4x4 Mart December Preview

WINTER SPECIALS 48 PAGES OF USED 4x4s FOR SALE DECEMBER 2010 • £2.50

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BUYING • SELLING • OWNING

RANGE ROVER CLASSIC CREATING A GREAT BRITISH ICON

PATRIOT GAMES

4x4 EVENTS IS THE SMALLEST JEEP THE BIGGEST BARGAIN? WHAT, WHERE, WHEN 4x4 QASHQAI+2

FULL BUYER GUIDE ’S

TOP SEVEN-SEATER

OFF-ROAD MODS PART 2 INSIDE

YOUR FULL GUIDE

USED DEFENDER

HUNDREDS OF 4x4s INSIDE GRAB A BARGAIN FROM £1,000 BUYING THE BEST 4x4 Mart • December 2010 • £2.50

PUBLISHING EXCELLENCE THROUGH EXPERIENCE

Suzuki Grand Vitara £2,995

Land Rover Defender £5,000

Mitsubishi Shogun £13,695

2006 BMW X5 £19,990

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4x4 MART | DECEMBER 2010

DECEMBER 2010

4x4 NEWS

WHAT’S IN YOUR GREAT NEW ISSUE… 2 4x4 NEWS

44 BUYER’S QUICK-CHECK

All the latest updates – including changes to the diesel-engined Jeep Patriot

Your reference point for buying a used Land Rover Defender

5 FROM THE TRADE

72 TESTED: NISSAN QASHQAI +2

Adam Weaver takes a look at what the future holds for Britain’s businesses

With seven seats and all-wheel drive, is this one of today’s best crossovers?

5 4x4 EVENTS

75 RANGE ROVER PROFILE

Where to go and what to do over the next few weeks

Forty years on, we look at the development and career of the original Range Rover

6 BUYING USED: JEEP PATRIOT

79 SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

It’s one of the most affordable new SUVs – but is the Patriot such a good used buy?

Save money and avoid the shops by taking out a discounted 4x4 Mart subscription

10 NEWS BRIEFS

80 GET ONLINE!

More news from the world of 4x4s – catch up on the latest!

Two pages of essential, informative and entertaining websites for all 4x4 fans

11 TAKING THE ROUGH…

85 PRODUCTS & KIT

Heading off-road? Don’t miss our dummy’s guide to some of the top modifications

Gadgets and gizmos for your 4x4 – including Christmas offers on tools and equipment

16 ATV UPDATE All that’s happening in the world of quads – including news of Easy Quad Parts

86 YOUR SHOUT One hates the Cayenne, another loves the Frontera… our readers have their say

19 4x4s FOR SALE

87 NEXT ISSUE

Our bumper 4x4s For Sale section starts here – your chance to grab a bargain!

How to buy the best ‘Series’ Land Rover – plus our views on a tempting trio of SUVs

THE 4x4 MART TEAM Editor Paul Guinness editor@4x4mart.co.uk Advertising Manager Claire Broadmore claire@cslpublishing.com Managing Director Sue Baggaley Creative Director Richard Olsen rolsen@cslpublishing.com

Designer Flo Terentjev

The troubled SsangYong brand – largely know for producing rugged 4x4s and SUVs – has secured what it hopes will be a healthier future following confirmation of an agreement between the South Korean company and Mahindra & Mahindra – an Indianbased manufacturer of 4x4s.

The news has been greeted with delight by the UK’s SsangYong importer, with Paul Williams – managing director of Koelliker UK – welcoming the creation of what will be a joint producer of SUVs: ‘This is great news for our customers, dealers and staff here in the UK. It secures a firm footing from which to move forwards, and – with the imminent arrival of the SsangYong Korando, our new C-sector

crossover vehicle – means we can look forward to a successful new era for the SsangYong brand.’

The first shipment of the new Korando (pictured) is due here in the New Year, and Williams insists it will be competitively priced to compete against the Hyundai ix35, Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai: ‘The new car is attracting much interest in the motor

trade. We are on the point of appointing five new dealers, and interest in the franchise has never been stronger.’

According to Jeremy Clarke, SsangYong’s PR representative in the UK, the first 2011 shipment of vehicles will also include updated versions of the current 4x4 models – the Kyron and Rexton – which will continue as part of the line-up. Clarke told 4x4 Mart: ‘Korando will be on sale from January, but obviously as a crossover it takes the brand into a whole new – and rapidly expanding – market sector.’

For further details of the current SsangYong line-up and to sign up for further news, visit www.ssangyonggb.co.uk.

ONE MILLIONTH RANGE ROVER

Studio Manager Sal Law Staff Writer Adrian Porter Private Advertising Lindsey Close Contributors Tom Phillips, Adam Weaver, Rod Jones

Published every four weeks by: PUBLISHING CSL Publishing Ltd, Alliance House, 49 Sidney Street, Cambridge CB2 3HX Tel: 01223 460490 Fax: 01223 315960 Subscriptions: 01442 879097 EXCELLENCE THROUGH EXPERIENCE

The views and opinions of the contributors of this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Accordingly, the publisher disclaims any responsibility for such views and opinions.

Printed in Cambridge by Cambridge Newspapers Ltd. Distributed by Comag Specialist, Tavistock Road, West Drayton UB7 7QE. © 2010 CSL Publishing Ltd 4x4 Mart is copyright of CSL Publishing Ltd 2010 and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Every care is taken in compiling the contents, but the proprietors assume no responsibility for any effect arising therefrom. We welcome unsolicited manuscripts and photographs, but accept no responsibility for their loss, damage or total disappearance.

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FRESH START FOR SSANGYONG

Land Rover recently produced its one-millionth Range Rover – an Autobiography model – and celebrated the occasion by donating it to the Help for Heroes charity.

Land Rover employees joined Phil Popham – the company’s managing director – to celebrate the milestone event, which took place in the Range Rover’s 40th anniversary year.

Popham commented: ‘Land Rover is very proud to support Help for Heroes by donating the onemillionth Range Rover. Everyone involved at Land Rover – from the management, to the employees at Solihull, to the original Range Rover team – will be happy we’re able to mark this landmark occasion in such a way after forty years of producing this iconic vehicle.’

The Range Rover being donated is the highest-spec model currently available, valued in excess of £85,000.

Estimates suggest it will raise over £100,000 for charity when auctioned.

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4x4 MART | DECEMBER 2010

BUYING USED: JEEP PATRIOT

LITTLE AMERICA T

he Jeep Patriot was the famous American 4x4 manufacturer’s more successful attempt at changing with the times. We all know and love Jeep for its go-anywhere offroaders; it’s the US alternative to our own Land Rover, after all, as well as being the inspiration for the very first Landie way back in 1948. And through the years, Jeep has made the most of its rugged reputation.

But increasing pressure from regulators and consumers brought fresh new demands to the 4x4 market – and to Jeep in particular. Sure, they were still treasured by their supporters – but not everybody needed (or could justify) a vehicle as large as a Grand Cherokee. What Jeep needed was a

more compact offering, effectively filling the gap left by the old-style Cherokee that had done so well in Britain through the 1990s.

By 2007, Jeep had the solution to the problem: the new Patriot. Smaller and lighter than any other Jeep in the range, it was America’s take on the compact SUV. And with classic Jeep looks, tremendous interior practicality, a choice of real-world engines, clever four-wheel drive and a fiendishly tempting list price, it seemed like quite a package.

Many people assumed that this was Jeep’s attempt at recreating the ‘classic’ Cherokee from the glory years, but in a more modern package. In reality, though, the Patriot was completely

Like all ‘proper’ Jeeps, the Patriot was an accomplished off-road machine

different from any previous Jeep, as it was actually based on the platform of the Dodge Caliber – effectively a Ford Focus rival – from elsewhere in the Chrysler Group line-up. Cannily, the engineers had built in enough adaptability to form a good platform

for a ‘soft-roader’ that looked like a Jeep but still had the footprint of a Focus.

It was a smart balance by Jeep’s designers. The Patriot matched a regular family hatch in terms of length and width, which would help it appeal to buyers looking for a ‘compact’ with a bit of individuality. Yet it had the raised ride height and higher seating position that drivers of bigger off-roaders were used to – making it an ideal choice for anybody thinking of downsizing.

Jeep had certainly been very clever with the styling. The Patriot was edgy looking, using cues from the good ol’ Cherokee, including the flat bonnet, upright windscreen and unashamedly rectangular profile. Check out the flat nose, girder-style shoulders and chunky

wheelarches, too – all oh-so-Jeep.

Inside was where all the familyorientated features came. Jeep’s idea was to offer the flexibility of a regular family hatchback, so made sure the Patriot was roomy, easy to use and full of clever touches. Crucially, too, the boot was a useful 536 litres in size, expanding to 1,357 litres with the back seat folded flat, giving the Patiot all the versatility of a mini-MPV. And, like all ‘proper’ Jeeps, the Patriot was also an accomplished offroader. Despite what stalwart Jeep fans may have feared, this was no frontdrive wannabe trading on the famous brand’s heritage. Like the Grand Cherokee, it had automatic four-wheel drive: a smart and high-tech system

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DECEMBER 2010 | 4x4 MART

OFF-ROAD MODS

PART 2

G N I TAK

11

…

H G U O R E H T

good a e r a s n o i odificat m l u f e s u rades g ome p s u , s i d s a a o b r r regula e to off a d i n u o g s d ’ a y o r m ing offs a dum d r a e f e f h o f s o e n g od Jo hinkin If you’re t here do you start? R w idea – but

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4x4 MART | DECEMBER 2010

ROAD TEST: NISSAN QASHQAI+2 TEKNA 4x4

ROAD TEST

SEVEN UP You want an all-wheel drive crossover but you need seating for up to seven people?

Paul Guinness spends a week with the Qashqai+2 to see how its stacks up

I

t’s nearly four years since Nissan launched its British-built Qashqai, effectively replacing its old (and rather dull) Almera hatchback with a high-riding crossover. And while some pundits suggested the company was taking a big risk by putting all

its corporate eggs into the crossover basket, the Qashqai ended up being the fastest-selling model in the history of Nissan Europe.

Here in the UK in particular, the Qashqai has been a massive success.

But Nissan knew it could achieve even more from its top-seller – and so along came the longer-wheelbase Qashqai+2, offering seating for up to seven people (or a very large loadspace when used as a five-seater). And with both models having recently been revised and improved for the 2011 model year, we figured it was time to get behind the wheel and see what all the fuss is about.

This being 4x4 Mart, we went straight for the all-wheel drive models in the Qashqai+2 range – which isn’t that easy, as the vast majority of the

line-up offers front-drive only. In fact, if you want a diesel-engined fourwheel drive Qashqai+2, you’ll find just one version available: the top of the range 2.0 dCi Tekna, priced at £26,095 (or £27,345 if you prefer automatic transmission). And that means the Qashqai+2 commands only a £1100 premium over the shorter five-seater Qashqai – a relatively small price to pay for the extra length, the extra space and the extra seats.

It does mean some stiff competition from elsewhere though, even if most compact crossovers only come in five-seater guises. For those who do demand seating for up to seven, however, rivals like the Mitsubishi Outlander, Peugeot 4007, Citroen C-Crosser and Chevrolet Captiva spring to mind – the latter offering

particularly good value via healthy discounts on the outgoing 2010 range.

CLEVER STUFF You get quite a package for your money when buying a Qashqai+2 Tekna 4x4 – not least its clever all-wheel drive system, a version of Nissan’s All-Mode set-up that’s electronically controlled rather than using the dual hydraulic pumps of some rivals. Under normal

conditions, it operates in front-wheel drive to help save on fuel – but as soon as any wheel slippage is detected, a centre clutch in the rear final drive is electronically activated and drive is correctly apportioned between front and rear axles.

Does it work? Yes – and reassuringly well. Our time with the Qashqai+2 coincided with some grim winter conditions out on the roads, and the extra traction and grip offered by

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DECEMBER 2010 | 4x4 MART

CLASSIC RANGE ROVER

BIRTH OF AN ICON 2010 saw the iconic Range Rover celebrating its 40th anniversary. Tom Phillips looks back at the life and times of the long-lived original

T

o say there was nothing like the Range Rover before its launch would be an absolute understatement. This 4x4 really was a true groundbreaker, setting the template for future off-roaders.

Before it came along, 4x4s in the UK were utilitarian and relatively unsophisticated. But the Range Rover gentrified the sector, giving it the springboard from which today’s upmarket models have developed.

More importantly, though, the Range Rover made the idea of a 4x4 acceptable to people who’d perhaps never considered one before – with a wider-ranging clientele than any other all-wheel drive machine. And

ever since the Range Rover first went on sale, way back in 1970, it has continued to push the boundaries.

THE CONCEPT The Range Rover story should start further back than that, though. In fact, it was in the 1950s that the Land Rover’s creators – the Wilkes brothers – were toying with the idea of more passenger car-like versions of their off-road legend.

And various development projects were experimented with, generally known as Road-Rovers… though none would make it to production.

By the mid-Sixties, however, the

idea of a more sophisticated Land Rover was back on the agenda, largely thanks to the vision and determination of one man: Spen King. The talented Rover engineer had been struck by the success of new-type American machines like the Ford Bronco, each of them less utilitarian than a Land Rover, offering long-distance onroad comfort while also still being capable off-road. And King was convinced the same concept would work here in Britain.

The idea was presented to company bosses, who liked what they saw.

But what would the company use when it came to powerplant choice

for a more upmarket Land Rover?

Happily, Rover had entered into an agreement with General Motors to take over its all-aluminium V8 engine – an impressive motor that would be just the thing for this new high-end Land Rover. The first key part of the project had already fallen into place.

Work began in 1966 on the first prototypes – which, in deference to their wheelbase size, were known as ‘100-inch station wagons’. The creation of what would eventually become the Range Rover was under way, with King resolute about one technical feature that would define the entire project: the new model

had to use long-travel coil springs rather than the traditional leaf springs of previous Land Rovers.

The Bronco used them, after all – and while King knew he wasn’t trying to replicate the American Ford, it was the ideal showcase for the suspension’s merits.

Land Rover traditionalists weren’t happy. There was absolutely no way, they reasoned, that a genuine Land Rover 4x4 could be built without railway engineer levels of hardware; it simply wouldn’t work. Rumour has it, though, that King convinced them otherwise partly by driving a Rover P6 passenger car over the Solihull off-road test track,

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