Pick Up & 4x4 Pro December 2018

PICKUPPRO

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FREE! THE MAGAZINE FOR THE PICK-UP AND 4X4 PROFESSIONAL

LAND CRUISER UTILITY Toyota’s work horse put to the test

CPL: Get to know the access platform specialists USED BUY: Guide on picking up a solid Defender 110 Double Cab TESTED: Arctic Trucks AT32 Navara, VW Amarok

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EXPERIENCED DRIVER DEPICTED

WHAT AR E YOU 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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Britpart are delighted to now be an approved stockist for the entire ARB range of products in the UK. For nearly 40 years Britpart has been synonymous with parts for Land Rovers and now we are expanding our range of quality aftermarket parts with the introduction of the ARB catalogue for a multitude of 4x4 vehicles.

ARB’s range of products includes Air Lockers & Steps & Side > > Protection Compressors > Tyre Accessories > Camping Equipment > Canopies > Underbody Protection > Drawers > Lights > Linx Old Man Emu > Suspension > Rear Protection Recovery Points & > Equipment > Roof Racks > StealthBar Bumper

sales@britpart.com

ARB accessories & suspension products for a wide range of manufacturers & models Ford Ranger / Isuzu D-Max / Jeep Cherokee & Grand Cherokee & Jeep Wrangler Land Rover Defender & Land Rover Discovery / Mitsubishi L200 / Nissan Navara & Pathfinder Toyota Hilux / VW Amarok

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DECEMBER 2018

Contents Dec.indd 2

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PICKUPPRO

& 4X4

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE PICK-UP AND 4X4 PROFESSIONAL

THIS MONTH DECEMBER 2018 News 4 5 6 7 10

Land Rover Defender Next-gen icon spotted testing Isuzu D-Max Special editions of newly updated truck Land Rover Discovery Special Disco for the Red Cross Toyota Hilux Anniversary edition marks half century Bollinger Electric work truck to have pick-up sibling

Products 48 49 50 53 54 55 55 56

Tuff Trek Adventure gear for UK pick-ups Bilstein Replacement suspension for Discovery 4 Pedders Tough suspension for Suzuki Jimny Speedliner Added protection for your truck bed Nokian Helping mountain rescue teams Engine Guard Keep tabs on your engine’s temperature Tyres Direct Bringing the Road Cruzas into the UK Ring Automotive Super slim inspection lamp you need

Features 14 22 30 36 42 44

Land Cruiser We get our go in the base-spec model Navara AT32 First Nissan collaboration driven VW Amarok Is more always better?

Used: 110 Double Cab How to grab an off-road icon CPL Get to know the access platform specialists Yorkshire Outdoors Top quality off-road training

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Tel: 01283 553243 Email: enquiries@assignmentmedia.co.uk Web: www.pickupand4x4pro.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/ pickupand4x4pro Instagram: @pickup4x4pro Editorial Supervisor Alan Kidd Editor George Dove Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Mike Trott, Paul Looe, Dan Fenn 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 Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Lowe Email: sarah.lowe@assignmentmedia.co.uk To subscribe to Pickup & 4x4 Pro for FREE: just fill in the form on page 2.

Distributed by Marketforce; www.marketforce. co.uk Every effort is made to ensure the contents of Pickup & 4x4 Pro 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 Pickup & 4x4 Pro, 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 Pickup & 4x4 Pro is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House G11, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

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29/10/2018 21:24

NEWS

NEW DEFENDER SPIED TESTING ON UK ROADS

Next-gen Land Rover icon seen out and about with independent rear axle

I

t’s been a while coming, but the next generation of Land Rover Defender has finally been spotted out in the open, as development enters the latter stages.

With deliveries expected sometime in 2020, budding owners have now been given a snippet of what their new steed may look like once completed. Details will naturally be released with every step closer to the Defender’s launch, but there are some points we can note from this camouflaged

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pre-production machine.

It’s more rounded body comes as no surprise, with the oldschool flat-sided exterior of the predecessor being one of the nails that eventually got hammered into the Defender’s coffin. And while the outside of the vehicle is more ‘pedestrian friendly’ and modern in style, the underpinnings will also be vastly different from Defenders of yesteryear.

Gone is the live axle setup with a traditional ladder frame chassis and instead in comes

an all-independent suspension configuration, which will pave the way for a digital Defender utilising Terrain Response.

This test mule appears to be a prototype of the next 110, while a shorter wheelbase replacement for the 90 is also expected upon the Defender’s official return. For now, though, this 110 is running on a 2.0-litre diesel unit most likely of the Ingenium calibre, or at least that’s what the DVLA records state…

However, Jaguar Land Rover has made it clear that it sees electric power being the next step in automotive propulsion, so don’t be surprised if your next Defender is also available with some degree of hybrid power.

On approaching Land Rover with regards to these latest images, Land Rover declined to comment, purely releasing

the following statement: ‘Jaguar Land Rover runs a wide range of engineering and technology development programmes. We can confirm that the Defender programme is progressing well and has reached an exciting stage of its development.’

However, when pressed further, a spokesperson revealed: ‘We can confirm customers around the world will be taking delivery of and enjoying Defender again from 2020.’

Since the pictures have gone viral, social media hasn’t been the kindest environment for the new Defender. It’s fair to say that many of the new Defenders will not be used in the same anger as their predecessors, but only time will tell as to whether this reimagining of a top British icon proves to be a success or failure for Land Rover.

PICKUP & 4X4 PRO 29/10/2018 21:30

NEWS

NEW D-MAX AT35 AND SPECIAL EDITION FURY

F

ollowing last month’s announcement of changes to its popular D-Max pick-up, Isuzu has released further details of two new editions within the D-Max family, namely the AT35 and Fury.

While both the AT35 and Fury will receive Isuzu’s updates inline with the rest of the D-Max stable, these two editions go beyond the regular D-Max models. But first a reminder of the alterations to all D-Max vehicles: the rear suspension is now a three-piece leaf-sprung affair on double cab variants, reducing weight by 10kg and increasing the double cab’s payload by the same amount, and the revised motor now produces

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162bhp and 266lbf.ft, all whilst being able to return 40mpg without the need for AdBlue.

Now onto the AT35. As you’d expect from any Arctic Trucks creation, the AT35 looks significantly more purposeful and the colour options of Spinel Red, Sapphire Blue and special order Galena Grey all aid that intent.

Inside it’s about as luxurious as a D-Max gets, with leather trim and a dash featuring Isuzu’s 7” colour touchscreen system, compatible with the necessary Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Step outside the comfort zone and the AT35 is emblazoned with various decals and badging, while the flared wheel arches house 35”

Nokian Rotiiva all-terrain tyres and smart 17” alloys, finished in black.

This all connects up to the Fox Performance Series suspension, which justifies the extended side steps even more so now for shorter passengers after the adjusted ride height.

Alongside the AT35, Isuzu has released the Fury. No, it hasn’t gotten angry with someone, it’s merely the name of a D-Max derivative. To be exact, the Fury is a bit of a dark (work)horse, with the likes of its radiator grille, alloys, mirrors and side steps all polished off in a mix of dark greys and blacks.

Outside, the Fury has been finished in searing Magma Red, and the angry hue continues into the Isuzu’s badging and the stitching of the upholstery and interior. The seats continue the ominous dark grey theme, although for £1,000

you can substitute in a black and red leather option. Whichever you choose, occupants and onlookers alike will know this is the Fury edition, thanks to decals on the front doors and the same motif being embossed in the headrests.

You’ll be pleased to know the Fury can shout about a lot in the cabin, too, with a reversing camera and 7” touchscreen infotainment system fitted as standard, plus the Fury features front and rear USB ports and Fury-branded floor mats.

If you think these two editions have gone all showy – don’t fret.

The D-Max’s 3.5-tonne towing capacity remains, along with Isuzu’s 125,000-mile/five-year warranty and five-year European roadside assistance. Pricing when specified as commercial vehicles begins at £38,545 OTR for the AT35 and £22,499 for the Fury – both are on sale right now.

29/10/2018 21:30

NEWS

DISCOVERY KITTED OUT FOR RED CROSS DUTIES

LAND ROVER HAS UNVEILED a unique Discovery following an 18-month project involving the Austrian Red Cross.

The specially prepared Discovery is the handiwork of Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations branch, which was tasked with making sure the car is up to facing the challenges of being an Austrian emergency response vehicle.

In order to fill its duties as a mobile nerve centre for recovery operations, the 3.0-litre Td6powered Disco has been fitted with the most cutting-edge communications equipment – and a state-of-the-art eight-rotor drone.

The drone itself is capable of pinpointing a person up to 440m away and a vehicle up to

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an impressive 1km away, with help from its thermal imaging technology. While the drone is flying high, Red Cross personnel can use the carbon fibre command centre where the main computer slides out from, before orchestrating the recovery on the scene.

Inside the Discovery, the usual infotainment screen has been replaced by a command panel, allowing for control of the drone and the ability to monitor the distance to selected targets.

The site of the emergency should be well lit, too, as the Discovery has been installed with full 360-degree lighting to help illuminate the intended area as much as possible.

Managing Director of SVO,

Michael van der Sande, said: ‘Our partnership with the Red Cross isn’t just about our vehicles. Since we started collaborating in 1954, our aim has been to help the Red Cross improve its disaster response and ultimately to help save lives.

Over the past 18 months our engineers have worked closely with the emergency response team at the Austrian Red Cross, deploying Land Rover’s technology and talent to create a unique solution to the requirements of the Red Cross in the region.’

International Federation of Red Crescent Societies’ Under Secretary General for Partnerships Dr Jemilah Mahmood added:

‘We are grateful for Land Rover’s generous support over the past six decades. The Discovery Emergency Response Vehicle is yet another result of our strong global partnership that brings together the best expertise of the Red Cross and Land Rove in one unique vehicle, which will make a difference in rescue operations in the harshest conditions.’

Since the beginning of the Land Rover and Red Cross collaboration over 64 years ago, Land Rover has donated in excess of 120 vehicles to the IFRC, with many of them helping to save lives in every corner of the globe.

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29/10/2018 21:30

NEWS

SPECIAL EDITION FOR FIFTY YEARS OF HILUX

T

he Toyota Hilux is turning 50 and what better way to celebrate the occasion than with the unveiling of a new Hilux.

Okay, so this isn’t a new Hilux as such, instead it’s a special edition

version designed specifically to celebrate 50 years of one of the most iconic vehicles ever made.

Christened as the Hilux Invincible 50, this joint venture between Toyota and Arctic Trucks builds upon a regular Invinciblespec double-cab Hilux and maximises the attitude you would expect from a rough-and-ready Hilux pick-up. And the result is one tasty truck.

Over the last 50 years, the Hilux has been put through some gruelling paces, having conquered both Poles, driven up the side of an erupting volcano, been submerged in the sea – funny, but all that links to the exploits of three guys on a TV programme called TOP GEAR. Some epic moments then over the last 50 years, so naturally you would expect this new and

exclusive special edition Hilux to be just as epic…

Well, just 50 people in the UK will be able to become the judge of that. Each Invincible 50 will have a numbered commemorative plaque and even the new 16 x 7.5 ET05 rims, complete with a satin black finish and machined lip, will let people know this is no ordinary Hilux.

The Hilux may have been to every corner of the globe, on each corner of this limited-run vehicle, you’ll find 265/75R16 KO2 all-terrains from BFGoodrich and a performance suspension setup engineered by Arctic Trucks and Bilstein.

Those new boots and suspenders mean there’s more ground clearance to play with, in total the Invincible 50 sits 40mm higher at the front and the 20mm at the rear, improving articulation and those all-important approach and departure angles for when you find yourself in the rough.

The Invincible 50 mimics other offerings from Arctic Trucks with its inflated arches giving it the sort of presence only the Hulk can better. A sports bar – not the kind you get drunk in – sits on the rear overlooking the load bed, laying

the perfect place in which to strap a set of powerful Vision X lights.

There’s other, less blindingly obvious tweaks here, too, like the Arctic Trucks mudflaps, a tailgate carrying the old-school Toyota decal and in front of it, a bed liner treated with Line-X for an extra durable workspace. Invincible 50 badging, crafted in chrome, has been machine-gunned about the vehicle and you can have your Invincible 50 in the choice of black.

It’s likely these special edition Invincible 50s will sell out quickly, and you can order yours now with deliveries taking place throughout December and into early 2019.

There’s no word on the price just yet, but expect to pay a premium for the privilege of owning such a rare – and wonderful – truck.

DECEMBER 2018

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NEWS

RANGER RAPTOR WON’T BE A COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ANNOUNCED IN AUGUST to the euphoria of European pick-up owners, new details have surfaced on the Ford Performance Australia website of Ford European-bound Range Raptor.

This leviathan among vessels is due to be powered by a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, chucking out 210bhp and 368lbf.ft in the process. However, whilst we already knew this information, fresh details have been released on the vehicle’s work credentials – and it’s not pretty.

At 758kg the Range Raptor’s payload comes in light, likewise with the braked towing capacity, which is 500kg off the sacred 3-tonne mark. So perhaps you really can’t mix business with pleasure.

If you still fancy the look of the Raptor as a workhorse, then note the following dimensions: the truck bed measures 1743mm in length and 1560mm across. This reduces to 1139mm between the

wheelhouses and the tailgate’s opening sits at 1485mm wide.

As for emissions and economy, well the Range Raptor has claimed figures of 34.4mpg and 212g/

km for CO2 emissions. Neither of these is particularly impressive and there are sure to be more frugal and cheaper to run workhorses out there.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but details are expected shortly on what will be the first ever Ford Raptor to be sold in Europe.

NEW WRANGLER PRICING WHEN WE DROVE the new Jeep Wrangler, we were very impressed. And naturally, when something impresses you, it’s only right to want to know how much it costs. Well, in terms of the Wrangler, Jeep is ready to tell us.

The base price, which gets you the entry-level Sahara in two-door guise, costs £44,495, whilst adding an extra two doors will set you back a further £1,500.

Two- and four-door Overland models, along with the Rubicon equivalents, are priced from £46,495 and £47,995 respectively.

If that seems a little pricey then take heart in the fact the new Wranglers are included in Jeep’s 5-3-5 pledge (five-years warranty, three-years servicing and fiveyears roadside assistance).

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The Wrangler is on sale now and available with the 2.2-litre MultiJet II engine. If you don’t want diesel, the 2.0-litre petrol will be an option from later on this year.

PICKUP & 4X4 PRO 29/10/2018 21:30

NEWS

SSANGYONG WARRANTY TO COVER WHOLE FAMILY

THERE’S NOTHING QUITE like having peace of mind, and SsangYong clearly agrees after announcing its entire six-model range is now available with a sevenyear and 150,000-mile warranty.

‘We want our customers to feel that by choosing a SsangYong, they will be looked after the best,’ said Nick Laird, managing director of SsangYong Motor UK. Well,

offering vehicles with such an attractive warranty is surely a good place to start.

Earlier this year, SsangYong revealed the Musso pick-up and acclaimed Rexton would be sold with a seven-year warranty. But having been so popular with customers and SsangYong wanting to capitalise on its rapidly rising stock, the South Korean firm has

expanded the offer to the entirety of its model range.

Mr Laird added, ‘No other vehicle on sale today comes with such comprehensive reassurance, and without the small print of so many other manufacturer warranties.

‘This outstanding industryleading seven-year warranty now applies to all new SsangYong vehicles registered from October 1.’

Should you be one of the customers who bought a SsangYong prior to that date, don’t worry, because the company is allowing owners to apply the same level of warranty to their vehicles retrospectively.

To be exact, Rexton owners who purchased their vehicle between 1 October and its launch last year will be able to upgrade their warranty for free from their next service.

Owners of other SsangYong vehicles can also take advantage of the seven-year warranty at a £500 fee, providing their vehicle was bought between 1 January and 30 September this year.

The warranty itself is covers all of the vehicle’s major components, such as the steering joints, shocks, suspension bushes and joints, plus the wheel bearings and even the stereo system.

Both the paintwork and the battery are covered for three years, whilst the more consumable elements that can be hampered by poor driving, i.e. the clutch and brakes, are covered for the first year or 12,500 miles.

ONE LUCKY TRADESMAN has been gifted a brand-new Mitsubishi L200 after being voted Britain’s Top Tradesman by Screwfix.

The title was awarded to Northamptonshire-based carpenter and plumber, Stuart Roache, after he was declared the overall winner at the national final, held at Twickenham Stadium.

Following a selection process where Screwfix whittled down entrants to the best tradespeople from around the UK, the remaining candidates went head-to-head in a number of regional heats before 10 finalists were chosen. A judging panel consisting of experts from throughout the industry then had the task of choosing one winner.

And now, with the title in his bag, Stuart can now set about using and enjoying his new L200 Warrior pick-up.

Speaking after the final, Stuart said: ‘The new Mitsubishi L200 will be a real asset to my business and I am very grateful to Screwfix and Mitsubishi Motors in the UK for this amazing prize.

‘I never thought that when I entered Britain’s Top Tradesperson that I would ever win, but I did and all I can say is that, I encourage other tradespeople to enter too, as you never know, next year it could be you picking up a brand-new vehicle and being awarded Britain’s top tradesperson title.’

Rob Lindley, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK commented: ‘The Mitsubishi L200 pick-up is the perfect companion for a business such as Stuart’s. Our customers continue to recognise the capability and abilities of the L200 both for work and leisure pursuits. Being able to mix

load-lugging capability and the specification you would expect from an SUV means the Mitsubishi L200 is ready for anything.’

Stuart can now look forward to utilising the L200 and its 1,060kg

payload, its 3.5-tonne towing capacity and also all safe in the knowledge that he’s covered by Mitsubishi’s five-year/62,500-mile warranty.

Well done, Stuart.

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NEWS

BOLLINGER TO MAKE ELECTRIC DOUBLE CAB

POPPING THE CORK on a bottle of Bollinger would seem very apt following the news that the automotive manufacturer which shares the same name has just announced the introduction of a brand-new double-cab pick-up.

With pick-up trucks being more popular than ever, Detroit-based firm, Bollinger Motors, has revealed details of its new project, the B2, a double-cab pick-up providing a more practical option alongside the company’s B1.

So what do we know so far? Like the B1, the B2 double-cab will be an all-electric affair, with all-wheel drive and an all-aluminium body.

Got all that? The lighter body should help alleviate some of the weight created by the electric motors, with one positioned at the front and one at the rear in a dualmotor setup.

There’s a 120 kWh battery pack on board and that translates into 520hp and 514 lb ft or torque, which in turn translates to a claimed 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 100 mph. But we don’t care about that, do we?

Of more relevance is the 15” ground clearance, 52-degree approach angle, 25-degree break over angle and the 28-degree departure angle. There’s no hiding the fact Bollinger has taken inspiration from the old master, the Land Rover Defender, but the B1 and B2 plan to fill the void that Land Rover left and simply doesn’t have any desire to.

But back to the B2 and you may be interested to know its loadspace credentials. The pick-up’s bed measures in at 5ft 9in long and 4ft 1in wide – or 1.75m and 1.24m

respectively in English.

This means that with the tailgate down in the cab, the Bollinger Motors Pickup is able to transport 4’ x 8’ sheets of plywood, and if you open up the glass on the rear as you can on the B1 in order to reach the top compartment, Bollinger say you can haul 72 sheets of ½” plywood.

On paper it’s all simmering away nicely. You also get hydropneumatic suspension, in-wheel portal gear hubs, and because you don’t have a conventional internal combustion engine, there’s a huge space at the front for storage, alongside the patented passthrough door designed for carrying lengthier items.

Bollinger is not holding back on its ambitions and both the B2 and B1 will have an estimated hauling capacity of 5000lbs, or approximately 2265kg. Prototypes are being readied for early 2019, along with details of the B1 and B2’s pricing.

After that, production is planned for 2020 – just around the time we’ll see the first new Defenders being born…

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NEWS

SHOWSTOPPING SEASON CLOSER DRAWING NEAR

The final Land Rover show of the year getting set to take over NAEC

A

s the end of the show season draws to a conclusion, the Land Rover scene’s biggest indoor event comes even closer – the Great British Land Rover Show takes over the National Exhibition and Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry on Sunday 25 November.

As the Land Rover world becomes more and more classic in orientation, there will be a brand-new Restoration Zone at the show. The space will allow specialists, such as JE MotorWorks, to showcase the fruits of their expertise, not to

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mention giving the rest of us plenty to salivate over.

Helping you make the most of the fantastic off-road course, the All Wheel Drive Club will be stewarding visitors who wish to take on the tough stuff. Once again the 2.4-mile route will be open to Land Rovers from far and wide, with tickets costing £10 if booked in advance or £15 on the day, as the organisers know, the machines will be more at home out in the wild than sat in the car park!

Another new addition to the show is the club space situated outside the main entrance of the show,

where Land Rover clubs and groups are being offered 10 x 10-metre stands. The space comes with four exhibitor passes and three vehicle passes for the stand, and clubs can book their space by calling 01283 553244 – the space is available on a first come, first serve basis.

General admission is £7.50 in advance or £12.50 on the day – although using the voucher on this page means ordering advanced tickets now costs just £5. As usual under 14s go free.

Everyone who pre-books will also be entered into a draw for over £1,000 worth of prizes. The kitty

includes the keys to the Traxxas TRX-4 Defender rock crawler, a selection of Ring inspection lamps, and ten year-long subscriptions to The Landy!

If disappointment is something you do not enjoy, then we recommend heading to www. greatbritishlrshow.com to secure either your wristband or e-ticket in advance of the big day. You can stay right up to speed with the goings on in the build-up to the show by visiting the show’s Facebook channel: facebook.com/ gblandrovershow.

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ow e at

Join our Facebook page for all the latest news about the show

www.facebook.com/gblandrovershow

Great British Land Rover Show

Sunday 25th November 2018, 10am to 4pm

Buy your tickets in advance and be entered into our prize draw to win over £1000 worth of prizes including this Traxxas TRX4 Defender worth £499!

➤ BFGoodrich Land Rover Walkway ➤ 2.4m off-road course to check out with your own vehicle in association with the AWDC ➤ Live Land Rover Workshop ➤ Land Rover only parking areas + further features to be announced...

TICKET PRICES: £12.50 on the door £7.50 in advance (save £5 per person!)

OFF-ROAD COURSE TICKETS £10 in advance, £15 on the day (limited availability) See website for more details and to buy tickets!

Under 14s go free Order online or call

01283 553243

SPONSORED

BY AWDC

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

h lrshow.com Contents Oct.indd 13

27/09/2018 21:49 20:38 29/10/2018

ON TEST

TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 5DR UTILITY AUTO

Recently introduced work-spec model promises to turn the Land Cruiser into the definitive off-road workhorse

E

ver since Toyota announced that it was to bring in a Utility version of the Landcruiser, we’ve been itching to get our hands on one. With steel wheels, cloth seats and an absence of the fancy toys that make higher-spec Landcruisers what they are (which is expensive, albeit wonderfully beguiling), it sounds to us like exactly the vehicle the off-road world has been crying out for.

The Utility comes to Britain at a time when the Land Rover Defender is a distant memory.

There’s been a new version of that vehicle on the way for an entire carindustry generation, and precisely no people among all those we’ve ever spoken to expect it to be a worthy successor to the simple off-road machine of old; in the absence of anything suitable with a green oval on it, former Land Rover loyalists have turned to one-tonne pick-ups for work and play alike.

A few enthusiasts have also moved over to the Jeep Wrangler, while those without a huge bankroll have stuck with the Suzuki Jimny. Both these vehicles are about to be invigorated with all-new models, which are due to arrive just a few months after the Landcruiser Utility went on sale.

The problem with the Wrangler is that it’s going to cost from £44,495 new, or £45,995 in longwheelbase form. That puts it

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You might not be used to seeing a Landcruiser’s interior without lashings of wood, chrome, leather and so on, not to mention enough equipment to get you to the moon. But while the Utility’s cabin is far simpler than the Invincible model’s, it doesn’t ever feel like the poor relation. The dash plastics are sound as a pound and build quality is absolutely exceptional in every area – and while the kit list is only modest, the items it does include mean it still manahes to tick all the big boxes

where the Landcruiser used to be – a great off-road truck with genuine built-in capability, but positioned in this country as a premium product and consequently priced too high to appeal to all but the richest off-roaders.

The Landcruiser, meanwhile, has come in the other direction. It used to be high-spec only, and no-one ever bought them for off-roading as a result, but with the arrival of the Utility you’re looking at a starting price of £33,955 for the three-door or £34,710 for the longwheelbase model tested here.

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The latter also offers an auto option, which bumps the price up to £37,090. So, still more than 15% less than the entry-level Wrangler – and Toyota dealers are willing to knock good sized chunks off the list price if you work the system, which we can’t see happening with the Wrangler any time soon.

So here we are in the unusual situation of looking at a Landcruiser and seeing the bargain option in the market. The new Jimny will be cheaper, for sure (about half the list price of an entry-level Cruiser, we expect), but

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The last time we sat in a Landcruiser that didn’t have leather seats, we owned it. We wouldn’t mind owning this one, either – give us tough fabric, lumbar adjust and manual levers over fancy heated things with electric motors and half a cow stretched over them any day of the week…

obviously there’s a difference in what the vehicles are. And what this is is a Toyota Land Cruiser – which gives it unbeaten global cachet in the off-road world.

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY

There’s an instant level of practicality that comes from being a base-spec vehicle. We’re not saying you’d buy one of these and instantly trash it, but you don’t feel the need to treat it like a piece of expensive jewellery when loading up with cargo or chucking muddy boots in the back. In every shred of its image, it comes across as a sound tool that’s there to do a job,

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and it won’t flinch however hard you ask it to do it.

Inside, the seats are clad in a nice, tough fabric and the dash is made from a plastic that’s hard but really strong and dense – there’s nothing brittle or scratchy about it at all. Crucially, it’s not in any way like being in a cheap or basic vehicle – everything has the same feeling of stout, highquality robustness that we’ve come to expect from a quarter of a century’s worth of posh-spec Landcruisers.

You’re not completely deprived of life’s luxuries, either. The Utility model has air-conditioning (as opposed to multi-zone climate, and it’s all you need), cruise

control, adjustable lumbar support and a media system that lets you connect your phone by USB for making calls and playing music. There’s no wood or leather anywhere, no clever wireless tricks or online connectivity built in, just what qualifies as the essentials by today’s standards – and when you weigh up what you get against what you spend, it’s pretty much the best-judged kit list of any 4x4 we’ve ever seen.

What you don’t get is any form of reversing aid, which is a bit of a culture shock if you’ve become used to such things. Humankind came a long way using mirrors, though, and there’s a reason why nature gave us the ability to turn round and look behind us. For sure, it’s easier in vehicles with audible sensors, reversing cameras, surround-view monitors and selfparking functions, but a few days aboard the Utility were enough

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to demonstrate that you can wean yourself back off all these conveniences more easily than you might expect.

Besides, as with the higherspec versions of the Cruiser, you

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get a dominant seating position with a towering view of the road ahead, the landscape to the side or, indeed, whatever you’re easing towards in reverse. The seat is extremely comfortable, aided

by the aforementioned lumbar adjust, and the shape of the bonnet – amended for the current model year – helps you see what’s ahead when manoeuvring at slow speeds.

There’s plenty of room in all directions, too, and this is replicated in the back. Bearing in mind of course that this is the five-door we’ve got here, legroom is excellent and you don’t feel at all cramped up top – a full crew of tall adults could cover plenty of ground aboard this vehicle without anyone getting restless.

It’s an extremely competent load carrier, too, with a side-hinged rear door that opens to reveal a huge aperture and rear seats that fold as good as flat. It’s not the longest load area considering the vehicle’s external dimensions, but it’s plenty wide and tall – you’ll be able to get huge items on board, or an absolute skip load of smaller stuff.

Talking of smaller stuff, you’re very well provided for with oddment stowage. The glovebox is pretty cavernous, as is the cubby in the floor console – and, a very nice surprise on hot days, the latter has an air-con vent in it to keep your sandwiches from going manky. In addition to this, the door pockets are good and there’s a hefty sized

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slot in the facia which we suspect dates from the days when people used to fill their cars with CDs. It all goes together to make an interior that’s as practical as it is well made – and which proves that there’s more to class than just laying it on thick with the toys.

DRIVING You might somehow expect that the Utility will drive more like a fan than the high-spec models in the Landcruiser range. But you want for literally nothing in terms of performance, dynamics, ride or refinement. If you like the way the fancier Cruisers drive, you’ll like

the way this drives – if anything, in fact, you’ll love it, because if anything, its taller tyres make it even more composed on the road.

These are 245/70R17s, which compare very nicely with the 265/55R19s you get on the range-topping Invincible model.

They deal well with everyday thumps and bumps around town – obviously, nothing will change the fact that it’s a big, heavy off-road vehicle, but there’s no harshness to the impacts. To be fair, we recorded more or less exactly the same verdict on the Invincible last time we drove it, but we’d still say the tyres are doing their bit to keep it smooth.

On most of the Landcruisers you’ll see in the UK, all these bits of trim would be finished in shiny chrome – but you’ve got to admire how no-nonsense they look on this model

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Then you get it on to the motorway, and it’s sensational.

We wouldn’t mind betting that the Utility doesn’t want for even one gram of the sound deadening material in the Invincible, and the composure of its ride makes it an absolutely joy over long distances. Engine noise is as good as absent; there’s a bit of a whistle from around the door mirrors, but what’s particularly noticeable is the almost complete lack of any commotion from the road.

Again, we said the same sort of thing about the Invincible we drove a few months back. But in that case, we did get the odd thump from the back axle, and this time there wasn’t even any of that to remark upon. It’s beautifully settled on the motorway, with no need to be constantly readjusting the steering, and the cruise control system is extremely easy to set to exactly the speed you want – something that can’t be said about every 4x4 on the market.

On the subject of the Landcruiser’s steering, it’s effortless around town and well weighted at all speeds. If you secretly wish you were driving a GT86 instead, you’ll find it wanting for feel and feedback, but if you find yourself wondering what that even means it’ll do all the things you want it to and none of the things you

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don’t. There are sportier 4x4s around (Toyota makes one of them, indeed), but though it’s not rapier-sharp in corners it can still be leant on without losing any of its composure. The Utility model doesn’t have the same fancy air springs as the Invincible, but body control remains perfectly good when you’re driving with a smile on your face – and if you give it enough to be able to feel the difference in the sidewalls’ height in terms of tyre squirm, then frankly you’re a hazard to yourself.

There’s no shortage of pace if you do want to indulge your inner Carlos Fandango, though.

The 2.8-litre engine dishes up 177bhp at 3400rpm and 332lbf. ft from 1600rpm – and as those numbers suggest, it pulls and pulls for as long as you keep asking it.

Acceleration isn’t what you’d call quicksilver, but it’s utterly assured and you get the feeling that it wouldn’t be slowed any by having a beast of a trailer on the back.

Said beast will be limited to 300kg, however, which is a major shame as it means the Landcruiser will be struck instantly from the shortlists of many potential buyers in the agricultural sector. People who would once have bought a Defender should be able to flock unreservedly to this vehicle, but without a towing ticket on the

legal max it’ll be a busted flush for enough of them to make a difference. You can guarantee that when the new Defender comes out, even if it’s the lame pose-truck everyone seems to expect it’ll still be plated to 3500kg. Land Rover might refuse to be influenced by its traditional fans, but it sure knows what makes its heartland buyers tick.

OFF-ROAD Those heartland buyers are people to whom off-roading is a necessary evil, not a thing you do for laughs every other Sunday. Which should

make them ideal territory for the Landcruiser, because with its history as the go-to vehicle for NGOs, aid organisations and so on, putting in a shift of work in tough conditions is exactly what it’s made for.

In particular, it makes ridiculously easy work of rough, unmade tracks – the sort of everyday green lanes that make up 95% of the off-roading people do in real life.

It’s here that its name seems most appropriate – it really does feel like you’re cruising across the land.

The rear axle flexes well on its coil springs, too, meaning that when the speeds need to slow right down to a crawl, it’ll cover the

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ground very well. One of our few criticisms of the Utility spec list, though, is that it doesn’t include a locking rear diff; more elevated models get this, which means it is available via Toyota – but also that the company sees it more as an item of big-bucks jewellery than an essential traction aid for those working in grubby conditions.

Once again here its engine is masterful, those giant torque reserves meaning you hardly have to rev it at all. The automatic gearbox is well behaved, whatever mode you choose to put it into, and there’s hill descent control available should you feel it necessary. We found that low range made this completely redundant, which is the sign of a proper truck.

Manual models get a version of the engine with around 10% less torque – but delivered at 1400rpm rather than 1600. We’d expect them to be even better off-road, which is saying something as we came away completely convinced by this example of the Utility model. It’s agile, manoeuvrable and supremely tractable in all sorts of conditions, and with an eager aftermarket ready to help you turn it into your own version of the ultimate terrain

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tamer, the sky (and your wallet) are pretty much the limit when it comes to how far you want yours to go.

VERDICT The Landcruiser Utility will only tow up to 3000kg. That’s a horror story for a significant portion of its target market – but if you’re not among them, it’s little short of being the perfect vehicle.

It has a combination of drivetrain, chassis and suspension that totally dominates the terrain – and, while you lose a lot of kit to keep its price down, the stuff you do still get is completely spot-on. It’s great to drive in every situation, on and off-road, it can be modified all you want and its pricing means a Landcruiser, with all the strength and quality for which the brand is

known, now costs less than every even loosely comparable rival. Its residuals reflect the fact that it’ll

probably outlive us all, too. This is a phenomenal investment – and a living, breathing off-road legend.

AT A GLANCE Price (OTR as tested) £37,090 Fuel consumption 38.2mpg combined Emissions 194g/km Braked trailer 3000kg Cargo capacity 640-1270 litres Kerb weight 2130kg Gross vehicle weight 2930kg Service interval 12 months / 9321 miles Warranty 60 months / 93,206 miles

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ON TEST

NISSAN NAVARA OFF-ROADER AT32

Specialised off-road model offers extreme ability in combination with added kerb appeal at the top of the double-cab market

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he previous-generation Nissan Navara had the most SUV-like interior of any pick-up sold in Britain at the time. But it was a big, heavy thing, even by pick-up standards, which made it one of the most truck-like one-tonners to drive.

It was big and heavy, though, even by pick-up standards, and while it was a useful tow truck it wasn’t as good off-road as people had a right to expect. Buyers in mainland European got it with a locking rear diff, but in the UK that was swapped out for a limited-slip effort – the result being that rivals like the Toyota Hilux trounced it in the rough.

That was then, though, and this is now. And this time, the Navara has a proper rear locker. It also has coil springs, and between them they make an enormous difference – today’s Navara feels composed, agile and light on its feet, both offroad and on.

Building on that is the model tested here. The Off-Roader AT32 is a specialist vehicle with +20mm lifted suspension and 32” tyres (275/70R17s, to be precise), as well

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as heavy-duty side steps, a full set of underbody guards and a variety of styling tweaks. The conversion is done as OEM and the truck is sold as a standard model through Nissan’s main dealer network.

This means you don’t need to insure the AT32 as a modified vehicle – and that Nissan’s warranty remains valid. In each case, of course, that’s so long as you don’t add any further mods of your own.

That will be relevant to anyone who considers a serious off-road vehicle to be incomplete if it doesn’t have a winch bumper up front. But probably not as relevant as the AT32’s price. At £39,640, it’s by no means the most expensive pick-up on the market, but it’s still £7100 more than the Tekna model on which it’s based.

With the optional extras it had on board, meanwhile, the Navara tested here would cost you £45,225. These do at least include some really worthwhile kit, though, like a Safari Snorkel and ARB Air-Locker for the front diff.

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY

Being based on the Tekna, the AT32 comes with stuff like sat-nav and heated leather seats. There’s a switch on the floor console for that front locker, but over and above that there’s nothing to differentiate it from being sat inside a standard one. Which is to say we’ll keep this bit brief…

It’s a good, comfy, well laid out cabin, with plenty of room in all directions and a fine view forward across a bonnet whose lavishly curvacious shape might put you

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in mind of an old Chevy Corvette, if you’ve ever driven one of those.

The seats are leather-clad; it’s not the most supple of hides, and the design is a bit basic, but they’re comfortable to sit in and easy to adjust, though the lumber cushion in ours felt a bit uneven.

In the back, it’s like every other Navara, which is to say it’s not very good at all. Children are okay in it, but an even remotely tall adult will sit uncomfortably with their knees pressed into the back of the seat in front and their heads into the roof lining. When the Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max, both of which were launched in 2012, manage to be so much more generous here, we really don’t understand why the more modern Navara is so poor.

You can at least fold down the back of the rear bench to create a cargo platform, and the pick-up bed is ready for work. The roll-top cover on our tester was a bit fiddly to operate, however.

Moving back to the front cabin, the cubby box is surprisingly tiny and the door pockets are quite shallow, so oddment stowage isn’t great. There’s a no-nonsense media

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set-up that does what it says on the tin, albeit without the elegance of a system using Apple Carplay to enable phone pairing.

DRIVING We’ll start with a brief recap on the standard Navara. It has a good, strong engine which, by diesel standards, loves to rev; its manual gearbox is quite slick, with a nice light action and precise changes; its steering does what you tell it; and its ride quality, while still firm at the back around town, is very settled, especially at speed.

How much does the AT32 conversion change that? Well, you immediately feel the firmness in the uprated shocks, which results in a slightly more nervous ride at lower speeds on everyday roads.

When the surface gets bad, however, the shocks come into their own. The AT32 is amazingly well controlled over big, harsh bumps, with no crashiness or unruly rebounds. The springs’ extra height doesn’t result in any additional unwanted body movement, either, and this remains consistent at higher speeds.

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The AT32 is based on the Tekna model, placing it firmly at the top of the range for creature comforts with sat-nav, heated leather seats on so on all on the list of standard equipment. It’s a good, stylish, well appointed cabin, though while it’s spacious up front there’s a distinct shortage of knee and head room in the rear

Out on the open road, however, we felt that the Navara was less responsive in corners than we’ve become used to with standard models, with less feel on turn-in and a more pronounced tendency to wash wide. That’s not at the sort of speeds which you might expect to start asking questions of its all-terrain tyres; if anything, we found it cornered with greater alacrity when the suspension was being worked harder.

It’s not as planted on the motorway, either, with more frequent adjustments being necessary to keep it on line. Fast cruising is a particular strength of

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the standard model, but we never felt as settled in the AT32. That’s not to say it’s bad, and it’s every bit as refined at speed, but if there’s one area where it drives like a modified vehicle we’d say this is it.

back-up of that rear locker on hand. So the AT32 conversion is building on strong foundations.

At its most basic level, the suspension lift and bigger tyres give you more ground clearance.

OFF-ROAD Actually, there’s another area where the AT32 drives like it’s been modified. Which is at it should be, because you’re spending a lot of money on that Off-Roader tag.

First things first. The Navara was already a good vehicle off-road, with plenty of flexibility and the

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Above: You can just see a glimpse of the Navara’s suspension here; it uses H&R springs and Bilstein shocks to achieve a 20mm lift. The tyres are 275/70R17s, which necessitate the flared wheelarches you see here; not ideal for off-roading, but it looks cool and that’s what the majority of buyers will care most about. If you’re in it for the image, though, be sure to get the snorkel – it attracted more attention than anything else during our time with the truck Left: We’ve no idea how much more expensive these side steps are as a result of being branded. But what we do know is that they’re absolutely the real thing – the AT32 came down very hard on one of them while we were wrestling it through a tough rock crawl, and there was precisely no sign of the impact on the step afterwards That’s always welcome on a vehicle with a long wheelbase and big rear overhang, and it does make a difference. Not so much that our Navara’s steel side steps and heavy-duty underguards didn’t come to the rescue as we wrestled it over a steep jumble of ragged rocks, but this is a situation where taller tyres mean greater agility and so it proved.

Another, less welcome consequence of the taller tyres is that the Navara’s overall gearing is higher. And this is most noticeable in the way it drives off-road. You spend much more time than you’d expect in low first when tackling the sort of technical stuff we’ve just been describing, and even this isn’t enough to keep it from running away even on only moderately steep drops.

On the plus side, the Navara is fitted with hill descent control.

We’re forever saying that this shouldn’t be necessary in a vehicle with low range and a manual box,

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but in the AT32 we found ourselves having to use it in anger. This isn’t a proper solution to over-gearing, though: it’s certainly effective on long slopes, but it won’t give you any added finesse at crawling speeds over very uneven ground.

Trying to hold your vehicle back while at the same time keeping it moving is never a good look.

The conclusion we can’t help but reach is that before buying one of these, we’d want to know if there was a conversion available to give it lower gearing in the diffs or transfer case. It may be that the auto version would be more forgiving over extreme terrain, too, though that doesn’t sound like a proper answer to the question.

Talking of diffs, to test the AT32’s lockers we tried taking it diagonally across a deep ditch to see how far it would get before losing traction. Not very, is the answer, at least until the rear locker went it – but then the point came when even this wasn’t enough and

we ended up with three wheels spinning away.

Banging in the front locker, we felt sceptical as to whether it was going to make any difference at all.

So ease it forward in first gear, wait for it to spin again and… nope, off we go. Now, the AT32 stayed with us the rest of the way, taking us to the top of the bank with no trace whatsoever of wheelspin.

And that’s on all-terrains. We do understand why Nissan sticks with these rather than fitting a more aggressive pattern, but put on a set of muds and the AT32 will be a phenomenal tool. As sold, it can gain more traction than any other pick-up; obviously, you can go to the aftermarket and get ARBs fitted into more or less anything, but nothing else can come out of the showroom with the same level of readiness for off-road action.

Talking of the aftermarket, however, the AT32’s strength is meant to be that it doesn’t force

you down that route. But despite its excellence off-road, though, it’s not a complete package. No off-the-peg modded motor ever will be – not even with the snorkel and front locker installed (which, by the way, between them account for £4200 of the options’ price).

We’d be surprised if a gearing conversion doesn’t become available, and for the sort of offroading it’s built to do almost any customer would want to fit heavyduty bumpers and a winch.

Those need to be declared when buying insurance, which is only going to send your premiums in one direction. And even though the AT32 is covered by Nissan’s warranty, any extra mods on top of its Nissan-approved spec will give your friendly dealer an excuse to wash his hands of you. Whereupon two of the biggest benefits of staying away from the aftermarket go up in a puff of smoke.

How relevant is this going to be to the typical AT32 buyer? Very,

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Above: You can just see a glimpse of the Navara’s suspension here; it uses H&R springs and Bilstein shocks to achieve a 20mm lift. The tyres are 275/70R17s, which necessitate the flared wheelarches you see here; not ideal for off-roading, but it looks cool and that’s what the majority of buyers will care most about. If you’re in it for the image, though, be sure to get the snorkel – it attracted more attention than anything else during our time with the truck Left: We’ve no idea how much more expensive these side steps are as a result of being branded. But what we do know is that they’re absolutely the real thing – the AT32 came down very hard on one of them while we were wrestling it through a tough rock crawl, and there was precisely no sign of the impact on the step afterwards we’d like to think – but in reality, we’re not sure.

To us, it’s a truck you’d buy because you want to use it offroad. But we’ve spoken to very senior people in the pick-up industry who admit that they see conversions like this as being first and foremost for people who want the image of driving a street-legal monster. And as if to back that up, all the official AT models you can currently buy in the UK are based on high-speccers with leather, fancy nav and so on.

Off-road diehards can sneer all they want, though: there’s nothing wrong with having a truck like

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this just because you like the way it looks, and if that’s your bag the AT32 gets it spot-on. The badging, the kit itself, all the way down to little details like red valve caps, all create an image that’s undeniably cool. We’d recommend adding the snorkel, though, because during our time with the vehicle there was nothing that came close to it for attracting attention.

If you’re buying it for off-roading, the AT32 is still very compelling.

But weigh it up carefully. Even if you’re using premium kit and getting it fitted by the pros, you’ll struggle to make it cost as much as going down this route. You’ll

get to spec it exactly the way you want, too – though you won’t get the AT32’s many unique decorative touches and, no small matter, you’ll be pulling the pin from a deprecation grenade.

There’s no open-and-shut case either for or against the AT32 in terms of value for money compared to the aftermarket. And while you do pay a hefty price for the conversion, this is still not a particularly expensive pick-up by today’s standards – even with all the extras accounted for, you can still spend more on a one-tonner without getting any of this model’s off-road goodies.

We’d be bolting on more besides. But for sure this is a very good, very advanced starting point for any off-road project.

VERDICT

We’re fans of the Navara in general (so long as we don’t have to travel in the back). and the prospect of a ready-made off-road model is very appealing. The AT32 does live up to those expectations, and its price tag is more realistic than those of some less capable rivals – though we think most people buying a Navara for off-road use would prefer to start with a standard one and spec if themselves.

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AT A GLANCE Base price £32,780 + VAT OTR inc VAT £39,640 Fuel consumption 44.8mpg combined Emissions 167g/km Payload 1047kg Braked trailer 3500kg Kerb weight 1998kg Gross vehicle weight 3045kg Service interval 12 months / 18,000 miles Warranty 60 months / 100,000 miles

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ON TEST

VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK 258 HIGHLINE

Highest-spec version of VW’s premium pick-up gains a new version of the 3.0-litre V6 TDI with more power and torque than ever

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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 truck a five-star rating, 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 is what we drove in workspec 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 puts this Amarok towards the very top of the market.

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The Amarok’s cabin is excellent whatever the trim level, and in Highline spec it’s as luxuriuous and well equipped as it is classy and solidly made. The multimedia screen dominates the dash, and the system it operates is excellent, while the seats are very good – though we’d like to have seen lumbar adjust in a vehicle costing this much, and rear kneeroom is disappointing

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

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designed leather finish. We’d have liked to see them featuring adjustable lumber support, 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

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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 bench drops flat for carrying 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 which you feel it could 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.

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DRIVING We’ve tested the Amarok Highline 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, extraordinary.

We found that with lowerpowered versions of the 3.0 TDI engine, the auto box took a bit of 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 gear with amazing flexibility, 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 excellent by 4x4 standards in general and particularly considering it’s a one-tonne pick-up. We did find the steering unnaturally heavy on initial turn-in, however, to the extent that it felt almost alarming – though once into the corner, it’s completely predictable and vicefree in terms of handling.

Even 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

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Versions of the Amarok with automatic transmission are deprived of low range, but they do still get an Off-Road button – and if you want it, you can specify a locking rear diff from the options pallete. This sounds to us like a case of gilding a lily that isn’t there to be gilded, but to be fair it does allow the vehicle to be wrestled into some fairly extreme situations

muted and have the harshness damped out of them, and there’s next to no road noise at speed. You don’t need to be making constant adjustments to your line on the

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motorway, either, which could be interpreted as the upside of that heavy steering.

You’d expect 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 4x4 users who insist on the legal maximum 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 experience the latest V6-engined

version of the Mercedes X-Class, but for now this Amarok is miles ahead of any other pick-up for A-to-B pace. It’s the first pick-up 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 box don’t have low range. Many people have turned to pick-ups as 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 163 or 204bhp manual Amaroks if you do need a truck with low range. If you don’t, however, this one is still pretty capable, with the

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inevitable off-road button there to help you out and a good, deep first ratio in the auto box meaning 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 lock rear diff, and the vehicle tested here had one fitted.

That sounds a bit like Swindon Town trying to sign Cristiano Ronaldo while forgetting that the rest of their team can’t even come back from places like Crewe without having been taught a lesson, 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 situations in which it made a genuine difference.

We’d still maintain that low box is essential in a truck designed to be used off-tarmac, however.

As it is, with the Off-Road button engaged the steering lightens up very nicely and hill descent control

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comes in to help keep on top of things on long, steep downhill slopes. It still doesn’t allow you to crawl over the terrain the way you want to be able to in really tight or technical situations, however, and even with the auto box kept in first with the paddles on the steering column it still runs away too easily to be considered a proper off-road machine.

VERDICT If you need a truck for off-road work, an Amarok with a manual gearbox will tick more boxes than most. This range-topping model won’t, but its talents lie elsewhere – and what talents they are. The 258bhp version of the 3.0 TDI engine is nothing short of exceptional, with enormous pace and sensational refinement. It’s both easy 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.

AT A GLANCE Base price £34,325 + VAT OTR inc VAT £42,233 Fuel consumption 33.6mpg combined Emissions 220g/km Payload 1112kg Braked trailer 3100kg Kerb weight 2178kg Gross vehicle weight 3290kg Service interval 24 months / 24,855 miles Warranty 36 months / 100,000 miles

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BUYING USED

LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110 DOUBLE CAB: 20002007 They’re uncomfortable, uncivilised and unapologetic. But if you’re reading this guide with any intent, it’s probably a case of when, rather than if…

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When it comes to motoring icons, the Land Rover Defender is up there with the rest of them.

The off-roading icon has a rich heritage that can be traced back to its ancestors from 1948, but the workaday genetics are abundantly apparent in the long wheelbase, 110 Double Cab pick-up variant.

Like all Defenders, the 110 Double Cab was extremely capable off-road, but its competitors had become much more civilised and accustomed to the unavoidable elements of being a motor vehicle, such as carrying passengers and having to drive on roads. However, the advent of the new powerplant did inject a new lease of life into the truck, and was arguably the strongest generation of the Defender lineage. No surprise then, that numerous flaws were overlooked, the Double Cab sold well and is still very desirable in the second-hand market – despite the trials and tribulations that come with Land Rover ownership.

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INTERIOR

If you’ve ever sat in a Land Rover of Series lineage, then you’ll know what (not) to expect from the 110’s interior. It’s a spartan affair, even with an exhausted options list.

Many things that were standard equipment on other double cabs it was launched against, such as air conditioning, electric windows, remote central locking and a CD player, were all additional extras.

Somewhat miraculously for a vehicle of its size, interior space is at a premium, too. Elbows and knees are cramped, and the passenger footwell is where the air conditioning unit is housed, should you pick up a truck that possesses such luxury.

We recommend such a lavish addition, not so much as to regulate the temperature, but because it can help keep the interior dry and avoid misted windows and damp upholstery.

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Wind noise is intrusive, and along with the cramped interior it’s just another part of what makes the Defender less than comfortable on longer motorway jaunts.

DRIVING

From the somewhat cramped vantage point of the Defenders driving seat, you are gifted with

a superlative driving position.

Visibility is great, and whilst there’s definitive agricultural characteristics to the driving experience, it comes off very well in the smiles per mile stakes. Ask anyone who’s driven one, and regardless of the uninspiring headlines, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The Td5

offered a step up in terms of road-going refinement and performance, but it’s still noisy and anything but rapid. Once you take it off-road, though, it will all make a lot more sense.

There is no doubting that the Defender is an icon, whether it’s dressed all in black and posing in Chelsea or covered in muck in a

Welsh field. But it definitely comes into its own surrounded by sheep, rather than attempting to be chic.

Where it trails competitors in terms of on-road sophistication, once you leave the tarmac behind the Td5 leaves all challengers in its muddy wake. The 2.5-litre turbodiesel offers up 122bhp and maxes out at 87mph – if you want tinnitus – but more importantly there’s 221lbf.ft of torque available at 1,950rpm. Combine that with the pick-up guise and you have what is arguably the hardest working Defender that left Solihull.

There’s a truck bed measuring 1,035mm front to back, a 3.5-tonne towing capacity and the 1,080kg payload isn’t bad either.

Whether you’re headed across fields, mountainous stretches or crossing rivers (snorkel advised) you’ll be in capable hands with a Td5 Double Cab – there really isn’t much that it can’t overcome. Simply put, it’s one of the best off-road performers on the market – still.

RELIABILITY

Land Rovers aren’t famed for their reliability, and pre-owned ones particularly can come unstuck in this regard. Whilst the Td5 may have surpassed the Tdi power that preceded it, in terms of reliability it was the same old

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BUYING USED story. Although, it was the most technologically advanced engine to go into a Defender and this wasn’t necessarily a good thing, as old-school Meccano mechanics could easily do more damage than good. This is definitely something to look out for when scouring the marketplace.

An indicator of issues under the bonnet, and an issue in itself, is any other electrical failure. When you’re looking a vehicle over, check that the electric windows, airconditioning and remote central locking are all in working order.

Problematic electrics often signify trouble with the vehicle’s ECU which won’t be cheap to set right.

Whilst there’s a popular belief that aluminium Land Rovers won’t rust, you have to remember that only the bodies were aluminium.

So don’t be surprised to find a Double Cab that has succumbed to the rot. When inspecting a Double Cab, or any Land Rover for that matter, check the whole vehicle for corrosion, but particularly the chassis and bulkhead. The front and rear crossmembers, plus the hinge detailing beneath the windscreen are also problem spots.

That said, like the Tdi motor that came before the Td5, with regular servicing and maintenance the Double Cab could be your ideal companion. It’s not unheard of

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to see vehicles with over 200,000 miles on the clock, you just have to remember that nothing fairs well when neglected.

VERDICT

When you weigh up a Td5 110 Double Cab, it comes as no surprise that they were a massive hit within the utility and commercial sectors – hence that over three-quarters of them went from the factory to commercial owners. This means that it’s possible to find low mileage examples with full service history on the market. But this isn’t as good news as it sounds, as many of these have been treated as a mere utensil with the subtlety and care one gives a hammer, rather than with the thoughtfulness and care that a motoring icon deserves.

Whilst full service history is a must, look at what work has been done.

Regardless of the maintenance undertaken, you can’t service away the toll of a hard life at work, no matter how short it was. The most prominent signs of mistreatment are extensive and deep scratches to the truck bed, damage to the underside and unsightly dents to the bodywork. These trucks may have appealing adverts, but they’ve been abused by many as opposed to cherished by a few, which is definitely the act you

want to follow. Significantly less of a big deal, especially if you’re planning on making it earn its keep, but many commercially owned Double Cabs are painted in less exciting solid colours, too.

Regardless of its purpose, if you bought a Defender Double Cab, you’d be getting a truck with presence. There’s no end of accessories to enhance your truck’s performance and many of them will give it a beefier image as well.

There’s no denying that for a truck of its age, it isn’t cheap.

Higher mileage examples of over 150,000 miles, at the time of writing, could be snapped up for £8,000 if you act fast.

Many of these have full service history, which we’d say is better than low mileage and patchy history. Examples with lower mileage, between 80,000 and 100,000 miles, would require around double that figure with matching service history, and prices continue upwards with a correlating decrease in mileage

and higher specifications.

Once you have shelled out for a truck, provided you become the owner of a tidy example without issues, servicing costs are competitive. Thanks to the fanatical following of all things Land Rover, there will be a plethora of companies offering both genuine and pattern replacements for your truck. Whilst you may pay through the nose at a main dealership for a service, you won’t be short for choice when it comes to independent specialists. These will charge lower rates and you’ll de dealing with experts and enthusiasts, too. You should be able to find a replacement clutch for around £200, an alternator for half of that and brake pads are around £40 for a pair.

There are plenty of arguments against buying a used 110 Double Cab, many of them cheaper, more comfortable and not over a decade old (at least), but if you do opt for one, you won’t be short of reasons to justify your purchase.

THE FIGURES Target price (high mileage) £8,000 Target price (low mileage) £16,000 Fuel consumption 30mpg combined Power 122bhp @ 4,200rpm Torque 221lbf.ft @ 1,950rpm Payload 1080kg Braked trailer 3500kg

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L O

FEATURES

EDGE

Experts in all things 4x4 and off-road, you can trust Edge when it comes to kitting out your vehicle for anything DEVON-BASED EDGE are committed to everything offroad. Their arsenal extends from

building and servicing 4x4s, selling quality vehicles to off-road tours across Dartmoor and they’re also

the exclusive European importers for Rightline Gear.

The Rightline Gear is developed in America and is trialled and tested in the toughest of conditions, so you can rest assured that it is up to the task. Whether it’s a tent that fits seamlessly to your vehicle, or innovative cargo solutions, the Rightline Gear repertoire will have something to help you get even more out of your beloved truck.

Edge are currently running an introductory offer on the Rightline Gear truck tents, which if you’re looking for a way to use your truck for more than just work are absolutely ideal. The shrewd design consists of a compactable tent that fits neatly onto the bed of your pick-up and utilises the space.

A floorless design allows you to set up the tent without removing all of the gear from the truck bed, and

also features a sky view vent so you can sleep under the stars wherever you park for the night. You can keep organised with the interior pockets and see what you’re doing thanks to the convenient lantern hook on the roofline.

Installation of the truck tent is easy, with colour coded poles that can be assembled with your feet firmly on the ground. Once fully set up, the tent has plenty of space for two adults, and is designed to work in conjunction with the Rightline Gear pick-up bed air mattresses to provide optimal comfort for a good night’s sleep anywhere and everywhere.

To make the most of the offer, visit edgeoffroad.co.uk and pick up your truck tent for just £399.99, or call them on 01803 262002. There are also differing designs that are better suited to SUVs, if that is what you happen to drive.

£

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Edge

LAUNCH OFFER...

£399.99

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Fits All European Sized Pick Up Brands Order Online UK Stock No Quibble Warranty Premium Quality Tents Tested in the Extremes of the USA Exclusive EU Distributors

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29/10/2018 21:34 18:12 29/10/2018

FEATURES

CUMBERLAND PLATFORMS LIMITED

The sky is the limit for manufacturer approved access platform specialists

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ou may not have heard of Cumberland Platforms Limited (CPL), but there’s a definite chance that you’ve seen their work on many occasions – you may even have had the pleasure of working with the fruits of their labour. CPL are based in Kettering, and despite only coming into existence in 2011, they’re certainly a force to be reckoned with in the platforms and conversion scene here in the UK – with a unique control over their production line.

Initially, the company set out developing upgrades and platforms to bolster the practical abilities of Land Rovers. After their first order was completed and shipped off to the Middle East, the company hit the ground running and began to grow rapidly.

Nowadays, the company doesn’t spend much time working on old Land Rovers (although you do

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still see them about), and they are now focusing on their conversions for 4x4 pick-up trucks and their range of products for the utility, telecoms and arborist sectors. But the CPL ethos isn’t just to engineer the products, it is to help their customers throughout the whole process of CPL ownership.

In the UK, CPL are certified converters for both Isuzu and Toyota with their type-approved P130A access platforms – for the D-Max and Hilux respectively.

The vehicle is upgraded to 3.5-tonnes to add extra payload.

When mounted to the chassis of a pick-up, the access platform can lift its basket 11.2-metres with a 6.2-metre outreach. The figures are impressive, and so is the engineering not just behind the P130A, but behind all NSStype approved CPL conversions.

Vehicles enter the workshop, and step-by-step work their way

through several stations, each prestocked and organised to ensure the quality of every vehicle that passes through.

Early on in 2018, CPL became part of the GELEV Group, a global giant in the access solutions sector, which means they are now UK applicators and dealers of the products produced by their European parent company Klubb and UK exclusive dealers for Palfinger Platforms Italy.

So not only will CPL be able to offer their own range of chassismounted access platforms, but they are also able to offer Klubb’s vehicle mounted aerial platforms and Palfinger’s repertoire of insulated and non-insulated access platforms to customers in the UK. Part of the CPL process that makes them stand out from their competitors is their on-site capability. Unlike many of their competitors, CPL fabricate 60%

of the components that go into their platforms. This gives them a quicker reaction time to any regulation changes, and makes their production process more adaptable.

In their short history, the CPL premises have already grown into three manufacturing facilities that total over 23,0002ft and include production lines, research and design engineering suites, powder coating units and welding facilities. This means that their arsenal – which currently totals 28 products – can improve the abilities of a wide range of vehicles including Renault, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford, Iveco and the aforementioned Isuzu and Toyota – when we visited there were even Unimogs being fitted with access platforms.

Working at capacity – which they currently are – CPL can produce 300 vehicles a year, with much of their custom going out to fleet

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FEATURES to match. They understand that you’ll have deadlines, budgets and countless other criterion to meet and will look at every option within their reach to meet your demands. This could be recommending a particular access solution, consulting on a bespoke build, adapting a conversion that is suitable for your vehicle, helping you source a previously converted rig or even coming out to provide off-site servicing and

buyers in the utility sector across the UK. Well aware of their client base, and that many owners of commercial and utility vehicles regularly want and need their vehicles servicing, they offer specialised servicing for their specialised conversions. Along with CPL Care, the Kettering outfit also have a supply of spare parts should they be required, and will help you sell your converted vehicle when the time comes.

Most recently, CPL have released their type-approved Chipper Tipper following a development process that saw them regularly confer with the customer to ensure that the product was exactly as it should be. The chassis-mounted conversion features well packaged storage lockers for equipment and safety gear that won’t impede nor be impeded by the tipper. Utilising an uprated pivot point tipper cylinder mechanism, the tipping motion of the platform will be able

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technical support.

Nothing is off-limits. If you need a unique vehicle and CPL are able to fulfil the project, then they’ll make it happen. Should you seek out their services, rest assured that you’ll be receiving a service that is as professional and well regarded as the conversions CPL design and fabricate.

For more information pay a visit to the CPL website - www. cumberlanduk.co.uk.

to function for years, never placing strain on the frame or chassis. The chipper tipper’s load rating vary slightly, depending whether it is mounted on the Isuzu or Hilux platform, but both can cope with payloads over a tonne and share the same 50˚ tipping angle and can be fitted with any of a full aluminium body, half mesh sides or a drop side setup.

The tipper, like the P130A, also comes with a list of optional extras that, if selected, ensure that a CPL conversion doesn’t make the vehicle unliveable. Items such as rear reversing cameras see to this, and factory technicians can also apply your company’s livery, reflective chevrons, type approved tow bars and full or partial beacons. All customers need to supply is a driver.

And this is all down to the ethos instilled at CPL. Their mission isn’t simply to provide high-quality products, but a rounded service

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TRAINING

YORKSHIRE OUTDOORS Combining qualified instructors, an awe-inspiring site and good old Yorkshire charm, if you need proper training there's worth a trip

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hen it comes to driving offroad there’s are certain boxes that will need ticking. Firstly, you’ll need a suitable vehicle. You’re also going to need someone who’s experienced to teach you. Then you’re going to need some OFFROAD on which to do the learning.

And at the Yorkshire Outdoors site, you can find all three of these criteria in one easy package.

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Their Thirsk-based site is easy to find, and as you get closer your surroundings become decidedly greener. After a short journey down a gravel track, past a succession of Land Rovers and quad bikes, you pull into the hub of the business – a car park buzzing with flanked by a workshop and a couple of cabins.

I was greeted in the car park

by Vince Murray, who just so happened to be the instructor set

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to deliver my off-road training. But before that, I was introduced to the team and, being in Yorkshire was treated to a proper cup of tea as I spoke to Richard Fawcett, the founder and Managing Director of Yorkshire Outdoors.

‘Our site is 50-acres,’ shares Richard. ‘We’ve got a very good site, as you’re going to see. But we don’t use it all – there’s no need to! It’s a versatile site that can accommodate off-road driving, Segways, quad biking and we’ve got our clay pigeon shooting, too – all lead by our experienced instructors. We aim to offer an excellent experience, whatever service the customer wants.’

With such broad capabilities, you may have guessed that Yorkshire Outdoors don’t solely offer driver training. In fact, they’re just as likely to be hosting a stag do or a corporate event as they are giving serious cross-country tuition. It was this LANTRA certified training that I was there to experience.

The staff boasts six off-road driving instructors, and that isn’t including Richard who holds a hankered Land Rover Instructor certificate, who double up with some leading quad, Segway and shooting sessions as well. So whoever takes you out on the site, rest assured that they know both the terrain and what they’re talking about.

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Before even climbing into the vehicle, Vince checks the level of knowledge his pupils possess. So as to get the maximum tuition, Vince treated me as a total newbie to off-road driving and spoke me through not only what we would be doing, but what we would be doing it in. Clearly and concisely, it was explained that the Land Rover Defender 110 had been lifted two inches and fitted with bigger, knobbly off-road biased tyres and then the approach, departure and brake over angles. Finally inside the vehicle (and out of the rain), Vince outlines a diagram on the dashboard to explain the specialised nature of the Land Rover’s differential, and how to use it over varying terrain. Then finally, he turns the key and heads off into the muddy delights of the glorious off-road course in bitterly British weather.

With his pupils beginning the first leg in the passenger seat, Vince covers the tasking terrain slowly and properly, explaining what both he and the Land Rover are doing – and why they’re doing it. Despite only having joined Yorkshire Outdoors a year previously, it was clear that Vince had spent years in and around Land Rovers on tricky terrain – detailing the intricacies of how to cover the terrain safely and properly with a smorgasbord of

facts, anecdotes and tips on how to improve.

‘When I was in the army, they used to say that you’ve got to drive as if the back is full of eggs,’ shares Vince, ‘and we don’t want an omelette back there!’

It hadn’t been mentioned previously that Vince had served 24-years in the military, nor that he had left as a Sergeant Major, but it made perfect sense and explained

how he was so at home in this environment – it was second nature to him.

After meandering through the site, traversing troughs and peaks we came to a stop at a vantage point which, despite the weather, was still stunning. It was now time to swap seats. On the move, Vince instilled the ethos that was central in his egg analogy from the passenger seat and everything

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TRAINING was done at the Land Rover’s pace. Most of the time both of my feet were off the pedals and I was merely steering. As bizarre as it felt, it helped to become familiar with the vehicle.

Under Vince’s stewardship, driving across the initially daunting terrain quickly became joyous. The site boasts the perfect balance of technical and tricky terrain that is manageable, yet tricky but isn’t insurmountable – even with the rainfall. This means that as a novice you can learn without running too high a risk of binning the vehicle and getting stuck, but also feel like you’ve achieved something.

Before heading up one of the numerous steep and slippery climbs, Vince signalled for me to stop the Defender.

‘When you’re driving cross country, your main target has got to be to keep your engine ticking,’ he explains at an ironic standstill.

‘You need to listen to engine, and keep it going. Work out when it needs the help to keep it ticking over but don’t give it too much.’

Firing back up we proceeded calmly and quietly. As the Land Rover began to climb and slip in the mud, I countered gently with the accelerator. Like the rest of the journey it wasn’t quick, but the

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satisfaction from working in unison with the vehicle was immense.

I parked the Land Rover back beside the car park, confident in the knowledge that Vince had taught me a more than solid foundation to build upon. What I'd learnt in the beginner session hadn't equipped me to go and challenge for honours in the Dakar rally, but I came away feeling like I could easily become a competent cross-country driver with practice.

Especially if I returned for more expert tuition.

Depending on your requirements, there are four levels of off-road driver training on offer at Yorkshire Outdoors. These range from basic knowledge and an introduction to the principles of covering tricky terrain, all the way through to recovery and winch training, trailer handling, safety inspections and even training to become an instructor yourself.

Not only is the level of training exemplary, as is the tuition and supervision in for the other activities, too, but the team pay attention to the little details, too.

You’ll be greeted by a smile, find drinks on tap and even have the vehicles washed between every session, plus they also offer GoPro footage of your day out.

‘We try to think of all of the little things,’ explains Richard. ‘Our

ultimate aim is to give everyone the best experience possible.

Whether it’s a corporate booking or a stag do. Our customers are as important to us at three in the afternoon as they are at nine in the morning.’

So in summary, whether you want professional off-road driver training, or even a day of fun, you’ll know what you’re getting with Yorkshire Outdoors. They run their site the same way they make a cup of tea – properly.

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PRODUCTS

TUFF TREK

Only tough trucks can both work and play IF YOU’RE THE type of person who likes to work his or her 4x4 to the max during the week, but then enjoy exploring at the weekend to the same extreme, then really you need to be able to equip your vehicle with some tough gear for those tough treks.

That means there’s only one place you ought to head in order to get yourself properly kitted out: Tuff Trek.

The company is a specialist in everything one may require whilst travelling both far and wide, with an extensive array of products to choose from, including accommodation and sleeping arrangements for your overland vehicle, lighting to cover all types of driving and campsite scenarios, and everything in between.

A few examples for you – Tuff Trek can provide you with heavy-duty winches and winch bumpers, just

like the Rival unit you see pictured on the front of this Ranger Wildtrak, which comes complete with roadlegal Vision X fog lights.

It’s not just the bumpers that can be beefed up for your expedition away, either. Underneath your pickup or 4x4, you may want to slot some protection in place to help defend the internals from harm.

Tuff Trek can supply yet more Rival gear, such as the 6mm-thick ninepiece aluminium protection kit.

Once those all-important internals are safely guarded, you’ll feel more confident in pressing on whilst off-road, where Tuff Trek can be

of assistance once more. They stock the full range of ARB accessories and have various Old Man Emu suspension kits available to suit most vehicles.

After a long day out on the trails, you’ll need to think about a setup of a different kind, namely what

sort of base camp you want to conjure up. A roof rack is likely to be essential, and Tuff Trek can supply you with a Front Runner unit alongside a wealth of roof tent options and assorted awnings till you get the configuration you’ve always wanted.

AUTOGLYM

Spray-on wheel cleaner is fast, effective and safe to use on all surfaces IT’S A COMMON VIEWPOINT that when it comes to cleaning

your truck, car or any motor vehicle for that matter, one of the

most fiddly and temper-raising areas are the wheels.

When it comes to cleaning your pick-up or 4x4’s wheels, then, you’re going to need all the help you can get. And Autoglym has just the solution – quite literally in fact.

Their acid-free Custom Wheel Cleaner is exactly the sort of sprayon magic you’ve been looking for, and will make short work of mud and grime whilst stopping brake dust in its tracks.

Because the Custom Wheel Cleaner is acid-free, you can apply it to all manner of surfaces, including paintwork, chrome, powder-coated areas, plus polished and anodised components, safe in the knowledge that you’ll only be stripping back the dirt and not the finish underneath.

Autoglym suggest spraying the wheels from the bottom to the top

and leaving the foaming particles to work away on the accumulated muck. Then after you’ve given the solution time to infiltrate the dirt, Autoglym say it should be ‘a lightly agitate and rinse off affair.’

If you’ve got particularly stubborn marks to remove, you can always go back for seconds – otherwise this Custom Wheel Cleaner should take care of your cleaning woes in one hit.

With the salt, rain and dirt that’s due to become part of the furniture on UK roads over the coming months, now is the time to add Autoglym’s Custom Wheel Cleaner to your care kit.

The product costs £9.60 or if you’d like to get the entire suggested kit from Autoglym, you’ll pay £17.10. Where can you find it? Here, of course – www. autoglym.com

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PRODUCTS

BILSTEIN

OE-standard replacement suspension setup to get Discovery 4 owners on cloud nine SHOULD YOU WANT to have the comfiest of journeys, ideally you’d like to feel like you’re floating on air, not potholes the size of craters. And with Bilstein’s expertise channelled into an air-suspension unit, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing.

Bilstein are synonymous with top quality suspension, and their air Airmatic unit is OEM quality. The set-up is a direct replacement for all fourth-generation models of the Land Rover Discovery, offering owners with failed units the chance to replace them at a price that is more appealing than those you’ll encounter at a dealership.

In recent years, the rise in desirability – and prices – of the Land Rover Defender have seen more and more people opt for an old Discovery, instead. The fourth-generation Discovery has proven a popular deputy for many people in recent times, but they are known for having trouble with their air suspension setup.

The original development of this new Land Rover fitment came as Bilstein’s response to the increasing market popularity of models utilising air springs.

The high performance B4 air suspension module is now also available to the independent aftermarket thanks to Bilstein applying itself to finding a solution to plug the gap in this section of the market.

In addition to offering OE quality, the numerous product benefits are obvious. Just like the factory original, the Bilstein B4 air suspension module guarantees a quick reaction to road and vehicle conditions. The result is increased comfort and benign driving characteristics, with high power reserves for maximum safety. The BILSTEIN gas pressure technology provides constant damping power under any axle load.

Air suspension systems allow the recipient vehicle to adjust to different vehicle height positions

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by varying the air pressure in the bellows.

This advantage is particularly notable when levelling extremely heavy loads or whilst towing.

Various aerodynamic and terrain positions are also possible with this system and the B4 unit integrates seamlessly with all factory electronics for genuine ‘plug and play’ operation. No dealer recoding is required when fitting these parts.

The high quality air suspension modules are produced and tested to OE specifications, including the usual endurance and coldimpact tests and Bilstein engineers have subjected the shock absorbing system to road trials at the Papenburg industry proving ground to ensure that it complies and surpasses all OE series requirements, as well as providing impeccable ride and handling.

The shock absorbers are produced at Bilstein’s Ennepetal plant in Germany in a production area specially created for this purpose, by dedicated personnel assigned for specifically for these applications.

Fully TUV certified and complete with 12 months warranty, the units retail at £254.00 each plus VAT. For more details, please visit www. bilstein.de or call the UK office on 0116 247 8930.

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PRODUCTS

PEDDERS

TrakRyder suspension setup for the ever-popular Suzuki Jimny THE PEDDERS TRAKRYDER setup is a popular suspension system for rigs that carry on beyond the tarmac – both for recreational and professional purposes.

And just as popular is the out-going Suzuki Jimny – for which the Pedders TrakRyder range consists of both front and rear foam cell shock absorbers, springs that offer a 45-50mm lift, foam cell dampers and all you’ll need to fit them.

Innovative and effective, the foam cell shock absorbers virtually eliminate shock fade. They do this by allowing full oil contact with both the inner and outer housings. The design also features large cooling areas that further improve shock performance and durability.

Both the oil and air are kept separate in the foam cell shocks, which promotes optimum damping control in all conditions. The increased size of the 35mm bore and piston is significantly bigger than that on the Jimny’s standard setup. This

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also increases the oil capacity, which again only improves the effectiveness of the shock absorber.

Front and rear coil springs offer stability when the terrain gets tricky, ensuring the off-road performance of the Jimny is retained. The TrakRyder foam cell steering dampers and the damper mounting kits suit both right and left hand-drive models, whether they are petrol or diesel powered.

As you may well have noticed, production on this particular Jimny will be coming to an end after two decades. And if early indicators aren’t entirely false, the new model look set to eclipse the popularity of its predecessor. Scheduled for release in 2019, Pedders are busy at work developing a similar set of TrakRyder products for the all-new and updated Jimny.

For more details on the Pedders TrakRyder kits for the Suzuki Jimny, visit www.pedders. co.uk, or get in touch with your local Pedders stockists.

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BIG BRAKING PERFORMANCE!

WITH PEDDERS TRARYDER EXTREME BRAKE KITS BRAKE KITS

ADJUSTABLE 4X4 SUSPENSION

Stainless steel abutments.

The braking results are staggering with the inclusion of a larger 6 pot caliper design,high tech TrakRyder eXtreme kevlar ceramic pads mated with a 10 slot dimpled and geomet coated larger diameter rotor.

Bigger braking surface means bigger stopping power. With the fitment of the all new Pedders TrakRyder eXtreme brake kit, independent Australian Engineering tests reflected an average improvement in braking distance by up to 14%.

Features: • Stainless steel braided hoses.

• 10 slot and dimpled TrakRyder geomet coated rotors 14”/356mm diameter (OE 11.85”/301mm).

• TrakRyder eXtreme Kevlar Ceramic low dust brake pads.

• TrakRyder eXtreme 6 pot design caliper brackets and bolts.

• 6 Pot, 2 piece aluminium forged calipers.

• High grade alloy steel brake pad insulators.

• Stainless steel pistons.

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Contact your local Pedders outlet today or visit: www.pedders.com

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For the discerning driver who is particular about how their Ford Ranger performs Pedders offers the TrakRyder eXtreme Brake Kit.

ADR

COMPLIANT

KEVLAR

CERAMIC

* Independent Australian engineering test results proved that at 100kmh the TrakRyder eXtreme Brake Kit system upgrade stopped on average 11m sooner than original equipment (on Ford Ranger with Pedders GVM+ load of 3590kgs). An outstanding result that improves the braking efficiency and performance of the Ford Ranger. For even better results we also offer a Pedders Rear Drum To Disc Brake Conversion Kit. Under the same test conditions and fitted together with our TrakRyder eXtreme Brake Kit braking distances are reduced by 21%. This kit is suited for 18” wheels or larger. Further details available in store and on our website. Suits Ford Ranger PX & PXII Models.

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PICKUP & 4X4 PRO 16/04/2018 29/10/2018 12:37 21:40

SPEEDLINER Specialist pick-up bed protection that always has your truck’s back Speedliner Europe introduced their unique spray liner Speedliner Euro HS back in 2011. As well as offering more strength, toughness and durability, the HS spray liner also has a significantly quicker drying and curing process than previous compounds.

The new spray liner has proved popular and has helped the network grow, as Speedliner has continued supplying it to an ever increasing number of dealers and applicators in the UK, Europe and across the globe.

Speedliner Euro HS provides a thick and especially tough, hard rubber-polymer coating. There is no loss of load space with the spray-on liner which will protect

the truck’s load bed from rust and corrosion and, being a highly resistant polymer it wont crack on you or warp over time.

The liner’s textured finish provides a practical and grippy anti-slip surface for load carrying that is also very simply washable.

A selection of unique aesthetic finishes are available as well, with customers able to request unique colours should one of the twenty five options already available not fit the bill. If you’re looking for protection for your load space, whether it be for a pick-up or a 4x4, then don’t waste any more time and head over to www. speedlinereuro.com for full details.

STYLELINE STYLELINE LINE STYLELINE STYLE PICK-UP & 4X4 ACCESSORIES LINE STYLELINE STYLE TM

LINE STYLELINE STYLE VW Amorak Bonnet Guard

Ford Ranger Bonnet Guard

Dacia Duster Bonnet Guard

Ford Ranger Bed Rail Covers (3 pieces)

Ford Ranger 3D Floor Liners

Door Sill Protectors

Many applications for Pick-Ups and 4x4 vehicles. Please contact us for more details or visit online: www.rearguards.co.uk

✆ +44 (0)1525 853888 | sales@rgmouldings.com

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PRODUCTS

NOKIAN TYRES

Scandinavian tyre brand assisting the Scottish Mountain Rescue NOKIAN TYRES HAS announced its new partnership with Scottish Mountain Rescue. The agreement will see all Scottish Mountain Rescue vehicles fitted with Nokian Tyres’ most recent and innovative products. Scottish Mountain Rescue is an astonishing organisation, full of remarkable people, volunteering to save lives, often in the most dangerous conditions and the most challenging of environments. Nokian Tyres is a life-driven company – their mission is to give peace of mind to drivers in all conditions.

The primary attributes of Nokian Tyres are safety and reliability. The

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tyres that are fitted on Scottish Mountain Rescue vehicles have a unique innovation incorporated into the tyres – Aramid Sidewalls.

This is unique in the industry, and sees SUV and commercial tyres with Aramid Staple Fibres built into the sidewall compound from the bead to the shoulder of the tyre.

Aramid is used in military and aerospace applications due to its combination of strength and lightness.

The material drastically reduces the chance of damage to the tyre from pothole damage or sudden impacts from sharp objects.

‘There couldn’t be a more fitting

platform than with this partnership to showcase the innovation and reliability of Nokian Tyres’ Aramid Sidewalls while supporting an amazing cause such as the Scottish Mountain Rescue. Along with removing the burden of tyre related costs from the charity over the next three years, we will accrue funds from each Nokian Tyre sold in the UK which will be donated to the Scottish Mountain Rescue regularly throughout the cooperation,’ said Gordon Hamilton, Nokian Tyres UK. Kev Mitchell, Vice Chairman of Scottish Mountain Rescue, said,

‘We’re delighted with this partnership with Nokian Tyres UK. Scottish Mountain Rescue exists to help people in need, whenever and wherever assistance is needed.

Teams are ready every hour of every day and we need our equipment fit for purpose and ready to go. This includes all mountain rescue vehicles across the country.

The partnership with Nokian Tyres UK helps us save lives in the wild places of Scotland and we thank them for their support.’

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PRODUCTS

ENGINE GUARD

Stay on top of your engine temperature and look after your truck with accurate readings from the heart of the situation ONE OF THE KEY aspects of driving, particularly technical off-roading or towing, is to keep the engine ticking over.

And to help you do this more accurately and efficiently, the Engine Guard EG01 kit helps you monitor engine temperatures precisely.

Factory gauges aren’t too specific, whereas the EG01 kit offers readouts of temperature from the sensor, which is located on the metal of the cylinder head, clearly on the digital readout which sits wherever the driver chooses, thanks to its adhesive backing.

The system records the highest running temperature of the engine during set-up, and then sets an alarm point

2-5 degrees above that. Fault warnings are also a feature to which you are treated with the Engine Guard, which has 11 adjustable parameters to allow you to customise the system to suit your exact purposes.

The stream of information allows the driver to adapt their driving style to take care of the engine. For example, if you’re towing and you notice a gradual rise in engine temperature, you can change down a gear or ease off, to avoid overheating and doing damage to your most esteemed of colleagues.

Visit engineguard.eu.com to pick up your Engine Guard and look after your truck’s ticker.

ROAD CRUZA

Tyres Direct brings Road Cruza to the UK RECENTLY INTRODUCED TO THE UK is the Roadcruza range of all-terrain and mud-terrain tyres from Chinese manufacturer SNC. Imported by Tyres Direct Online, these are already proving popular in the USA and offer a range of fitments which is due to grow extensively over the next year with the arrival of many extra sizes in both patterns.

The Roadcruza RA1100 is an allterrain designed for 4x4s and pickups, with a typical asymmetric tread design punctuated with sipes and lateral grooves to help prevent road noise. The tyre is designed for dependable water ejection and has a silica compound for strong grip and reduced rolling resistance.

The RA3200, which is available in aspect ratios of 70-85 as well as a wide variety of old-style flotation sizes, is a mud-terrain whose tread pattern and rubber compound

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alike were designed for efficient self-cleaning and grippy, cutresistant performance in off-road conditions. Its shoulders overlap on to the sidewall for additional grip and strength – and, SNC admits, to look cool. This tyre is available in diameters of up to 40” and rim sizes stretching from 15” to a massive 26”.

With their familiar patterns, wide range of sizes and tempting looking prices, these tyres are certain to appeal to a good many off-road enthusiasts and work truck users alike. The panel on this pages provides a full rundown of what’s available at present and slated to arrive soon, with prices wherever they’re currently available – for the latest info as the range develops, visit www. tyresdirectuk.co.uk.W

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PRODUCTS

RING AUTOMOTIVE

Super slim inspection lamp helps to see in those oh so awkward places IF YOU’RE THE sort of pick-up and 4x4 owner that likes to get their hands on the wings and their head in the engine bay, it might be useful to have something that can shine some light on the situation.

Now this could be while you’re stuck at the side of the road, drenched thanks to Britain’s infamous weather, or it could be when you’re at home in your garage, having a little tinker as you savour a freshly-made and piping hot cup of glorious tea.

Understandably, you may prefer one of those scenarios to the other, but Ring Automotive’s slimmest ever inspection lamp couldn’t care less. Which is just as well, because neither will a troublesome truck.

Wherever you are whilst the bonnet of your truck is up, the 6mm-thick (yes, just 6mm) MAGflex Pivot LED Inspection Lamp is a small but mighty companion with which to

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illuminate your engine bay.

As the lamp has such a compact design, it is far less cumbersome than other, more conventional inspection lights, and with its pivoting adjustability, you can fold away the lamp with ease, as well as finding the right angle in which to direct light throughout the corridors and alleyways of your engine bay.

The MAGflex pivot also boasts an array of convenient magnets and hooks, meaning that securing a place for the lamp to sit, hang or swing from should be a piece of cake. It’s bright, too, with an output of 400 lumens and a colour temperature of 6000K, which makes for a comfortable – and very well lit –workspace, wherever that may be.

Wireless charging means that keeping the torch topped up is a joyfully simple task, and the whole thing can be closed up and placed in the smallest of compartments –

such as your ery own pocket.

It won’t ever put an end to vehicles throwing tantrums, (it is just a torch remember) but it will stop you throwing one when trouble does arise. For a mere £39.99, you can have your own piece of Ring brilliance – locate it by checking out ringautomotive.com.

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Gets into the places you can’t.

MAGflex Pivot Slim Inspection Lamp The MAGflex Pivot combines a slim design with multi axis rotation and tilt, meaning light can be directed exactly where required, even into the smallest and hardest to reach spaces.

For your nearest stockist visit ringautomotive.com

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Horizontal rotation

Rotating neck for task light and torch

Magnets for hands-free

Compact pocket storage

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FOR THE OFFROAD.

BILSTEIN B8 5100.

A higher level of performance: The ideal shock absorber when you need more clearance and ultimate traction. Thanks to its longer design, the BILSTEIN B8 5100 perfectly fi ts lifting kits for SUVs and light trucks. Enjoy the perfect BILSTEIN driving experience, even off the road.

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