the Jimny,’ he says. ‘But it’s time for a new

ustom rock

project. I want something with a bit more space, so we can fit more e ipment in it and st e more comfortable on our next adventure – wherever that may be! So, I’ll soon be picking up my Landcruiser Utility and the next overland project will be underway.’

Well, what do you know – an other convert to the Landcruiser way. But Redmond hasn’t been driven into the waiting arms of Toyota’s off-road legend by any failings on the Jimny’s part. If only it was bigger, you feel, he’d have stuck with it.

That is of course the reason why not many people use Jimnys for expedition travel in the first place t edmond pro ed that it can e done – and even if he’s moving on now, he has nothing but fond memories of his time with Suzuki’s legendary off-road giant killer.

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Happy Campers

In a wooded corner of south-western France, an enterprising ATV manufacturer hosts an annual get-together designed to show the world how much fun its vehicles can be. And they can be a lot of fun. Welcome to Camp Polaris… WORDS: GEORGE DOVE PICTURES: ERIC MALHERBE / POLARIS 48 | FEBRUARY 2019

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hen yo re yin into ordea , yo mi ht e pect to e sharin a ca in with a ci ilised ro p of wine to rists ot, as was the case when we isited so th west France recently, a ery li ely r y to r s this ill strates, there s more to the re ion than mi ht meet the eye s is almost certainly the case with e ery re ion of the world, o io sly, t anyway he r y oys pro a ly tho ht too was a wine to rist, t was headed for ey ades, a few ho rs from ordea the home of Camp Polaris n the com ined territories of rope, frica and the iddle ast, France is the lar est market for Polaris prod cts h s it is the lo ical home for Camp Polaris an ann al e ent that sees h ndreds of the company s ads and side y sides ather to ether like one i happy off road family rri in at the e ent, the car park is a si ht to ehold, with ario s s, enerals and portsman s all lined p and displayin their c stom paint o s, accessories and modifications for all to admire en if yo were to t rn p here witho t any reat feelin s for the world, yo d e won o er in an instant

4x4 3pp Camp Polaris.indd 49

Cl Polaris is a riders ro p for the people who own those ehicles et p twel e years a o y Polaris itself, the cl offers a for m for owners to et to ether and ride, e plorin the capa ilities of their side y side or ome Polaris dealerships or anise o er e ents a year, incl din local rides and national e ents at si ty odd primed ridin spots all o er France ow s ccessf l is the cl ell, it has pwards of , mem ers already si ned p and on a era e rows y mem ers each month, as e ery owner of a new or second hand Polaris ehicle is offered the chance to si n p y their dealer nd Camp Polaris is the ann al showstopper, with aro nd ehicles each year makin the pil rima e o attend Camp Polaris, yo ha e to re ister thro h yo r dealer, and so can yo r mate e en if they rock p to the festi al in a Can m hat s what yo call confidence in yo r prod cts he site in ey ades has space for campin for all of the ests attendin the two day owners e ent, pl s local food stalls, accessories and ridin ear, alon with an official Polaris showroom, a fantastic off road co rse and a workshop f ll of mechanics for any o erni ht tinkerin that may e re ired for a second ite of the cherry come

nday mornin tickin with the fr ity metaphors, the off road ro te is a peach one so si ea le it doesn t e en re ire a ames tartin at ase camp, the oliath kilometre ro te was s rprisin ly technical and ery, ery well alanced he ro te meandered from ase camp downhill thro h a ast selection of scenery, terrains and radients to thoro hly test the ehicles t it ne er offered scenarios that wo ld eopardise the f n, s ch as spots that wo ld pose the risk of c stomers ettin st ck fter nearly fo r ho rs of lastin thro h woodlands, fields, ra el tracks and co ntry roads, we finished with a splash in the rocky waterfall finale in front of a in crowd f yo weren t o t on the co rse there was still plenty of action, with demo rides a aila le thro ho t the day on which attendees co ld test o t an on a short co rse thro h the woods or take a passen er ride with decorated professional dri ers nce e enin came and the ridin was done for the day, the festi al atmosphere took o er he onfire was lit and the wine tastin e an nder the stars while food was ser ed in the tent From the rows of ta les, the Polaris family were serenaded y a and who played from a sta e at the far end, and ne t to the platform a local artist painted an homa e to the rand at the heart of the et to ether sense of to etherness spanned the whole weekend and not st after the wine e an to ow ith m ch of the ride takin place on sin letrack, there were a co ple of stoppa es

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‘Once evening came and the riding was done for the day, the festival atmosphere took over. A sense of togetherness spanned the whole weekend – and not just after the wine began to flow’ as a result of mechanical issues. When this happened, there was not a single stern word – riders simply disembarked and passed the time talking about each other’s machines, the route and the wonderful setting until the issues were fi ed hen, the so nd of en ines firin p ricocheted down the line and it was business as usual again. he Camp f nctions e ceptionally well, not just as a tool for Polaris to paint itself in a fantastic light – which it undoubtedly does – but to intensify the passion that runs throughout the Polaris community. efore arri in , it was hard to know e actly what to e pect from the camp eadin that there will be lots of vehicles doesn’t prepare you for the e citement of ein amon si h ndred of the things, all piloted by owners chomping at

the bit to push their pride and joy to the limit on a fantastic, bespoke route. here was ne er a estion o er the a ility of Polaris vehicles, so it was no surprise that such a high number of the starters completed the course – with 100% of them crossing the line with a smile on the rider’s face. It was impressive that after riding hell for leather over a technical course of such distance, you could count the reakdowns on the fin ers of one hand t the most surprising thing was the community and the fact that such a large number of owners rode their Polaris, e it a portsman, , an er or General, purely for the passion of it. It feels that in the , ads and side y sides of any brand are seen predominantly as tools, but here the atmosphere was much more representative of the scene in orth merica which is absolutely thriving.

A big part of the reason why this is different in France is Cl Polaris em ership is free and you usually join when you buy your ride, although if you want to sign up it’s as simple

as a trip to a dealership em ership rin s a monthly newsletter, with information on all the many dealer or anised ridin e ents, so yo don t e er ha e to miss o t on a et to ether o ll recei e an e mail on yo r irthday with a special offer, there’s a monthly competition with vouchers to be won and an annual magazine is posted out to every member.

With its success in France, Polaris are looking to e pand the cl to other markets as soon as possi le he ood news is one of these markets is the UK. st eca se Cl Polaris is comin to li hty doesn t mean that a Polaris Camp will happen, too, but there’s no reason it couldn’t in the future. It could be a huge success if Brits were to see the fun side in the vehicles, and the cameraderie and ease of more fre ent dealer organised events could go a long way to making it happen i e like this can e a diffic lt thin to create – but Polaris is showing that with the right products, a happy set of punters is never far away.

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•

DESOLATION

Desolation Wilderness doesn’t sound like a very welcoming place. But this mountainous backwater in the Californian High Sierras is home to one of the world’s greatest off-road challenges – the mighty Rubicon Trail. We went off to tackle this epic rocky road aboard the most appropriate of vehicles…

WORDS: ALAN KIDD PICTURES: JEEP

N

ot everyone in the off-road world likes the same thing. Be it vehicles, modifications, terrain, the kind of competition you do or even where you stay when you’re out there doing it, we’ve all got our own idea of 4x4 perfection.

But there are some things everyone agrees on. Not many, but a few. And one of them, very definitely, is that of all the off road ad ent res in the world, there is only one Rubicon Trail.

The Rubicon is an old coach road in the aptly named Desolation Wilderness, near the Nevada-

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California border. A major part of its attraction is that it really does take you through the wilderness, with nothing but achingly beautiful pine-clad mountains as far as you can see – and at times, that’s a long, long way.

Not that you actually travel all that far on a trip along the Rubicon. You’ll feel as if you must ha e co ered a o t fi e h ndred miles, t in fact it’s more like eleven or twelve. Consider the fact that this takes about a day and a half, and you’ll get an idea of the nature of the terrain you’ll be tackling.

No wonder Jeep fans make such a big deal of driving the Rubicon. The archetypal all-American 4x4 and the archetypal all-American trail make natural bedfellows, and have done for decades – you can take any kind of off-road vehicle on the trail, of course, and it’s been tackled many times over by Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, pick-ups and so on, but the whole place has Jeep written all over it.

There’s even a version of the Wrangler named after it. The Rubicon model comes with a list of enhancements designed with rock-crawling

4x4 28/12/2018 15:05

ROW

in mind, like lower overall gearing, locking diffs, heavy-duty shocks and a detachable front antiroll bar. And that’s all good, because here I am sat behind the wheel of one at the Loon Lake trailhead, about to pilot it through the entire Rubicon, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to need all the help I can get.

I’ve been off-roading for long enough to have learned at least a bit about what to do, but typically of a Brit almost all my experience has been of mud, ruts and general slithery wetness.

Snow and sand are dark arts as far as I’m

4x4 5-6 Rubicon.indd 53

concerned; I’ve done a little more on rocks, but not enough to feel anything other than out on a limb when confronted with them.

So as I prepare to confront the Rubicon, I’ve got mixed feelings. Part of me is bouncing off the wall with excitement at the realisation of a dream e held e er since first read a o t the icon decades a o From the moment first heard about the Rubicon Trail, I told myself that one day, I’d do it – and now that day is here.

But another part of me is scared witless.

Jeepers Jamboree, which runs events like the one

I’m part of right now, rates the severity of the trails it uses from 1 to 10 – and 10 is reserved for the Rubicon alone. So my excitement is tinged with a genuine concern that actually, I might not be able to do this.

Not that such concerns are very troubling when the sun’s out, the air’s clear, the sides of your Wrangler’s canvas hood are rolled up and for as far as you can see in all directions, it’s just swathes of native pine and redwood clinging to the sides of glinting steely grey mountains. It’s the perfect nowhere, and it’s all yours.

Actually, it’s not all yours. Exactly like a green lane back home, the Rubicon is a public road.

Here and there, particularly towards its Lake Tahoe end, other trails join it. Again like a green lane, some of these are public and some private.

But as public roads go, it’s one in a million.

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hat s not eca se yo ll find the world s most e treme off road terrain here espite eep s ratin , hardcore rock crawlers will tell yo there s m ch to her st ff to e fo nd if, for e ample, yo head for the slickrock trails aro nd oa , tah t what makes the icon special is the nrelentin se erity of the rocks makin p the trail oin ack to o r comparisons with a ritish lane, it s normal for a to h one to e easy, with a co ple of f n its to lin er o er ell, the icon is the other way ro nd f co rse, it s not non stop wheels p action t to i e yo an idea, did the whole thin witho t e er oin a o e low second he all new ran ler , which has only st arri ed in ritain, mates all the icon hardware to a ery willin litre diesel en ine t m in the pre io s model here, a short wheel ase with a litre si pot petrol en ine t rnin a fo r speed a to ear o n the end of the a les, a set of F oodrich d errain tyres is a o t the only difference from showroom standard his is, of co rse, an merican market model t aside from the steerin wheel ein on the

left, the only thin can find to differentiate it from the ersion e ported to ritain is the amo nt of co ntry and western that comes o t of the speakers ot that there s any need for in car entertainment o t here, eca se the car is the entertainment till, it s nice to et a it of local c lt re when yo re waitin in line for eepers am oree s spotters to help someone p ahead nra el their way thro h part of the trail that s confo ndin them o definitely don t need m sic to distract yo p here, tho h ot from the dri in , not from the scenery and not from the eep nd that s apparent from the word o

yo enter the trail ia a sprawlin reat rock pa ement that s smooth and easy eno h to ne otiate side from workin o t e actly where yo re meant to e oin , yo r i est challen e at this sta e is decidin which of the lorio s istas to a e at first

A good spotter arguably matters more in technical terrain than a good driver. Without one, a trail like t e bi on goe o being i t an a enging to vehicle-wrecking and downright dangerous 54 | F

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02/01/2019 15:53 03/07/2018 11:35

Enjoy that freedom while you can, though.

Because just a few minutes later, you’re picking your way through rocks the height of your tyres as your spotter guides you, inch by tortuous inch, along a route which from the cabin frankly doesn’t feel possible.

A word on spotters. Without them, a trail like the icon oes from ein diffic lt and challenging to vehicle-wrecking and downright dangerous. A good spotter is arguably more important in technical terrain than a good driver; equally, a bad spotter can cause untold trouble. If you’ve ever taken part in one of the big French randonnees, you may have found yourself being ‘guided’ by three or four very earnest onlookers at once, all of them giving you different instructions and shouting at you when you don’t pay attention to them and them alone.

That’s just what you don’t want happening; on a randonnee, it can be quite comical, but in the wilderness it could be fatal. Not when you’re part of a thirtysomething convoy being

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nursemaided along by a cast of thousands laid on by one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers, possibly, but imagine the consequences in a truly vehicle-dependent situation. One way or the other, anyway, it was very reassuring to be in the hands of a professional.

Jeep Jamboree runs trips like this throughout the year for paying punters in partnership with Jeep itself. I’ve been spotted by some real pros in my time, and also by some proper numpties.

These guys were, quite simply, the best. nce yo e ot confidence in yo r spotter, it’s pretty easy. You just do what you’re told.

Judging by some of the frantic roars of warning and metallic scraping noises coming from up ahead of me, not everyone is doing that ever so well, but let’s not forget I went into this fearing my abject lack of rock-crawling experience would be badly shown up. Maybe that’s why I’m so willing to be slavishly obedient to whatever anyone in a brightly coloured Trail Guide T-shirt tells me to do.

Not that you get looked after the whole way, by any means (though one of the spotters told me it’s not abnormal for them to walk the entire trail, such is the frequency of obstacles requiring their input). Earlier on, I mentioned how on British lanes, you tend to drive a long way for a few good bits. Well, those good bits are the sort of thing that become completely unremarkable after about ten minutes on the Rubicon. Jeep Jamboree’s spotters are basically there to look after us on the completely mad bits – the rest of the time, it’s left to us to get our Wranglers through on our own, and here and there that means taking some pretty brave leaps of faith. hich is fine, tho h, eca se this is a ehicle you can have faith in. The Wrangler is a proper off-road machine with all the right hardware to do its job – and in Rubicon form, it’s a truck you can really bond with. Once you’ve learned how to se its sli htly fiddly diff lock switch and let its rock rails take the strain, you start appreciating the scale of what it can do. It’s not named after the Rubicon Trail for nothing – being cynical about marketing guff is oh so easy, but you really do feel the enefit of all those years eep has spent tuning its vehicles out here. Is there another showroom-standard 4x4 that could tackle this trail and come home in one piece?

The diesel engine in the new Rubicon is a peach, but the combination of petrol power and an auto box is in its element on rocks. In these conditions, you really do want as much power as you can get, delivered as smoothly as possible, with the very minimum of revs.

And I’m sorry, but there’s no substitute for diff locks. I’m trying to use them as sparingly as possible, to see just how far the Wrangler’s trail-tuned suspension will get it unaided, but once or twice I come up against rocks that stop me – not because the big BFGs can’t get over them, but because I haven’t gone in with enough momentum. With traction control instead of lockers, the choice here is to reverse and hit it harder, to go in search of another line or to get more and more aggressive with your right foot until the electronics pick up the plot.

4x4 28/12/2018 15:05

With the Rubicon, all I have to do is press a button on the dash and gently squeeze the throttle, and we ease up and over the obstacle with no noise, no fuss and no extra impact on the vehicle or the ground. You can say what you want about newer technology: proper diff-locks are the gold standard, end of story.

And that’s no small matter. Unbelievably (or actually, depressingly, perhaps not, not in the slightest), there are people who want to get the Rubicon Trail closed down. Their argument is that its use by motor vehicles causes increased silting in the watercourses it feeds, which sounds to me like absolutely Grade A hater talk from the sort of self-righteous busybodies who only ever want the countryside all to themselves. But, whether it is or not, if you want your off-roading to create less silt, you want to do it with less wheelspin – and locking diffs are the way to guarantee that.

Not that the Wrangler is any slouch without them. Looking back on it, as I’ve said, I did need to bang the rear locker in a few times, and the front one once, but that was more for convenience than anything else. I can’t be sure (though if Jeep want to send me back for another try, I guess I could be persuaded), but I’d honestly say that with a little more venom on my part, I believe the vehicle could have conquered the whole trail without them.

That’s saying something, because the Rubicon really does get extreme in places. There’s never

much point in describing individual obstacles, but you’re talking truck-sized V-gulleys and hanging-in-yourseatbelt descents.

You’re talking extreme crossaxles through sharp corners on freak-you-out side slopes. Finally, on the way up the infamous Cadillac Hill on day two, you’re talking rocks so huge you have to bump your way round them inch by inch – while also climbing a gradient that would be tough enough on its own. Make no mistake, its name may have gone beyond legend status and started turning into a cliché, but the Rubicon is one hell of a test of man and machine.

The machine, at least, emerged triumphant at the Lake Tahoe trailhead. The man simply emerged, which was in itself a triumph. Though for as long as I live, I’ll always treasure a snatch of conversation I overheard between two of the spotters as I drove past. ‘That guy

knows,’ said one of them. ‘He’s the best one here.’

If only they knew the awful truth. ‘That guy’ might be handily obedient when it comes to following instructions, but that’s about the end of it. Though there’s one thing he certainly does know, and that’s what a good 4x4 feels like.

And the best one there? Take it from me, it’s the one with four wheels, not two legs.

Seldom has any vehicle been more obviously in its element. The Rubicon is the perfect testing ground for a 4x4 – and the Rubicon is the perfect 4x4 in which to experience it.

The best spotters in the business (left). The best terrain in the business (below). And the best views. Bestness very much the theme here

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OUR 4X4S: SKODA KODIAQ

The Big Easy…

The sort of tracks that feel like nothing in a big-time off-road vehicle can turn out to pack a punch when you tackle them in a modern SUV. Our Skoda Kodiaq Scout is a very modern SUV – but on the Leicestershire lanes that make up this month’s roadbook, it made the job look very easy indeed WORD: GEORGE DOVE PICTURES: RICHARD HAIR 60 | FEBRUARY 2019

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E

ver since we’ve had our long-term Skoda Kodiaq Scout, we’ve come to depend on its outright versatility and abilities as a family wagon. It’s sort of a Nanny McPhee type of character, taking everything the little ones have thrown at it and magically coming out unscathed, earning more and more appreciation as time goes on.

With a few tougher roadbooks over the last few months, we decided it was time both to give Project 90 a rest and let the Kodiaq have some fun, helping us piece together the more sedate guide for this month on some rather picturesque Leicestershire trails.

We know that on the road, the Kodiaq is very good. Its 2.0 TDI engine talks the torque very comforta ly indeed and its chassis s tly atters the ‘joyous’ British road network. It’s shown that it can handle a good bit of off-road action, too – though you can never have too much of a good thing. So this time, in what are the sort of conditions that make up 99% of all the off-tarmac work done by 4x4s of every kind throughout Britain, we took it upon ourselves to pay close attention to how it performed. And it was very Skoda about it.

Having tested Skoda’s latest four-wheel drive system in the sub-zero conditions of the Arctic Circle, we knew it wasn’t going to be scared of anything with a Leicester postcode. But mud and ruts can offer a whole different kind of challenge – and while there wasn’t too much of the latter on offer yo can find them on some of the lanes in this neck of the woods, but that’s not what this roadbook was ever meant to be about), in the chilly wetness of an early English winter it would never do to take traction for granted.

Thus the Kodiaq’s magic Off-Road button got a lot of action. When it’s engaged, it aids pulling away on rough or slippy surfaces, engages hill-descent control and tunes the ABS to be more effective on loose ground. Stability control is disengaged and traction control is made keener.

Ground clearance doesn’t change, though – which is one reason why we’re grateful for the underbody protection afforded us by the Scout’s Rough Road Package.

One other function the Off-Road button brings in, and it’s fantastic news for off-road nerds, is that it brings up three virtual dials in the infotainment display showing your altitude and steering angle,

as well as an active compass. Whether you detect a whiff of gimmickry here is down to how grumpy and cynical you are, but whatever the terrain at least two of these things have the potential to be valuable almost anywhere. Knowing where your wheels are pointing is always important, and the compass could quite conceivably be at its most valuable if you’re lost in the middle of a city. OffRoad mode does disengage at about 20mph, but since traffic in some ritish cities asically ne er clim s a o e that speed yo o ht to e fine We mentioned the underbody protection the Scout model has, and it’s always reassuring to know yo e ot this etween yo and terra firma It could certainly be argued that if it ever touches the ground, that’s your car telling you you’ve gone too far, but the point is that if you go too far without it, the thing touching the ground is that much more likely to get damaged in the process – possibly putting a halt to proceedings, and most likely costin yo a tidy s m to fi Anyway, the Kodiaq cruised over ground that incl ded some s fficiently washed o t sections to put us on alert. Here and there, the dips and ruts littered across the width of the tracks resembled

It’s not particularly showy, but the sort of tracks we were tackling in Leicestershire were the kind that account for about 99% of all real-world off-road driving in the UK. The Kodiaq’s ground clearance and articulation are always going to be limiting factors, but in this environment it never missed a beat

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OUR 4X4S: SKODA KODIAQ

Above: These ruts are the remnants of an old trail which has now been renewed. They’re a fine example of how you need to choose your battles, whatever you’re driving Right: Off-Road mode turns the media screen into an information centre with the potential to be useful on the road as well as off it entry-level elephant’s footprints, throwing the short-stroke suspension into axle-twisters – with which it dealt almost dismissively.

That suspension stroke may be limited, but it’s still good and supple. For something so comfortable and planted on tarmac, the Kodiaq has more articulation that you might expect. But what’s most surprising is that it somehow manages not to lose any of that comfort over off-road terrain.

Obviously, the story would have been different if we’d been driving over big rocks, or had there been any urgency to the pace at which we were taking it. But this was proper green laning – where you just chunter along at a sedate pace, enjoying the scenery and taking the trails as they come.

And the Kodiaq lapped it up, remaining just about as smooth and settled as it was while cruising up the motorway on the way home afterwards.

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Speaking of all things stately, the wooden trim on the dash, the suede-cloaked heated seats and the leather steering wheel all add an air of luxury and sophistication to the business of driving through mud and crossing fords. In conjunction with the surprising plushness of the Kodiaq’s ride, it made the experience almost therapeutic. With the low sun and the crisp clearness of a fresh winter’s day, it served as a comfortable cocoon from which to take in the handsome Leicestershire scenery. Unless you’re the one on gate duty, of course…

While the Scout variant is better tailored for this sort of activity that its 4x2 siblings and is pegged (rightly) as an adventure wagon for the whole family, it isn’t equipped with a low-range gearbox. Whether you need such a thing in a vehicle with its ground clearance and limited ar-

ticulation is open to question, but here and there we’ve had banged it in to avoid putting the engine and gearbox under needless stress. his notwithstandin , a remarka ly deep first gear does the same job as low box almost all the time. You can take some time to learn your way through this, which can result in some embarrassing moments at low speed, but ultimately the distance to second gear becomes second nature. nd when yo re off road, the low first ratio means you can chug along with your feet planted on the mat – even up hills and through sloshy bits of low ground. You’re not quite as low as low second on something like a Defender, but you’re deeper than low third.

One thing you never got on a Defender was parking sensors. And my, the ones on the Kodiaq were annoying on the lanes. We deliberately

21/12/2018 11:56

“For something so comfortable on tarmac, what’s most surprising is that the Kodiaq manages not to lose any of that comfort off-road” steered clear of any trails we knew to be overgrown, but there was still a bit of vegetation in our way here and there. We took garden shears with us to deal with this when it was potentially scratchy stuff, but even just long grass was enough to fill the ca in with a fren y of eepin ater splashes, wet leaves stuck to the bumper, the Editor getting out to open a gate – all this and more was capable of turning the parking sensors into something that sounded like a Kraftwerk album track.

4x4 4pp Our 4x4s Kodiaq Feb.indd 63

There’s a Shut Up button for the sensors, of course – though when a low-slung branch came looming out of the similarly low-slung sun and a loud blast of warning was all that prevented s from plo hin headfirst into it, it was a ery telling reminder that these things are there for a reason. Heaven knows how they’d have reacted if the herd of cows and sheep inhabiting one of the fields we crossed had ot it into their heads that we were interesting enough to warrant closer attention, though…

As it is, the Kodiaq Scout is very interesting.

We don’t want to sound like a stuck record, but with its year on the eet comin to an end early next year it just keeps on impressing us more and more every time we drive it, whether off-road or on. We could have done this roadbook with the whole family on board, a hefty picnic in the back and a supply of bikes, footballs, badminton nets and so on to turn the English countryside into an actual playground for the kids, and it would have done the job every bit as easily.

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OUR 4X4S: PROJECT 90

A stitch in time…

Now is the time to think about making sure your 4x4 is in tip-top condition and ready for anything. Actually, it’s always the time to think about that

W

ith winter in full swing, it’s a good time to be sure your 4x4 is ready for action. Not just because you want to be able to play in the snow (sorry, get out there and help your stricken fellow citizens to stay mobile in the snow), but because cold weather has a way of findin o t any aws in a ehicle nd the last thing you want is for your truck to throw a wobbly just when you need it most. o if yo ha en t treated yo r to a ser ice recently, it s time en if it hasn t done many miles since the last one, at the ery least yo sho ld i e it a thoro h check o er efore tr stin in it to get you around when the weather closes in. en if yo re not a hardcore spanner man, these are the kind of checks that you’ll probably do yourself. The point at which you put your own tools down and book it in with the pros is of course down to you – but if those tools are still shiny from lack of use and you want to do

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something to put that right, learning how to keep yo r tr ck well maintained and r nnin in tip top condition is a ery ood place to start With this in mind, we took one of our two d en ined and o er efender s apolo ies for how ash that so nds to shley in Staffordshire, where they steered us through a ro tine ser ice s always, some of the o s they did on it are model specific, t e ally the en eral siness of ser icin doesn t ary m ch from car to car nd we fi re that a efender d isn t a ad ehicle to se as an e ample, for two odd reasons: one, it’s somewhere in the middle when it comes to modernity and ECU control, and two, lots of people ha e d efenders here s a common perception that and o ers stopped ein maintaina le d rin the di era nd the d came after that, so yo can decide for yourself whether what you’re about to read makes you feel more or less like getting your hands dirty. But if you’re worried that the Td5 is

some sort of electronic monster, then fear not d ser ice is relati ely strai htforward, t for a few possi le anana skins alon the way Pro idin yo i e yo rself a spare mornin or afternoon, yo sho ld e well on yo r way to self ser icin hea en nd a ain, m ch of what yo read here will apply to whate er other make and or model of yo happen to dri e ike parts, for e ample sin en ine st ff can e e pensi e, t yo can always t rn to e i alents or pattern parts io sly, the rarity of what yo dri e will ha e a earin on what s a aila le, and e ally o io sly the fact that we re lookin at a and o er here means there s a massi e ran e of options for st a o t e ery part under the sun. carcely any less o io sly, this wo ld e a ood time to point o t that yin el cheapo ser ice parts whose ality yo can t e s re of or whose ality yo can e s re of, in that yo can be sure it’s crap) is not the way forward. Cheap

4x4 28/12/2018 14:46

hanging the air filter element is about as simple a ob as you’re going to come across on a vehicle. on’t be blase about it, though. See that the new element is seated properly, take care not to let anything fall into the intake pipe while the housing is open and be sure to do the clips back up correctly. Simple things make a world of a difference

doesn’t automatically mean nasty, just as spending big isn’t the same as spending wisely, but shopping smartly is shopping smartly in anyone’s language.

In the case of our Defender, we started with the easiest job in the world by fetching out the old air filter and replacin it with a new part from ann e t came the oil filters yes, that s plural because on the Td5 you’ve got two of them. he first of these is easily accessi le, t needless to say the second is harder to get at. This is a nice bit of engineering design which Land Rover went on to reprise, and indeed hone to perfection, with the Discovery 3, whose body has to be removed to get at its timing belts.

Patience is the key here. Well, that and having the special wrench desi ned for this specific o And that’s a good lesson for whatever you drive: if

there are special tools required for any particular jobs you want to do, get them. It’ll always be a good investment, whereas bodging it is never a good anything. hen freein off an old filter, always ha e some disposable paper towels or rags handy to soak up the small amount of oil you can’t help losing. And before that, when you free off the drain plug itself, be ready with a suitable container to catch the oil when it comes pouring out. wo r les here ne, do try to se a container with a big enough capacity to take all the oil your engine holds. If this means actually checking what yo r s hand ook says and oin o t to et somethin specifically for the o , all well and good; either way, that old milk carton poking out of your bin won’t do.

The second rule is that you shouldn’t underestimate the pace with which the oil will erupt from your truck’s sump when you undo the drain plug.

If you’re waiting optimistically under there with some sort of narrow-necked little bottle, don’t be surprised when the grimy black stuff goes spurting ri ht past it and all o er the oor or, if yo e planned the o especially adly, yo r face ch easier when the vehicle’s raised on a ramp, of course, but at the very least invest in a funnel. And more rags.

Another reason for knowing your truck’s oil caipacity is that with the old sumpo drained off and the new filter s in place, yo need to fill it p a ain ote we didn t say to nder fill it, or indeed o er fill it oth are ad thin s, so check yo r dipstick as you go. We know a chap who ended

The drain plugs on your axles’ diffs will be easy to get at. visual check with a torch will normally be enough to show if the oil in there is in good condition. Top it up as necessary with 0

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OUR 4X4S: PROJECT 90

Changing oil should be a straightforward job, albeit one which you need to do properly in order to avoid polluting your street, driveway or workshop floor with a small lake of grotty sumpo. We say it S U be straightforward, but if you drive a efender Td there are two filters to remove rather than the more usual one, and naturally one of them’s a pig to get at. Whatever you drive, anyway, make sure there’s adequate catch capacity ready for when you free off the drain plug, and be ready with a handful of rags to soak up the drips when the filter s come clear. hange the washer on the drain plug to ensure a good seal what do you mean, what washer on the drain plug ’ , and refill with the correct quantity of the correct oil

up with a bit left in the carton after changing his oil, so he just poured in the rest as well on the assumption that you can’t have too much of a good thing, and a few miles later his cylinder head gasket gave him a painful lesson in just how much of a good thing you can indeed have.

Beyond this, an easy way to look at servicing is by a checklist. Because a lot of what it’s is about is

66 | FEBRUARY 2019

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simply checking the condition of various components and only changing them if they need it. Seals, bushes, bearings – a visual check will tell you all you need to know in many cases, and in the case of bushes a pry bar will help you see if they’re startin to let o ook for id leaks and weeps, check moving parts to see that they’re moving freely, and with each wheel in turn jacked up, go in

search of play in the wheel bearings by trying to wobble them from top to bottom.

Your axles will need their respective differentials checking for oil, too. Release the plug in each diff and check the quality and level of the oil within. No action may be required on some inspections, but you want to have a nice clean oil swimming around in there. If you do need to pop

4x4 28/12/2018 14:46

ompared to air and oil filters, fuel filters tend to be the poor relation when it comes to servicing. But dirty diesel won’t do your vehicle any good at all, so there’s pretty much no such thing as a replacement that wasn’t worth it.

If you don’t drive a efender Td , these pictures showing the filter housing behind the driver’s-side rear wheel being opened and the filter being changed won’t be directly relevant to you, but do note the use of the correct tool to loosen it off which may take a bit of effort

a drop inside, yo sho ld fill the diff p ntil the oil starts seepin ack o t a ain he diffs take a hea y ear oil, s ch as an P Finally, we mo e on to the f el filter which, on o r , is located ehind the offside rear tyre ow easy it is to free off is pretty m ch proportional to how lon it s een there yo can often release it y hand, t if not yo mi ht need to et a clampin de ice or some rips on it ith the new filter locked on and ti htened p, now it s time for somethin that s definitely specific to d efenders f yo start the i nition and p mp the throttle to the oor fi e times in ick s ccession, the en ine will o into self leedin mode his lasts for a o t ten min tes once the h ms and es of the f el lines dissipate, yo re ood to o hat s the sort of knowled e that comes from a deep relationship with a rand, and it s one of the reasons why and o er owners tend to tr st their ehicles to proper specialists ot e ery kind of i es yo that option witho t pinnin yo into the iantly e pensi e main a ent network, t y and lar e there ll e independents

4x4 4pp Our 4x4s Feb 64-67 Colin's 90 AK AWAITING LINKS.indd 67

with e pert knowled e of whate er yo dri e t s st that with and o ers, there s one in e ery town For work, too, a enefit of followin the and o er herd is that yo can et ser ice kits containin all yo need to do the main re lar o s yo r ehicle needs nce a ain, tho h, make s re that what yo re yin is p to the standard of parts yo r tr ck deser es ettin all the filters yo need in one handy o is con enient and cost effecti e, t it won t e either of those thin s if yo ha e to start replacin them a ain ne t week he ser ice we e descri ed here is ite a asic one, al eit with more incl ded than st the o standard oil and filter chan e t s p to yo how m ch effort yo want to p t into checkin thin s o io sly, a ma or ser ice will re ire more time, parts, tools and knowled e, t the more yo do, the more yo ll learn nowin what common fa lts yo sho ld e watchin for is a i one, for e ample nd it s somethin that only comes with e perience e en if that e perience is someone else s

shley warned s a o t a co ple of possi le pro lem points yo can face on a d , for e ample n the front of the cylinder head, he told s, where the electric pl fits to the in ector harness, sometimes oil can wick past and alon the ca les which can mean yo need a new harness f yo p ll the pl off the head and it s f ll of oil, it s more than likely that ll e the sol tion lso keep an eye o t for a wettish f el look on the ack of the cylinder head, where the f el lines come p at the ack of the en ine his co ld e a si n of the f el re lator leakin s we e already said, a i part of ser icin is watchin o t for thin s that ha en t let o yet t are startin to show si ns that they soon will en if yo don t do yo r own spannerin , indeed, doin a proper o of keepin on top of what s oin on is a ery al a le first step in the direction of lon term health for yo r n the meantime, thanks to shley for lookin after o r if yo re in the tafford area and dri e a and o er, i e them a call on or isit www ashley com and they ll happily look after yo rs too

FEBRUARY 2019 | 67

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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: astwood4x4@gmail.com www.facebook.com/Astwood4x4 www.twitter.com/Astwood4x4

www.astwood4x4.co.uk 4x4

TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 51

02/01/2019 15:48

OFF-ROAD SCENE

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SUPERHEROES DO BATTLE AS CHARITY BONANZA BRINGS DOWN CURTAIN ON 2018 ODYSSEY CHALLENGE Words: Pip Evans Pics: Tomas Jarecki and Nick Hood

THE FINAL ROUND of the 2018 Odyssey Batteries Winch Challenge series brought competitors back to one of the Viking 4x4 Club’s favourite sites at Weekley Woods, near Kettering.

Following on from the success of last year s final e ent, which raised £3000 for breast cancer charities, this year it was time to switch genders. Hence what came to be nicknamed the Nutz n Butz challenge weekend…

In addition to event sponsor Red Winches, a long list of companies

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and individuals in the off-road world generously donated products to e a ctioned or raf ed in aid of the charity effort – step forward LRS Offroad, Damar Webbing Solutions, Wilderness Lighting, Hybrid 4x4, Bearmach, GO Racing, Team Sharp, LOF Clutches, Goodwinch, Gigglepin, Electric Winch Shop, Marrion 4x4, Welsh X-trem, WKD, Chris Booth and Sally Curling among others.

The competitors entered into the spirit of the event by dressing up as superheroes. Naturally, they

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OFF-ROAD CALENDAR

Pay-and-play events 13 January 4x4 Without a Club

Picadilly Wood Bolney,West Sussex

Essex, Rochford and District 4x4 Club

Parkwood 4x4

Protrax Tixover, Northamptonshire

Slindon Safari Fontwell,West Sussex

20 January modern challenge truck can do with ease when the ground is dry.

Thankfully, event day itself was dry. So even though the ground was slippery underfoot, everyone enjoyed a dry, sunny outing.

The mantra for challenge events is reak it, fi it, reak it, fi it, repeat. Quite often, trucks require st a ick fi and off they o again, but sometimes things are a bit more serious and require superhuman efforts to get back into the game.

These efforts often come from teams whose trucks aren’t the ones that are broken. In the offroad world, e en the fiercest of competitors are ready to help their rivals – that’s been well observed in trialling and comp safari circles, and it’s every bit as true in the winching scene too.

Minstead, Hampshire

Harbour Hill,West Berkshire

Rayleigh, Essex

are all superheroes by the very nature of what they do, but dressing up as a cartoon character just made the atmosphere that bit more fun! There was much mickey taking but as usual, the organisers managed to get all the boring stuff done in time for the teams to set off at 10am for the serious business of collecting punches.

There had been very little rain in the weeks leading up to the event, so the ground was bone dry during setting-up, so the organisers used miles of cordon tape to make things more diffic lt, increasin the need for the crews to use their technical rigging know-how to get to their objectives. Needless to say, then, very heavy rain on the day before the event changed everything, making it impossible to power up the steep slopes – something a

Muddy Bottom

Devil’s Pit Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire Explore Off Road Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent

Frickley 4x4 Frickley, South Yorkshire Hilll N Ditch Mouldsworth, Cheshire

Muddy Bottom Minstead, Hampshire

26 January Kirton Off Road Centre Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs

27 January Bures Pit Bures, Essex Cowm Leisure Whitworth, Lancashire Kirton Off Road Centre Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs

Tong, Bradford

10 February 4x4 Without a Club Harbour Hill,West Berkshire

Essex, Rochford and District 4x4 Club Rayleigh, Essex Hilll N Ditch Mouldsworth, Cheshire

Protrax Tixover, Northamptonshire

Slindon Safari Fontwell,West Sussex

17 February Explore Off Road Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent

Frickley 4x4 Frickley, South Yorkshire

Muddy Bottom Minstead, Hampshire

23 February Kirton Off Road Centre Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs

24 February Cowm Leisure Whitworth, Lancashire

Protrax

Protrax

Tixover, Northamptonshire

Tixover, Northamptonshire

Slindon Safari

Kirton Off Road Centre Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs

Fontwell,West Sussex

Slindon Safari

3 February

Fontwell,West Sussex

Devil’s Pit Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire

Frickley 4x4 Frickley, South Yorkshire

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This post-event report by Ben Mark sums it up well: ‘Tom (winch man Tom Joliffe) and I decided that the Super Mario Bros were super heroes for our fancy dress. They have ‘super’ in their name, after all! But it was probably the worst morning we have had...

‘We got three punches in 15 minutes, which doesn’t sound all that bad. But then the front winch brake exploded at the top of a pull, all the bearings fell out and the pads failed… e only fo nd a total of fi e balls in the mud. We got four more

from Tom Hirons and Tom Wilson at WKD, and got some pads from Allen Sharp. We put it together with nine ball bearings and carried on, ha in lost fifty mins or so e ot to the first p nch after the fi , then a track rod end snapped! It took us over an hour to fi it with some help from te e Grant, who had a left-handed one in his truck! So by 12 o’clock we had a grand total of three punches! he rest of the day was fine e managed to get a good few punches done and ended up second in class, so not a bad result considering…’

Matt Dillon was also having a tough day, having just returned from a great performance at the Graf event in Portugal. His truck clearly felt that it needed to protest at having to do another event by frying its winch motors, which did his batteries no favours either.

Matt valiantly carried on without winches and had great fun by using the massive power of his V8 motor to bulldoze his way to half a dozen punches… before he broke something in his front axle, which finally forced him to call it a day

Unlike every other round of the Odyssey Challenge, proceedings were brought to a halt at 1pm for an hour’s lunch break – during which the generous donations given by the companies and individuals mentioned above were either raf ed or a ctioned in aid of the Orchid charity, which raises funds to combat prostate and testicular cancer nce this finished, e eryone headed back into the site for two more hours to try to accrue as many punches as they could before the 4pm deadline.

e ant a o a enge e ent i b ea it b ea it it e eat ’

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Top spot in Class 1 went to Rhys Hutchinson and Ray Lee, on 4732 points. It’s a great shame that Rhys missed out a few events, as he would have been a very strong contender for the overall championship win.

This honour went to Zak Dambrauskas and Marc Johnson.

They missed out this round, but had done enough on the others to take the overall class title. Second place in this event, and the championship, went to Hugh Gascoyne and Jack Watson on 3341 points, while third went to Matt Kimbley and David

jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

Minnie on a score of 2619.

After steadily improving all year, it was great to see Johnny Johnson and Tracey Stafford take top spot in Class 2 on 4426 points. Their consistency during the series also rewarded them with second in class in the overall championship.

The issues faced by Ben Mark and Tom Jolliffe pushed them into an unfamiliar second spot; they had been pretty much uncatchable in previous rounds, and convincingly took first place in the o erall

championship. Third in Class 2 went to Vince Harper and Colin Masters on 3227 points.

The most dominant team in the whole of the 2018 Odyssey Batteries series, however, were Tom Hirons and winchman Tom Wilson. They were the only team to win every round, thus taking the maximum available points in their WKD-prepared truck. On top of

this, they were one of only two teams at eekley oods to fill their first p nch card and to et on to a second.

They ended the day with a massive 8869 points, pushing the previous;y dominant team of Duncan Smith and Henry Papworth into second place on 7059. A creditable third place went to Charlie Harper with new winchman Colin Worsley on 3227 points.

This brought an end to an epic 2018 Odyssey Batteries Winch Challenge Series, so crews now have four months in which to get ready for the 2019 series – which is already planned out, with all dates set and venues booked and ready to go.

As always at the end of the season, thanks are due to everyone who worked tirelessly to make the series a success. In addition, a special thanks must go to Neal Jones, proprietor of Red Winch, not only for being the headline sponsor for Round 6 but for allowing all the other contributors to have a share in the limelight in return for their s pport for the fi ht a ainst cancer Of course, the true winner on this event was Orchid Cancer Charity. Hopefully the £2500 raised by competitors on the day will help in some way to combatting this terrible illness.

CORRECTION In a recent issue, my report on the Ragnarok Challenge event said incorrectly that Team CSW came second. Unfortunately, I used the wrong three letters: in fact, it was WKD, a company which manufactures challenge trucks, that came second on the Ragnarok. Apologies for the error!

Pip Evans Viking 4x4 Club

4x4 7pp Scene Feb.indd 73

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JE MOTORWORKS INSTALS 2.3-LITRE PETROL ENGINE IN BID TO CREATE FUTUREPROOF DEFENDER Words: Mike Trott Pics: Mike Trott and JE MotorWorks

LAND ROVER RECENTLY tried to tease the world with spystyle photos of a heavily disguised new Defender. But we’ve come across precisely no-one who’s planning to give up on their proper 90 or 110 and get a new one instead.

The thing about the old Defender is that it has character by the bucketload – and, of course, as a 4x4 it can do (or be made to do) almost anything. But one thing it can’t do is turn back time. It’ll always feel like the 1980s from the driver’s seat, but the truck won’t get any younger.

Or will it? Well, plenty of people are rebuilding old 90s and 110s, renewing and refurbishing major

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components so as to give them a totally new lease of life. But while you can fit new chassis and lkheads every ten years or so until the end of time, all you can do about the engine is keep on reconditioning it as the passing miles continue to take their inexorable toll.

As it is, almost every Defender on the road is a diesel. And we all know what’s happened to those over the last year or so. The new model will offer petrol-powered options for sure – but that’s not much use if what you want is a real one.

What is a great deal of use, on the other hand, is a new conversion being offered by JE MotorWorks.

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OFF-ROAD CALENDAR

UK Convoy Tours

The company has produced something which it believes has future-proofed the Defender – a four-cylinder petrol conversion.

‘This is a very practical evolution of the efender: a relati ely efficient four-cylinder petrol with the option of a multi-speed automatic,’ says JE’s Chairman and Chief Engineer Jonathan Douglas.

‘While we do good trade in various petrol V8 and diesel upgrades, we think the next generation of Defenders, had they continued, would have included a four-cylinder petrol. So we created the 2.3 GDiT packa e, makin it fit and work as an upgrade – but this also effectively future-proofs the Defender. With the choice of six gears in either manual or automatic form – the latter with Tiptronic-style lever – the Defender can be converted for many more years of convenient use.’

The auto gearbox installation is tailored for Puma models and costs £27,000, taking the vehicle’s original engine and gearbox in exchange.

Pricing for the manual conversion, which is much simpler, comes in at £17,160.

Based on the 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine from the current Ford Mustang, of all things, the new hardware equips the old-school Defender for the modern-day roads of the UK and beyond. In doing so, it modernises the vehicle’s drivetrain si nificantly i in it a le el of f el efficiency which, while it mi ht not quite match that of a lighter, more streamlined SUV, is certainly far ahead of anything you might have thought a petrol-powered 90 or 110 could ever achieve.

JE MotorWorks has been modifying and restoring Land Rovers since the company was established in 1975. This new conversion is a radical one, but it’s designed to be very practical indeed in the real world – and as Defenders’ engines continue to age while the rest of them stays young, the GDiT package may well turn out to be the missing piece of the jigsaw.

13 January

23 February

UK Landrover Events Lincoln and Belvoir

UK Landrover Events Tynedale

19 January

2-3 March

Protrax Wales

Trailmasters Yorkshire

19-20 January

9 March

Onelife Adventure Wales

Protrax Wiltshire

27 January

UK Landrover Events North York Moors

UK Landrover Events Peak District

10 March

2-3 February

UK Landrover Events Durham Dales

Onelife Adventure Yorkshire

16 March

3 February

Protrax Wales

UK Landrover Events Eden District

16-17 March

10 February

Atlas Overland Wessex

UK Landrover Events Yorkshire Dales

22 March

14 February UK Landrover Events Northumberland

16 February Protrax Wales

22-24 February Low Range Adventure Lake District

UK Landrover Events Eden District

22-24 March Low Range Adventure Yorkshire to the Lakes

23-24 March Trailmasters Lake District

24 March UK Landrover Events Tyne and Wear

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Overland Travel

OFF-ROAD CALENDAR

2-17 February

9 May

6-21 July

16-30 August

Ardent Adventure Galicia (1 or 2 week)

Peru Safari Peru

Onelife Adventure Iceland

Venture 4x4 Iceland

16 Mar – 4 April

18-26 May

13-28 July

24 August – 4 Sept

Protrax Morocco

UK Landrover Events Pyrenees

Ardent Adventure Balkans

Trailmasters Morocco

30 March –16 April

20 May –2 June

12-26 July

24 August – 7 September

Protrax Portugal

Trailmasters Morocco (extreme expedition)

Venture 4x4 Iceland

Atlas Overland Portugal

April

26 May

18 July – 1 August

1-15 September

Venture 4x4 Iceland

Peru Safari Northern Peru

Venture 4x4 Iceland

Ardent Adventure Pyrenees

9-22 April

27 May

22 July

7-15 September

Atlas Overland Morocco

Low-Range Adventure Portugal

Peru Safari Peru

UK Landrover Events Pyrenees

19 April – 3 May

1-16 June

26 July – 9 August

11-25 September

Trailmasters Morocco Marrakesh Classic

Ardent Adventure Pyrenees (1 or 2 week)

Venture 4x4 Iceland

Protrax Pyrenees

20 April

3-13 June

1-15 August

16-27 September

Peru Safari Peru

Atlas Overland Corsica

Venture 4x4 Iceland

Low-Range Adventure Portugal

1 April – 13 May

5-19 June

3-17 August

16-29 September

Onelife Adventure Namibia / Botswana / South Africa

Protrax Pyrenees

Atlas Overland Italy

Trailmasters Morocco Marrakesh Classic

12-28 April

12 June

10 August

17 September

Ardent Adventure Morocco

Peru Safari Peruvian Steppes

Peru Safari Peru

Peru Safari Peru

May

12-17 June

10-18 August

29 Sept – 17 Oct

Venture 4x4 Iceland

Protrax North France D-Day tour

Ardent Adventure Alps

Protrax Morocco

4-19 May

22 June – 7 July

12-23 August

30 Sept – 13 Oct

Ardent Adventure Portugal

Atlas Overland Scandinavia

Low-Range Adventure Pyrenees Coast to Coast

Atlas Overland Morocco

76 | FEBRUARY 2019

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4x4 20/12/2018 23:40

ultra-rare 6x6 Stage 1 The essential annual for Land Rover owners and enthusiasts

Makes an ideal gift for a Land Rover fan!

Land Rover

The essential annual for Land Rover owners and enthusiasts

2 019

YEARBOOK LONG-RANGE CHARITY RUN

4 Modified

An expedition with a The Land Rover Yearbook, now in its 5th Year and oner insideThe Land Rover Yearbook, now in its 5th year, covers noble cause sale in time for the lucrative Christmas Annual market,

everything from the latest vehicles off the production line in covers everything from the latest vehicles off the Solihull to classic Series vehicles. The Yearbook is full of production line in Solihull to classic Series vehicles. The essential information for Land Rover owners and enthusiasts Yearbook full of essential information for Land Rover from parts and is accessories to improve and maintain your owners and enthusiasts from parts and accessories to vehicle to adventure travel. The Landy Rover Yearbook has improve maintain something for and every taste in your Landvehicle Rovers!to adventure travel in everyone’s favourite type of 4x4!

TS FOR ISERS IN 19 LAND EARBOOK: The Landy Rover Yearbook has something for every taste in Land Rovers!

Who Should advertise: Garages, parts retailers, accessories retailers, parts manufacturers, accessories manufacturers, tyre companies, overland travel tour operators, Land Rover dealerships, suspension upgrades, wheels and tyres manufacturers and retailers, lighting, underbody protection, winches, brakes, off road equipment, towing and trailer manufacturers, onboard storage solutions, roof racks, roll cages, seats and trim upgrades, performance equipment, sound proofing, tuning, Engine oils and lubricants, custom vehicle builders, insurance, aftermarket parts and accessories and toys / books / merchandise.

Rates: DPS: £750 Full page: £425 Half page: £240 Quarter page: £125 Eighth page: £75

Copy deadline: 2nd November 2018

Publication: 16th November 2018

Land Rover

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YEARBOOK 12

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

Future Glories

How a wrecked old farm hack restored into this better-than-new 110 Plug-in Range Rover Driving the new P400e

A FINAL FLOURISH

Breathing new life into this ultra-rare 6x6 Stage 1

ON TEST

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144 pages BENEFITS FOR Only £6.99 ADVERTISERS IN THE 2019 LANDand Available in WHSmith independent newsagents or ROVER YEARBOOK: order online at www.toronline.co.uk 4 Guaranteed Product

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4 Out in time for the lucrative Christmas market.

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4x4 TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 51

FEBRUARY 2019 | 77

02/01/2019 15:46

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04/12/2018 12:07

Can’t go a month without a Land Rover fix?

Subscribe to The Landy today and you won’t have to!

Are you crazy about Defenders? Dotty about Discos? Does the sight of a classic Series I make you weak at the knees? If so, The Landy is most certainly for you! The UK’s only Land Rover newspaper is brought to you by the very same publisher and writers as this very magazine. And you can get your monthly fix by subscribing today – for the fantastic price of just £25 for a year!

With your subscription, you’ll get:

• 12 issues of the UK’s only Land Rover newspaper delivered straight to your door • A saving of 17% on the cover price.

• All the latest Land Rover news and club scene coverage • Loads of useful product reviews and inspiring adventure stories • Features on the best classic, modded and everyday Land Rovers every month

And all for just £25! How could you resist?

Simply fill out the form below, including your credit or debit card details, or send it with a cheque payable to The Landy at Assignment Media Ltd, G11 Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Burton-upon-Trent, DE15 0YZ Alternatively, just give us a call on 01283 553 243 or visit www.thelandy.co.uk FULL NAME: SHIPPING ADDRESS: TEL NUMBER: CARD NUMBER: EXPIRY DATE: SECURITY CODE:

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and/or EMAIL: VALID FROM DATE: BILLING ADDRESS: (IF DIFFERENT TO ABOVE):

03/07/2017 17:08

Discover the tyre range at BFGoodrich.co.uk

D

ROADBOOK

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NE LEICESTERSHIRE

SUV-friendly trails in a gently rolling landscape Smack bang in the middle of England is a region that’s criss-crossed by smooth, wide, well surfaced rights of way which are eminently suitable for every kind of 4x4. North-East Leicestershire isn’t without its challenging trails, but this route sticks to the easy ones in order to be suitable for soft-roaders as well as more rugged vehicles. You do still need to keep your wits about you, as is always the case on green lanes, but this is an ideal way of spending a chilled-out few hours exploring a truly beautiful corner of the English countryside

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ROUTE GUIDE

IS IT SUITABLE?

START ranston FINISH looston P HOW LONG? miles ho rs TERRAIN Gently rolling farmland HAZARDS Fast traffic on liaison roads some awkward road nctions other sers, especially with do s farm animals s rface water ash oodin in small fords OS MAPS andran er ottin ham and o h oro h andran er rantham andran er etterin and Cor y

TYRES

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WEATHER LOW BOX SOFT-ROADERS SCRATCHING DRIVING

DAMAGE

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Entirely suitable for all but the lowest profile tyres Caution after very heavy rain Not necessary Ideally suited Occasional very mild risk Easy tracks require discipline to keep on top of your speed, and to watch out for occasional hidden culverts ho ld e no risk nless yo drive like a madman

F

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1.2

Step 1: The fun starts at the Wheel Inn, in the tiny and very beautiful little village of Branston

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Start in Branston, outside the Wheel Inn on Branston Road (the main road through the village).

Zero your trip with the pub to your right and set off heading south, then after just a few car lengths turn left for Knipton

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USING OUR ROADBOOKS

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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 yways pen to ll raffic or nclassified Co nty oads, all commonly referred to as green lanes.

NAVIGATION

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SAFETY

he notes on the first pa e of the roadbook advise you of how suitable it is for your vehicle.These are just guidelines, however.We’ll warn you of any ha ards or diffic lt 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, and are largely suitable for standard 4x4s on road tyres. We do recommend travelling in tandem wherever possible, however.The risk of getting stuck can be greater than it appears – and if you break down, having help at hand can make the difference between it being inconvenient and downright dangerous.

5.35 o ton

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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 just stay on the main road or take the most straight-ahead option unless we tell you otherwise. f yo re nfamiliar with si fi re rid references, yo ll find a ide to using them on the legend of any OS map. Our aim is for you to be able to do the route without maps, but we do recommend having them.

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RESPONSIBILITY

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Irresponsible driving is a massive problem 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, both to the land and to 4x4 drivers’ reputation.

The fact that you can see where it’s happened shows how much harm it does. It’s no excuse to say you’re just following where another driver has already been. Most green laners have taken to videoing anyone they see behaving like this and passing the evidence to the police.

Elsewhere, simple common sense and courtesy should be your watchword.The do-and-don’t list

28/07/2017 14:34

below should always be in your mind, but keep your speed down, be ready to pull over for others and show the world that 4x4 drivers aren’t the hooligans some of them think we are.

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 mem ers f yo 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 reass rance nce satisfied that you’re not after their quad bikes, their mood will lighten.

It only takes one vandal to tarnish a person’s view of all 4x4 drivers, and once the damage is done it tends to be permanent. But if enough of us resolve to be ambassadors, it might make a difference to the way we’re perceived by society in general.

DO AND DON’T

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

horse riders pass • Don’t go in large convoys: split into small groups to avoid hassling others • Leave gates as you found them • Don’t drop litter. Do carry a bin bag and a pair of stout gloves so you can pick up other people’s, though • Don’t go back to drive the fun bits, such as mud or fords, again • Scrupulously obey all closure and voluntary restraint notices • Don’t cause a noise nuisance, particularly after dark • 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 • f yo find an ille al o str ction, notify the local authority • f someone challen es yo , e firm but polite. Stay calm and don’t let them t rn it into a fi ht • Stick absolutely scrupulously to the right of way • You have as much of a right to be there as everyone else.Which means they have as much right as you

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This one gets a little scratchy in places

9.2

It feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere, but watch out for people and vehicles immediately after the corner

19 1.55

Step 14: This ford isn’t deep, but after a lot of rain that could change – and if it does, the water is likely to be dangerously fast-flowing, too

84 | FEBRUARY 2019

12pp Roadbook Feb 19.indd 84

4x4 20/12/2018 23:33

7004

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28/07/2017 14:34

23

20

6.2

1.65

ta e or e ton

21 5.0

22 5.35

4x4 12pp Roadbook Feb 19.indd 85

SK 771 192

The junction is hard to spot as you approach, and it’s not signposted.

It’s on the inside of a corner, immediately before a ‘gated road’ sign on the right. Keep it slow as you come up on the distance and be aware that any traffic behind you isn’t going to know what you’re doing

24

SK 772 174

6.35

25 7.2

FEBRUARY 2019 | 67

20/12/2018 23:36

Discover the tyre range at BFGoodrich.co.uk 700433 Banner 15x210mm.indd 1

28/07/2017 14:34

Step 33: o ow t

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29

26

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28

ZERO TRIP

8.7

31

h

Turn right in Moscow Farm – a sign says there’s a dead end ahead

4.2

32 4.4

33

Swing round to the left then follow the grassy track up the hill with the huge barn to your left

4.45

Step 34: ft t gat in t istan

gat , a a oss t towa s anot wat ing o t fo i sto

86 | FEBRUARY 2019

12pp Roadbook Feb 19.indd 86

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Discover the tyre range at BFGoodrich.co.uk 700433 Banner 15x210mm.indd 1

34 4.7

28/07/2017 14:34

After the gate, continue ahead across the ďŹ eld towards another gate in the distance. Watch out for cows and sheep

37 7.1

e

35

38

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SK 765 091

8.3

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4x4 12pp Roadbook Feb 19.indd 87

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40

28/07/2017 14:34

44

ZERO TRIP

9.25

1.65

41

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2.1

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42 0.65

There’s a village shop a little way along to the right at the junction

SK 749 079

o

3

46

It’s not obvious who has right of way at this junction

2.3

DD

43 0.75

88 | FEBRUARY 2019

12pp Roadbook Feb 19.indd 88

n ton

47 3.5

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AD

SK 758 043

This road never quite becomes a track, but in its character it’s the most track-like road you’ll ever see

4x4 20/12/2018 23:36

7004

7 14:34

Discover the tyre range at BFGoodrich.co.uk 700433 Banner 15x210mm.indd 1

28/07/2017 14:34

Step 54: Turn left off the main road and over this very fancy cattle grid, then immediately right again

48

Caution – this is a major road

54 8.85

4.95

A

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49

55

50

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rn left thro h the am oyant gate and cattle grid then immediately ri ht

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52 7.0

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Caution – this is a major road

7.75

4x4 12pp Roadbook Feb 19.indd 89

MARCH 2018 | 67

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Discover the tyre range at BFGoodrich.co.uk

D

700433 Banner 15x210mm.indd 1

28/07/2017 14:34

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58

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61

SP 755 980

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59 12.7

After this junction, stay on the road as it winds right and left through the village, following signs for Cranoe, Tur Langton and Kibworth

oa a aton

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62 3.95

e ham e ton he an ton

90 | FEBRUARY 2019

12pp Roadbook Feb 19.indd 90

3

3

4x4 20/12/2018 23:36

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63

28/07/2017 14:34

SP 741 952

5.8

At

ar ar ear

64

69

5.85

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70

65

8.55

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66

Caution as you pull out across the road and ahead for Stonton Wyville

7.4

71

It’s quite a steep climb up the hill, t the s rface is smooth and firm – it looks worse as you approach than it really is

Pull up outside the Old Barn Inn in Glooston for the end of the route

9.4

67 7.65

68

Continue through the gate, then the road becomes a track

8.15

4x4 12pp Roadbook Feb 19.indd 91

FEBRUARY 2019 | 91

20/12/2018 23:36

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NEXT MONTH IN 4x4 On test: Toyota’s superb Land Cruiser Utility – plus Mitsubishi’s latest L200 Barbarian Unbelievable 6x6 Jeep Wrangler created by Bruiser Conversions Best-of-the-best Hilux built for serious work and play – and cutting a dash on the road…

ON SALE… 8th Feb Step 15: This

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9.2 every month Please order 4x4 Magazine and reserve/deliver me a copy 2016 50 | NOVEMBER

When did you sign like this last see a road at unsurfaced righ a junction on an t of way?

Name

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9.55

TAL OFF-R OA D Newsagent This magazine is available to your wholesaler through Comag Magazine Marketing, Tavistock Rd, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. Tel: 01895 444055 Fax: 01895 433602 TO

4x4 XX Next Month Feb AK AWAITING CONF ON PAGE NUMBER DUE TO GATEFOLD.indd 97

SAFETY

he sym ols on the the roadboo k advise suitable it is for your are just guidelin es, ho warn yo of any ha a e oa a ton sections, but G oo ton a aton the natu lane can chan ge quick can make a hug e differ Your track is Inn opposite the Fox the left obvi conditions und Turnless two as you appr ous of the erfoot, oach wide open in winter ca enclosed and scratchy i responsibility is yours!

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We’ve deliber possible to fol mixture of inst and grid refe re only include jun have to make a right of way, so j road or take the option unless we f yo re nfam rid references, y using them on the map. Our aim is fo do the route witho do recommend ha

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blem ADgreen lane -ROon TOTAL OFF s. In p you mus

t always stay on the of way. Never drive off it to p the verges or surrounding lan if you can see that someon ee has; doing so is illegal and can b tremendously dam land and to 4x4 aging, both t drivers’ repu ta The fact that you can see wh it’s happened shows how muc h it does. It’s no excuse to say you just following where another dri has already bee n. Most green lan have taken to videoing anyo ne the see behaving like this and passing evidence to the police, which show how much ange r there is tow ards criminal elem ent.

Elsewhere, simp le common sense and cou rtesy should be your

FEBRUARY 2019 | 95

21/12/2018 12:19

All Seasons.

All Conditions.

All Terrains.

Davanti has spent years developing this All-Terrain tyre, applying the latest design and manufacturing innovation to develop a tyre as comfortable in the desert, on the road, in the pasture or up in the mountains. From extreme heat to major rainfall, Terratoura masters all conditions.

Terratoura is a high performance All-Terrain tyre. Its innovative tread pattern provides exceptional traction across all environments.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE

VISIT WWW.DAVANTI-TYRES.COM

When nowhere is off-limits, you need a tyre with real bite that doesn’t compromise on ride comfort and reliability.

You need Terratoura.

Davanti has spent years developing this All-Terrain tyre, applying the latest design and manufacturing innovation to develop a tyre as comfortable on the road, in the dust bowl or up in the mountains.

Terratoura is a high performance All-Terrain tyre. Its innovative tread pattern provides exceptional traction across all environments, making it ideal for drivers who need both on and off-road performance.

The robust design means only the most extreme off-roading will push the tyres to their limits, whilst its enhanced compound provides predictable handling in wet and dry on-road conditions.

The Terratoura also boasts the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) certification, a symbol of winter excellence which means its performance in snow and ice has met stringent, industrywide conditions

Beating Rough Terrain & Tough Competition in Independent Tests Wet Braking

Leading Rival

115

110

Davanti Terratoura

105

100

Dry Steering

Wet Handling

95

90

Terratoura is designed to be effective both on and off road. At IDIADA in Spain we were able to challenge Terratoura in the toughest road conditions imaginable. From hot, dusty, dry handling to torrential rain and standing water, nothing fazed it.

85

Dry Stability

APPLUS+ IDIADA

Dry Braking

Unit

Premium B

Premium A

Mid Range

Davanti

Stability

Rating

94%

87%

100%

98%

Steering

Rating

102%

95%

100%

100%

Braking (100-0 km/h)

Metres

50.20

43.20

42.20

42.46

Braking Asphalt (80-0 km/h)

Metres

39.60

38.80

36.40

34.50

DRY

WET Handling Objective

Seconds

88.10

84.60

82.70

80.44

Handling Subjective

Rating

90%

88%

100%

109%

Circle

Seconds

14.10

13.70

13.10

13.27

92.6%

92.9%

100%

102.7%

4th

3rd

2nd

1st

Weighted Summary Overall

Ice Stability

Leading Rival

115

Snow Handling

110

Ice Steering

Davanti Terratoura

105

0 100

Snow Acceleration

95

Ice Braking

90

85

Snow Braking ABS

Ice Acceleration

Snow Steering

Ice Handling Laptime Snow Stability

This frozen proving ground inside the Arctic Circle is where Terratoura earned its 3PMSF certification. The harsh winter of Finland enabled us to push Terratoura to the extreme in ice and snow to ensure it could conquer the most severe sub-zero conditions.

Test World Oy

Unit

Mid Range

Premium A

Premium B

Davanti

ICE Stability

Rating

100%

110%

107%

111%

Steering

Rating

100%

114%

106%

112%

Braking (20-5 km/h)

Metres

26.92

27.4

25.62

24.24

Acceleration (5-20 km/h)

Seconds

6.25

6.50

5.99

5.43

ICE Handling Lap Time

Seconds

119.27

113.40

109.78

108.29

SNOW Stability

Rating

100%

106.6%

113.7%

113.3%

Steering

Rating

100%

102.1%

107.7%

110.5%

Braking (20-5 km/h)

Metres

26.20

28.40

20.31

23.69

Acceleration (5-40 km/h)

Seconds

4.45

5.00

3.36

3.78

SNOW Handling Lap Time

Seconds

68.95

66.30

65.09

63.54

100%

101.8%

111.9%

112.1%

4th

3rd

2nd

1st

Weighted Summary Overall

Sand Traction

Leading Rival

110

Davanti Terratoura

105

100

Jungle Handling

Grass Traction

95

The UK’s own testing ground at Millbrook offered Terratoura the chance to prove itself in rugged wilderness and agricultural applications. From jungle trails to sandy hills, wet grass paddocks and extreme uneven terrain, Terratoura outperformed its rivals on every type of terrain.

90

85

Gravel Braking

Stability

Steering

Millbrook

Unit

Premium B

Premium A

Mid Range

Davanti

Traction Distance

Metres

69.79

69.20

72.45

71.09

Traction Time

Seconds

12.97

11.50

12.11

10.75

Stability

Rating

104%

99%

100%

107%

Steering

Rating

99%

97%

100%

102%

Gravel Braking Distance

Metres

19.19

19.75

19.85

19.03

Grass Traction Distance

Metres

29.90

30.22

28.45

26.87

Off-Road Handling Circuit

Seconds

SAND

OFF-ROAD

Weighted Summary Overall

Unique Enhanced Tread Compound • Durability • Endurance • Excellent grip in cold and wet conditions • Class-leading longevity.

Size Range: 15” - 17”

31.46

31.27

32.85

29.83

98.0%

99.8%

100%

105.6%

4th

3rd

2nd

1st

Carcass Construction • Reinforced polyester cords for higher load capability • Two wide steel belts for harmonic load distribution & even tread wear • Additional nylon layers for improved shock resistance.

Speed Ratings: S, T, H

Three Peak Mountain Snowflake • Earned through rigorous cold-weather testing • Tyres are snow-rated, giving them winter tyre classification throughout Europe • Enhanced control in snow and ice.

Number of Sizes: 10

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT INFO@DAVANTI-TYRES.COM

Davanti has spent years developing this AllTerrain tyre, applying the latest design and manufacturing innovation to develop a tyre as comfortable on the road, on the construction site, in the fields or up in the mountains.

TO FIND YOUR LOCAL DAVANTI DEALER, PLEASE VISIT DAVANTI-TYRES.COM

THE EXPERT VERDICT FROM 4X4 MAGAZINE

8 CLASS WINNERS • 1 OVERALL CHAMPION

1 4x4otY Cover ak.indd 1

21/12/2018 13:15

FOR THOSE WHO VALUE VALUE

Discover a range of Best Value award winners in 2019.

MUSSO

AVAILABLE FROM

£20,995 ex VAT*

BEST VALUE

PICK-UP OF THE YEAR

AWARDED BY 4X4 MAGAZINE

REXTON AVAILABLE FROM

£28,995*†

BEST VALUE

4X4 OF THE YEAR AWARDED BY 4X4 MAGAZINE

Fuel consumption figures in mpg. Rexton: Urban 27.1-28.8, Extra Urban 40.3-42.8, Combined 34.0-36.2. CO2 emissions in g/km 218-204. Musso: Urban 25.9-29.1, Extra Urban 39.2-40.9, Combined 32.8-35.8. CO2 emissions in g/km 226-211. Models featured are a Rexton Ultimate priced at £39,595 including optional metallic paint priced at £600, and Musso EX priced at £25,649 including optional metallic paint priced at £516. *including delivery charge, Road Fund Licence & first registration charge, ex VAT. †Including VAT for Rexton EX. Warranty covers 7 years or 150,000 miles. Prices are correct at the time of going to print but may be modified or changed at any time.

0975 Award ad 4x4Mag V3.indd 1

19/12/2018 16:48

4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | CONTENTS

CONTENTS | 4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 4 6 8 10 12 16 18 20 22

Crossover Estates Crossovers Small SUVs Medium SUVs Large SUVs Off-Roaders Performance SUVs Luxury SUVs OVERALL RESULTS

It’s safe to say that twelve months ago, we raised a few eyebrows with the results of 2018’s 4x4 of the Year. No-one expected the SsangYong Rexton to claim the overall title – but in doing so, the big Korean SUV announced its arrival in triumphant style.

As 4x4 specialists, of course, we’re used to being out of step with the mainstream motoring press. Magazines that would sooner be razzing off to Wales in the latest Ferrari can routinely be seen failing completely to understand what off-road vehicles are about.

That’s why 4x4 of the Year is such an important award. This here is the work of specialists.You might not agree with all that we say, or like the verdicts we reach, but you can rest assured that we get what 4x4s are about.

That’s particularly important this year as there have been so many new arrivals in the proper off-road class. The Suzuki Jimny and Jeep Wrangler have been getting the headlines, but the Toyota Landcruiser Utility is every it as si nificant, not least eca se it’s available in commercial form.

And talking of commercial vehicles, the pick-up market has yielded several newcomers with serious off-road intent in the last year.

So it’s a bumper time for proper old-school 4x4s. And the markets for SUVs and crossovers continue to thrive, too; Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini have joined the fray in the last year, Aston Martin is on the way and a top end Range Rover is now nudging a quarter of a million quid.

Happily, things are equally rosy in the real world. Which brings me back to SsangYong and its like. The new Dacia Duster is a big step up over the old one, and the Skoda Karoq is a worthy little brother for the utterly brilliant Kodiaq.

Which all goes to show that every class in these awards is going to be keenly fought for. The winner of 2019’s 4x4 of the Year title will be a worthy one indeed.

Alan Kidd Editor 4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | 3

3 4x4otY Contents AK.indd 5

20/12/2018 09:13

4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | CROSSOVER ESTATES

WINNER | SUBARU XV

THE XV IS THE FIRST 4x4 to be built on Subaru’s new Global Platform – and it bodes well for the company’s future. At the time of its launch, it was EuroNCAP’s highest-scoring vehicle of all time for child occupant protection – and for a family car, that’s a very strong story indeed.

Inside, the cabin oozes quality in its build and materials, and the design of its controls makes it as easy to operate as every vehicle should be. It’s spacious enough to take four six-footers, too, visibility is excellent all round and the rear seats drop down to create a big, usable cargo bay.

We’ve come to expect good things from Subaru on the road, and the XV delivers – to a higher standard than ever. The new platform means extra stiffness, ideal weight balance and a low centre of gravity, and the result is an amazingly sure-footed combination of grip, feel and sharpness. Body

control is excellent, and it’s an absolute pleasure to steer.

Thus you can get a lot of entertainment from it, but its basic composure on the road is outstanding too. Its ride and refinement are e ceptional it covers ground with the quiet smoothness of a premium SUV,

4 | 4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019

4-5 Crossover Estates AK.indd 4

20/12/2018 09:15

4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | CROSSOVER ESTATES

£22,495-£28,510

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED VAUXHALL INSIGNIA COUNTRY TOURER

£27,815-£29,425

Last year’s winner in this class continues to be an outstanding choice. The big, elegant Country Tourer is a brilliant all-rounder and it comes at an utterly commanding price.

Inside, the cabin is beautifully designed and carried off with genuine panache and excellent build quality. The media system is bang up to date, oddment stowage reveals excellent use of space and the seats are fantastically supportive. Accommodation in the rear is almost freakishly good, too, and boot space is epic.

The surprises don’t stop there, either. The Country Tourer is every bit as good to drive as it is to just sit in – its engine pulls strongly and it rides, steers and handles with real sophistication.

Whether in town, on A and B-roads or on the motorway, it continues to feel as premium as it looks.

It’s not much cop off-road, but the Country Tourer is still a sensational all-rounder. In a category that’s crawling with premium brands, Vauxhall challenges you to justify spending any more than this on a 4x4 estate.

VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT ALLTRACK

with even roughly pot-holed roads failing to upset it.

It’s unbelievably capable off-road, too. Articulation and ground clearance are of course limited, but all models have CVT transmission and to some extent that compensates for the lack of low box. Most of all, the traction it’s capable of gaining

in sloppy mud and rough terrain is astounding, and there’s also a very effective hill descent control system.

People do buy Subarus for these reasons, and this new XV builds on the company’s already formidable stren ths t s a ery, ery fine ehicle with a price tag that makes it the best 4x4 estate you can buy.

£35,085

The Alltrack range has been rationalised in the last year, but it’s still one of the best 4x4 estates you can get. It’s pricier than it once was, but it now comes as standard with a 190bhp diesel engine and auto gearbox driving all four wheels – as well as a range of hardware and software to help it get about off-road. he en ine pro ides plenty of pace and refinement, and with bags of low-down torque it’s a breeze to drive. The slightly raised suspension rarely compromises its dynamics on the road – but does provide just enough clearance to let you tackle off-road conditions in which a standard Passat wouldn’t stand a chance. Inside, the cabin is sober but superbly made, with excellent materials and a crisp, clean layout. The seats are excellent and there’s abundant space up front; it’s not quite so roomy in the back, but for luggage-carrying it’s superb.

Even at its new, higher price, the Passat Alltrack undercuts its premium rivals by a long way – while still feeling convincingly premium itself It’s a former winner of this class in our 4x4 of the Year awards – and it’s still as good a choice as ever.

4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | 5

4-5 Crossover Estates AK.indd 5

20/12/2018 09:15

4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | CROSSOVERS

WINNER | FIAT PANDA CROSS

NO OTHER CATEGORY in these awards has as much variety as the crossovers class. And there’s as much quality as there is diversity here, too. Yet the Panda Cross wins it yet again: Fiat’s old favourite continues to hold a place in our hearts in a way few other vehicles have ever managed.

This is one of those vehicles for which no-one ever seems to have a bad word. Successive models have proved themselves to be great fun on the road and absolute giant-killers off it, and the latest version continues that tradition.

No, it doesn’t have low range gears, and ground clearance is

always going to be limited in a vehicle like this. But its light weight and a ility to find traction are little short of astounding, and its manoeuvrability can hardly help but put a smile on your face.

We never thought we’d see the day when we said such things about a 4x4 with an 875cc two-

cylinder engine. But the TwinAir petrol unit is an absolute blast, with a rorty note to go with an amazing level of performance.

And if you prefer the traditional methods, the 1.3 MultiJet diesel is every bit as good in its own way.

Either way, the Panda has real green lane skills. You need to keep

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | CROSSOVERS

£16,380-£18,300

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SKODA KAROQ

£20,880-£32,065

Replacing the Skoda Yeti was always going to be a challenge. he C ech company s first won o r of the ear title o tri ht in its first year, and remained one of the est options in its class right to the end.

The Karoq is a bit less adventurous in its design. But its family styling echoes that of the Kodiaq – and if you’re going to be compared to anythin , o r rei nin edi m of the ear is a pretty good role model.

Like the Kodiaq, the Karoq is superbly put together and well kitted o t ike the eti, its : : rear seats can e folded, tumbled and removed in any combination you want. And like every other Skoda, it’s smooth, easy and enjoyable to drive, with a wide range of willing engines and gearboxes providing the propulsion and a world-class chassis providing excellent dynamics and refinement alike here s an ff oad tton for models, too, and with this en a ed it can do ama in thin s People loved the Yeti, and we think Skoda should have stuck with the name – not to mention its bold styling. But the Karoq is a worthy successor nonetheless.

NISSAN QASHQAI

out of deep ruts, of course, but its transmission is full of traction – and in tight terrain, its tiny size and tight turning circle count for more than you might expect.

If you want an all-round family car with ultimate practicality and mile-eating motorway skills, there are better crossovers for sure. But

the Panda is great around town and capable enough in general for a vehicle of its size – and as well as being cool, it has the fun factor written all over it.

You might never even take it offroad. But there’s almost nothing else here to match the Panda for putting a smile on your face.

£19,300-£33,425

The Qashqai is very easy to like. It looks cool and modern, and you instantly settle into a cabin that’s spacious, stylishly laid out and very well put together.

The vast majority of models have two-wheel drive, and if yo ask a dealer for a he ll try and sell yo an rail t whatever Qashqai you buy, you’ll get a vehicle with a smooth engine and slick drivetrain. It’s very easy to drive, and there’s nothin a o t its handlin , steerin , ride or refinement to challenge that. It won’t change the world, but it’ll make it that bit less hassle.

Equipment levels are excellent all-round – and if you do hold o t for a model, yo ll find that they only come in hi h spec form. They can get from A to B off-road, too, so long as you pick your battles – all of which goes to mean Nissan’s long-running r an is still the cons mmate family crosso er

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | SMALL SUVS

WINNER | VOLKSWAGEN T-ROC

The T-Roc looks like a style wagon, and that’s enough to make some people dismiss it. But there’s an awful lot more to it than just its looks – when you get down to business, what you discover is a very capable family SUV..

It might be at the bottom run of Volkswagen’s 4x4 ladder (for now),

but the T-Roc’s cabin is styled with the same classy attention to detail as the Tiguan and even the Touareg above it. It would be churlish to moan about a few hard plastics when build quality is top-drawer and the seats are comfortable to a continent-crossing degree. There’s way more space inside than you’d

expect, too, both in the front and, amazingly, the back, where there’s enough headroom to accommodate a six-footer. Knee room is limited, but you can still put one adult behind another with a bit of give and take.

It’s well proportioned for carrying cargo, too, and there are

plenty of usable stowage options up front for odds and ends. So by the time you settle in to actually drive the thing, you’ll have found out that no, it’s not just a style wagon by any stretch.

The T-Roc is a revelation to drive, too. We’d recommend avoiding the R-Line model, whose

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | SMALL SUVS

£18,955-£33,850

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED DACIA DUSTER

£9995-£18,695

he first ster sold stron ly y ein decent and cheap ew this year, the second eneration model is a little less cheap t a lot more decent t s still a d et ehicle, and that s apparent in the ca in, t there s no shorta e of e ipment a aila le as yo clim a ran e which, at its lowest point, start at st here s a ran e of petrol and diesel en ines a aila le, none of which are listerin t all of which do a sto t o of ettin yo from to aro nd town and on the open road ts d et nat re is only really e posed at hi h speed and when yo take a model off road, yo ll e ery pleasantly s rprised indeed y its capa ilities he new ster looks more m sc lar than the old one, t it s not tryin to e anythin it isn t t s still a ood, honest little that ll et yo aro nd witho t hammerin yo r wallet VOLVO XC40

alloys and low profile tyres do nothin for its ride ality, t the rest of the ran e dri es with a smoothness yo d e pect from i er ehicles t s partic larly composed on the motorway, as well as ein nippy aro nd town whiche er en ine is nder the onnet t rides smoothly

and ietly, with e cellent sta ility in a strai ht line, ood ody control in corners and steerin that s li ely witho t ein hard work ll in all, the oc mana es to e reat f n and also ery rown p while pro ectin a f nky, yo thf l ima e that s the holy rail for makers of small s

£28,310-£38,320

he C has won a slew of awards since its arri al st nder a year a o, and if yo want to y one yo ll need to take yo r place in a lon waitin list hat s testament to how ood it is he first thin yo notice a o t the ehicle is that it looks really distincti e t s e ally cool inside, too, with a classy, well made ca in whose stylin and e ipment p t it firmly in premi m territory nd it s a practical family wa on, too, with loads of places to stow yo r offs and ends and ery cle er se of space in the oot n the road, it s set p mainly for comfort, with e ceptional ride and refinement acked p y handlin that s fine t not epoch makin o can ha e f n in one, t mainly yo can rela and en oy makin ood pro ress in iet comfort he C is a stylish, classy whose family car credentials incl din a world class safety ratin make it an o tstandin choice if yo re after a small, premi m

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | MEDIUM SUVS

WINNER | SKODA KODIAQ

IN A CLASS that’s laden with quality, the Kodiaq achieves the near-impossible by winning for a second year in a row. It came incredibly close to winning the overall title last year, and twelve months on it remains the most complete, best-value SUV of its size you can buy.

One of its strongest selling points is that you can get it with seven seats, and this points to a ca in that s ery e i le as well as being brilliantly made. It looks classy and is finished sin top ality materials and e ipment yo mi ht find yo rself wonderin why a person would want to

spend any more just to get a premium badge.

There’s a very wide range of models, and also of engine and drivetrain options, so you’re nlikely not to e a le to find a Kodiaq that suits you. What yo ll find is that in e ery case, it’s an absolute delight to drive,

with smooth power delivery and slick transmissions as well as an agile chassis and steering that’s responsive and full of feel.

This makes it an entertaining companion on B-roads, and it’s equally at home on the motorway as well as being a cinch to drive aro nd town ide and refinement

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | MEDIUM SUVS

£22,630-£37,590

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED NISSAN X-TRAIL

£28,355-£37,740

A perennial favourite in the Medium SUV class, the X-Trail has gone from being one of the most truck-like soft-roaders to one of the classiest options outside the usual premium brands. It looks sharp both outside and in, with a cabin whose elegance disguises the toughness it needs for family life.

On that subject, it’s available as a seven-seater; the third row is just for kids, but both the fronts are very spacious indeed and with everything folded it’s an excellent cargo carrier.

It’s lovely to drive, too, with capable engines and composed dynamics which, while there’s a good bit of agility there, primarily make it a smooth, easy, unstressed drive both in town and on the motorway.

It’s capable enough off-road, too, albeit not to the same level as the old one reat it as a family car with added enefits, though, and it won’t put a foot wrong.

VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN

are excellent, and the layout of the cabin controls is easy to learn.

In true Skoda fashion, too, there are some lovely clever touches around the vehicle, like pop-out paintwork protectors that appear as if by magic when you open the doors. These are the things that really matter to everyday drivers,

and they help elevate the Kodiaq to a position above mere mastery and into the realms of genius.

A practical everyday family wagon that’s up for adventures out in the wilds – that’s the SUV dream. And the Kodiaq lets you live it like few before have managed. It’s Peak Skoda, and that’s a very good thing.

£23,485-£40,285

The Tiguan might not be the most distinctive vehicle in its class, but its strength and quality are beyond doubt. Closely related to the Skoda Kodiaq, it’s a brilliant all-rounder with a superb cabin, a huge range of powertrains and, if you spec it right, no small amount of off-road ability.

You get plenty of equipment whichever model you choose, and at the most basic level things like the seats and driving position are top-notch. It’s more spacious up front than in the back, but you can still get one six-footer behind another – and as well as slidin , the rear seats fold near at to lea e one of the most e i le car o ays yo ll find There’s a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines, all of which are well up to the task. The most powerful, indeed, are seriously quick, with as much as 240bhp on offer.

Despite this, it’s a very easy vehicle to drive, with excellent manners on the motorway and rough roads alike. As all 4x4s should be, it’s an outstanding all-rounder.

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | LARGE SUVS

WINNER | VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG

Introduced this year, the Mk3 Touareg is less of an off-roader than the original – but more of a premium vehicle than, perhaps, anything else VW has ever made.

You get that from the moment you climb aboard. It’s classy, comfy and extremely spacious, its back seats and boot have plenty of

room in them and, if you like hightech toys, it will blow you away.

That’s thanks to VW’s new Innovision Cockpit, which combines two screens to create a more or less full-width virtual facia. This controls just about everything in the vehicle, with sublimely crisp graphics highlighted by a giant sat-

nav display based on aerial images from Google. It takes a lot of learning, but the functionality built into it is phenomenal – and the facia above and below it is shaped to let you rest your hand while swiping, meaning it’s much easier to operate than most touchscreen systems.

That’s a brilliant bit of design, and it’s matched for appeal by front seats with a massage function that has to be felt to be believed. And so too has the vehicle’s on-road performance. It’s very smooth around town, with next to no noise from its engine, and it cruises like a dream on the motor-

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | LARGE SUVS

£45,970-£58,195

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED LAND ROVER DISCOVERY

£46,355-£70,405

Last year’s winner in this class remains a benchmark which, in its own way, is unlikely ever to be matched. The Discovery is an astonishing all-rounder whose skills as a premium seven-seat are a mented y a le el of off road a ility which, ite simply, leaves everything else standing.

Land Rover traditionalists might not like what the Disco has become, with all its complex electronics. But that fact is that if yo want to lea e the tarmac ehind in an e pensi e , it wipes the oor with e erythin else in its class And while it really is expensive, it has a sumptuous ride, taut handlin and a choice of smooth, powerf l and whisper iet en ines eldom has come so close to ein eradicated The cabin is gorgeous, too, with loads of space, sky-high ality and a dri in position that p ts yo in mind of a an e Rover. The Disco has that much class – but with even more practicality. It costs, but it’s a phenomenal bit of kit.

KIA SORENTO

way, aided by the latest generation of four-wheel steering technology. The idea of this is basically to make it feel like a limo on the motorway and a hatchback on a B-road – and it gets pretty close to succeeding.

The engine choices include petrol, diesel and hybrid options. Not all have arrived yet, but eventually

there’ll be a range of power outputs from 231 to 421bhp. Safe to say none of them will e slow or nrefined he o are is a ma nificent to drive and just to sit in, with a topclass cabin and road manners that live up to it. It’s not even expensive compared to many rivals – some of which it beats at an absolute stroll.

£29,910-£42,925

he orento is no lon er the ar ain asement it once was. But it’s still one of the best ways of getting such a big vehicle for relatively affordable money.

All Sorentos are powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine with hp, whose ea erness and refinement make it a pleas re to drive. This is aided on auto models by an eight-speed box, added at the end of 2017, which makes it smoother than ever. It’s not the best at disguising its size and weight in corners, but it’s perfectly predictable nonetheless and its composure on poor surfaces is worth more than all the steering feel in the world.

All models have seven seats as standard, as well as a high le el of ild ality and a dash desi n that s as attracti e as it is functional. It’s very spacious, too, in all three rows of seats. The Sorento is one of those vehicles that simply does everything well – and of course it does it at a price you can’t ignore.

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20/12/2018 09:33

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | OFF-ROADERS

WINNER | SUZUKI JIMNY

IT WAS THIS YEAR’S BIG QUESTION: Jimny or Wrangler?

And here’s the answer.

Actually, the fact that the Suzuki Jimny wins the Off-Roaders class is not the full answer. Because make no mistake, when Toyota decided to bring in the work-spec Land Cruiser Utility it gave the

off-road market a shake-up of seismic proportions.

It speaks volumes for the Jimny that it has been able to survive the threat of a stripped-back, low-cost Land Cruiser. But this is a proper off-road machine in the traditional style, with beam axles and low range, which you’ll be able

to modify to your heart’s content for off-road fun – and you can get one for st o er fifteen rand The Jimny is far more than just a cheap 4x4, though. Its styling makes it perhaps the best-looking car, of any kind, on the market today. And its cabin, while it remains quite cramped and plain,

is an absolute country mile ahead of the old model’s.

Equipment is good, too – even the entry-level Jimny now has cruise control, for example, though it’s worth spending the extra money it takes to get the full works. And while it’s no magic carpet on the road, it’s civilised

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | OFF-ROADERS

£15,499-£17,999

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TOYOTA LAND CRUISER

£33,955-£52,855

The Land Cruiser has been around long enough to have had a facelift, which arrived early this year. But while it has always been an outstanding vehicle, it has only ever been available in Britain as an expensive high-speccer – until now.

As part of its facelift, Toyota GB decided to introduce a new Utility model, specced for off-road work and priced to plug the hole left by the disappearance for the old Land Rover Defender.

The result is a Land Cruiser with steel wheels, cloth seats, aircon instead of fancy climate control and so on. It’s still as much of an off-roader as ever (though we think Toyota messed up by failin to incl de a lockin rear diff in the kit list, as this is fitted on high-speccers), and still an outstanding daily driver, and now at last you can afford to think about it as such.

The Land Cruiser is a proper truck, not a silky SUV, and of course it’s build to a standard of which legends are made. Few vehicles have ever been able to match its quality and capability.

With the arrival of the Utility, it’s little short of perfect.

JEEP WRANGLER

enough to be used as daily transport, with the road manners of a true 4x4 giving it huge dollops of character.

Most of all, the Jimny is great fun to drive. It’s extremely manoeuvrable around town, perfectly tolerable on the open road and a sensational allterrain performer; basically, it’s just what you hoped it would be.

Over and above that, Suzuki has managed to distil the essence of the LJ, SJ and old-model Jimny into a package that’s delightfully retro but also completely modern. If you get what off-roading is all about, you’ll know exactly why people are queuing up around the block to get their hands on one.

£43,995-£47,995

The all-new Wrangler has been hotly anticipated by British offroaders. And when its UK specs were revealed, it looked ideal.

It’s far lighter and much nicer inside, and at last you can get a Rubicon model with a diesel engine.

The Rubicon is the ultimate off-the-peg all-terrain vehicle.

But every Wrangler is a superb off-roader, and any version will be ripe for modifying. You can take this vehicle further in the workshop than any other 4x4 currently on sale in the UK. Only its price stops it from winning the class. Jeep’s UK importer has clearly done its supply-and-demand sums, but the new Wrangler costs more than twice what the old one did when it was new and to us, that looks plain greedy.

More to the point, it’s almost three times more than the new Jimny. If you can justify it, though, you’ll get a true off-road icon.

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | PERFORMANCE SUVS

WINNER | BENTLEY BENTAYGA

THERE’S A BIG, BLURRED LINE separating the Performance and Luxury SUV categories. And no vehicle demonstrates that more clearly than the Bentayga.

Obviously, a lot of luxury SUVs have performance built in. And a lot of performance models are also luxurious. So the Bentayga,

and several others, could qualify for either class. The reason it’s here is that to us, its performance defines it e en more than its luxury – and that’s at the heart of why it wins the class, too.

Step forward the 542bhp V8 engine that was added to the Bentayga range at the start of

2018. It delivers its power with impeccable smoothness – and no shortage at all of punch. The huge vehicle is astonishingly fast, but what you really notice is how effortlessly its pace is achieved.

Behind the wheel it feels trim, fit and li ht on its feet er since premi m s first came alon ,

the mainstream motoring press who wish SUVs didn’t exist at all have been comparing their dynamics to those of hot hatchbacks. The entay a is the first we e e er driven that feels like it actually deserves that accolade.

Its steering is pin-sharp and accurate; its body control as good

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | PERFORMANCE SUVS

£135,800-£162,700

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED PORSCHE MACAN

£45,915-£69,505

Porsche made a name for itself in the performance SUV market with the Cayenne he acan does the same thin t in a package that’s smaller, lighter and more agile. nside, the ca in is that of a medi m with a dose of the style Porsche does so well. It feels sporty and focused – in an almost scientific way that mi ht e acc sed of lackin so l t appeals to people who take their performance seriously.

And the Macan’s performance certainly is serious, particularly at the top of the range. There’s no such thing as a slow Macan, t the r o Performance Pack model has a second time and a top speed of 169mph – and, more to the point, the handling to go with it.

You don’t need to spend that much money, however, to enjoy the s per steerin and wei ht alance that makes this s ch a treat to dri e o can t et it with a man al ear o , which almost seems like a pity, t this is the closest Porsche has come to em latin the ma nificence of its traditional sports cars in SUV form.

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT

as perfect. You can place it on the road with such precision, it practically defies elief It does this with no detriment at all to a ride quality that’s everything you expect from a Bentley. Almost nothing comes through of the imperfections in the road surface; it really is remarka ly ci ilised, all the

more so for also ein e ery it as remarka ly athletic Inside, it’s not actually as special as we had hoped. It’s glorious in lots of ways, t doesn t match the an e Rover’s air of effortless class. It also happens to cost £136,200. But at any price, this is the est performance SUV we have ever experienced.

£61,645-£101,145

he port is asically a f ll ho se an e o er in a different set of clothes which means that at the ottom of the ran e, it looks like very decent value. But it’s as a performance SUV that it really stands out – thanks in no small part to the expensive t tterly e ilin model This was revised early in 2018 to give it more power than ever which in this case means hp he work of a s perchar ed V8 engine, this is delivered with the sort of theatre you might e pect from a hot rod, with ellowin e ha sts followin yo e erywhere yo o t s not s tle, t it s ery entertainin Other models in the Sport range are less outrageous, and some are only medi m paced t all ha e a dynamism which, while it s not that of a f ll on sports car, can certainly p t a smile on yo r face t does feel like a i , tall, hea y ehicle, e en with its s spension at its most a ressi e, t when yo remem er that this is a f ll si e se en seater with en ine off road a ility, yo can hardly help t e ery, ery impressed

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | LUXURY SUVS

WINNER | LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER

THE NOTION OF LUXURY in a class of vehicle supposedly defined y its a ility to et m ddy is a stran e one t s the kind of l ry em odied y wa ackets rather than e isite cream leather and nothin , t nothin , con eys that ima e with the same effortless a ility as a an e o er

ime and a ain, people talk a o t the indefina le air of class the an ey has t always seems like a cop o t when it comes from those of s whose o is to define ehicles, t and o er has a reat deal of skill at makin yo feel ery ood a o t yo rself witho t really knowin why any

others ha e tried, at this le el and elow, and se eral ha e created ery nice s in the process t the an e o er remains as ele ated as e er here are imperfections ear seat headroom is limited y a low roof line, and when those same seats are dropped the oor is not

completely at he controls take a lot of learnin , too, if only eca se there are so many of them t almost seems ch rlish to talk a o t s ch d lly practical matters, tho h nd act ally dri in the an e o er is wholly int iti e, eca se a s preme seatin position makes it so easy to do

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | LUXURY SUVS

£76,795-£242,125

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED MERCEDES-BENZ GLS

£73,090-£106,870

It almost sounds like faint praise to say the GLS is the most practical option in the Luxury class. But if you’re in the market for a prestige SUV that must also be a winning family vehicle, it ticks every box.

The range offers you the option of destroying the 0-62 sprint in less than fi e seconds or, if yo o shoppin in a massi e options list, of going off-road on the sort of terrain that will make onlookers’ jaws drop. Build quality is top-drawer, and all models offer plenty of smooth power, beautiful body control and a calm ride that defies the ehicle s si e and wei ht Our one concern is that the GLS looks too much like Merc’s other SUVs. The dashboard looks identical to that of the GLE, and its cabin feels like that of a ‘mere’ executive car.

With the Range Rover as a rival, that will put some people off t the remain the most e i le l ry there is MASERATI LEVANTE

Every Range Rover is not just easy to drive, but rewarding as well. Some are insanely fast, but even the entry level models provide an exquisite level of relaxed pleasure.

The range of models continues to get bigger every year. In the last 12 months we’ve gained a plug-in hybrid and two-door coupe, taking the

headline price to almost a quarter of a million pounds.

But as we said last year, a vast price tag doesn’t impress us one bit. The Range Rover won its class then, as it does now, not because it’s a superb luxury SUV (which is it), but because of the intangible something extra that comes on top of its many skills.

£58,315-£95,125

It seems ridiculous to describe a Maserati as a budget option in its class. But it’s only towards the top of its range that it starts to cost more than an entry-level Range Rover or Merc GLS..

Here, with the V6 petrol engine that was added to the range a year ago, it offers searing performance. To us it’s more of a grand tourer among SUVs, however, rather than a huge GTI, and with its stylish elegance we see it more as a luxury vehicle than a speed machine.

Thus we like the V6 petrol not just because it’s faster than the diesel, t eca se it s so ea tif lly refined nd we d point you towards the GranLusso model, whose wonderful soft-close doors and silk seat inserts make for a truly great interior.

What the Levante does is bring a sense of occasion to the everyday driving experience. It’s beautiful, elegant and very different to the norm a stand o t in many ways, and one that makes you feel special every time you climb aboard.

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | RESULTS

THE WINNER | SUZUKI JIMNY

SPECIAL AWARDS

Between us, the 4x4 team have an awful lot of experience. But none of us have ever known a vehicle to catch people’s imaginations ahead of launch the way the Jimny has.

Like last year’s winner, the SsangYong Rexton, the Jimny is a great vehicle as a great price. Also like the Rexton, the mainstream motoring press are struggling to understand it. One major car mag recently dedicated eight pages to a road test of the vehicle – of which precisely 42 words were given to reviewing its off-road ability.

We’re pretty sure people who know about 4x4s will understand the Jimny. And that they’ll love it.

Falling for the vehicle’s retro styling is easy, and as with the old Jimny it’s a lot of fun to drive. efinement and road manners are not those of a suave SUV but, not to p t too fine a point on it, what did you expect?

Fact is, the Jimny’s interior and equipment are vastly improved over the old one. So too is the way it drives. And it’s still every inch a proper off-roader.

All this, and they haven’t even been greedy with the price. At £15,499-£17,999, Suzuki is going to sell every one of these it can get its hands on.

The Jimny was run incredibly close, both in its class and for the overall title, by the revitalised Toyota Landcruiser. To hold off such a challenge took something very special indeed. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner – and a very worthy one indeed.

BEST VALUE SSANGYONG REXTON

OFF-ROAD AWARD JEEP WRANGLER

No, we’ve not forgotten to update this box from last year’s layout. The Rexton was the overall winner then, and it makes even more sense now thanks to a new 7-year, 150,000-mile warranty. Thus it retains the Best Value award – not just because it’s cheap, but because it’s an excellent vehicle at any price. t s a fine all ro nder whose interior has a genuine right to call itself premium, and its quality, kit and overall ability on and off-road command respect.

At the price, it’s a stunning prospect.

The Wrangler’s failure to win the overall title is down solely to its high price, but in a money-no-object assessment it’s the one you’d go for if you want off-road ability to the exclusion of everything else. Every model is built for serious terrain, and the Rubicon comes as standard with a slew of highquality accessories which turn it into a truly specialised off-road machine.

In a year which has brought several strong contenders for this award, the Wrangler is still the ultimate real 4x4.

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4x4 OF THE YEAR 2019 | RESULTS

MOST IMPROVED 4X4 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER

4X4 MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR TOYOTA

The Landcruiser’s recent facelift, which was introduced at the start of 2018, was unremarkable in itself – though it did bring bodywork changes aimed at making an already brilliant vehicle better off-road by improving visibility.

What has made all the difference, however, is the introduction of the new Utility model, which has brought this outstanding off-roader within reach for those who want just that – an outstanding off-roader. At last, you don’t need to shell out for luxury toys to get this legendary 4x4; it’s even available as a van.

Perfection perfected.

Toyota’s global reputation as a 4x4 manufacturer is well known, but in Britain we have long been frustrated by the lack of base-spec Landcruisers in its line-up. This year, at last, that changed. The Cruiser is now ready for work in Utility form, and this award recognises that. In addition, we’re about to get an all-new RAV4 which, for the first time, will ha e an element of off-roading in its make-up, and the Hilux has become the latest pick-up to offer an AT35 model for extreme work.

Toyota has always had our respect for its famed build quality: now, the 4x4s it’s building are spot-on, too.

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THE SUBARU XV. 4X4 MAGAZINE’S CROSSOVER ESTATE OF THE YEAR. At Subaru, we let the testers do the talking.

“At the time of its launch, the XV was Euro NCAP’s highest-scoring vehicle of all time for child occupant protection. It’s unbelievably capable off-road, too.

The XV is a very, very fine vehicle with a price tag that makes it the best 4x4 estate you can buy.”

— Alan Kidd, Editor of 4x4 Magazine

(BETTER where it MATTERS) Find out more at Subaru.co.uk/XV

SUBARU XV 2.0L RANGE fuel economy and CO2 results (NEDC): Combined 40.9mpg, CO2 emissions 155g/km. Mpg figures are official EU test figures for comparative purposes & may not reflect real driving results.

2.0L XV has been tested using the outgoing NEDC testing method (not WLTP). Only compare fuel consumption & CO2 figures with other cars tested to the same technical standard.