4x4
FREE 2019 WALL CALENDAR – PRESENTED WITH THIS ISSUE
RADICAL: Stunning new L200 on the way
THE UK’S ONLY 4X4 AND PICK- UP MAGAZINE
Every 4x4 pick-up in the UK tested – and 2019’s champion is crowned
Pick-Up of the Year
£4.75
Khaya pick-up camper profiled Glorious Yorkshire Dales Roadbook
JAN 2019
Radical Hilux for people who like their pick-ups hardcore 4x4 Cover Jan AKSK.indd 1
30/11/2018 19:06
January 2019
T H IS M O N T H 66
32 PICK-UP OF THE YEAR 2019
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2-3 Contents.indd 2
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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 per issue! News 16 18 21 22 22 25 25
VW Tarok Concept pick-up will enter production imminently Mitsubishi L200 Radical facelift on the way next year Suzuki Jimny Specs and prices revealed – and it’s good news Ford Ranger Hot Raptor model won’t be a commercial vehicle VW Amarok Aventura edition goes further upmarket than ever Range Rover Evoque All-new model unveiled Coming Soon 4x4s of every kind looming over the horizon
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Every Month 4 6 8 10 12 33 80 96
Alan Kidd Are pick-ups about to go down the soft-roader route? Gallery Snow, snow and more snow. Well, we can dream… Destinations The 4x4-only moonscape in the heart of Iceland Lost Lanes Stanage Edge. It all just makes you want to weep What Jeep Did Next… The stunning 7.0-litre Blue Crush Products Loads of good stuff for pick-up trucks and more Roadbook A sensational day out in the Yorkshire Dales Next Month 4x4 of the Year – who’s it going to be?
PICK-UP OF THE YEAR 34 36 38 42 44 46 48 52 54 56
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Fiat Fullback Latest version has pulled a rabbit out of the hat Ford Ranger Reigning champion is pricier now but strong as ever Isuzu D-Max New models give the range even more appeal Mercedes X-Class Pick-up market gets its first premium badge Mitsubishi L200 Facelift is coming, but still has loads of appeal Nissan Navara Strong off-road contender gets stronger still Ssangyong Musso All-new budget option enters the mainstream Toyota Hilux Perennial favourite remains as commanding as ever VW Amarok A serious challenger now the range is finally complete THE WINNER Britain’s best pick-up truck revealed
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Features 30 60 66
Deranged Vehicles The home of personalised double-cabs Hardcore Hilux Old pick-up becomes a seriously built off-roader Khaya Camper How to turn a truck into a home from home
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Off-Road Scene 72 72 73 73 74
Scottish Mountain Rescue Now rolling on Nokian tyres Ben Fogle Exmoor Trim makeover for bloke-off-telly’s Defender Milner Off-Road Discount scheme for recognised 4x4 clubs Snowdonia Search and Rescue Cooper tyres to the rescue Tilberthwaite Pics show extent of damage done by ‘repair’ work
Off-Road Calendar 73 75 76
Pay-and-Play Events Go in as hard as you want UK Convoy Tours Tag-along runs on public rights of way Overland Travel Long-range adventures in your 4x4
“The standard in the pick-up market is now higher than ever – and this year’s winner has played a key part in that” 4x4 2-3 Contents.indd 3
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4x4 NEWS
VOLKSWAGEN SET TO ADD SECOND DOUBLE-CAB Tarok concept ready for production • All-independent suspension • Under evaluation for UK market
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olkswagen is ready to add a second double-cab to its range. Unveiled at the Sao Paulo Motor Show, the Tarok concept is a ‘next-generation pickup’ that’s ready for production with ‘barely any changes.’ The Tarok is only slightly smaller than the Amarok, and its introduction comes at a time when the current version of that vehicle is approaching the end of its lifespan. However it is not a replacement or s agship double-cab; technical illustrations released by Volkswagen show an all-independent suspension layout
which would not be compatible with the hard-working character required of a one-tonner. Instead, the Tarok appears to be more of a pickup-styled SUV aimed at the fashionable leisure market into which many work trucks already sell. Its interior has several cues from the Tiguan and new Touareg, with a high level of digitisation including the latter’s Innovision Cockpit dash display – housed in a body-colour trim strip that might put you in mind of something
Mercedes-Benz has announced the prices for its all-new GLE. The large SUV will start at £55,685 for the 300d and £62,300 for the 450d, which comes as standard with air suspension and seven seats. Deliveries will begin in spring.
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like the Jeep Wrangler or Toyota FJ Cruiser. Elsewhere in the cabin is a drive mode dial with various off-road settings. The concept has an automatic gearbox, but the production model is likely to offer a manual option too; all four wheels are driven as
The hybrid version of Honda’s new CR-V will cost from £29,105 when it hits the showrooms in February. If you want it with fourwheel drive, however, you’ll pay from £32,065, with the top model in a three-trim line-up hiking that to £37,255 on the road.
4x4 04/12/2018 12:11
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4x4 NEWS
STANDARD STANDARD SPECIFICATION SPECIFICATION INCLUDES: INCLUDES: TOILET, SHOWER, TOILET, SHOWER, HOT WATER, HOT WATER, HEATING, HOB/ HEATING, HOB/ GRILL, FRIDGE, GRILL, FRIDGE, MOTORISEDMOTORISED JACK LEGS. JACK LEGS. FOR AVAILABLE AVAILABLE FOR MOST PICK-UPS. MOST PICK-UPS. STANDARD SPECIFICATION INCLUDES: TOILET, SHOWER, HOT WATER, HEATING, HOB/ GRILL, FRIDGE, 24/4/08 15:53:43 MOTORISED JACK LEGS. AVAILABLE FOR MOST PICK-UPS.
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standard, however it’s unlikely that a dual-range transfer case will be available in any form. Turning the concept’s wheels is a 1.4-litre, 148bhp four-cylinder TSI engine which, for the Brazilian market, can be driven either on pure ethanol or a gasoline-ethanol mixture. For production, this will be replaced by a 2.0 TDI unit with the same output. Most concept vehicles have at least one Big Idea, and the Tarok’s comes at the back of the cabin. Here, a variable load space is enabled by an opening hatch which olds at as do the rear seats, allowing the vehicle to carry similarly long loads (albeit rather draughtily) to a single-cab pick-up. In its smallest, most standard form, the bed measures 1206mm from back to front. Extended into the cabin, it becomes 1861mm, then it can be grown still further
to a huge 2775mm by dropping the tailgate which locks into the horizontal position to act as a bed extension. It’s not stated what weight capacity this has (nor indeed how much the Tarok will be able to carry in general), however VW’s o ficial pictures make clear that the vehicle is being positioned as a pure lifestyle model to sit beneath the Amarok as a more youthful alternative to a traditional SUV. At present will confirm only that the Tarok will be introduced in production form for the Brazilian market. It does however say that ‘the avantgarde pick-up also has the potential to boost Volkswagen’s model range in other global markets and with economies o scale demanding the widest possible distribution of any product, it’s probable that a European model is being evaluated for introduction in the next couple of years.
The new Alpina XD3 will go on sale in April. Based on the latest BMW X3, the vehicle is powered by an enhanced six-pot diesel engine giving it a 4.8-second 0-62 time. The base price is £57,900, but with an ‘almost limitless’ range of bespoke options no-one will end up paying that.
4x4
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2019 PICK-UP
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OF THE YEAR O
our annual Pick-Up of the Year awards are the longest running and best respected benchmark by which the UK double-cab market is judged. Based on an entire year of non-stop evaluation, we assess every version of every model currently available, allowing us to provide you with an authoritative overview of the entire market. As usual, our awards take the form of a full-market survey. Over the pages to come you ll find re iews on e ery pick-up on sale in the followed by a conclusion in which we name the winner of the 2019 Pick-Up of the Year award. Last year, the overall title was taken comfortably by the Ford Ranger. ut the competition has intensified during the inter ening twel e months, with new models entering the market and almost every other brand doing at least something to keep its line-up fresh. The arrival of the new SsangYong Musso and Mercedes-Benz X-Class are the obvious big changes, giving the market a fresh impetus at the value and premium ends alike. But Volkswagen has top and tailed the Amarok range with a long-awaited manual gearbox and what is easily the fastest pick-up in the UK, and both Nissan and Toyota have joined su u in o ering ehicles modified into e treme o -roaders by Arctic rucks he competition has ne er been more fierce
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CARRY ON
Overland travel is all about being able to turn any corner of the globe into your home for the night. lu- a Khaya amper ou fi allo you o do this in style, by turning the double-cab of your choice into a luxuious, fully equipped all-terrain motorhome WORDS AND PICTURES: GEORGE DOVE
T
here’s no denying the unstoppable growth in the popularity of pick-up trucks in recent years. And riding this wave of popularity, there are endless companies developing similarly endless accessories and products for each and every occasion. The end result is that whatever you want to do in your truck, there is an answer. Take Alu-Cab, for example. The South African outfit has come up with something that means
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CAMPING
you can do literally everything in your pick-up. When it comes to the Khaya camper, they’ve thought of it all. Even the kitchen sink. Alu-Cab has spent many years developing camping equipment for adventurous pick-up and 4x4 drivers, making everything from vehiclemounted tents and canopies to storage systems, fridge freezers and roof conversions for some of the most iconic and capable off-road motors. But the pièce de résistance of the company’s range
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combines sleeping quarters, washing facilities and a kitchen into one convenient and versatile unit that can be mounted on the back of most pickup trucks on sale today. Designed for low overall weight, the aluminium Khaya Camper starts with a dry weight of just 340kg – meaning a vehicle can still be used off-road with it on board. Requiring only a slight lift and suspension upgrade to otherwise standard vehicles, the unit is as versatile as the
truck to which it s fitted which in this case is a Mercedes X-Class belonging to Genesis Imports. Entrance is gained via an upwards-opening rear door, accessed by climbing a set of dropdown steps into the interior cabin. From the top o the steps you find yoursel stood on a carpeted inyl oor in a cle erly packaged space measuring two metres in length. The cabin is 1.3 and 1.85 metres wide below and above the storage compartments.
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