Reader's Rides

Reader's Rides

There’s nothing better than going your own way.

DAVID GLEESON-PAYNE / LIVES: PORT MELBOURNE, VIC / DRIVES: 2021 D-MAX 4X4 X-TERRAIN

Our X-TERRAIN is the essential support vehicle for my family activities, every weekend—and during the week, too. We've taken the D-MAX from Victoria to Tasmania twice, including an epic caravan holiday at Port Arthur and Huon Valley. On most weekends the D-MAX is busy hauling a bicycle or two in the back as my friends and I take the chance to leave the city behind and peddle around regional bike trails. The D-MAX also comes in handy for a big warehouse shopping trip, including the safe delivery of a very large new TV!

ANGELA RITTER / LIVES: KURRI KURRI, NSW / DRIVES: 2021 MU-X 4X4 LS-T

We bought our MU-X a year ago—her first trip was to the Snowy Mountains when she was just a week old, then a few trips to the North Coast on some rescue missions during floods. A friend of ours was trapped on a roof for three days up in Casino before being rescued by the SES, and so we took up supplies and collected her. This shot is from a trip last week to the NSW South Coast, where we went to Kiama, Ulladulla, Batemans Bay and Tomekin. We own a caravan and I needed something to tow that with—my old car really struggled up hills—but now you don’t even feel the van on the back! The MU-X has a lovely, quiet cabin and it’s just a joy to drive. We get away as often as we can and we can’t wait to get out and see even more!

GRANT CHALMERS / LIVES: NEWCOMB, VIC / DRIVES: 2022 D-MAX 4X4 X-TERRAIN

This is our second D-MAX! We had a 2010 model, which was fantastic, but I just love my new Mercury silver and black! I mainly just bought it for towing my 5.65m boat—we head up to Bermagui every year in February with a couple of mates, chasing the marlin. We’ve been doing it for about five years! What do I love about marlin? I’ll tell you when I finally catch one! Mostly I just love the relaxation of being out on the ocean, even if you don’t hook anything. I spend a lot of time driving a B-Double for work, so it’s nice to be able to get behind the wheel of something comfortable of my own. It’s a pleasure to drive this ute every day and I enjoy the new six-speed auto transmission—it’s so quiet and impressive.

PETER STEVENS / LIVES: PEARCEDALE, VIC / DRIVES: 2022 D-MAX 4X4 LS-U CREW CAB UTE

I’ve got a fishing shack up in Kyalite, on the three rivers—the Edward, the Wakool and the Murray—and we get up there quite often. There are seven or eight of us who have converted an old school bus into seven-bed bunk accommodation and we love to get away and chase Murray cod. It’s kitted out with a big kitchen and pantry, and fridges and a Coonara Wood heater. I tell you what, you need the heater in winter time! Otherwise, I use the ute for work. I’m not a tradie—I work for a corporate uniform company—but the tray is really handy for throwing everything into. I took my previous D-MAX in for a service earlier this year and when I found out that there was a Cobalt Mica Blue model available for immediate delivery I upgraded straight away—even though I loved my old model! It’s a great ute.

TREVOR AND HILDA WATTS / LIVE: TOOWOOMBA, QLD / DRIVE: 2022 MU-X 4X4 LS-T

You cannot fault this car—I was 10 years in trucks and the technology is just amazing. I’m a motor trimmer of over 50 years and, as they say, you have to make one seat to fit 1000 bodies, but these seats are just incredible. Even the lumbar support! We’ve just come home to Toowoomba from Hervey Bay after our maiden voyage with our new MU-X and I can’t tell you how happy we are—and our previous car was an expensive luxury European SUV! This is better, and more comfortable, and its towing capabilities are exactly what we were hoping for. I just rave about it. It delivers totally outstanding fuel economy with just on three tonnes of van on the back of it and the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel is just brilliant. You couldn’t ask for more.