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West Wales: epic lanes, epic views – epic roadbook!

JUN 2022

History lesson: When the Lada Niva ﬁrst came to Britain WITH SARAH 4x4 Cover June 22.indd 1

09/05/2022 15:31

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19785 Allmakes Ltd 4x4 Magazine - 3 page advert - Discovery.indd 1

21/08/2020 10:39

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June 2022

CONTENTS

‘For the first 12 months, it just sat on the trailer. the chassis was going to snap in half!’

2 | JUNE 2022

Contents June.indd 2

4x4 10/05/2022 21:27

62 BIG SAVINGS WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE! A copy of 4x4 normally costs £4.99 to buy at the shops. So why not pay just £8.00 to have FIVE issues delivered to your door instead? Mad not to! 4x4 Scene: News, Products and More… 10 14 16 18 20 24 24 26 27 28 28

Ineos Grenadier Full prices and details revealed as order books open Isuzu D-Max Diff-lock and auto box now available on base models too VW Amarok All-new premium truck promises to ramp up its off-road intent Tony Gilroy Remembering the ‘man who saved Land Rover’ Odyssey Challenge A new era for the leading winch series Ring New jump pack promises to start engines up to 6.0-litres Truckman Comprehensive range of ARB equipment unveiled at CV Show Britpart Updated Premium Recovery Kit from ARB now in stock Lazer Lamps Sentinel Elite 9” LEDs gain position lamp feature Rugged Ridge Fully featured stubby winch bumper in stock at Jeepey.com Pro-Comp Dual LED Sport kit delivers spot and ﬂood lights on one mount

Driven 32 34

Isuzu D-Max AT32 Arctic Trucks has its way with the new-shape D-Max Lexus NX 350h Medium SUV is a picture of reﬁnement – and much more

Every Month 4 62 64 80

Alan Kidd Sixty grand is the new normal if you want a proper off-roader Subscribe Get ﬁve issues of 4x4 for just eight quid Roadbook A sensational set of green lanes in the west Welsh mountains Next Month A 1000bhp 6x6 double-cab… and a heroic 4x4 from the old days

Features 6 40 44 52

The £1.25 million SUV Prodrive’s Dakar racer becomes a grocery-getter Jeep Bob An archive road test involving Brian Hartley and freewheeling hubs Six-Wheeled Classic There’s still a reason for building hybrid Land Rovers Lada Niva Was the 80-Series the best 4x4 of all time?

Travel 56

Agulhas Banks Land Rover’s ﬁnal oﬃcial expedition in the old Defender

64 West Wales Roadbook are sharp rock Caution – there as you climb the steps to negotiate hillside

Step

Step 40: Turn left off the main embankment track, dropping then plunging down the straight into a water trough (right)

Step

12.3 41

Abbey Strata Florida

8.75

track to the left Take the rocky track the main Cat A

Step

38 13.1

Step

followed by a long

13.1

Step

It’s a steep, sharp climb up and over a bigger track – you can’t see ahead over your bonnet to start with

Caution over a steps as you short set of rocky drop down the hill

15.0

There’s a couple of huge water troughs after the junction

Step

11.7

Step

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15.2

13.4

11.8

I was frightened that

More rock steps, water trough

Step

4212.6

10.9

Step

Join the Cat A

Step

track

You may find yourself driving a river bed along for a while…

13.65

12.8

Step

track Drop off the main the gate and immediately before trough water into yet another

Step

14.7

12.8

Step

88 | JANUARY 2020

to clear these axleneed a bit of momentum right is much bigger to the Step 37: You might warned, the drop-off twisters – but be than it looks here

4x4

46 14.9 4x4 JANUARY

2020 | 89

4x4 Contents June.indd 3

JUNE 2022 | 3

10/05/2022 21:27

4x4 Tel: 01283 553243 Email: enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk

Alan Kidd Editor

Being able to go off-road has always been expensive

he week before we went to press with this issue of 4x4, Ineos Automotive confirmed that the new Grenadier will be priced from £49,000 to £59,000. In other words, even though it’s the spiritual successor to the old Land Rover Defender, it’s not going to be cheap like one. That shouldn’t come as any surprise. A new Defender 90 starts at £45,690 in basic van form (it’s £53,760 for the same version of the 110, which is more closely comparable to the Grenadier). But straight comparisons between these two vehicles are never going to be helpful. Instead, consider the price of a new Jeep Wrangler. A 2-door starts at £57,400; a 4-door Rubicon tops the range at £59,400, which makes it look like Ineos’ product people might see it as a closer direct rival than the Defender. That said, though, the cheapest 110 built as a passenger-carrier rather than a van is priced at £59,835. So now it’s looking like the motor industry has done its homework and found that sixty grand is the point at which car buyers start to think you’re having a laugh. What about the legend that is the Toyota Land Cruiser? That’s a little cheaper, at £46,180 for the most basic five-door Active model, and it tops out at £61,310 for the full-on Invincible. So, again, very similar territory to the others. There is of course also the opportunity to spend £123,500 on a Mercedes G-Class, which is only ever going to make everything else look cheap. It’s not an entirely duff comparison, either, because this was one of the vehicles Ineos benchmarked while developing the Grenadier. So, basically for a new 4x4 with the sort of off-road ability we used to take for granted across the entire market, fifty grand is pretty much the starting point. Unless you go for a double-cab, of course – though even these are knocking on for that sort of money now, in particular if you don’t get your VAT back. This is to some extent just a symptom of what cars cost now. But SUVs are premium models in any manufacturer’s range, and proper off-roaders have suffered from that.

4 | JUNE 2022

Edline May.indd 6

There was a time when you could go out and buy something like a Mahindra, or an Auverland, or an UMM, or a Lada Niva. I left that one to the end so as to give it a special mention, as there’s a throwback feature in this issue from the first time we got our hands on one. What all these vehicles had in common, aside from that they were loud, rattly and uncomfortable, was that their basic nature translated into a basic price. Since the early 90s, when the above were all on sale in the UK, prices have more or less doubled through inflation. Going back to when we test-drove the aforementioned Niva, which was in 1983, it was priced then at £4980 – that would be £13,500 now. The difference is that it’s no longer possible to make cars like that. Quite right too, in some ways; I like traditional offroad vehicles, but not as much as I don’t like carrying my children in a death-trap. There’s so much safety tech now, and so much emissions tech, not to mention infotainment tech, that all modern cars’ are weighed down by the need to cost in the vast amount of R&D that went into creating it all. Of course, we can grind our teeth about the carmakers’ huge profits, but that’s always been the case. It’s what a car is that has changed – and with it, for better or worse, what an off-roader is. You may or may not be reading the above paragraph and thinking to yourself that if that’s the case, you’re more determined than ever to keep your old Defender, Hilux Surf, Grand Cherokee, Fourtrak or whatever for the rest of your life. Which is fine, and very good for the environment (reuse beats recycling hands down any day), though as time marches on you’re going to pay for it more and more at the pumps. The current Defender and Land Cruiser, on the other hand, will give you about 30mpg in diesel form. The Grenadier is about 10% worse, while the Wrangler, which is petrol only, just about manages 25. So, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed. Being able to go off-road is, and always has been, expensive. But as we all know, it’s a privilege worth paying for.

Web: www.totaloffroad.co.uk www.4x4i.com Online Shop: www.toronline.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/totaloffroad www.facebook.com/4x4Mag Editor Alan Kidd Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Mike Trott, Olly Sack, Tom Alderney, Gary Noskill, Marcus Tee, Dan Fenn, Paul Looe, Mike Hallett, James Watts Photographers Harry Hamm, Steve Taylor, Richard Hair, Vic Peel, Tomasz Jarecki Group Advertising Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Manager Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 553244 Advertising Production Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Subscriptions Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription, call 01283 553242. Prices for 12 issues: UK £42 (24 issues £76); Europe Airmail/ROW Surface £54; ROW Airmail £78 Distributed by Marketforce; www.marketforce.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure the contents of 4x4 are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these. When responding to any advert in 4x4, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org 4x4 is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House 1.08, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

4x4 09/05/2022 17:30

Classics live forever

Born to be off road? Keep it that way with genuine parts from the Lucas Authentic Classic Range. We offer replacement parts with Original Equipment pedigree for your classic Land Rover. With Lucas Classic parts, you can expect exact bolt-for-bolt fit and take pride in the knowledge that you have chosen a part of excellent quality that keeps your vehicle specification genuinely true to the original. Fit parts from the Lucas Authentic Classic Range. Because a true classic deserves to live forever.

PRODRIVE BUILDS ‘THE WORLD’S 600bhp Hunter combines Dakar Rally technology and iconic Ian Callum design with the Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Prodrive

6 | JUNE 2022

3pp Prodrive Hunter.indd 6

4x4 09/05/2022 22:34

FIRST ALL-TERRAIN HYPERCAR’ cabin of a super-SUV to create an off-roader for the world’s wealthiest customers

he Prodrive Hunter made a massive impression at this year’s Dakar Rally, finishing second and fourth overall in the hands of Sebastien Loeb and Orlando Terranova respectively. And now, Prodrive has announced that it is to make a road-going version, which it describes as ‘the world’s first all-terrain hypercar.’ The Oxfordshire company says it has kept the vehicle as close as possible to its Dakar race car. However with no need to comply with competition regs, it has been able to de-restrict the Hunter’s 3.5-litre twin-turbo engine – giving it more than 600bhp and 516lbf.ft. Prodrive estimates that this would equate to a 0-62 time of less than 4.0 seconds and a top speed of around 190mph on the right tyres. However as befits its all-terrain role, the vehicle will be supplied on bespoke 35” rubber designed for maximum grip on sand and rough terrain rather than smooth tarmac. The Hunter is based on a high-tensile steel spaceframe, combining an FIA standard safety cage with an ultra-rigid platform for its all-round double wishbone suspension. This in turn has twin adjustable dampers on each corner with 400mm of travel, an increase from 350mm on the competition car, promising a smoother ride and ‘even greater ability to cross the roughest terrain at speeds unimaginable in any other vehicle.’ Behind the retuned engine, the competition model’s manual sequential gearbox has been replaced by a six-speed paddle-shift auto for easier drivability. Providing smooth gearchanges in milliseconds, this is the one part of the all-wheel drive transmission to differ from Loeb’s vehicle. At the wheels, six-pot racing brake calipers and vented discs all round promise fade-free stopping power in even the most demanding of use.

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Hunter’s high-tensile steel spaceframe is home to an all-independent double-wishbone suspension set-up with twin adjustable dampers at each wheel. 400mm of travel all round, an increase of 50mm on the competition model, promises a smoother ride and enhanced ability to cross rough terrain at speed. Braking is by vented discs and six-pot racing calipers all round Beyond Prodrive’s somewhat mind-boggling assertion that the customer version of the Hunter will be ‘even more extreme than that driven by Loeb,’ the vehicle will also be more refined. Celebrated designer Ian Callum, who styled the exterior of the original competition car, was brought back to create a new interior featuring a digital display and centre console more in keeping with a performance SUV than a race car. It’s still very performance focused, however, with carbon fibre seats, six-point safety harness and a plumbed-in dual fire extinguisher system. On top, Callum’s original bodywork provides a direct echo from the competition car. Made entirely from lightweight carbon composite, including recycled materials produced by Prodrive Composites, this all goes towards the original aim of the vehicle’s design, which was to minimise

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overall weight and deliver optimal weight distribution and centre of gravity. The result is what Prodrive calls ‘unrivalled ability and performance across any landscape,’ be it ‘desert sand, dunes and rough mountain tracks.’ Yet you will also be able to drive the Hunter to work, take it shopping or run your kid (singular; it’s a two-seater) to school – though ﬁrst you’ll need to be able to afford a price tag which, at £1.25 million plus VAT, is every bit as breathtaking as the vehicle itself. ‘There are numerous hypercars on the market, however they all need good roads or even race tracks to show their performance,’ says Prodrive Chairman David Richards. ‘We identiﬁed that in certain parts of the world, particularly the Middle East, there are vast expanses still to be explored that go way beyond the access provided by

asphalt roads. Therefore why not create a vehicle that gives the opportunity to explore these regions with performance way beyond that offered by any off-road vehicle before? ‘We took the deliberate decision to keep the Hunter hypercar as close to the original as possible. It’s about giving owners the opportunity to experience what it is like to drive Sebastien Loeb’s Dakar car across the desert, but with all the comforts of a road car and the ability to drive it from your home, through a city, to any destination of your choice.’ At present, the first development vehicle is on a promotional tour in the Middle East, where customers are being given test drives before finalising the specification of their vehicles. Each Hunter will be built to order, with first deliveries due later this year.

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NEWS

Order book opens at last for Ineos Grenadier – with prices starting at £49,000 All-new traditional off-road vehicle • Two and ﬁve-seat utility models plus choice of high-spec station wagons • Winches, snorkel and diff-locks all available as standard or optional equipment • Passenger models round off range at £59,000

or the last half a decade, the off-road world has lived patiently through the gestation of an entire new motor manufacturer. But now, the wait is ﬁnally over. The order book is open: as of 18 May, it has been possible to buy an Ineos Grenadier. The vehicle created as the spiritual successor to the original Land Rover Defender will enter series production in July 2022

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at Ineos’ vast factory complex in north-east France. A traditional 4x4 with a ladder chassis, beam axles and a dual-range transfer case, it promises to be a return to the old days of no-nonsense off-road ability – though in a contemporary package with modern levels of safety and road manners. In particular, Ineos is adamant that it will hit the ground running in terms of build quality. The vehicle

has been developed into the production phase in partnership with Magna-Steyr and major components from suppliers including BMW, ZF, Tremec, Eibach, Brembo and Carraro – and it goes on sale around the world with a ﬁve-year warranty which, in the majority of markets (including the UK and Europe) comes with no mileage limit. The chassis and body, meanwhile, have a 12-year anti-perforation warranty.

Instead of a traditional sales network, Ineos is relying entirely on an online conﬁgurator through which customers can place their order prior to choosing which dealership to collect their vehicle from. Retailers will also provide service and repair facilities as part of a network backed up by independent 4x4 specialists, selected Bosch service centres and a team of ‘ﬂying spanner’ technicians. Ineos says its aim

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NEWS

The entry-level Grenadier is the 2-seat Utility Wagon (above left). This is priced from £40,833 plus VAT (£49,000 inclusive); the vehicle seen here would cost at least £880 more for its metallic paintwork, though with cruise and climate control, superb Recaro seats, rear park assist, DAB, Bluetooth, smartphone pairing, a 12.3” colour touchscreen and Ineos’ own off-road navigation system, you’re certainly not hard done by in terms of kit. At the other end of the range, £59,000 including VAT gets you either of the passenger-carrying Station Wagon models; shown here is the Fieldmaster, whose lifestyle-orientated kit list includes leather seats, alloy wheels and the Safari Windows seen in the vehicle’s roof is for ‘most customers to always be within 45 minutes of an authorised service point.’ Interestingly, the purchase price is the same irrespective of engine. The Grenadier is available with a choice of two 3.0-litre straight-six BMW units, one petrol and one diesel. The former develops 286bhp, plus 332lbf.ft at 1750rpm, allowing an 8.6-second 0-62 time and a top speed of 99mph; the 249bhp diesel, whose 406lbf.ft of torque is available from 1250rpm, hits 62mph in 9.9 seconds before topping out at the same maximum speed. Fuel consumption for the vehicle, whose unladen kerb weight ranges from 2644-2744kg depending on spec, is in the region of 18.521.9mpg for the petrol-engined model and 23.9-28.0mpg for the diesel. This translates into CO2 emissions of 263-308g/km for the diesel and 293-346g/km with the petrol engine. Running costs need not be expected to be cheap, then. However the simplicity built in to the Grenadier, which has something like half as many microprocessors as most

comparable vehicles, means longterm maintenance needs should be slight. And if its residual values prove to be anything like as strong as those of the original Defender, the cost of putting fuel in it will soon become meaningless. So, the big question: what is a Grenadier going to cost you to buy? Early estimates in the thirties or even twenties proved hopelessly optimistic and were soon revised upwards, and indeed the most basic two-seat Utility Wagon will retail at £49,000. This ﬁgure does, however, include VAT, which should be reclaimable by suitably qualiﬁed

customers – bringing it down to £40,833 plus on-the-road costs. Moving up the range, the 5-seat Station Wagon is priced at £52,000. Again, this will be VAT-reclaimable; Ineos is conﬁdent that it will be the highest selling model in the range by a comfortable distance. At the top of the range is another 5-seat Station Wagon, this one with its rear seats mounted further back to focus more on passenger comfort than load capacity. This positions it as more of a family vehicle – and as a ‘car’ rather than a commercial vehicle, meaning VAT can’t be claimed back on it.

With this model, Ineos is taking a similar approach to that used by Volkswagen for the forthcoming all-new Amarok (which you can read about elsewhere on these pages). There will be two parallel versions of the Station Wagon, the Trialmaster and Fieldmaster – both of them named after Belstaff jackets. The Trialmaster Edition is designed for customers intending to put their vehicle to hardcore off-road use. It also recognises, however, that if you’re spending as good as sixty grand on your weapon of choice, you’ve a right to expect to be looked after on the road, too.

The Fieldmaster’s cabin retains the ﬁt-for-purpose design that’s common to all Grenadiers, however you can see its leather seats here. These are heated as standard, and this model also comes with carpet mats

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NEWS

With a snorkel, BFGoodrich All-Terrains, an auxiliary battery and front and rear diff locks, the Trialmaster is by some distance the Grenadier that appeals most to our instincts (though they all do). We think its cabin looks better with its standard-fit Recaro seats trimmed in fabric, too – they look and feel welcoming and comfortable but at the same time stout and hard-wearing Thus the vehicle is fitted with two accessory packs. These are the Rough Pack, containing BFGoodrich All-Terrain tyres and front and rear locking diffs, and (you know what’s coming, don’t you?) the Smooth Pack, which adds front park assist, a rear-view camera, powered and heated door mirrors, heated washer jets, a lockable cubby box, puddle lamps, ambient lighting and extra charge points to an already thorough spec list. In addition, the Trialmaster gets a raised air intake, exterior utility belts and an auxiliary battery. The latter hints at this being a vehicle for people who are apt to fit a winch; it doesn’t come with one as standard, though all models can be specced with a 5500kg (12,000lb) unit via the options list. The Fieldmaster, which is ‘designed for life in the outdoors,’ also gets the Smooth Park as well as 17” alloy wheels (upgradeable to 18”), Safari Windows (opening glazed hatches in the roof), leather upholstery, carpet floor mats and heated front seats. It’s designed to be the lifestyle choice in the range, with no shortage of luxury but still focused on purpose – ‘whether towing a horse box, hauling kayaks to the river or going wild camping,’ as Ineos puts it.

Talking of towing, doing so will mean dipping back into the options list for a towball and electrics. This is available across the range, with commercial models also available with a choice of NATO hook or 50mm ball and jaw. Ineos says it wants the Grenadier range to be as straightforward as possible, however it will still be possible to bump the price up quite signiﬁcantly when conﬁguring your ideal truck. No matter which model you want, it will cost at least £505 more if you want it in any colour other than solid white, with metallic shades hiking that to £880. You can choose a contrast roof, too, and

even a contrast chassis, as well as a red or orange colour wrap on the nose and/or rear doors; go for the whole lot, even with just one of the optional solid colours, and you’ve added £3695 to the bill. We can’t see very many people doing that, because truth to tell it would create rather a jumble of impressions. However assuming the Trialmaster is indeed the Grenadier of your choice, adding silver paint, 17” alloys, heated seats, a winch and a towing kit would still add not far off 10% (£5410) to the price. Throw the entire options list at it and you’ll end up paying just under £75,000 for your truck.

Much more sensibly, take the standard Station Wagon model and add diff-locks, a snorkel and a NATO hook, and you’ll get a £53,905 vehicle with the ability to do more or less anything. It will be on standard road-going 265/70R17 Bridgestone rubber and you’ll need to go to the aftermarket for your winch and mount, however Ineos says it has taken an open-source approach to the vehicle’s design speciﬁcations as it doesn’t want to make enemies of enthusiasts and those who cater for them. Similarly, and extremely commendably, service manuals will be available online for those wanting to do their own maintenance.

Ineos expects the basic 5-seat Station Wagon (main picture below) to be its biggest seller – this has a double-cab-in-van layout, allowing buyers to claim their VAT back on it

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NEWS

If you don’t need the second row of seats, the Utility Wagon is a traditional 4x4 van whose cargo area is capble of accommodating a Euro pallet There’s also an accessories list including a roof rack, awning, demountable winch, rock sliders, 40” LED bar, cyclone pre-cleaner for the snorkel and mounts for bikes, kayaks, surfboards, jerry cans, high-lifts and more. So the above prices are by no means the upper limit of what you can spend on a Grenadier. Not that there’s any need to go crazy when speccing the vehicle. Standard equipment includes cruise and climate control, excellent eightway adjustable Recaro seats, rear park assist, DAB, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay / Android Auto, a 12.3” colour touchscreen and a bespoke Pathﬁnder off-road navigation system allowing drivers to plot GPS waypoint, save their routes and then share them as GPX ﬁles.

This combination of modern technology and traditional design values is very much at the heart of what the Grenadier is about. Combined with a long list of blue chip suppliers, the company is pinning its hopes on convincing potential purchasers that a untested newcomer to the market really can meet the standard set by stalwarts like the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Land Cruiser – not to mention, of course, the original Land Rover Defender. By building to a standard that has resulted in a similar price to its opposition, Ineos has made a statement about its conﬁdence in the Grenadier. And with the order book now open, the process of spreading that conﬁdence out into the world’s 4x4 buyers has begun at last.

SPECIALIST 4X4 VEHICLE DISMANTERS JEEP - LAND ROVER SPECIALIST 4X4 VEHICLE DISMANTERS AND MOST MAKES AND MODELS JEEP LAND ROVER QUALITY GUARANTEED USED PARTS AND MOST MAKES AND MODELS QUALITY GUARANTEED PARTS SOME OF THE VEHICLESUSED WE HAVE RECENTLY DISMANTLED: SOME OF THE VEHICLES WE HAVE RECENTLY DISMANTLED:

20012015 JEEPJEEP WRANGLER JK 2001 Jeep Grand CHEROKEE XJ 2.8CRD 2015 JEEP Cherokee WJ JK WRANGLER 2.8CRD

2007 DODGE 2018 JEEP NITRO 2.8CRD 2010 Isuzu RENEGADE 2007 DODGE Rodeo NITRO 2.8CRD

2016 RANGE 2008 NISSAN ROVER EVOQUE 2012 Range PATHFINDER 2.0 TD4 2016 RANGE Rover Sport ROVER EVOQUE 2.0 TD4

2014 RANGE 2016 2014 2010 JEEP 2006 JEEP 2011 ISUZU ISUZU ROVER SPORT 4.4 D-MAX 2.5 DIESEL CHEROKEE MK5 WRANGLER TJ RODEO MITSUBISHI L200 2010 2015 Mitsubishi 2020 Ford V8 Jeep DIESEL KL 2.0 MULTIJET 2014 RANGE 2016 ISUZU 2014 JEEP Cherokee KK Outlander Ranger ROVER SPORT 4.4 D-MAX 2.5 DIESEL CHEROKEE MK5 V8 DIESEL

KL 2.0 MULTIJET

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TDV6

2008 HONDA 2013 TOYOTA CRV 2.2 CDTI HILUXGrand 2006 Jeep 2008 HONDA Cherokee CRV 2.2 CDTIWK

2006 NISSAN 2006 JEEP 2006 JEEP GRAND 2015 LAND 2004 JEEP CHEROKEE WK PATHFINDER 2.5 GRAND GRAND 5.7 V8 HEMI ROVER DCI 2020 Jeep Land2006 Rover NISSAN2015 Nissan 2006 JEEP2018 GRAND DISCOVERY CHEROKEE WK CHEROKEE WJ 2.5 X-Trail WK PATHFINDER WranglerCHEROKEE JL Discovery Sport Charlton Recycled Auto Parts DCI 5.7 V8 HEMI SPORT Vehicle Recycling Centre, Gravel Pit Hill, Thriplow, Cambridge, SG8 7HZParts Charlton Recycled Auto Tel 01223Gravel 832656Pit Hill, Thriplow, Vehicle Recycling Centre, Email parts@charltonautoparts.co.uk Cambridge, SG8 7HZ PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHARLTONAUTOPARTS.CO.UK Tel 01223 832656 Email parts@charltonautoparts.co.uk PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHARLTONAUTOPARTS.CO.UK

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NEW 4X4S

Isuzu adds auto transmission and diff-lock options at Business end of D-Max range

suzu has expanded the D-Max range with a variety of new equipment options. Covering mainly the Business models in the line-up, these add six new variants – meaning customer choice leaps from 11 to 17 different versions of our former Pick-Up of the Year. The new options come in the shape of automatic transmission and a locking rear diff, both of which are now available on a wider

range of models. The work-focused D-Max Utility, which was previously available only in manual form, can now be optioned with a six-speed auto unit in both Extended-Cab and Double-Cab form – as can the Extended-Cab version of the DL20, the entry-level model in Isuzu’s Dual-Purpose range. The DL20 and above come as standard with a locking rear diff, however this option has not previously been available at all on Utility

models. This apparent aberration is now covered too, however, with the option becoming available on Single, Extended and Double-Cab models in this trim. As before, the D-Max Utility comes with cruise control, air-con, DAB, Bluetooth, auto headlamps and wipers and a range of safety equipment worthy of a ﬁve-star EuroNCAP score. These are presented in a robust package featuring steel wheels (16” on the Single-Cab, 18”

beyond it) and hard-wearing black plastic bumpers. It’s very much an equipment list designed with building sites in mind, but also for long days behind the wheel. Pricing for 4x4 versions of the D-Max Utility starts at £23,999 plus VAT, with the Double-Cab taking that to £25,499. The Auto option adds another £1500, once again plus VAT, meaning the new DL20 Extended-Cab will cost £27,605 with this gearbox.

ISUZU HAS ALSO opened the order book on the new version of its AT35 super-truck. Re-engineered by Arctic Trucks, this combines body and suspension lifts with larger wheelarches to make space for a set of 315/70R17 tyres standing around 34.5” tall. Based on the range-topping V-Cross model, the AT35 comes with the full range of toys and luxuries – as well as a locking rear diff, which promises to make it signiﬁcantly more capable off-road than vehicles based on the previous-generation D-Max. It’s available from selected Isuzu retailers priced at £47,999 plus VAT on the road; we’ve had a brief initial test drive, the results of which can be found elsewhere in this issue.

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4x4 09/05/2022 22:54

LAND ROVER 10 JULY 2022

TRADE STANDS AVAILAB LE

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10/05/2022 22:28

NEWS

Volkswagen conﬁrms premium positioning for new Amarok Choice of engines and spec levels • PanAmericana high-speccer with off-road intent • 175mm longer wheelbase for much-improved rear legroom • On sale early 2023

olkswagen has confirmed that the new Amarok will continue to be positioned at the premium end of the double-cab market when it comes to the UK early next year. Developed alongside the next-generation Ford Ranger, the South African built vehicle will offer a range of diesel engines and spec levels – with the latter set to include a range-topping model designed to highlight its off-road intent. Globally, the Amarok will be offered with five different trims. It’s yet to be confirmed whether all of these will be available in the UK, where entry-level versions of the old model had a disappointingly brief spell on sale before falling foul of ever-changing emissions regs, however Volkswagen says it will offer two parallel range-toppers –

the Aventura, a street machine with 21” alloys, and the PanAmericana, with a kit list including all-terrain tyres as standard. A massive failing of the old Amarok was that versions with an automatic gearbox (which, in the UK, was almost all of them) came without a dual-range transfer case. The presence of the PanAmericana model in the line-up appears to suggest that this will no longer be the case – as does the mechanical spec we already know about from the Ranger, the fundamentals of which can be expected to be shared between the vehicles. The new Amarok is bigger than the old model, with an overall length of 5350mm and a wheelbase of 3270mm. The latter is 175mm longer than before, giving Volkswagen the opportunity to address the

cramped rear seats which used to let the vehicle down. More versions will now be able to tow 3500kg, while the range-wide payload capacity increases to 1200kg. The increased wheelbase also means shorter front and rear overhangs, allowing greater agility off-road (an area in which the Amarok was already a stellar performer where ﬁtted with a dual-range transfer case). Breakover angle will of course increase, and

we’re yet to learn what effect the increase in size will have on the vehicle’s kerb weight, but Volkswagen also promises ‘signiﬁcantly greater fording depth.’ Styling-wise, VW says the Amarok will make ‘a statement of dominance’ with a very upright bonnet, assertive grille and headlamps, haunched wings and pronounced half-round wheelarches. LED taillights will be standard, with matrix headlamps an option up front. Inside, the Amarok’s premium nature is highlighted by a digital cockpit display and tablet-style upright infotainment screen. The latter links in to a high-end stereo which will be optional towards the top of the range, while the rear seats promise ‘plenty of space for three adult passengers to enjoy the journey’ and the fronts offer the option of 10-way electric adjustment. Getting back down to brass tacks, the pick-up bed has stout lashing rings and enough space between the arches to accommodate a standard Euro pallet, or possibly a magniﬁcent British one. However much of a premium option the Amarok is going to be, like all pick-ups it will still be in touch with its primary purpose as a working tool. What this will translate into in terms of money is still some way from being disclosed. However late examples of the old Amarok continue to sell through main dealers at prices in excess of £50,000, which is some indication of where the new one will be pitched in the market.

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14/03/2022 17:32

NEWS Obituary: Tony Gilroy

The man who saved Land Rover

ony Gilroy, the man who saved Land Rover in the 1980s and turned the company into the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the UK’s manufacturing sector by the early 1990s, has died peacefully at his Worcestershire home. He was 85. A native of Cork, Tony kept a twinkle in his eye but had a reputation for toughness. In the boardroom, he demonstrated a detailed knowledge of every aspect of the business, forensically identifying key issues and actions to resolve them. Outside the boardroom, he never sought the limelight. He also shunned perks, such as a personal chauffeur, believing it was an unnecessary company cost. He was never as widely known as his contemporaries, Michael Edwardes, Harold Musgrove, Graham Day and George Simpson. But many who worked with him at a senior level, or for him on the shop ﬂoor, saw him as an unsung hero of the British motor industry. His career started at Ford before taking on what was one of the toughest jobs in car industry – manufacturing director of the Longbridge factory. He managed to convince the workforce to accept the British Leyland rationalisation plan and was instrumental in the dismissal of the Longbridge trade union convener Derek ‘Red Robbo’ Robinson, who opposed it. Robinson was reported to have led 523 walkouts in the 30 months before he was sacked in 1979.

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Tony played a key part in the introduction of the mini Metro in 1980 and was promoted to managing director of Freight Rover, the van manufacturer. Given six months to turn the company around – or close it – Gilroy saved the business. In 1983, he was appointed to the top job at Land Rover and within months had identified its deficiencies and developed a plan to make it successful. At the time, 75% of the company’s business was from sales of Land Rovers in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. But the collapse of the African economies, and the decline in oil revenues, meant that these markets could no longer afford to buy Land Rovers. Tony recognised that Land Rover had to be more successful in mainland Europe and Australia. More importantly, Land Rover would have to sell vehicles in the world’s two largest car markets, North America and Japan, where Land Rovers were not available at the time. To succeed in North America, the Range Rover had to become a luxury vehicle with bigger engines, leather interiors and other refinements. Looking to the future, Tony identified changes in the world’s four-wheel-drive markets. New vehicles being developed by Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi were in a growing new segment between the agricultural Land Rover and luxurious Range Rover. So Tony set up a special team that developed the Land Rover

Discovery in a record time of 36 months – when most new vehicles took five years to plan and bring to market. Tony cleverly divided the development programme into elements that fell below his financial signoff authority to avoid interference from British Leyland headquarters. By using the existing Range Rover suspension and chassis – as well as raiding the parts bin from Austin Rover vehicles – Tony was able to develop the Discovery at a fraction of the cost that other manufacturers were incurring for their brand new cars. The investment in improved Range Rovers, and the Discovery, was made possible by Gilroy’s plans to significantly reduce the company’s manufacturing cost base. He saved millions of pounds by closing more than a dozen satellite component-making plants and moving 3500 people and their 22,000 manufacturing operations on to the main Solihull factory. With Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government anxious to sell off British Leyland, Land Rover was offered to General Motors – who offered Tony a free hand with the company. But he had other plans, rejected the offer and supported a successful ‘Keep Land Rover British’ campaign. What Tony wanted was to acquire the company through a management buy-out. He very nearly succeeded, but Thatcher stepped in personally to prevent the Rover Group being sold off piecemeal. The management changes brought in by Graham Day (merging the Austin Rover Group board and the Land Rover Group board into one Rover Group board) left Tony in an impossible position. He left the company at the end of 1988, ironically before the public launch of his creation, the Discovery, in the autumn of 1989.

Tony was later to head up Perkins Engines, part of the North American-based Varity Group. When the company was merged to become LucasVarity, Tony rose to chief operating oﬃcer worldwide, working both in the United States and Europe. When he retired, he was able to spend his leisure time playing golf (he had been a member of Redditch Golf Club since 1974) and also took up shooting. Tony leaves a widow, Sandra, son Declan, daughters Claire and Fiona and seven grandchildren. He was pre-deceased by son Aidan. His legacy in the UK was that he had saved Land Rover, developed one of the most commercially successful vehicles in British motoring history and laid the solid platform from which Land Rover became a successful worldwide brand. As a former Land Rover employee commented: ‘If you had done your homework, you were okay. If not, you were dead.’ It was true that Tony didn’t suffer fools gladly, but he enjoyed enormous respect from the people who worked for him. Many will remember Tony as a man who had a ﬁerce exterior – but behind it there was a heart of Irish gold. With thanks to Colin Walkey and Mike Gould. Picture (above) courtesy of the British Motor Museum

4x4 10/05/2022 23:01

KDL GROUP (UK) LIMITED

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07/04/2022 20:52

MOTORSPORT

New era dawns for Viking 4x4 Club as 2022 Odyssey Challenge kicks off under new management Words: James Watts Pictures: Tomasz Jarecki

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unday 24 April marked the start of the Viking 4x4 Club’s annual six-round winch challenge series. Once again backed by Odyssey Batteries as title sponsor, this is now in its 16th season, making it one of the best established winch competitions in the country. Events follow the traditional orienteering-style challenge format, with 50 punches set out around the site. Of these, 35 blue punches are worth 100 points each, while the remaining 15 red punches, which are harder to reach, are worth 200. There’s also a mandatory special stage, which is timed to the second and acts as a tie-breaker should two teams end up on the same points. This first round was held at one of the club’s longest-running regular haunts, Weekley Woods, near Kettering. It was sponsored by Goodwinch, the well known supplier of all things winch and recovery related, and the company’s Sam Webster had made the long drive from Devon to bring prizes for competitors – and to compete himself. The sponsors’ generosity is always greatly appreciated, and this is especially the case after what has been a difficulty couple of years for the club. Things did finally get running last year after the inevitable disruption caused by Covid, but then at the end-of-year AGM two stalwart members announced that they were stepping down after many years of service. This was a huge blow, and a timely reminder of how much a club can come to depend on the efforts

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MOTORSPORT of one or two individuals – it’s fair to say that in their absence, the future of the Odyssey Challenge was looking uncertain. But off-roaders are a resourceful lot. And cometh the hour, a number of new faces popped up to support the club. A massive amount of work has gone on behind the scenes, with many people willing to help – with the result that the future looks bright once again. So 24 April was more than just the date for the first round of the 2022 Odyssey Challenge. It was also the beginning of a whole new chapter for the Viking 4x4 Club – as illustrated by the appearance of new Clerk of Course Tomasz Jarecki to give the drivers’ briefing. Tomasz has made a name for himself as an excellent photographer at the club’s events – and now he’s stepped up to fill the role vacated by Pip Evans, a club legend now enjoying a well earned retirement. With the formalities complete, 17 teams ventured out into the site at 10am on the dot for six hours of competition. Lovely warm spring sunshine made the conditions very pleasant for marshals and spectators – though the dry ground did cause a few issues for many teams. The extra grip means cars weren’t able to slide across the terrain as easily as when it’s wet, which puts them under more strain. There was a much higher risk of snapped ropes, broken driveshafts and cooked winches as teams fought their way over the terrain in a bid to reach the 50 punches.

These trucks are built strong and tough to handle all situations, however, with a lot of time and effort put in to getting them ready. But you can’t make them invincible, and all too often there’ll be someone whose luck deserts them very early on. Sadly for Craig Allington, on this occasion the finger of fate pointed his way. Just 15 minutes into the event, with one punch under his belt, his car was swallowed by a huge hole which ended up packing his engine bay with mud. This particular hole would consume a few more trucks before the end of the day, too. Paul Curling was the next casualty. As he arrived at the punches after first finishing the special stage, he broke a CV joint. As he was running in Class 2 and therefore had no axle lockers and no spares, this meant he was unable to continue. Among the hot favourites for Class 3 were Mat Bain and co-driver

David Burton, who always do well. Almost always, at least – their event was torpedoed by breakages to both their 24-volt alternator and a rear axle component. Back in Class 2, Johnny and Tracey Johnson were ﬂying. Amazingly, they had managed to reach all the required punches for their class by 12:30pm, coming back to pits to collect a second card so they could go and do it all again. Also in Class 2, Hugh Gascoigne and co-driver Jack Watson had no such luck, snapping two winch ropes early on. They returned to the pits to make repairs and headed back out, but it was only to get worst for them as they then bent a hydraulic steering ram – leaving them not only out for the day but also completely stuck. Even in the heat of the ﬁght, winch challenge competitors are well known for always being ready

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MOTORSPORT

to help each other out when the disaster strikes. A true sportsman, Paul Curling came to the rescue – and the two teams began the painful task of dragging the stricken truck back to the pits. It took two hours in total – and the lack of steering meant Hugh’s truck suffered further damage along the way, too.

Cars came and went through the pits all day for second cards and running repairs – as well as lunch breaks. It’s a hardcore off-road sport, but it’s a civilised one too! This was never better illustrated than in the sections where there were three or four punches located close to each other. Here, some kind

of strategy was required to plan the order in which you were going to collect them and the route you were going to take to do so as eﬃciently as possible. This was easy enough when you had it to yourself – but there was nothing to stop more than one car tackling the same section at the same time. At this point, it becomes necessary to work with your opponent to ensure you don’t get in each other’s way so both teams are able to make it through without a hitch. Many teams were getting on very well, with very few issues. Dave Adams and co-driver Tom Britten had a small mishap, however, breaking a track rod end in a steering bar. They had no spare but – but in yet another example of the spirit of winch competition, another team had one to lend them so they could carry on. Carry on they did… only to then run out of fuel at 3pm. Richard Lott and co-driver Seb Parkes also fell victim to the big hole that had claimed Craig Alling-

ton. They sunk their car in it, again packing the engine bay full of mud. They spent the next half an hour dragging it out and spooning mud out of it, only to find that the turbo had died. Quite a few cars, on the other hand, had completed their first punch card and returned to the paddock for a second – even a third, in a few cases. The result was some amazing scores. In Class 1, Dave Adams and Tom Britten finished in third place with a score of 3906 points, with Stu and Amber Fitzhugh ahead of them on 4377 points. Picking straight back up from where they left off last year, however, Georgie Smith and Will Baker took the top spot with 5611 points. They rounded off the final event of last season by getting engaged, and started this one by collecting almost every punch with just one winch. Two brilliant results one after the other… Richard Lott and Seb Parkes were third in Class 2 on 3238 points. Second were Rob Curling and Paul Hitchman with 6612 points – but a long way ahead of them in first place, Johnny and Tracey Johnson finished the day on a huge score

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MOTORSPORT of 14,120. This also placed them second overall, ahead of all but one of the most heavily modified Class 3 trucks. There were a lot of good teams in Class 3 nonetheless and the scoring was close throughout the field. In the end, third place went to Jake Joannides and Chris Vince. This was only Jake’s second event with the Viking 4x4 Club and Chris’ first ever experience of co-driving, which makes their score of 6686 all the more impressive. Ahead of them, Goodwinch’s very own Sam Webster and Henry Siebert finished on 8622 points. However as Sam was the round sponsor, he very sportingly donated his prizes he had brought to the team who came last – meaning Craig Allington went home with more than just an engine bay full of mud. The winners of Class 3, however, and the event overall, were Simon Ward and Leigh Jefferies. But it could have been very different. As we mentioned above, the special stage was mandatory – and it had

an 11.30am closing time by which all teams had to have clocked in to start. Many headed there straight after the driver’s brieﬁng and queued up to get it done, for fear of being disqualiﬁed thanks to some issue or other that might crop up and be beyond their control.

Simon and Leigh’s issue was that they were so busy collecting punches, time ran away with them. In the end, they put in their appearance at the special stage at 11.28am – talk about cutting it ﬁne! But all those punches did count – towards a massive and ultimately

victorious total of 14,414. Their reward for their endurance, slick teamwork and immaculate vehicle prep was to go home with the pick of the goodies from event sponsor – not to mention ﬁrst place in the nascent Odyssey Challenge leaderboard as the 2022 season swings into life.

We currently stock O.E. propshafts for many 4x4 models, but we are proud to have also spent time developing our own “Extreme” range. For the majority of 4x4 vehicles we can offer an upgraded propshaft option, whether you need greater angle, longer splines or larger torque capacity (which may give increased potential life-expectancy). Why choose “Extreme?” Wide Angle Operation - Double Cardan Joints - Heavy Duty Universal Joints Upgraded sliding assembly - Higher Torque Capacity - Heavy Duty Tubing

www.baileymorris.co.uk T:+44(0)1480 216250 E:sales@baileymorris.co.uk

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PRODUCTS

New glovebox jump start packs from Ring promise to fire up a 3.0-litre diesel within 60 seconds IN THE PAST, we’ve tested a few of those glovebox charging packs that come to its rescue when you’ve copped a flat battery. Safe to say, some have been better than others. This is definitely one of those areas where buying something fancy looking on Amazon with a too-good-to-be-true spec list and a brand name like Fartgear or WeeWee is only ever going to end up with you wishing you’d spent your money on proper kit instead. The sort of kit you get from Ring Automotive, for example. The company has just launched two new jump starter products, promising ‘super-quick charging of vehicle batteries and power delivery-enabled devices.’ Both feature PD30W technology, which allows devices to take on large amounts of power in a shorter time. Called the RPPL260 and RPPL360, the new units have 200 and 300-amp outputs respectively. the RPPL260 has a 9000mAh battery and can start 12V engines up to 4.0-litres (petrol) and 2.0-litres (diesel), while the RPPL360 has a 13,000mAh unit and can start up to 6.0-litre and 3.0-litre engines. This lets you get going again after a flat battery without needing to call in another vehicle. In each case, Ring says the starter packs will do their work in less than 60 seconds. They feature the company’s Safe Connect system, with intelligent clamps managing power between the jump starter and vehicle as well as featuring reverse polarity, short circuit and anti-spike protection. Better still, the chargers are equipped with a USB-C power bank function. So if your phone dies on the job, resurrection will be at hand. Recommended prices are £84.99 for the RPPL260 and, the one you want if you drive the majority of 4x4s, £99.99 for the RPPL360. Visit ringautomotive.com to find a stockist.

Truckman showcases new range of equipment following purchase by ARB

ruckman is extremely well known for its range of accessories for pick-up trucks – in particular the hard-tops with which its name has become synonymous. These continue to be a core part of the company’s business. But following its purchase by ARB last year, it’s now debuting the Australian giant’s world-famous range of off-road and expedition equipment alongside its own products. In particular, with the CV Show happening towards the end of March Truckman is promoting a range of accessories for leisure and commercial applications. Focusing on pick-up trucks, these will be demonstrating the versatility and value you can add to your vehicle by equipping it with the right stuff for the job. To illustrate the point, Truckman has prepped an Isuzu D-Max with ARB’s ﬂagship Esperance roof top tent and awning, the latter with LED lighting, mounted on the company’s roof-top BaseRack. The vehicle is also equipped with ARB’s drawer system, featuring a slide-out fridge and swing-out kitchen with a gas hob and sink, as well as a Safari Snorkel and and a SmartBar Stealth Bar frontal protection. That’s far from all, too. Also in Truckman’s ARB range and

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showcased at the CV Show is a wide variety of off-road and leisure kit: • Air Lockers • Old Man Emu suspension kits • Lights designed to perform in the most extreme conditions • Recovery equipment including winches, boards and shackles • Camping accessories such as chairs and ﬁrepits

Truckman says it will also be highlighting ARB’s ability to tune pick-ups’ suspension for more effective and efficient operation while carrying heavier loads – an area in which ARB, specifically through its Old Man Emu brand, has a world-class reputation. ‘Following our acquisition by ARB, this will be the first time we are able

to showcase this new range and show visitors how we can enhance their vehicles and tune them to carry heavy loads for both commercial and leisure uses,’ said Truckman boss Mike Wheeler. Truckman is of course still Truckman, with its own range of hard-tops, bedliners, drawer systems and more – you’ll ﬁnd it at www.truckman.co.uk.

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PRODUCTS

Latest version of ARB’s Premium Recovery Kit now available through Britpart dealers

vailable in the UK through Britpart’s range of dealers, the ARB Premium Recovery Kit has just been updated. It now comes with a new outer shell whose material is heavy-duty 600gsm PVC and, more to the point, whose colour scheme has been changed to something more modern looking. ARB promises that the new shell keeps the bag itself from getting damp. If you know what handling a rotten, waterlogged old rope feels like, you’ll know why this matters. It’s easier to clean, too, and has a thick SBS zippered top and improved carrying handles. Another rather clever idea is that it now has named compartments, including side pockets for small items and dedicated sewn-in shackle holders. So as well as holding all your recovery kit, it’ll help you to keep track of where it’s hiding when you need it most.

BLACK MAGIC LED SERIES AUXILIARY LIGHTS

THE NEW BLACK MAGIC LED SERIES AVAILABLE IN CUBES, LIGHTBARS AND MINI LIGHTBARS. Robust and stylish all-black design delivering exceptional LED illumination and performance both on and off the road.

TAKE THE ADVENTURE WITH YOU www.hella.com/offroad

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PRODUCTS

And what would that kit be? In a word, ‘comprehensive.’ This is ARB we’re talking about, so it’ll be good stuff, too. The full run-down is… • 8000kg Snatch Strap with 20% stretch and reinforced eyes • 12,000kg Tree Strop • 4500kg Winch extension strap • 9000kg Snatch Block • 2 x 4.75-ton 19mm galvanised shackles

• Winch Blanket • Leather work gloves The updated ARB Premium Recovery Kit weighs just under 16kg and will take up 490 x 290 x 260mm of space in the back of your 4x4. It’ll cost a bit, with typical prices starting above £300 plus VAT – but as always with ARB in the UK, a visit to www.britpart.com will see you heading in the right direction.

Lazer Lamps adds position light feature to 9” LEDs LAZER LAMPS HAS ADDED a new variant to its Sentinel range of 9” round LED driving lights. Called the Sentinel Elite with Position Light, this builds on existing Elite units by adding an integrated white/amber position light function – ‘making an impression and statement during the day as much as at night.’ The lights feature a combination of 32 premium ‘bin’ LEDS with a 5000K colour temperature. They’re made with ultra-reflective spot and wide optics and are protected by a CAE optimised heat sink, electronic thermal management and a powder top-coat as well as an ‘unbreakable’ polycarbonate lens. They’re protected against over-voltage and reverse polarity, too, as well as being IP68 watertight, and they come with a five-year warranty to prove the point. The kit includes pre-wired two-pin Superseal connectors and comes with a die-cast aluminium mounting bracket. To find out more, check in to www.lazerlamps.co.uk.

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RLG Tyres

Tyres cheap. Not cheap tyres!!

OFFICIAL STOCKIST

Main supplier of and all major 4x4 tyres

Groundcare • Car • ATV • Tubes • Mobile Tyre Fitting Puncture Equipment & Repairs • Four Wheel Alignment Durrants Farm, Rushlake Green, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 9QB

Workshop: 01435 830664 Mobile: 07710 372672 Email: chris@rlgtyres.co.uk

www.rlgtyres.co.uk

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PRODUCTS

Fully featured stubby winch bumper from Rugged Ridge now in stock at Jeepey.com

IN AMERICA, Rugged Ridge is famous for making some of the best products there are the Jeep Wrangler. In Britain, Jeepey.com is famous for building some of the best Jeep Wranglers there are. So it’s no surprise that if you go to Jeepey.com to buy equipment for your Wrangler, you’re going to ﬁnd that it stocks the latest and best that Rugged Ridge has to offer. Like the Arcus Front Recovery Bumper, for

example. Created with hardcore rock-crawling in mind, this has a stubby design to leave as much clearance as possible ahead of the front wheels – and it comes complete with two hooks and a winch tray. These provide a pretty good illustration of what this bumper is all about. The hooks are a whole inch thick, and they’re pre-drilled to accept 7/8 and 3/4” shackles. The tray, meanwhile, is made from 1/4” steel plate and is capable of accommodating almost any winch with a capacity of up to 12,500lb. Surrounding the winch plate, the bumper has a stamped body made from high-strength 11-gauge steel – something which, Rugged Ridge points out, you’d normally expect to see on bumpers costing twice as much money. It

comes in a high-quality satin black powder coat ﬁnish, too – so even if you’re building a street truck rather than a hardcore off-roader, it will still look the absolute business. To make things even better, the bumper comes complete with built-in fog light pockets. When used with Rugged Ridge’s bracket kit (sold separately), these can become home to your choice of LEDs. Sold only for off-road use, the Arcus bumper is suitable for any JL Wrangler from 2018 onwards (and for the Gladiator, should you somehow have got your hands on one). It’s available from Jeepey.com for immediate shipping, priced at £891.59 including VAT – or use the discount code 4x4MAG and they’ll knock off 5%.

Pro-Comp Dual LED Sport Light Kit – designed for the Wrangler JK, suitable for a lot more besides!

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING. That’s why the Dual LED Sport Light Kit from Jeepey.com is a very good thing indeed. One of several Pro-Comp light kits the company has in stock, this is designed speciﬁcally for the Wrangler JK – thought it can also be used on other makes and models too. The kit includes a pair of black powder-coated dual pillar mounts for the driver’s and passenger’s-posts. But that’s not all. You also get one

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pair of Pro-Comp’s S4 Flood Lights – AND a pair of its S4 Spotlights. This little lot dishes out 1180 lumens, with a combination of patterns ensuring that you see everything you need to during those off-road excursions. The lights have a quoted lifespan of 50,000 hours, which sounds like long enough to be going on with. It’s about ﬁve years and eight months of continuous operation, to save you working it out, and that’s longer than the service life of the average car. They’re IP67 rated, too, and we can all name at least one kind of 4x4 whose drivers constantly wished for such a thing.

The kit come with its own wiring harness and relays, so tools apart you get everything you need to install it. Not that the list of tools you’ll need to ﬁt it is going to be particularly long, because the mounts have a fully bolt-on design with no drilling required. Good stuff, then. The kit is priced at £358.10 from Jeepey.com – or get 5% off by using the code 4x4MAG when you check out.

4x4 10/05/2022 21:38

Storm Jeeps have a number of modified Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon's for sale. More details on available stock via our website or call 01482 666491

From roof tents and awnings to cookware and barbecues, LVB supplies all your overland and camping requirements. Sole UK Bush Company importer

UNIT 10 Gunhills Lane Industrial Estate, Armthorpe, Doncaster DN3 3EF

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4X4 TYRE EXPERTS & OFF ROAD SPECIALISTS Alloy and steel wheels for van, car, SUV & 4X4

NOW AVAILABLE AT SILVERLINE

Unigrip specials available at these great prices: 265/75R16 LT265/70R17 275/45R20 255/55R20 33X12.50R15

116S 121Q 110H 110H 108Q

Lateral Force AT Road Force MT Lateral Force AT XL Lateral Force AT XL Road Force MT OW

£105.00 £129.00 £139.00 £149.00 £129.00

These are just a few of our available sizes if your size requirement is not shown please give us a call

Other brands also available please give us a call

Call 01926 490002 Silverline 4x4 Units 3 & 4, Nelson Lane, Warwick CV34 5JB www.silverlinewheels-tyres.com | www.facebook.com/Silverline4x4

Business booming at Silverline 4x4

ilverline 4x4 is seeing a boom in business as more off-road lovers make tracks to the Midlands-based experts. The historic wheel and tyre experts are welcoming more and more motorists to their Warwick forecourt and have strengthened their offering to cater for vehicles of all sizes and capabilities. Silverline 4x4’s managing director Antony Barnsley said: ‘We’re finding that there’s a renewed sense of passion for 4x4 driving, whether that be off-road or the all-terrain experience. Off-roading and 4x4s is most definitely a passion for many of us and we have been busy, precisely because 4x4 owners are deciding to put more time and effort into their pastime. We are finding that more customers are coming to us because they want to customise their vehicles rather than replace them.’ Rather than selling on price, Silverline 4x4 advises on the right solution for each vehicle. Antony added: ‘Our services aren’t like conventional automotive centres in so far as our products aren’t viewed as distress purchases, so price isn’t

the overriding factor as the speciﬁc solution is the main requirement. ‘Brands obviously play their part and some customers are more brand loyal but as a rule, it is a bespoke solution and the correct advice, coupled with the recommended wheel and tyre package which meets their vision and requirements. This allows the owner to enjoy their driving ownership experience to the full.’ Speaking of brands, Silverline 4x4 is the only garage in the UK to stock the critically-acclaimed Unigrip tyre range, starring the Unigrip Lateral Force and Road Force tyres available in 15” up to 20”. Antony added: ‘Having driven on Unigrip ourselves, we can vouch for their performance capabilities in the most uncompromising of conditions. Unigrip Tyre gives you the conﬁdence to enjoy the road while helping to keep you safe behind the wheel.

‘Unigrip dedicates to innovation, technology and development of new patterns, sizes, compounds and state of the art technology. We’re thrilled to stock their 4x4 portfolio.’ Unigrip really needs to be experienced to be appreciated. Silverline 4x4 stocks Unigrip tyres in 14 different sizes, which plays a vital role in the full tyre coverage it offers for each and every visiting motorist. For further information about Silverline 4x4 and its extensive tyre range, including Unigrip, pay a visit to www.silverlinewheels-tyres.com/ unigrip-4x4-tyres/

Unigrip tyre sizes 255/60R18 112H 275/40R20 106H 275/45R20 110H 255/55R20 110H 255/70R15 112T 265/75R16 116S 245/70R17 114T 235/55R18 100H 255/55R19 111H LT315/75R16 127Q LT265/70R17 121Q 33X12.50R15 108Q LT315/75R16 127Q 33X12.50R15 108Q.

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FIRST DRIVE

ISUZU D-MAX AT35 Arctic Trucks’ pumped-up version of our former Pick-Up of the Year is the third-generation version of Britain’s most specialised one-tonner – and ﬁrst impressions suggest it’s going to be the best yet

ISUZU WAS THE FIRST MANUFACTURER IN BRITAIN to team up formally with Arctic Trucks. It launched the original D-Max AT35 in 2016 – since when the base vehicle has been facelifted, gained a new engine and then replaced altogether. So the new AT35, which went on sale at the start of May, is already the third-generation model. That includes a couple of length hiatuses in production, too, while Arctic Trucks reworked its conversion on the revised vehicles. We admired the previous D-Max in AT35 form, though we weren’t unqualified fans. In the new model, however, one of our biggest concerns is removed: it’s based on the range-topping V-Cross, which means it comes with a locking rear diff as standard – something which the old one desperately missed. Arctic Trucks told us that their conversions are designed to be used in Iceland at low tyre pressures. That’s fine, but when you’re trying to get up the Cam Steps and airing up and down at each end of every green lane isn’t really an option, bouncing sideways rather than climbing forward is not the stuff of a great off-roader. We say this from specific experience. Our other concern with the AT35 was that its wide stance, with its 315/70R17s mounted on deeply offset rims, was less than ideal in the sort of tight situations you come across all too often in Britain. Off-roading in Iceland is a very different matter – Arctic Trucks is known for building vehicles with much bigger, wider tyres than even this, and perfectly fit for

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purpose they are too – but here, lean tyres and narrow bodywork is the way to prosper off-road. Lean tyres and narrow bodywork don’t look cool, though. And no-one, least of all Isuzu, is pretending that that’s not the main reason people have for buying an AT35. One of the company’s executives told us once that the typical customer will have one as a second or even third car – it’s kind of like TVR ownership for grown-ups. Since we’re talking ownership, the AT35 is priced from £47,999 plus VAT on the road. That’s a £15,650 premium over the V-Cross on which it’s based – but what you’re getting is a truck that’s been re-engineered by an OEM supplier rather than one with a load of accessories tacked on willy-nilly. Arctic Trucks uses extended body mounts and Bilstein suspension to lift the vehicle, as well as flaring its wheelarches to make more room for those big tyres. Standing 34.4” tall and 12.4” wide, these are where the majority of the vehicle’s overall extra height and ground clearance comes from. The tyres are mounted on Arctic Trucks’ own branded black alloys, and the company’s logo is liberally applied elsewhere around the vehicle too. You get Arctic Trucks side steps and mud flaps, roof rails, a multi-function rear receiver and further branding in the cabin. Mainly, though, you get a vehicle with enormous presence on the road, and that’s what people buy it for. They won’t do that if it’s anything less than spot-on to drive, however (you might cut a truck some slack if you’ve modified it for off-roading, but when you’re buying one straight from a main

4x4 09/05/2022 22:37

dealer you have every right to expect perfection). We spent a lot of time in previous examples of the AT35 and, while its ride was a touch jouncier than standard, it remained entirely civilised on the road. So far, we’ve just had a brief stint aboard the new one, but it was on a very demanding test track – where it performed extremely well. The first thing we noticed was that even when pushed hard, the new D-Max is incredibly refined compared to the old model. This was hardly rough (we’ve had one for coming on two years) but the difference is very noticeable indeed. It’s smoother and, in particular, quieter in the cabin. That’s a D-Max thing rather than an AT35 thing, but no harm in mentioning it. And the extra rubber on the road detracts not one bit from the calm in the cabin. It doesn’t appear to harm the truck’s steering and handling, either; it’s as tight as ever, with positive turn-in, excellent body control and no sign whatsoever of waywardness. This was in the dry, but in this era of ADAS (where the D-Max is particularly strong), the days of pick-ups going sideways at the first sign of rain is largely past. As always, the automatic gearbox needs a lot of winding up. It’s a £1500 option, and a very popular one (of the eight AT35s listed on Autotrader at the time of writing, seven were autos), but we think the D-Max in general is more enjoyable to drive in manual form. And with the bigger tyres on the AT35, that’s more the case than ever. The vehicle’s diff ratio’s remain standard but it still feels entirely like it’s meant to be the way it is – it’s just

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that a manual box is more engaging, and when you’re driving one of this big beasts that engagement is worth every ounce of the extra work you need to do with your left arm. This is like TVR ownership for grown-ups, after all… What we found is that the AT35 is predictable and reassuring to drive, and certainly not the handful you might expect of something rolling on a total of around four inches of lift. There was no sign of the aforementioned jouncing, either – we’ll still keep the jury out until spending more time in one, but this experience was a very promising start. With the order book now open, then, the D-Max AT35 is now officially into its third generation. For such a low-volume model, that’s an achievement of some note – it goes to show that there are people who really do get what this truck is about, and that Isuzu itself understands the value of selling trucks which engage the soul. It may be more suited to an ice field in Greenland than a ploughed field in Yorkshire, but the AT35 is perfect for the kind of people who appreciate it – and on this brief first experience, this new one will serve them every bit as well as ever.

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DRIVEN

LEXUS NX 350h

Family-sized premium SUV delivers Lexus’ trademark reﬁnement and quality – while adding a new level of styling drama, dynamism and even off-road ability ON TEST Lexus NX 350h Premium Plus Pack

n the premium SUV market, people get very focused on brands. Land Rover is of course massively dominant here in the UK, but Audi, BMW and MercedesBenz have worked their popularity to great effect too. Lexus tends to be thought of as a slightly left-ﬁeld choice. Toyota’s luxury brand is very, very well established, of course, as are its SUVs, but owning one still carries an element of daring to be different – or, perhaps, of being the guy with the smart money. Every single one of the brands we mentioned above has been the butt of its share of jokes, usually about some combination of tailgating and lane discipline (lack of), but nobody ever gets their hate out for Lexus.

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We’re not sure if the company would necessarily see this as a good thing. The hate is all about jealousy, of course, and vehicles that are a statement of wealth will always cop plenty of that, so it could be seen as part and parcel of being a successful premium brand. Perhaps that’s why Lexus’ SUVs have become so much more aggressively styled over time. The early RX was quite a meek looking thing, and as the company’s design language evolved it did so in the direction of quiet sophistication rather than statement-making menace. More recently, however, that has changed dramatically – to the extent that everyone who looked at the all-new NX350h tested here said it looked like Darth Vader.

The new NX, which is a medium SUV in the X3 and Discovery Sport class, is available in hybrid and plug-in hybrid form. We’ve got the former here, which lists from £39,760; our tester is a base-spec NX with the Premium Plus Pack, priced at £48,810 on the road or £49,480 with its glorious Celestial Blue metallic paintwork.

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY Something that has been the case for as long as we can remember is that people (ourselves included) are forever being taken by surprise at how practical Lexus’ SUVs are. You expect them to be stylish,

classy and well made, and they certainly are all of those things – but usability and flexible cabin accommodation are less likely to be on your list of assumptions. So, as we have with every RX we’ve ever tested, let us start this section by breaking the news that the NX is an excellent load-lugger. The rear seats have ample legroom to allow one six-footer to sit behind another, as well as comfortable headroom and a relaxing view over a highish waistline. They recline, too – then when you need to carry a big load, their backs drop down to lie as good as flat, leaving a big, long cargo space that’s accessed by a tall, wide hatch. As is almost always the case, accommodating five adults would

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Most premium SUV makers tend to dress up their dashboards with some combination of leather, wood, carbon and brushed alloy, or other materials made to look that way. Lexus is bold in its use of plastic, which is successful thanks to a combination of top-quality materials and manufacture with a stylish design that focuses you in on the cockpit part of the cabin. The infotainment console is excellent, with a superb screen and crisp graphics; it does take a bit of learning, but that’s mainly because it’s capable of doing so many different things be a push. But four could travel all day in the NX without anyone getting achey – and whether the seats are up or down, its ability to carry big, bulky loads is admirable. Up front, there’s plenty of room in all directions for your head, legs and elbows alike. The cabin has a tremendous feeling of crafted quality, with outstanding materials and barely a creak from anywhere. The touch points are impeccable to handle; even the plastics on the lower dash, which is where every manufacturer saves money, feel utterly solid and robust.

Towards the top of the facia, where a lot of premium brands pile it high with some combination of leatherette, veneers and something that may or may not be brushed aluminium and/or carbon fibre, the NX leads with its design. It’s not hiding the fact that it’s made of plastic – but again, this feels very good. It looks striking, too, with a huge media screen that flows out of the digital display and down to the floor console through a sweeping S-curve. That media console houses a system that requires a little learning,

simply because you’re dealing with so much information. There’s a column of virtual buttons down one side of it and two rows along the bottom, which is daunting to start with, but it doesn’t take long to tune yourself into the way it works – and once you do, actually navigating your way around the menus is far better than with the over-sensitive control pad of the previousgeneration model. The screen is crystal clear, too, and the graphics are excellent, making it very much in keeping with the quality evident throughout the rest of the interior.

This includes the leather on the seats, which is above average without having the drop-dead suppleness of a full-on luxury car. It’s practical enough for a family motor and classy enough for an executive SUV, so the balance is about right, and the seats themselves are certainly very comfortable to sit in. The base has a good balance of plushness and support and the side bolsters keep you held ﬁrmly in place in corners, even pretty wild ones. Heated seats are standard; they’re cooled, too, on all but the entry-level model, and

Seat leather is well above average without being so soft and plush you’ll be worried about it all the time. There’s enough comfort and space here to take four adults across a continent in style

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DRIVEN

The rear seats in the NX don’t quite fold 100% ﬂat, but they get close enough for you to be able to treat it as a small van. Even with them in place, the boot is very usefully sized – and it has a handy hidden compartment beneath the ﬂoor, too

the steering wheel joins them in being heated. You’re deﬁnitely being looked after here. On a more fundamental level, there’s a usefully enormous cubby box in the ﬂoor console as well as a similarly generous wireless charging pad and the sort of cupholders that can take a proper bottle. The glovebox and door pockets are about average, but if you can’t stash all your stuff in here you’ve got too much stuff. We mentioned the high waistline earlier, and this kicks up into a complex C/D-post which means visibility over your shoulder is as good as absent. You can’t see the front of the bonnet from the driver’s seat, either, not that there’s anything unusual about that, but of course there are sensors and

cameras everywhere to ensure that manoeuvring is a piece of cake at parking speeds. Unlike on the old NX, whose twitchy ﬁnger pad we’ve already moaned about, there’s not one single control on this one that’s less than a treat to use. Ergonomically, they’ve absolutely nailed it. There’s a real bit of surprise and delight, too, from the door handles. You might not think this was an area that needed to be reinvented, but they basically sense you coming and unlatch at the slightest touch. This is apt to freak you out ﬁrst time it happens, but then after that it’s brilliant – from the inside in particular, a gentle push on the handle feels so much nicer than pulling it inwards the traditional way. There’s a clever safety touch

here, too, in that the vehicle scans for approaching traﬃc and prevents the door from unlatching if there’s a danger that you’re going to open it into something’s path.

DRIVING Driving a Lexus has traditionally been all about enjoying its refined composure, and the new NX does indeed have plenty of that. It’ll do a decent amount on battery power alone, given the chance, so gliding quietly around town is more of a reality than it is in many hybrids – and with very little road noise, even over the sort of surfaces Britain inflicts on its urban traffic, it’s peaceful at all speeds. This includes the kind you do on the motorway, where wind noise

is absolutely minimal and even on 235/50R20 tyres, nothing even remotely intrusive comes up from the road. We mentioned above that it can carry four adults in comfort – and it can take them across a continent in comfort, too, with none of them ever having to raise their voice to be heard. For more spirited stuff, the gearbox has a Sport position as well as paddles for manual shifting – though unless you really do take yourself seriously as a wannabe race god, you’ll ﬁnd that you can just leave it to its own devices and it will do everything you want. It’s lively enough to keep pace however hard you want to drive – and the shifts are never less than silky smooth. The NX might not be the ﬁrst thing that comes to mind as a

The NX is available in hybrid and plug-in forms. The 350h is the former, making this the vehicle seen here an entry-level model in this respect – though with 241bhp and a 7.7-second sprint time, combined with an entirely believable quoted fuel consumption of 44.1-47.9mpg, it never feels like you’re settling for second best. It’s whisperquiet and smooth around town and on the motorway alike, and is never short of willingness to leap into action at any speed

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DRIVEN

★★★★★

Lexus NX 350h Premium Plus Pack Does everything you expect of a Lexus – and some things you might not. An unqualiﬁed success Making any Lexus feel more modern than the last is a tricky job, but the NX has got it spot-on. It’s slick and well made, it ticks all the practicality boxes and it’s a great executive car. Without trying to be an overt off-roader, it will still do everything anyone’s going to want if they buy a Discovery Sport – even an actual Discovery. There’s a real blend of style, quality and newness here – and it marks out the NX as the latest big thing in this part of the market

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B-road weapon, but it’s certainly up for that kind of stuff; 241bhp sees to that, with 176lbf.ft of torque from the engine backed up by 288lbf. ft from the two electric motors. A 0-62 time of 7.7 seconds can mean everything or nothing when it comes to a vehicle’s cross-country pace in the real world; in this case, it hints at a decent turn of pace but doesn’t really convey the sense of get-upand-go the NX delivers. Perhaps that’s because much of the urgency comes from the vehicle’s steering and handling. It grips the road very well and hardly rolls at all in corners, whatever the surface. It turns in with plenty of feel and precision, remains positive all the way through then settles immediately on the exit, the way a quick SUV should; of course, it’s not rapier-sharp like a hot hatch or sports car, but even if you’re driving one of those you’d need a decent level of both skill and commitment to get away from it. For something so very civilised, its agility is genuinely impressive. We were impressed by its fuel eﬃciency, too. Considering the performance you can get from it (and we did), an average of

39.3mpg over the course of our week with the NX was a pretty pleasing return. The official figure is 44.1-47.9mpg and we don’t think we’d have struggled to match that with less enthusiastic use of the size 12s. Here’s another impressive thing, too. For the first time ever, Lexus has equipped one of its SUVs with a Trail mode. This doesn’t do anything to the suspension, so clearance will always be the limiting factor, but for uneven or low-traction conditions it manages the brakes and drivetrain to try and prevent wheelspin. If one wheel is lifted off the ground, for example, the Trail Mode software will automatically apply its brake and direct more drive to the one opposite that’s still got contact. How many NX owners will ever make use of this feature is debatable. But what matters is that it’s there – and it does let you get places, albeit within the limits set by that ground clearance, not to mention those low-profile 20” tyres. Mostly, what the presence of Trail mode does is illustrate the family relationship to the current Toyota RAV4 – and that’s very good breeding stock indeed.

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A TWIST IN THE TAIL Turns out bobtailing is not just about cutting up rancid old Range Rovers. The Bob is Words: Marcus Tee Pictures: Jeep

t the ﬁrst mention of a bobtailed off-roader, all your thoughts ﬂy directly to one place. It’s been done to all sorts of different vehicles – but overwhelmingly in the UK, the technique of chopping down a 4x4’s rear overhang is associated with the Mark 1 Range Rover.

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Jeep’s homage to the art – and it’s a vehicle which takes the art to a whole new level

Yes, you see it done to Discoverys too. Defenders, even, and we can think of a Hilux or two whose owners combined the job with converting the back of their trucks to run on coil springs. We even once saw an 80-Series Land Cruiser which someone must have spent a lot of time on to trim its rear.

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But Jeeps? Never. The Cherokee and Grand Cherokee didn’t have a proper chassis, which is enough to put off all but the most determined masochists, and the Wrangler doesn’t really need one. Besides, in Britain it tends to be Land Rovers for spanner monkeys and Jeeps for oﬃce workers – one group’s ﬁrst instinct is to reach for

the angle grinder, the other’s is to reach for the credit card. Go to America and it’s the other way round. Bit of a generalisation, of course, but you get the idea. Anyway, as it turns out bobtailing is not just for people determined to remove as much metal (and value) as possible from an old Range Rover. Meet the Jeep Bob. It’s a concept car, one of the seven presented to the world at this year’s Easter Safari in Moab – and in Jeep’s words, it’s ‘a playful spin on the popular trend of “bobbing” the long overhangs of pick-up truck beds in order to make it the ultimate terrain tackler.’ It was created to ‘blur the lines between two mighty off-roaders, the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator.’ You may have thought that those lines were quite blurred already, what with them being two variations on the same vehicle, though for us over here on the tragic side of the Atlantic there’s an easy distinction to be made as one costs so much it might as well not exist while the other actually doesn’t. Anyway, don’t let’s get into that. Let’s get into the Jeep Bob instead. It is, or was, a Gladiator Rubicon. Was? To quote Jeep, ‘the most noticeable traits of this truck are not what’s on it, but rather what’s missing.’ You don’t have to look hard to see what’s missing. Doors, obviously. B-posts, slightly less obviously but they’ve gone too. On the other hand, it looks like there’s no roof but actually there is one – a custom hard-top whose panels have been opened up, with a canvas hood stretched over them to provide shelter from the elements while allowing natural light through. Something else that’s not missing is the colour orange. That canvas is orange. The 20” Raceline beadlock wheels within the 40” Maxxis Razr MTs are orange. The seats are orange. The dash is orange. The ﬂoor has been sprayed in orange bedliner. Even the coil springs are orange. Jeep describes the cabin as ‘a fun and sporty environment.’ It’s very bright. And very, very orange.

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Also very bright is a paint finish which mixes matt and gloss elements to create a funky twotone look. Three-tone, actually, because there’s a detail line between them and guess what? It’s orange. The bonnet, which is made from carbon fibre, has a huge vent dome up top and in traditional Jeep style, the Rubicon badge is picked out along its side. Jeep decided a nice shade of baby blue would work here… but then they had some orange left over and whoosh. We mentioned the springs (but did we tell you that they’re orange), which come from King. Backed up by a set of the same company’s remote-reservoir shocks, they lift the vehicle’s ride height by 3” – allowing its Dynatrac Pro-Rock 60 axles to be shod with the aforementioned 40” tyres. They’re aided in this by adjustable panhard rods on custom mounting towers and a virtual lift

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achieved by binning the original wheelarches for a set of high-clearance flares. By now, you’re dealing with a truck whose ground clearance is going to take some beating. So too are its approach and departure angles – but to improve this still further, the standard bumpers have given way to custom steel units. These are as tidily proportioned as they are solid, so they’ll only catch on the most extreme obstacles and when they do they’ll just shrug it off anyway. Which brings us to the point of this build. The rear bumper finishes off a chassis that’s had 12” chopped out of it behind the back axle, fetching out the long overhang that’s part and parcel of driving a pick-up truck. Above it, the 40” spare wheel is mounted in a custom bed, with the tailgate removed to leave room for it – and provide

access to a hard-wired on-board air outlet as well as external light switches. The bed, which is protected by a spray-in liner (orange, of course) is also home to a helpfully placed bottle opener, and there’s a cargo rack mounted between the spare and the trailing edge of the soft-top. What we’ve not mentioned is the engine beneath that funky carbon bonnet. You’re expecting something big and loud (after all, most of the old bobtailed Range Rovers you’ll have seen were V8-powered and when you’re shortening a vehicle, the part of the exhaust pipe you remove isn’t going to be the bit that’s cheap and easy to replace, is it?), but no: Jeep based this particular concept on a Rubicon with the 3.0-litre V6 Eco-Diesel. Just a little reminder there of yet another good thing you’re not allowed to have because you live in Britain. The engine breathes in through a Mopar cold air intake, allowing it to develop more torque and, no small thing, use less fuel in the process. The engine is mated to the familiar TorqueFlite 8HP75 eight-speed automatic gearbox, though this has been recalibrated to shift at low RPM for smoother performance when manoeuvring on extreme terrain. Which, after all, is exactly what this Gladiator was built to do. Big lift, big tyres, small overhangs – it’s definitely a recipe for success. If only it was more orange.

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Six Pack Whatever kind of 4x4 you drive, there’s always be someone waiting to tell you why you should be driving something different. When it’s a 6x6, on the other hand, even the most hardened of pub bores will struggle not to just love it Words: Gary Noskill Pictures: Mike Trott

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t doesn’t matter what kind of 4x4 you drive. Whether it’s big or small, petrol or diesel, manual or auto, standard or modded, whether it’s a Jeep, a Land Rover or something Japanese, whether it’s beam-axled or independent and whatever kind of tyres, winch or bumpers you’ve got on it. One thing you can be certain of is that that bloke over there thinks you’ve done it wrong and he’s about to tell you. That’s one of the downsides of owning a 4x4. But there’s something else you can be certain of, too. If you own a 6x6 instead, that same bloke over there will just want to coo over it instead. Even the most blinkered of brand fetishists would struggle not to admire the unique Series II Land Rover you see here, for example. Perhaps that’s because it’s the work of an individual engineer, rather than the factory… but more likely, it’s just that 50% more axles make a vehicle about 500% more wonderful. Now, most 6x6 Land Rovers evolved from either the original Range Rover or long-wheelbase versions of what came to be called the Defender. But this one is a 1960 Series II – and even though it’s about as non-standard as a Landy can be, it still has as much heritage and charisma as any concours-standard classic Series truck. Like so many of its concours brethren, the vehicle plumbed the depths prior to hitting the heights. Unbelievably, it started life as an 88 rather than a 109 – and even more unbelievably, its first owner converted it to its current form when it was only five years old. He was to remain its first and indeed only owner until late 2012. That was when Mike Gamble came across it, in a form he describes as ‘wreckage’, not far from where he works. ‘I don’t know how long it was sat there,’ he says. ‘But when I found it, it was in a right mess.’ Mike had been tipped off about the Land Rover from an acquaintance who was conducting a bit of a clearout for the landowner upon whose manor it was resting. Curiosity called him to investigate, as it does, but when he went to check it out things didn’t look too pretty. It had sunk into two feet of mud, for starters. Mike found that it was needing to be stripped before it could even be rescued from the clutches

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of the soil. But it was worth the effort, because it ticked a very big box for him. ‘I wanted a 6x6 and had been after one for a bit,’ explains Mike. ‘But it had to be a 6x6, not a 6x4.’ Stripping it down revealed that this was indeed the real deal, with its third axle running off the PTO output to deliver six-wheel drive. ‘Having agreed a price for it,’ he continues, ‘the following week I came and pulled it from the nettles.’ Safe to say it’s come on a long way since – to the point that while it might not win any competitions for its originality, it’s one of the smartest looking classic off-road vehicles you’ll ever see. But it took a lot more than just a wash and polish to get it there. For starters, the body attached to the back of the vehicle was two feet wider than the vehicle itself, which is no way to win a beauty contest. Cosmetic surgery would be required. But first, the Land Rover was going to have to go under the knife for more critical needs. A truck doesn’t spend long enough in the weeds to have sunk two feet into the ground without being exposed to the worst nature can do, and sure enough it was rotten as a carrot underneath. ‘For the first 12 months it just sat on the trailer,’ admits Mike. ‘I was frightened the chassis was going to snap in half!’ Having finally plucked up the courage to get stuck in to the vehicle, Mike began at the beginning. ‘I set about steam-cleaning the cab inside, as it looked like someone had lived in there for ten years. I then began assessing all the damage that had been done and started by stripping the body and bulkhead.’ Starting from the back and moving his way forward, Mike spent three months refabricating

the whole of the chassis wherever he found it to be rusted. Which was more or less everywhere. By the time he was done, if not quite the full Trigger’s broom there was definitely more than a hint of Faith, Hope and Charity to it – as well as a level of strength it had probably never had before, its new and repaired sections combining to provide the sort of backbone a 6x6 work truck needs The bulkhead and seat box, meanwhile, needed to be replaced completely. ‘There was nothing left of either of them,’ says Mike, which sounds more than a little alarming. It was better on the oily front, though. The axles just wanted reconditioning, while the gearbox was in good condition and needed only minimal repairs. The 2.25-litre petrol engine, meanwhile, had already been rebuilt once and it got the same treatment again, but compared to the metalwork there was nothing major required here. Nonetheless, Mike had to use a number of Series III components while rebuilding the vehicle, for the simple but infuriating reason that the correct parts weren’t available. At least when you’re talking about an old Landy, interchangeability is on your side. So too is the simplicity with which they used to be designed. Turning a standard vehicle into a six-wheeler would be a lot more of a challenge if you were doing to, shall we say, a Vauxhall Victor (well, it was 1965), but the Land Rover’s basic, agricultural layout lent itself to the necessary chassis stretch – and of course to being converted into a dropside pick-up. As we mentioned, the Series II’s back end was engorged to a degree that would even look out of place on an episode of The Kardashians, so another part of the project was to remake it with

proportions that suited the rest of the vehicle. As you can see from the pictures, it’s a job he nailed; it may not be factory original, but it could certainly have come out of an approved converted exactly the way you see it now. Or could it? There’s one way in which this Series II is a good couple of decades ahead of its time. It’s still leaf-sprung at the back, with the springs on the second axle tucked just inboard of the third so they can all fit together, but up front there’s a unique arrangement using a forwardfacing A-frame welded to the old shackle seats. The axle doesn’t have any springs on it at all any more – instead, the A-frame is home to a pair of coils. Yes, in 1965. Maybe someone in Solihull was watching. By now, it was coming together sufficiently for a visit to the paint shop to be in order. The body is not dent-free, but it has plenty of drama to it – thanks of course to the six-wheeled layout, not to mention a forward-hinged bonnet. It’s shiny, too, not just because of the fresh coat of paint but because the timber planks making up the pick-up bed were nicely varnished. So, having been on the lookout for a 6x6, Mike finally had one. And what was he going to do with it? ‘I’ll mainly use it as a show vehicle,’ he told us, ‘and I may occasionally plod to work in it for something different to drive. ‘It was the six-wheel drive thing that got me – you don’t see many about and it had the potential to be a lot different. I was well chuffed with it the other week. It did its first 70-mile round trip and I’m really happy with it and how it drives. It’s even come to be quite reliable!’ It’s also come to be part of the family. ‘My boy has a little Willys Jeep which is basically like a

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The 200Tdi engine has achieved legendary status and Jonathan chose it without any hesitation, ﬁrmly believing that it’s much stronger than the earlier 2.5 Turbo-Diesel and also the 300Tdi that replaced it. This particular example started life beneath the bonnet of a Discovery, which saved a lot of pain when buying it but added plenty when it came to installing it

Ever seen one like this before? The front axle is coil-sprung – but not in the traditional way, with spring mounts on the axle itself. Instead, a forward-facing A-frame picks up on the old shackle seats, with coils mounted up to the chassis from here

There are two main ways of achieving six-wheel drive. One is to use a through-drive second axle, the other to take drive to the third from a PTO. The latter option is used here; suspension is by leaf springs in each case, with those for the third axle mounted just outboard of those for the second

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Above left: Producing 74bhp, the 2.25-litre petrol engine was Land Rover’s most popular fitment from its launch until the mid-80s. This one has now been reconditioned twice; the gearbox and axles were also refurbished, though these were small jobs compared to the calamitous state of the chassis and bulkhead. Note the front-hinged one-piece front end, which allows fantastic access for maintenance as well as giving the Series II something else in common with that other cool car from the sixties, the Lamborghini Miura Above right: Talking of the bulkhead, this is now a solid, strong piece of metal once more. The cabin hasn’t had the character restored out of it, but it looks and feels very fresh indeed and a new set of seats means it’s as comfortable as an old Landy will ever be for those mornings when Mike fancies cutting a dash on the way to work Toylander,’ says Mike. ‘The Series II tows the caravan to shows and he can have his Jeep in the back ready for when we get to our destination.’ You could have a sensible Nissan Qashqai or something like that, or you could have a proper family motor… Of course, a sixtysomething truck with three times as many wheels as it has seats is never going to tick the ease-of-use box on the school run. But if you want your offspring to feel like a champion of the world when you hit the road, just imagine doing it in this little beauty and see if you can imagine any way of doing it better. And best of all, imagine doing it in a vehicle you’ve personally saved from disappearing into the ground. What was once a ‘right mess’ is now a glorious classic off-road machine with limitless presence wherever it goes. And of course, showing up in a truck like this means that the bloke over there won’t be able to think of anything bad to say. He might latch on and want to be your friend, but on balance we reckon it’s worth the risk.

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ARCHIVE STORIES FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF OVERLANDER 4X4

Lada Niva by Mike Hallett

I am not going to waste valuable column inches burbling on about the birds in the trees and the mist in the valley. I’ll leave all that stuff to the Sunday papers! Instead, let’s get straight to the Lada Niva – which I have often looked at and thought what a squat, stumpy, ugly little object it is. The Niva’s short wheelbase of 2200mm (about 86.5” inches if you are in my age group) is surmounted by a chunky, all-steel, three-door estate body. Standing on 175x16” tyres, it has a 1570cc OHC petrol engine driving via a 4-speed primary gearbox. A 2-speed transfer box is remotely mounted and incorporates a lockable centre diff. Yes! It has permanent 4wd, just like a Range Rover. But that is where the comparison ends. Rear suspension is courtesy of a live axle and coil springs assisted by internal rubber bump stops and located by a panhard rod and four radius arms. Front suspension is by independent coil springs and wishbones aided by a transverse anti-roll bar. Damping is by conventional telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers all round.

Goodbye Left-Hooker The Niva has been with us for some years already, but only now has the factory deigned to produce a right-hand drive version for the UK market. Previously, it only came as a left-hooker and you had to pay anything up to £750 extra to get it converted. Since the relaunch in early May, this is no longer necessary but it seems to be taking a while for the word to spread. Perhaps a little publicity would help. When I went along to the local Lada dealer to arrange the loan of the vehicle for this test, I was offered a quick drive in the demonstrator by way of an appetiser. This I accepted with alacrity, leapt

Short, fat and ugly, but a very capable off-road machine with ample ground clearance and high approach and departure angles in and headed off up the road towards a track that I knew intimately. As the Niva accelerated away I was suddenly aware of a harsh vibration through the steering, accompanied by a fair bit of noise, that got steadily worse in direct proportion to the road speed. I stuck it for a half mile or so, then about-turned and went back to the dealer’s garage. After some discussion, we decided that the tyres were probably the cause of the problem. The Niva comes shod with some very aggressive Russian made (and designed, I suspect) cross-country tyres. They look capable enough for off-roading but on the road they were, in my opinion, unacceptable. After all, even the most ardent off-roaders spend the majority of their time on tarmac.

The Lada Niva in its element and enjoying every minute of it

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Several days later, I stopped off to pick up the test car and was surprised to find that it had been fitted with a set of road tyres. It was my own fault; getting shot of the Russian knobblies was only meant as a general suggestion and it never occurred to me that it would be done for my benefit. I didn’t have the heart to explain the breakdown in communications. Accepting the machine, I took it home for a closer look. Ah well! I was right about the tyres; the vibration levels were far lower now.

High Torsional Rigidity When dealing with an unfamiliar vehicle, I ﬁnd it an advantage to give it a thorough going over, making notes as I do so. This way I get to

Fairly hard coil springs at both ends cope well with this sort of treatment, though uprated shock absorbers would cut out some of the bounciness of the ride

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Not true! Well, not completely anyway. It is quite seat trim; the driver’s well equipped and instrumented. There are seat was loose; the warning lights for all the usual things, plus ‘choke rubber mats were on’, ‘diff lock on’, ‘low fuel’, ‘handbrake on’ (this a poor fit and the one flashes), ‘low brake fluid level’ and ‘sidelights instrument panel was on’. Instruments consist of fuel gauge, water loose on its mounttemp and oil pressure gauges, speedometer, ings. It struck me calibrated in mph and kph, total mileage and trip that for an outwardly odometer and, would you believe, a tachometer, rugged little off-road red-lined at 6000rpm, though it is suggested that vehicle, the interior did 5500 is enough. not match up. The machine is basically intended for a driver The door release plus three, with some luggage/equipment. Each catches and window passenger has a grab handle, the rear ones inwinders are all flimsy cluding coat hooks. There are three ashtrays and plastic and did not armrests on the doors and rear wheelarches. inspire confidence. Full width access is good, but high sill detracts from could could be Inertia reel seat belts are fitted in the front. I The construction of an excellent feature didn’t like them at all. First, because they were the seats, though the type that are fastened by passing the strap adequate for a road-going vehicle, caused me know what everything does, how it does it and a under a locking latch – far too fiddly. Second, to doubt their integrity when I noticed during the fairly good idea of the car’s capabilities. It also because, being fairly strong in the convinces my neighbours that what retraction department, they tended they previously only suspected is to haul you down further and further definitely true – that owners of fourinto the seat each time you hit a wheel drive vehicles are decidedly bump and created a bit of slack in eccentric at times, not least when the belt. Despite a certain amount they are lying under a funny looking of inconvenience, I prefer fixed belts car, muttering to themselves and for off-roading. taking copious notes. Transmission controls were fairly However, I digress (again?). My conventional. The primary gearbox first impressions were not far out. has four forward and one reverse The Niva IS short, fat and ugly, but with the gearstick spring biased with very little over-hang front or to the right-hand end of the gate rear and exceptionally good ground opposite 3rd and 4th. Sensible idea, clearance. In other words, almost really, but it took me a while to get the ideal configuration for severe used to it. cross-country work. Neat, tidy layout, but in rather cheap and nasty plastic. Pedals small The transfer box lever selected Approach and departure angles and too close together for wellies. Glove box lid opens upwards, high, neutral or low in the usual way are not given in the literature but which keeps the passenger amused but, as far as I am aware, there are I would guesstimate that they are no PTO facilities available. The both in excess of 45°. As is so often centre differential, lurking in the transfer box, is three days of the test that the driver’s headroom the case, the fitting of a rear tow-bar severely relockable mechanically by a lever to the left and was progressively increasing as my not-too-masduces the departure angle and it is not difficult to slightly forward of the range selector. At times sive 12 stones bore down on the seat springs. prop yourself up on the ball hitch with your back it was an absolute swine to engage or disengage, I found that the clutch, brake and accelerator wheels spinning under certain conditions. but at least you were able to feel when the splines pedals were far too close together and I occasionThe body is of unitary or monocoque construclined up. ally had trouble with ordinary shoes when nifty tion (no separate chassis) and, being the shape it The only other controls worth mentioning are foot-work was required. Wellington boots were is, should be immensely strong. In fact I noticed, the stalks around the steering column. On the out of the question. when trying out the jack on one of the forward left there are two. One controls the headlights The position of the handbrake lever also left strong points, that the rear wheel came off the and has four functions – off, dip, main beam and something to be desired. It was so far back on the ground well before the front, which is a reasonatransmission tunnel ble demonstration of the body’s torsional rigidity. that it got in the way Externally, the paint job on the Niva was fairly of the centre rear good, though there were a couple of areas around passenger’s feet and the rear quarters where the old orange peel effect when the rear seat was was in evidence. I was not too happy with the folded forward in the lack of “kick” plates, either on the sills or on the cargo configuration, it bottom end of the door trims. The paint was altended to rest on top ready beginning to suffer in these areas and there of the lever. This was was only 500 miles on the clock. Considering the less of a problem conditions that a lot of these cars are going to when the front seats operate in, it seemed an unfortunate omission. were adjusted right back as they held it clear. Great, if you are 6’ 4” and built like a Sitting inside revealed one or two other possiracing whippet! ble problems. The trim is all in black plastic By now, you must and, to be honest, cheap and nasty it is too. FurHandbrake lever set too far back for comfort and could be feel that I heartily thermore, the quality control is not all it should be obstructed by folded rear seat. Latch type seat belt fastenings were dislike this vehicle. either. There were numerous loose screws on the far too fiddly to be convenient

No Room for Your Wellies

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parently has the technology to regularly put men into space. Dual circuit brakes are fitted, disc at the front and drums to the rear, and are more than adequate to stop the vehicle – hastily, if need be. They do seem to get wet easily after splashing through even shallow water, but they don’t take long to dry out and, as long as one is aware of this, it shouldn’t cause any problems. There is a pressure regulator in the rear brakes’ hydraulic line which is controlled by a linkage on to the rear axle. This is presumably to prevent the wheels locking up when braking a lightly loaded vehicle. The handbrake operates on the rear drums only. The lift-up tail hatch gives full-width access to the cargo area – which is diminutive, although as previously mentioned it is possible to fold the rear seat to enlarge this. However, a deep sill makes it awkward to load and unload the more cumbersome items that one may wish to transport.

The centre differential lock is essential, even in a mild situation like this, when the combination of a short wheelbase and a rigid body shell can lift a single wheel, despite fairly good suspension travel flash. The other is for the indicators and is rather short. You get used to it eventually. On the right is the windscreen wiper/washer control which includes a delay wipe function. There was no tail gate wash/wipe, which is essential on a car of this shape, but it is available as an option. What I did like was the headlight wash and wipe, which only works when the headlights are on. Not ever having had one fitted on any car of mine, I was a bit sceptical about it, but it is very useful indeed, particularly when you cover a vehicle in thick mud as I frequently do before having to drive home in the dark.

Where’s the Battery Opening the forward hinged bonnet revealed a fairly cramped engine bay. The power unit sits squarely in the middle but is surrounded by all

manner of bits and pieces; two large reservoirs for the windscreen and headlamp washers respectively, the spare wheel under which reposed the battery, a plastic header tank for the radiator, a large air cleaner surmounting the twin choke carburettor and a substantial brake servo unit. Space had also been found to locate the vehicle jack, a hand-operated tyre pump and, supported in a sub-frame bolted to the underside of the engine, the front differential. Amazingly enough, access to most items is not too bad but I can see that battery getting neglected. There’s also a wallet of tools in there. It is a comprehensive collection including ring spanners, box spanners, pliers, screwdrivers and a dial tyre pressure gauge. That adds up to more than fifteen items in all – and every single one of them of such poor quality that I find it difficult to believe they originated in a country which ap-

Silly place to park, but the handbrake held the vehicle easily without hauling it off the end of the ratchet. It was not here that the number plate came to grief

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Watch for Rocks While grovelling under the vehicle, I could not help but be impressed by the way all the vulnerable bits were tucked well up out of the way. The only items that worried me were the exhaust, which has no sturdy chassis rail to cower alongside for protection, and the forward lower pivots of the front suspension. These project forward several inches and are in just the right position to catch an unsuspecting rock lurking under a tussock, particularly if you are running in wheel ruts. On the open road, I did not like the Niva at all. It is noisy and uncomfortable, conversation being virtually impossible unless you are prepared to shout at each other, at any speed over 55mph The suspension is surprisingly hard for a coil system and a great deal of road noise is transmitted through to the occupants. It is no slouch though. The power to weight ratio is good and it is well able to keep up with most urban traffic, even if I did wish at times that there

Cramped engine bay, but most items reasonably accessible. Forward hinged bonnet does not help and the battery is buried under the spare wheel

4x4 09/05/2022 22:36

was a fifth gear. A taller ratio in the high range of the transfer case might be an improvement, say 1:1 instead of the current 1.2:1. Off the road and into the wilds of Hampshire, the Niva really came into its own. Deeply rutted tracks, wheel gripping mud, water and grassy banks, it tackled them all and not once did it hesitate, despite having road tyres fitted. To be honest, I was utterly amazed; it was happy to try anything provided the centre differential was locked up. Its short wheelbase and rigid body meant that it was very quick to lift a wheel off the deck, particularly when crossing ditches and ruts diagonally. That diff lock is also essential to keep you moving as, being so light, there is not a lot of momentum to carry you through the sticky bits. Only one moment of terror was recorded on this test. Descending a long and steep bank, I found that engine braking was not as good as I expected. Had the Niva been longer in the wheelbase, I would have risked a dab on the brakes but, being so short, I just had to ride it out to the bottom. That was when I discovered that the front number plate was vulnerable to ground impact, bolted as it was to the front bumper with the bottom edge projecting below. Silly place to put it anyway, as it covered the hole for the engine cranking handle. I’m not sure what sort of people buy Lada Nivas. I can’t imagine the interior lasting long enough for it to be a true working vehicle on farm,

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Plenty of traction to stop and start on damp, matted grass despite the road tyres estate or construction site. Despite being a very ruggedly built machine, its carrying capacity is somewhat limited. Its biggest attraction I suppose is its cheapness. At only £4980, it represents very good value in 4x4 motoring and it would not take much more money and patience to sort out the niggling bits and pieces that make it so irritating on the open road. Taken off-road, though, as a fun machine, it

is terrific and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of driving it through or over every nasty bit of ground I could find. My only reservations on the Niva’s capabilities in this field (no pun intended) were its poor engine braking, even in low range, and its lateral stability on side slopes and when cornering. There are far better vehicles around – but not at this one’s price.

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THE FINAL FRONTIER Every year, the coastal waters of South Africa’s Eastern Cape are home to the Sardine Run. Millions of the fish migrate here to spawn – attracting a mob of predators which make it a red letter event for marine biologists. That’s why a team of scientists made tracks for the Agulhas Bank aboard a convoy of Land Rovers – in what was the factory’s last major expedition prior to the old-shape Defender going out of production Words: Tom Alderney Pictures: Land Rover

and Rover has a long association with Africa. Throughout the company’s history, its vehicles have been at the heart of expedition travel in every corner of the continent – as well as providing day-to-day transport for rural communities in areas with the sort of roads where only a proper 4x4 will do. This connection with the world’s wild places has played an important part in building the Land Rover legend – something of which the company is well aware. Over the years, it has supported many initiatives and organisations in Africa, and elsewhere across the globe, which fit the image it wants to portray. The Born Free Foundation is perhaps the

most famous of these, however in Africa itself the Kingsley Holgate Foundation has become well known for evoking the spirit of overland exploration to increase awareness of ecological issues. Both these organisations run Land Rovers, and both were part of the itinerary on the Shoals of Agulhas – the factory’s last major expedition to use Defenders prior to the original-shape model going out of production. Led by TV personality and marine biologist Monty Halls, the fortnight-long expedition covered approximately 1000 kilometres on its way along the Eastern Cape of South Africa – where the Agulhas Bank is home to one of the less

well known wonders of the natural world. Every year, millions of sardines are attracted to these coastal waters to spawn – attracting predators from far and wide. These include sharks and dolphins, as well as seabirds which flock to the area in their tens of thousands to join the feeding frenzy. The convoy included examples of the Discovery and Discovery Sport, as well of course as the Defender. These included Halls’ own vehicle, a 110 Utility loaded with diving equipment – which was put to very good use later on in the trip. That’s because two of the vehicles were also towing 1.5-tonne boats, which the team used as part of a shark-tagging exercise.

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‘The goal was to gather as much data as we could through shark tagging, DNA sampling and photography,’ explained Meaghan McCord, from the South African Shark Conservancy, who was part of the expedition team. ‘We spent five days on the water and were able to catch a Bronze Whaler shark and

tag it, take DNA samples and then safely release it. ‘This kind of programme allows us to understand not only more about the Sardine Run itself but to track the marine life’s activity once it’s over. We have already shared the genetic samples collected with Stellenbosch University for use in pop-

ulation ecology studies and started monitoring shark movement along the coast using the tagging data. All of this information will provide a greater understanding of the lives of marine predators and contribute to the conservation of the species.’ Towing the heavy boats along the rough, unmade tracks which

follow the coastline of the Eastern Cape provided an added challenge for the vehicles, which at times also encountered more rugged off-road terrain. They also encountered lions, albeit only in the relatively controlled environment of the Born Free Foundation’s big cat sanctuary at Shamwari.

Above: During the annual Sardine Run, all sorts of animals flock to the Agulhas Banks to gorge themselves on the hapless fish. South African Antelopes are not among them – though here they are with a Defender 110 among THEM, so that’s alright Left: If you’re a small, tasty fish, this is the point where your day just got a lot worse Below: You wouldn’t think sharks are particularly playful, but turns out they love a good game of tag

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Marine biologist and bloke-off-the-telly Monty Halls was the public face of the expedition, which he described as ‘the trip of a lifetime.’ Administering a contraceptive to a lion sounds like the chorus from an REM song but it’s actually a thing some of the team had the opportunity to experience when the convoy visited the Born Free sanctuary at Shamwari. Others, meanwhile, just kicked back and spent a bit of time soaking up some rays

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‘The expedition team assisted the staff at Shamwari big cat sanctuary in administering a contraceptive to a lioness. Safe to say she didn’t just roll her sleeve up and sit still’ Here, lions and leopards which have been freed from zoos, circuses and other forms of animal prison are returned to their natural habitat and allowed to live as nature intended. More or less, at least. While experiencing a day in the life of the Shamwari staff, the team assisted them in administering a contraceptive injection to a lioness. Safe to say she didn’t just roll her sleeve up and sit still… The rendezvous with Kingsley Holgate was maybe less dramatic, but certainly just as educative. After a lifetime of adventures, the charismatic 75 year old from Natal runs a not-for-profit organisation in his own name whose goal is to improve everyday life in South Africa’s villages. His campaigns, which focus on real-world issues, have included distributing water purification systems, malaria nets and reading glasses to

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rural communities. On this occasion, the expedition team visited a school where they introduced the pupils to his campaigns and encourage them to have a voice in the protection and survival of the region’s critically endangered native rhinos. After this, it was on to Agulhas, where the marine work was to begin. This was very much the main event. How big a deal is the Sardine Run really? Expedition leader Monty Halls explains: ‘The biomass of the shoals, along with the attendant predators that follow in their wake, matches the Serengeti – which hosts the largest terrestrial mammal migration on earth. To seek out these vast aggregations of sardines as they work their way up the eastern coast of South Africa has been one of my lifetime ambitions, and the reality certainly matched the many years of expectation.

‘Launching the boats alone was a monumental challenge. But once we had negotiated narrow river inlets and huge surf, we were in another world. We encountered breaching humpback whales, vast flocks of Cape Gannets, cruising sharks and, most memorably of all, a super-pod of four thousand common dolphins racing along the shoreline seeking out the sardines.’ For anyone with a soul, an experience like this could hardly help

but be exhilarating. For a marine biologist, it was a dream come true. ‘It’s always a slightly glib statement to say that something is the trip of a lifetime,’ reflected Halls. ‘But for as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the Sardine Run. ‘A great expedition, a great team, a magnificent spectacle. The memories will last a lifetime.’ As, indeed, will the benefits of the work done by his team – and the convoy of Land Rovers that supported them.

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ROADBOOK

SOUTH GWYNEDD

Magniﬁcent rights of way in a landscape of forests and mountains

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ROADBOOK Amid the majestic crags of Cadair Idris and the southern fringes of Snowdonia, this route is an absolute classic. As you get ready to start, down by the beach, there’ll be little indication of what’s to come. But a series of steep climbs later, you’ll be looking back down on the coast from up in the sky, before working your way inland to enjoy some very remote mountain tracks and forest trails. Note that there’s a toll bridge at Step 25, which is open between 8.30 and 6.30 each day, and that there are LOTS of gates along the way

USING OUR ROADBOOKS Our roadbooks guide you through the countryside on a mixture of surfaced and unsurfaced roads. The tracks we use are public rights of way, either Byways Open to All Traﬃc or Unclassiﬁed County Roads, all commonly referred to as green lanes.

NAVIGATION

We’ve deliberately made it as easy as possible to follow the route, using a mixture of instructions, tulip diagrams and grid references. We normally only include junctions at which you have to make a turning or don’t have right of way, so stay on the main road or continue straight ahead unless we tell you otherwise. You’ll ﬁnd a guide to using grid references on the legend of any OS map. Our aim is for you to be able to do the route without maps, whether paper or online, but you should certainly take a set with you.

SAFETY

The notes on thee pages advise you of how suitable the route is for your vehicle. These are just guidelines, however. We’ll warn you of any hazards or diﬃcult sections, but the nature of any green lane can change quickly. Wet weather can make a huge difference to the conditions underfoot, and what’s wide open in winter can be tightly enclosed and scratchy in summer. The responsibility is yours! Our roadbooks are designed to be safe to drive in a solo vehicle. We do recommend travelling in tandem wherever possible, however. The risk of getting stuck can be greater than it appears – and even the most capable of vehicles can break down miles from anywhere.

RESPONSIBILITY

Irresponsible driving is a big issue on green lanes. In particular, you must always stay on the right of way. Never drive off it to ‘play’ on the verges or surrounding land, even if you can see that someone else has; doing so is illegal and can be tremendously damaging. This kind of illegal off-roading is a key reason why green lanes get closed. If you see others doing this, they are NOT your friends. They’re criminals, and you are their victim. If it’s safe to do so, ﬁlm them in the act and pass it to the police.

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Elsewhere, let common sense and courtesy prevail. Keep your speed down, be ready to pull over for others and show the world that we are decent people just like them.

ANTIS

Anti-4x4 bigotry does exist, but it’s less common than you’d think. By and large, it’s limited to organisations who just want to get the countryside all to themselves. These organisations are beyond being reasoned with, but it’s rare to encounter real hostility even from their rank-and-ﬁle members. If you’re friendly towards the people with whom you share the countryside, the vast majority will respond in kind. There are always bad apples, but no more so than anywhere else. Likewise, most local residents will accept your presence if you’re driving sensibly. What suspicion you do encounter is likely to be from farmers worried that you’re there to steal from them, so be ready to offer a word of reassurance. Once satisﬁed that you’re not after their quad bikes, their mood will lighten.

DO…

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

• Leave gates as you found them • Scrupulously obey all closure and voluntary restraint notices

• Ensure you have a right to be

there. We research the routes on our roadbooks very carefully, but the status of any route can change without notice Be prepared to turn back if the route is blocked, even illegally If you ﬁnd an illegal obstruction, notify the local authority Stick absolutely scrupulously to the right of way Always remember that you are an ambassador for all 4x4 drivers

• • • •

DON’T…

• Go in large convoys: instead, split into smaller groups

• Drop litter. Why not carry a bin bag pick up other people’s instead?

• Go back to drive the fun bits, such as mud or fords, again

• Cause a noise nuisance, particularly after dark

• Get riled up if someone challenges you. Be ﬁrm but polite, stay calm and don’t let them turn it into a ﬁght

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ROUTE GUIDE

is it suitable?

START FINISH HOW LONG? TERRAIN HAZARDS

TYRES

OS MAPS

Fairbourne (SH 615 147) Mallwyd (SH 862 124) 57.85 miles / 7-8 hours Forestry and mountains Isolation; Large drop-offs in places; Very tight gates and bridge parapets; Occasional ruts; Dangerous road junctions Landranger 124 (Porthmadog and Dolgellau)

Step

0.0

SH 615 147 Start in Fairbourne, in the car park at the end of Penrhyn Drive North by Estuary Halt on the Fairbourne Railway. To start the route, simply zero your trip and head back the way you came. Take care through the village – and note that the shops you pass are the last you’ll see for a long time…

Step

DAMAGE

Step

1.95 Step

1.6

WEATHER LOW BOX SOFT-ROADERS SCRATCHING DRIVING

4 Dolgellau A493

Mainly suitable for road tyres, but not too low-proﬁle Avoid in fog, ice or snow Highly recommended Will struggle in places Moderate localised risk Very precise vehicle positioning required in places Probable at narrow bridges

SH 641 144

The turning is miniscule, and you don’t see it until you’re right on it. It’s at the end of the long row of stone cottages, and immediately before the white one. It’s very narrow, and very very steep!

SH 648 133

Turn right through the gate

2.95

Step 3: The turning in Arthog is very hard to spot – it’s a tiny little road that barely even looks like a driveway

66 | JUNE 2022

12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 66

4x4 09/05/2022 22:32

Step

SH 607 108

The track is next to a small lake to your right. There’s a wooden sign that suggests it’s part of some sort of long-distance walking route

6.25 Step

Step

7.6 After the gate, a series of gorse bushes on the left will scratch at your paintwork

Step

6.7

0.1

Step

7.0

0.65

Step

7.4

4x4 12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 67

ZERO TRIP

As you come into the village, there’s an unlikely looking gate across the road ahead at a sort-of T-junction with a pair of tracks. That is the way to go, though

Turn left in front of the war memorial cross and cemetery

After the second cattle grid, stay on the main road and ignore the drive slipping out to the right

Step

12 1.05

JUNE 2022 | 67

09/05/2022 22:32

Step

After the dense wood on your left, continue ahead through the gate then get ready for one of the most spectacular views you’ll get on any green lane anywhere

6.35 Step

Follow the main track and ignore the gated one

7.4 Step

13 1.65 Step

SH 587 072

Immediately before the ruined cottage on the left and the gate in the dry stone wall running across the road, turn left over your shoulder on to the track that runs with a fence to its right

Join a bigger, well surfaced track

4.8 Step

15 5.8

70 | JUNE 2022

12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 68

Step

ZERO TRIP

8.05 Step

Immediately after the dip where the road crosses a stream, and opposite a tiny wood on the right, turn left through the gate and down the hill

2.3 Stick to the main track

Step

CAUTION – dead slow through the farm, and watch for dogs

2.5

4x4 09/05/2022 22:32

Step

Stick to the road, such as it is, after the cemetery, ignoring the track to the left

3.35 Step

Step

24 5.85

Stay on the road

Step

3.5

5.95

Step

23 4.45

4x4 12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 69

Abermaw Barmouth (Toll)

Head over the bridge, pausing to pay the 60p toll

26 6.45

Betws-y-Coed Dolgellau A494 (A470)

31 4

JUNE 2022 | 69

09/05/2022 22:32

Step

27 28

30 Porthmadog (A487) Betws-y-Coed A470

8.15 Step

Step

ZERO TRIP

SH 727 247

The turning is at the national speed limit signs as you leave Ganllwyd

3.8 Step

29 3.9

4.6 Step

Caution – the forest is set up to attract mountain bikers, walkers and families

4.9 This is very soon after step 28

Step

32 5.05 Step

33 6.0 Step

This is just after a footpath sign pointing away to the right

6.45 70 | JUNE 2022

12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 70

4x4 09/05/2022 22:32

18V ½" IMPACT WRENCHES

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EXETER 16 Trusham Rd. EX2 8QG 01392 256 744 GATESHEAD 50 Lobley Hill Rd. NE8 4YJ 0191 493 2520 GLASGOW 280 Gt Western Rd. G4 9EJ 0141 332 9231 GLOUCESTER 221A Barton St. GL1 4HY 01452 417 948 GRIMSBY ELLIS WAY, DN32 9BD 01472 354435 HULL 8-10 Holderness Rd. HU9 1EG 01482 223161 ILFORD 746-748 Eastern Ave. IG2 7HU 0208 518 4286 IPSWICH Unit 1 Ipswich Trade Centre, Commercial Road 01473 221253 LEEDS 227-229 Kirkstall Rd. LS4 2AS 0113 231 0400 LEICESTER 69 Melton Rd. LE4 6PN 0116 261 0688 LINCOLN Unit 5. The Pelham Centre. LN5 8HG 01522 543 036 LIVERPOOL 80-88 London Rd. L3 5NF 0151 709 4484 LONDON CATFORD 289/291 Southend Lane SE6 3RS 0208 695 5684 LONDON 6 Kendal Parade, Edmonton N18 020 8803 0861 LONDON 503-507 Lea Bridge Rd. Leyton, E10 020 8558 8284 LUTON Unit 1, 326 Dunstable Rd, Luton LU4 8JS 01582 728 063 MAIDSTONE 57 Upper Stone St. ME15 6HE 01622 769 572 MANCHESTER ALTRINCHAM 71 Manchester Rd. Altrincham 0161 9412 666 MANCHESTER CENTRAL 209 Bury New Road M8 8DU 0161 241 1851 MANCHESTER OPENSHAW Unit 5, Tower Mill, Ashton Old Rd 0161 223 8376 MANSFIELD 169 Chesterfield Rd. South 01623 622160 MIDDLESBROUGH Mandale Triangle, Thornaby 01642 677881

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NORWICH 282a Heigham St. NR2 4LZ 01603 766402 NORTHAMPTON Beckett Retail Park, St James’ Mill Rd 01604 267840 NOTTINGHAM 211 Lower Parliament St. 0115 956 1811 PETERBOROUGH 417 Lincoln Rd. Millfield 01733 311770 PLYMOUTH 58-64 Embankment Rd. PL4 9HY 01752 254050 POOLE 137-139 Bournemouth Rd. Parkstone 01202 717913 PORTSMOUTH 277-283 Copnor Rd. Copnor 023 9265 4777 PRESTON 53 Blackpool Rd. PR2 6BU 01772 703263 SHEFFIELD 453 London Rd. Heeley. S2 4HJ 0114 258 0831 SIDCUP 13 Blackfen Parade, Blackfen Rd 0208 3042069 SOUTHAMPTON 516-518 Portswood Rd. 023 8055 7788 SOUTHEND 1139-1141 London Rd. Leigh on Sea 01702 483 742 STOKE-ON-TRENT 382-396 Waterloo Rd. Hanley 01782 287321 SUNDERLAND 13-15 Ryhope Rd. Grangetown 0191 510 8773 SWANSEA 7 Samlet Rd. Llansamlet. SA7 9AG 01792 792969 SWINDON 21 Victoria Rd. SN1 3AW 01793 491717 TWICKENHAM 83-85 Heath Rd.TW1 4AW 020 8892 9117 WARRINGTON Unit 3, Hawley’s Trade Pk. 01925 630 937 WIGAN 2 Harrison Street, WN5 9AU 01942 323 785 WOLVERHAMPTON Parkfield Rd. Bilston 01902 494186 WORCESTER 48a Upper Tything. WR1 1JZ 01905 723451

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32212 (68) 4x4 (full).indd 1

29/04/2022 13:03

Ford Ranger Big Brake Kit Ad - Jan 2020 - UK.pdf

28/01/2020

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72 | JUNE 2022

AIR CONDITIONING REPAIRS

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4x4 10/05/2022 22:47

Step 36: The gate as you exit the forest is ridiculously narrow – though almost unbelievably, it’s not the tightest gap you’ll have to squeeze through on this roadbook

Step

The track narrows and the surface suddenly gets rocky as it starts to climb. It’s quite steep and uneven in places, and will get worse before it gets better

6.6 Step

The track gets rougher towards the top of the hill, with decent sized holes and ruts. You’re then faced with a very narrow gate (our Patrol made it through with inches to spare) before regaining a ﬁrmer surface

6.9 Step

Another very narrow gate; the stones at the base of its posts don’t quite line up with the track, so watch your tyres on the way through

Step

7.3

5.45

Step

7.75

5.9

Step

8.2

6.0

40 8.4 4x4 12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 73

The turning is immediately after a track over your left shoulder (look out for a footpath sign), as the road bends into a dip

39 Step

SH 759 264

43 ZERO TRIP

Step

44 6.15 JUNE 2022 | 73

09/05/2022 22:32

Step

6.45

7.6

74 | JUNE 2022

12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 74

Head through the gate and back on to tarmac

4x4 09/05/2022 22:32

Step

The T-junction is immediately after a gate

Step

8.6

3.55

Step

0.4

3.8

48 Step

SH 786 218

Turn left on to a road signed ‘unsuitable for motors’

50 2.05 4x4 12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 75

Caution through the rock ﬁeld – there’s a huge drop-off to the right

The track’s surfaced in patches to start with after this junction

4.7

1.9 Step

Step

At the end of the felled plantation, head through the narrow gate and swing right through the walled sheep penning area

After the gate, the road gives way to track. The surface will change from one to another and back again a couple of times over the next half mile

Step

54 5.0 JUNE 2022 | 75

09/05/2022 22:32

Step

6.75

0.7

55 Step

58 Step

ZERO TRIP

7.3

1.2

Step

57 0.45

76 | JUNE 2022

12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 76

60 Bryncoedifor

SH 794 206

SH 800 204

The track is between two stone walls and runs with the tree line to its left. It’s going to get very tight indeed up ahead, with a couple of narrow stone bridges that pose a real risk of panel damage if you don’t get your positioning spot-on. If you don’t want to risk damaging your vehicle, call it a day here

ROA

Caution down the hill after the barn on the right – it’s deceptively steep and goes round a switchback that you don’t see until the last minute

1.4

4x4 09/05/2022 22:32

Step

Take it very easy over the bridge – it’s very narrow indeed, and long enough not to leave any margin for error. We got our line a tiny bit wrong and our Patrol has a new dent to show for it

1.45 Step

62 1.5 Step

The surface gets quite rutted along the bottom of the ﬁeld

1.7 Step

Follow the track down the hill to another very narrow bridge. This one’s on a corner, but it’s not as long as the ﬁrst so it’s a little less unforgiving

1.95 Step

65 2.1

4x4 12pp West Wales Roadbook June 22.indd 77

Step

66 3.85

Turn left through the gate and up the hill next to the clutch of pine trees and old ruined hut

Step

Follow through the gate, then extreme caution as you join the A470 – you need to be looking over your shoulder for fast-moving traﬃc and watching for overtaking traﬃc coming at you on the wrong side of the road, but most of all the track is built up on a rampart with a sheer drop-off to the road which you have to take care not to fall off

ROAD & TRACK

ROAD ONLY

Over the roundabout then pull in to the Brigands Inn car park for the end of the route. Note that there’s a fuel station to your left at the roundabout too

9.75

JUNE 2022 | 77

09/05/2022 22:33

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Range Rover and Discovery Series I, II/IIA and III • Pre-Defender 90/110 • Early rs still doing what they do best Restored, preserved, modified: Classic Land Rove

PLUS What to pay for every classic Land Rover

Look after a Land Rover, and it will last forever. This longevity, which is almost unique in the car industry, means a vast number of classic Land Rovers are still on the road today – and not just as classics, but as historical vehicles still working for their living to this day. Land Rover: The Great British Classic celebrates this magnificent heritage by focusing on the best of Land Rover from its early days. A high-quality publication from the makers of 4x4 magazine and The Landy newspaper, it covers a broad spectrum of historical vehicles: not just Series I, II and III Land Rovers from the postwar years, but also the ﬁrst generations of Range Rovers, Discoverys and Freelanders, as well as the 90s and 110s that were later to become the legendary Defender. Covering the vehicles’ history, spotlighting case studies of restored and otherwise much-loved examples and searching out stories of adventure behind the wheel, Land Rover: The Great British Classicc is a publication for everyone who admires Land Rovers from the early days.

Published on 29 April, priced £9.99 • Available from WHSmiths and other large newsagents Or buy direct from www.4x4magazineshop.co.uk – with no P&P! Magbook FP ad layout.indd 1

07/04/2022 22:47

When it comes to 4x4 insurance, Adrian Flux have got it covered. Our 4x4 insurance policy benefits can include: M Limited mileage discounts M Modifications M Off-road & green lane cover Plus much more

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Selected small ads from our sister title The Landy – the world’s only Land Rover newspaper

90 TD5 Truck-Cab (1986). 144,000 miles (new engine at 100,000). New auto gearbox. Galv chassis and bulkhead. LEDs, MTs, snorkel, Ivor Williams top. MOT July. £15,000. Newmarket. 07789 048963 05/22/002

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Series I 86” (1955). Steve Parker Ford V6 2.8i conversion, Series III axles, gearbox and steering, bigger brakes, parabolics. All original parts (including 2.0 engine) included in sale. £14,000. Yelverton. 07887 554948 04/22/020

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4x4

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Another Jeep from this year’s Easter Safari, the ‘41 concept is a military throwback with a huge difference Tested: Plug-in Range Rover Velar, Mercedes EQB and ﬁrst drive of the all-new Kia Sportage

Plus: Hennessey’s bonkers 1012bhp 6x6 pick-up… and looking back at the revolutionary Land Master

ON SALE: 17th June

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

80 | JUNE 2022

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The UK’s largest range of Land Rover chassis Richards Chassis have been manufacturing and supplying high quality replacement Land Rover chassis in the UK since 1984. See our website for the entire range, or give us a call to discuss your requirements.

Series I • Series II & IIa • Series III • Defender • Discovery 2

UP TO 12 MONTHS INTEREST FREE CREDIT AVAILABLE NOW ON ALL OUR PRODUCTS. Call our sales team to find out more.

Web: www.richardschassis.co.uk

Tel: 01709 577477

Email: info@richardschassis.co.uk

Unit F2, Swinton Bridge Industrial Estate, Whitelee Road, Swinton, Mexborough, S64 8BH 2022 Yearbook Footers 74

09/11/2021 19:15:17

The World’s best accessories for Land Rover Discovery 2

The brand new range of Terraﬁrma accessories includes: Raid style winch bumper and rear bumper

+5" Remote Reservoir shocks

Raid style rock sliders with tree bars

+3" 4 Stage Adjustable shocks

Extended bump stops

Underbody protection

Hydraulic bump stop kits

Polyurethane suspension bushes

Raised air intake

RTC steering damper mounting kit

Spare wheel mount Front and rear light mounting bars

High articulation watts linkage

Dislocation cones Extended shock turrets

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See the guys from ‘Car Throttle’ put it through its paces on Youtube Terrafirma Serious 4x4 Accessories: Certified Manufactured to Specification For more information visit www.terrafirma4x4.com email sales@terrafirma4x4.com

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