4x4 Magazine - July 2021 by Assignment Media Ltd

4x4

NEWS • TECH • DEBATE • TRAVEL • MODIFIED VEHICLES • GREEN LANING DRIVEN UK debut for the new Isuzu D-Max

THE UK’S ONLY 4X4 AND PICK-UP MAGAZINE

WE HAVE LIFT-OFF!

Off-roading is back with a bang – and as the season gets underway at last, we proﬁle one of the hottest hardcore Land Rovers in the winching game

Mountain top to desert ﬂoor: off-road transit of the Pyrennees

£4.99

Glorious trails on a mighty Lake District Roadbook

JUN 2021

Defender Hard-Top: the new working man’s Land Rover… AWAITING PIC 4x4 Cover June.indd 1

01/05/2021 22:09

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

21/08/2020 10:39

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21/08/2020 10:43

June 2021

CONTENTS

“There could hardly have been a better time to pick-up truck – especially when it’s this good”

2 | JUNE 2021

AWAITING SUBS PAGE INFO 2-3 Contents June.indd 2

4x4 04/05/2021 17:43

78 12 MAGAZINES FOR THE PRICE OF 3! Subscribe to Britain’s only 4x4 magazine and save a massive 75% by getting it delivered to your door every month. What’s not to love? 4x4 Scene: News, Products and More… 6 7 7 8 8 10 12 12 14 18 20 21 22

Ford Ranger New special-edition models due on sale this autumn Nissan Navara UK exit imminent when current model ceases production Land Rover Defender World design award for iconic off-roader Skoda Kodiaq Facelifted model due here this summer Volvo VC60 Order book opens on revised version of best-selling SUV Range Rover Ultimate edition goes further upmarket than ever before Ramsden Road Lane’s guardians rally after epidemic of abuse Gawthwaite Lane User groups combine to drive repairs to mountain trail Odyssey Challenge Winches whine again as competition is back at last General Tire Grabber AT3 becomes OE tyre for Ford Ranger Raptor Lazer Lamps Fitting kit introduced for new Isuzu D-Max Mud-UK Series-style gearknobs add retro chic to Land Rover Defender ARB New vehicles awnings adpot integrated LED lights

Driven 24 30 34

Isuzu D-Max All-new one-tonner makes its oﬃcial UK debut Land Rover Defender Hard-Top Is our 4x4 of the Year even better as a van? SsangYong Rexton Major revisions for the perennial value champion

Every Month 6 11 16 66 78 80

Alan Kidd Will the new Defender van repay your investment with true love? Coming Soon Trucks and SUVs set to be launched in 2021 and beyond Calendar Whisper it… things are starting to happen again, at last! Roadbook Back on the lanes with a long route in the Cotswolds Subscribe Stay at home and get 4x4 delivered – and save a huge 75%! Next Month Classic restored and modiﬁed 4x4s… and an epic expedition

Features 40 42

Jeep Red Bare A modiﬁed Gladiator to make us want it more than ever Mighty Defender One of the best trucks on the current winching scene

Travel 50

Pyrenees An epic expedition goes coast-to-coast and off-road all the way

Our 4x4s 60

introduce a new

Isuzu D-Max GO2 Installing an ARB Air-Locker into our truck’s rear axle

66 Lakes Roadbook

4x4 AWAITING SUBS PAGE INFO 2-3 Contents June.indd 3

JUNE 2021 | 3

04/05/2021 17:43

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

Alan Kidd Editor

he day before this issue of 4x4 goes to press, I’m going to do something I thought I’d never do again. I’m going to drive a Land Rover Defender van. The story will appear in these pages. It’s just that as I write these words, the launch event hasn’t happened yet, so I don’t know what I’m going to think of it. What I can say, for certain, is that the memories are going to come flooding back. The first car I ever truly fell in love with was a Defender 90 Hard-Top. It was my company car from 1994 to 1998 while I was editor of Land Rover World, and I loved it so much that when I left the job, I bought it. I sold it in 2001 because I needed money for the down-payment on my first flat, and to be honest I’ve been missing it ever since. Even the story of how I came to be driving a basic 90 Hard-Top rather than a Discovery (which was the highest-selling 4x4 in Britain at the time) says a great deal about the outfit I worked for back then. When they approached me to become editor, they said I’d get a Vauxhall Cavalier as a company car. I pointed out that the magazine was about Land Rovers, and that perhaps this could be considered a little stupid. The answer, which taught me a great deal about office politics, was along the lines of ‘well, I only get a Cavalier, so you’re not getting a bloody Discovery.’ We all went off to sleep on it, and the following morning I went back to them with a suggestion. Forget the Discovery, then… what if they got me a Defender 90? We could use it as a project vehicle in the magazine, couldn’t we? Stony silence. And it’s a van. So they’d get their VAT back on it. Fifteen minutes later, they came back and asked me what colour I wanted it in. So I had me a Defender 90, and over the years that followed the laughs, adventures, knocks, scrapes and close calls I had aboard that thing will stay with me forever. I took it off-roading the day after it was delivered, and almost endo’d it. I did the 1000 Rivières in it and drove the whole way home from the south of France with the temperature gauge in the red. The guys and

4 | JUNE 2021

Edline June.indd 4

People used to say my 90 was like a four-wheeled Doc Marten girls at work were forever borrowing each other’s motors; twice, my 90 came back to me having been involved in fender benders and I never even noticed. People used to say it was like the four-wheeled equivalent of a Doc Marten’s boot, and as far as I’m concerned that’s about the highest praise you can give a vehicle. Will the new 90 and 110 Hard-Top be worthy of that same description? You’ll be able to find out when you read our launch story in this issue. I can safely say, though, that while I’m professionally neutral when it comes to brands, I really hope the new Defender vans have the same character as my old 300Tdi. I was single back then and now I have a family, but I’d love to think that I could fall as deeply in love with a Landy as I did back then. I should point out, cos professionally neutral, that the one other vehicle I’ve fallen in love with during my life was a Nissan Patrol which my whole family could fit in just fine. Every scrape, every dent and indeed every stain in the interior had a story to tell, just as they did on my old 90. To me, that’s the essence of what bonds a person to their car. I had a Corvette in between times, a Porsche and a fancy Merc and the only thing they had in common was that they cost a lot of money and gave me nothing in return. Talking of money, that’s a big subject which comes up every time the new Defender is discussed. In 1994, my 90 Tdi HT cost £12,460 plus VAT. According to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator, that’s about £26,000 today. The new 90 HT starts at £36,896, so the difference is big enough but maybe not as big as you might expect And of course, the new 90 gives you a lot more than the old one ever did. But will it give you true love? I honestly do hope people can make memories with these new Defenders the way I did with my old warhorse. If it proves to be a truck you can wear like a nicely broken-in Doc Marten, Land Rover will truly have nailed it.

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 Dan Fenn, Paul Looe, Olly Sack, Gary Martin, Gary Noskill, Tom Alderney, Redmond Neale Photographers Harry Hamm, Steve Taylor, Richard Hair, Vic Peel, Becky Woodcock 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 742970. 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 01/05/2021 23:19

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.

NEW 4X4S

FORD ADDS NEW SPECIAL EDITIONS TO KEEP RANGER FRESH

High-spec Stormtrak based on Wildtrak range-topper • Wolftrak gets extra off-road kit

t’s coming on for a decade since the current Ford Ranger arrived in the UK. It’s had a couple of major freshen-ups in that time, but with a new model in the pipeline Ford has come up with a couple of limited editions which will arrive this autumn to help keep the pot boiling. Called Stormtrak and Wolftrak, these are a high-speccer and an off-roader respectively. The former is all leather, premium styling and range-topping power, while the latter features a range of features from the options list designed to enhance its ability in the rough. Based on the existing Wildtrak range-topper, the Stormtrak is powered by the 213bhp version of Ford’s 2.0-litre diesel engine. Developing 369lbf.ft, this is mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox as standard. Inside, the vehicle features unique seats trimmed in the same leather as the Raptor and embroidered with Stormtrak logos and red stitching. The latter matches its exterior colour scheme, which sees a unique Rapid Red paint ﬁnish complemented by a matching grille (there are white and blue options available too, which sounds very patriotic, but the red ﬁnish is what it’s all about). The vehicle also has LED headlamps, rugged underbody protection, a sports hoop and unique decals on its bonnet and lower doors. In addition, the load bay gets a bedliner, load divider and Power

6 | JUNE 2021

AWITING ADS Scene June.indd 6

Roller Shutter – the latter being a new addition to Ford’s accessory range which is also available on the regular Wildtrak model. Talking of other models, the Wolftrak is based on the brilliant XLT model and comes with the 170bhp version of the 2.0-litre engine mated to a choice of six-speed manual or 10-speed auto boxes. Ford says the vehicle is ‘built for customers who desire dependable off-road capability and a bold, no-nonsense exterior,’ and to this end it’s equipped as standard with a locking rear differential and all-terrain tyres.

Looking after the vehicle’s appearance is a Conquer Grey paint scheme complemented by a black ﬁnish to the grille and 17” alloy wheels. There’s a practical long-leg sports bar, underbody protection and plastic moulded side steps, as well as a protective load liner in the back. This in turn is augmented by options including a manual load bed cover or full Aeroklas canopy, both of them in a matt black ﬁnish that’s unique to the Wolftrak. Inside, the vehicle has an 8” touch-screen running Ford’s Sync 3 connectivity and navigation system.

This is surrounded by a unique matt black instrument panel, and down below the vehicle is equipped with heavy-duty all-weather ﬂoor mats. Ford expects the vehicle to appeal to buyers in farming, forestry and outdoor pursuit industries as well as private buyers. ‘Customers love the bold style and tough capability of our Ranger pick-up, so we’ve developed the new Stormtrak and Wolftrak limited-edition models to offer even more of both,’ commented Ford of Europe’s Commercial Vehicles boss Hans Schep. ‘Stormtrak combines striking looks with added luxury touches and features for active lifestyles, while Wolftrak’s rugged off-road performance helps it comfortably take owners far off the beaten track for work and fun.’ Both these models offer the combination of 1.0-tonne payload and 3500kg towing limit you’d expect from a Ranger, so they’ll be as practical as you want them to be. Both will be built in limited numbers ‘to guarantee exclusivity,’ and are due to arrive in Ford’s showrooms from October – with prices to be announced nearer the time.

4x4 04/05/2021 17:49

NEW 4X4S

Nissan Navara set to disappear from UK market in early 2022 THE NISSAN NAVARA’S future in the UK has been thrown into doubt, after the company confirmed that a heavily facelifted model unveiled late last year won’t be coming to Europe. Nissan has been widely reported as saying the current Navara is adequate for British needs. However this is manufactured at the company’s Barcelona factory – where production is currently scheduled to cease at the end of 2021. The Navara has suffered falling sales in recent years, and Nissan has been hit by the failure of badge-engineering tie-ups with Mercedes and Renault to deliver significant volume. The vehicle was heavily revised around 18 months ago, receiving major improvements which led to it winning our 2020 Pick-Up of the Year title, however even this wasn’t able to prevent its registration figures dropping to less than half of what they were when the current model was still new. The Navara was the first mainstream pick-up to use rear coil springs rather than the traditional leaves, and this helped generate interest among buyers coming to the double-cab market for the first time. It was a crucial part of the Mercedes link, too, which saw the German giant unsuccessfully market a premium version of the Navara badged as the X-Class. While it appears inevitable that supplies of the current Navara will dry up in the first half of 2022, however, it’s possible that we won’t have seen

Defender drives off with global design gong

THE LAND ROVER DEFENDER has been named World Car Design of the Year in the 2021 World Car Awards. Elected by 93 international motoring journalists, following review by a panel of seven globally renowned design experts, the vote saw the Defender take victory over the Honda e and Mazda MX30 – alongside which it had been shortlisted at the end of March. World Car of the Year says its design award ‘rewards vehicles demonstrating the highest standards of technical innovation and design and that push established boundaries.’ Land Rover has previously won the award with the Evoque (2012) and Velar (2018). Commenting on the award, Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Creative Oﬃcer Gerry McGovern said: ‘New Defender is inﬂuenced by its past but is not constrained by it and we are delighted it has been honoured with this award. Our vision was to create a 21st Century Defender by pushing the boundaries of engineering, technology and design while retaining its renowned DNA and off-road capability. The result is a compelling 4x4 that resonates with customers on an emotional level.’

4x4 AWITING ADS Scene June.indd 7

the last of the Nissan as a pick-up brand. An all-new model is currently in development as a joint venture with Mitsubishi – whose impending exit from the UK means there’s no chance of its own version, the L200, coming here. Nissan has not ruled out bringing this vehicle to the UK, with a likely on-sale date of 2025 – however it seems inevitable that having made its debut on the D22 double-cab in the late 1990s, the Navara badge is set for at least a lengthy spell away from the British pick-up market.

SSANGYONG HAS LAUNCHED a variety of finance offers on vehicles across its range. These include 0% APR HP deals on the new Tivoli and Korando, and 4.9% APR HP and PCP packages on the Rexton and Musso. You can also get big discounts on various models when funded by a PCP at 4.9% APR. These range from £2000 off a new Korando, and £3000 off the previous-generation version of the same vehicle, to £3750 off the previous-generation Tivoli and XLV. NISSAN HAS UNVEILED the fourth-generation X-Trail, which will go on sale in the UK next summer. Like the new Qashqai, this will offer e-POWER, a unique hybrid drivetrain in which a petrol engine generates power for electric motors which turn the wheels. Available in five and seven-seat layouts, the vehicle will once again be available with four-wheel drive; Nissan says it will continue to ‘inspire confidence in challenging conditions, both on-road and off.’

JUNE 2021 | 7

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NEW 4X4S

Facelifted Skoda Kodiaq on sale this summer SKODA HAS LIFTED THE LID on a facelifted version of the Kodiaq. The brilliant seven-seater, which ﬁrst came to the UK in 2017, gains new wheels bumpers as well as more upright styling. It also gains aluminiumeffect front and rear aprons which Skoda says make it look like more of an off-roader than ever. Large LED headlamps are ﬁtted as standard, with full Matrix units available as an option. At the other end, a new spoiler and diffusers by the rear windows help reduce drag. Inside, the cabin has been revised and now offers various options including massage seats, a 10-speaker stereo and a 10.25” Virtual Cockpit display. The new-look Kodiaq will be powered by a choice of 1.5 and 2.0-litre TSI petrol engines developing 150 and 190bhp, and a brace of 2.0 TDI diesels with 150 and 200bhp. There’s also a 245bhp version of the 2.0 TSI in the high-performance vRS model. Previously diesel-powered, this was discontinued early in the UK, as was the off-road orientated Scout; there’s no indication as to whether the impending facelift will see the range widening back up to once again include specialist models like these. At present, the Kodiaq range in the UK is made up of four models, with prices starting at £26,635. Choosing four-wheel drive and/or seven seats sees this climb steeply into the thirties, however the Kodiaq remains an outstanding SUV and one of the best-value vehicles of any kind, and this is sure to remain when the new-look model arrives this summer.

Orders open now for new-look Volvo XC60 VOLVO HAS ANNOUNCED a raft of updates to the XC60, its global best-selling vehicle. This gains new front and rear styling and remains available with a choice of three plug-in and four mild hybrid powertrains, as well as improved technology in the ﬁelds of safety and infotainment. Starting with the latter, the XC60 gains a new Android-powered system promising quick and easy access to Google services and apps including Google Maps for navigation and Google Assistant for voice recognition.

8 | JUNE 2021

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The system also allows owners to instal a wide range of apps for in-car use, as well as enabling over-the-air software updates, and new vehicles come with a data package covering the first four years of their lives. Additionally, the XC60 now comes as standard with wireless charging and smartphone integration, as well as multiple USB ports allowing four devices to be connected at once. To complete the digital package, the whole system now runs through an improved 12.3” interface whose graphics have been enhanced to make them sharper to read. The XC60 also gains new safety tech including autonomous braking in reverse, while the optional Pilot Assist system gains an emergency stop assist function. Further safety comes from the presence of all-wheel drive across most of the XC60 range. It’s optional on the entry-level B5 petrol model and standard elsewhere; power outputs climb from 197bhp to 405bhp, with all models featuring at least some level of electrification. Styling-wise, the XC60 has new bumpers at both ends, while the front also gets revisions to the grille and air intakes. These changes are augmented by new alloy wheel designs and additional paint colours – all of them either grey or silver. Prices for the new-look XC60 start at £41,745. The order book is open now, with first deliveries due in June.

4x4 04/05/2021 17:49

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NEW 4X4S

SVAutobiography Ultimate edition moves Range Rover closer than ever to top of SUV market

ith the current Range Rover gliding towards the end of its illustrious production run, Land Rover has introduced a series of new models – making its ﬂagship vehicle more exclusive than ever. Available both in Dynamic and Long-Wheelbase form, the Range Rover SVAutobiography Ultimate ’represents the pinnacle of Land Rover’s luxury SUV family.’ Each vehicle is ﬁnished by JLR Special Vehicle Operations’ SV Bespoke team and carries its own commissioning plaque to remind you of what you got for your money.

Money, that. The Dynamic model costs from £147,441, which sounds quite modest by today’s standards. Move up to the long-wheelbase, on the other hand, and the price escalates to what could be considered a reassuringly expensive £183,706. Both models are powered by the mighty 565PS Supercharged V8 petrol engine, meaning they’ll be as smooth as they are fast. Which is very. The Long-Wheelbase is also available with the P400e plug-in hybrid powertrain, which is also impressively quick but can also cover up to 25 miles without its 2.0-litre petrol engine getting out of bed.

Starting with the SVAutobiography Dynamic model, this combines 8mm lower suspension with Land Rover’s Dynamic Response active roll control system as part of a suspension and steering set-up designed to make the vehicle more agile for keen drivers. It rides on 22” forged alloys with appropriately low-profile tyres; these are finished in a dark grey gloss, while the side vents, bonnet finisher, grille and front bumper accents are picked out in Graphite Atlas. All SVAutobiography Ultimate models come in newly formulated Orchard Green satin paintwork with

a Narvik Black contrast roof and door mirrors, all of it complemented by copper detailing. Land Rover says that the ‘recommended’ interior theme for the vehicle is Ebony with Vintage Tan trim, featuring diamond-quilted leather seats, Ebony headlining and Steel Weave Carbon Fibre ﬁnishers. Moving on to the SVAutobiography Long-Wheelbase model, this gives you the full ﬁrst-class treatment. Designed for clients who spend a lot of time being driven by chauffeurs, it features reclining airline-style Executive Class Comfort-Plus rear seats. Trimmed

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04/05/2021 17:50

NEW 4X4S

COMING SOON Forthcoming 4x4s due on sale in the near and medium-term future

in semi-aniline leather, these provide more than 1.2 metres of legroom; they’re heated and cooled, have calf and foot rests and offer a hot stone massage function. Land Rover recommends that these seats be finished in Vintage Tan leather with Copper Weave Carbon Fibre finishers. Should you be feeling rich, however (and if you’re not, why are you buying this car), you can also opt for artisan Italian leather upholstery from darlings of the Harrods set Poltrona Frau. Between the rear seats, a full-length centre console with integrated Zenith timepiece, refrigerated compartment and deployable tables creates ‘the perfect space to work and relax on the move.’ And when you’re not moving any more, power-closing rear doors mean you literally don’t have to lift a finger while making a grand entrance. Of course, the top end of the Range Rover line-up was already an incredibly rarefied place, with SVAutobiography models and the recent Fifty edition taking it further upmarket than it’s ever been before. But it’s all about the details at this level – and the Ultimate models have plenty of those. The vehicles are distinguished by gloss black knurled infill and copper-edged metal bonnet and tailgate badging, a copper-plated and black enamel SV roundel on the B-pillar, SV roundels embroidered on

all four headrests and illuminated Ultimate edition tread plates, as well of course as the aforementioned commissioning plaques. For the Dynamic model, there’s a knurled finish for the rotary shift controller, starter button and pedals as well as red anodised shift paddles. ‘Our SV Bespoke commissioning experts have taken the classic combination of a green and black exterior and given it a thoroughly modern twist, using a contemporary satin paint finish and copper detailing,’ says Land Rover’s Vehicle Personalisation Director Clare Hansen. ‘This elegant combination is strengthened further with the recommended Vintage Tan interior themes available.’ As well as elevating the current Range Rover still further, the SVAutobiography Ultimate edition points towards an even more upmarket future for the next-generation model – which, with the Discovery, Velar and Range Rover Sport becoming ever more luxurious, is set to position itself firmly among the top echelons of the SUV market. The current model was already more than three years old when the Bentley Bentayga was launched into the space above it in the market; for Land Rover, it’s crucial that the Range Rover is seen as the definitive luxury 4x4, and its successor will take no chances when it comes to ensuring this continues to be the case.

Aiways U5 Alfa Romeo Tonale Alpina XB7 Audi Q4 e-tron BMW iX BMW iX3 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid Bollinger B1 Bollinger B2 Dacia Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Ranger MR-ST Ford Ranger Wolftrak Ford Ranger Stormtrak Ford Ranger INEOS Grenadier Isuzu D-Max Jeep Jeep Cherokee Desert Hawk Jeep Grand Cherokee Jeep Compass 4xe Jeep Wagoneer Jeep Wrangler 4xe Honda HR-V Hyundai Kona N Kia Sportage Land Rover Defender EV Maserati Grecale Maserati Levante Hybrid Mercedes-Benz EQA Nissan Ariya Nissan Qashqai Nissan Qashqai e-Power Nissan X-Trail Pininfarina Pininfarina Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Range Rover Range Rover Sport Renault Arkana Rivian R1T Rivian R1s Seat Tarraco PHEV Skoda Enyaq iV SsangYong Korando EV Suzuki Jimny Van Tesla Cybertruck Tesla Model Y Torsus Praetorian Torsus Terrastorm Torsus Overlander Volkswagen Amarok Volkswagen ID.4 Volvo XC40 P8 EV

Electric SUV Small SUV Performance SUV Electric SUV Electric SUV Electric SUV Luxury SUV Electric off-roader Electric pick-up Medium SUV Electric SUV Pick-up Pick-up Pick-up Pick-up Off-roader Pick-up Small SUV Performance Off-Roader Large SUV Hybrid SUV Luxury SUV Hybrid SUV Small SUV Performance SUV Medium SUV Electric off-roader Medium SUV Hybrid SUV Electric SUV Electric SUV Crossover Electric Crossover Medium SUV Electric sports SUV Electric luxury SUV Electric SUV Luxury SUV Performance SUV Coupe-SUV Electric pick-up Electric large SUV Hybrid SUV Electric SUV Electric SUV Off-Roader Electric Pick-Up Medium SUV Off-road bus Off-road van Off-road motorhome Pick-up Electric SUV Electric SUV

Late 2021 Late 2021 2021 2021 Late 2021 June 2021 Summer 2022 2023 2022 Summer Summer October 2021 October 2021 2022 Late 2021 Spring 2021 2021 Summer 2022 Autumn 2021 Early 2023 Early 2022 Late 2021 Mid-2021 Early 2022 2023 Spring 2022 Late 2021 Mid-2021 Autumn 2021 Summer 2021 2022 Summer 2022 2022 2023 Summer Late 2021 Spring 2022 July 2021 Spring 2022 Summer 2022 Summer Summer 2021 2021 Spring Late 2022 2021 2021 2021 2022 2022 Late 2020 Early 2021

JUNE 2021 | 11

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04/05/2021 17:50

RIGHTS OF WAY

Friends of Ramsden Road refuse to be beaten by illegal off-roaders

e reported in our March issue on the return of illegal off-roading to the area surrounding Ramsden Road, a much-loved right of way in West Yorkshire. This threatens to wreck the outstanding progress made in recent times on the lane’s management, which has seen users of all kinds unite with residents, landowners, local authorities and enforcement agencies in the creation of Friends of Ramsden Road - something which has come to be seen as an example of best practice in keeping byways open for all. The group recently undertook two site visits, the ﬁrst to repair damage done by irresponsible and downright illegal driving. Aided by reps and members of the Green Lane Association, a team of volunteers repaired a culvert which had collapsed due to people driving in a relatively new

drainage ditch, and replaced a boulder which trespassers had moved to gain access to a small quarry adjoining the route. ‘Not having been up there for some time due to Covid restrictions, I was concerned about the damage caused by irresponsible use,’ says GLASS Rep Alex Davidson. ‘Thankfully it was not quite as bad as I feared, although other spots in the same area have seen some significant damage.’ The second visit saw volunteers from GLASS and Friends of Ramsden Road supporting Kirklees Rural Crime Team on a monitoring exercise to observe anyone driving or riding illegally or irresponsibly. Time well spent on building relationships with the police, even if nothing was recorded on this occasion. ‘The police have increased their activities in the area and have issued a significant number of fines for breaches of Covid regulations,’ continues Alex. ‘Unfortunately, illegal activity and abuse continues – the worst of it occurring after dark

with some large groups of 4x4s travelling on the lanes in the area and in some cases engaging in off-piste driving. Some have even ripped gates out of the ground and broken down walls to access open moorland. ‘GLASS and Friends of Ramsden Road are currently in discussions with Kirklees Council to explore ways of curtailing these illegal activities. It is only by all working together that we can deal with the current epidemic of rogue drivers. Despite one or two local people being active in opposition to 4x4 use, we retain a good level of support locally and seek to maintain the good relations that have been built.’

Gawthwaite Lane repaired after combined efforts by motor vehicle users

COMBINED EFFORTS BY GLASS, Cumbria TRF and Northern ACU have led to repair work being done on the unsurfaced road at Gawthwaite in the southern Lakes. The lane had suffered severe erosion over several years due to a mixture of

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repeated heavy rainstorms and minimal maintenance, leading to washouts appearing on its northern section – which is bounded by a SSSI. The situation was exacerbated by a voluntary arrangement on a neighbouring lane, immediately to the north, which requested drivers only to use it in a northsouth direction. This resulted in traﬃc being channelled straight on to the Gawthwaite lane so that it would head uphill over the damaged section. With Steve Stout of CTRF leading the repair project and Cumbria County Council assisting with materials and transport, work got underway on 14 December. Over the course of ten days, some 400 tonnes of surface material was laid and three sets of twin-wall drainage pipes installed.

‘Many thanks must go to Steve and the collaborative team for a fantastic job,’ comments GLASS Cumbria Rep Peter Apps. The route remained closed for the winter to let the groundwork settle, but is due to have reopened before this issue of 4x4 is published.

4x4 04/05/2021 17:50

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29/01/2021 13:58:27

MOTORSPORT

Winches hum again at last as Odyssey Challenge returns for delayed 2021 season Words: Pip Evans Pics: Tomsz Jarecki

14 | JUNE 2021

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hen the first set of lockdown measures were eased last summer, off-road competitors immediately started pushing clubs to put events on. But the Viking 4x4 Club, organisers of the Odyssey Batteries Winch Challenge series, held back as at that stage, it was still not clear how things were going to pan out. The club has never cancelled an event – and it hopes never to have to, as this could easily lead to a loss of credibility. We want people to enter our events with confidence and we certainly don’t want to get a reputation for being unreliable. As we all now know, this turned out to be a good policy. The situation worsened quickly as summer turned to autumn and with uncertainty gathering, any efforts to put on a championship would have had to be abandoned – leaving competitors disappointed and potentially out of pocket. This year, however, the Government’s plans for relaxing lockdown restrictions seem well considered and more likely to last. So the Viking committee took the decision to go ahead with plans for our traditional six-round Odyssey Batteries Winch Challenge Series. In previous years, we have usually put on other events as well (the Valhalla and Ragnarok Challenges, for example), but this time we decided to play safe and stick with just the main event. Goodwinch has traditionally been the sponsor of Round 1, and we were delighted to have their continued support once again. The event was planned for the first weekend following the initial relaxation of lockdown rules, however many restrictions were still in place so we ran it as a closed event – limiting attendance to officials, marshals and competitors but not allowing friends, family or pit crew. In addition, the venue was not only revealed to competitors once they had paid their entry fee, as we didn’t want spectators turning up uninvited. During lockdown, there had been a deafening clamour from challenge

4x4 04/05/2021 17:50

MOTORSPORT

competitors desperate to get back into the action. So as event organisers, we were braced for a deluged by entrants. In the eventuality, however, we were surprised and underwhelmed by the lack of interest, and it was somewhat disappointing only to have half the capacity of 30 teams pay the entry fee. To make matters worse, a few of these paid up in the hope of getting their trucks ready by the day of the event but then had to withdraw when they failed to make it. It was a great shame to have numbers in the low teens after all the effort that had gone into organising the event – but at least that meant there was a much more manageable number for officials to deal with on the day. This was of course the first event we had run under the ‘new normal’ regime. Marshals staffed the entrance to the site, Weekley Woods near Kettering, and temperature-tested everyone who turned up before closing the entry gat eat 9.30. Drivers had been sent self-scrutineering forms prior to the event, so when they arrived on site these were handed to the scrutineer – who then conducted a visual check on each truck to double-check that everything was in order. The drivers’ briefing was a bit unusual, too, in that only drivers (not navigators) were permitted – and they had to wear masks, while also keeping two metres apart. One thing that hasn’t changed is that the nature of driving in a challenge event is very much dictated by the conditions on the ground. This was dry as a bone on the day, which meant abundant traction. Just a few years ago, getting to punches up the steep inclines in Weekly Woods involved loads of

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winching and much huffing and puffing. But challenge trucks are continually evolving and most now have huge, aggressively treaded tyres and masses of power. This means even difficult punches can often be reached by driving straight up to them, thus saving loads of time rigging up winch lines. This presents a challenge for event set-up crews. Not to be outfoxed, ours had laid out loads of cordon tape to make things more difficult by putting kinks and doglegs into routes leading to punches. The way you approach a punch event depends very much on the level of confidence you can have in your vehicle and your own ability as a crew. The top teams can simply drive to the nearest available punch and methodically work their way around one after another, as they have the ability to get to each punch regardless of the difficulty. Others, who may not be quite so able or perhaps have less powerful drivetrains and winches, need to select the punches which they were more likely to reach in the hope of picking up enough ‘easy’ points to make up a decent score. Of course, getting in the way of progress were the inevitable breakdowns. Winch challenges are at the extreme end of what man and machine are capable of doing, so it’s rare for any competitor to make it through a whole event without some issue or other. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the first casualties emerged. Matt Bain nursed his truck back to the paddock quite early with a very sick sounding engine, but he returned to the fray shortly thereafter with a big smile on his face having discovered that the only issue was a crushed

ﬁlter restricting the ﬂow of fuel to the engine. Charlie Harper was another early casualty. His truck had battery issues – which, he discovered, was down to one of them melting. To keep the vehicle and its winches fully juiced, winchman Colin Worsley decided to remove the battery from his family car and put it into their competition vehicle instead! Kevin Unwin was using this event as a shakedown for a forthcoming Ultra 4 event. It was probably a good idea he did, as a belt tensioner issue led to the complete loss of his hydraulic steering system. He also had smoke coming from one of his winch motors, which can’t be a good thing. Having changed this, he then found that a solenoid had also given up the ghost; in total, all this cost him about three hours of down time. Dean and Kye Porter, too, were experiencing all kinds of issues, including a fuel leak. Again, this caused loads of down time – which in turn can’t help but mean a very low score. Several competitors also needed to make quick trips back to the paddock either to repair or replace winch lines. The regulations allow lines to be knotted back together in an emergency, just to get out of a sticky situation, but teams are not allowed to continue with the event until a proper spliced repair is made or the whole rope is replaced. In some cases, vehicles can develop problems which you’re able to simply ignore. Richard Lott, for example, was going well in Class 2 with Ben Mark on the end of his winch line, but the dry, grippy conditions were clearly affecting his truck’s drivetrain. The teeth on his front diff started complaining

bitterly after a few hours – until, in the end, the crunching stopped, meaning there were no teeth left at all inside the diff housing. Of course, this didn’t stop him – it just meant a bit more pressure on his winch. With the usual 4pm deadline, the crews returned to the paddock and, for the first time since the autumn before last, we crunched the numbers. And Richard and Ben’s perseverance proved worthwhile, because even without a front diff they still managed to win Class 2 with 4181 points. Andrew Smith and Henry Nassau were second here on 3603, with Matt Wothers and Paul Hitchman third on 2964. Class 3 is where you’ll find the top teams in the Odyssey, and the best of the best turned out to be Henry Papworth and winchman Ben Tinkler. This was a brand new, recently built truck for Henry, so for it to win straight out of the box is a warning shot across the bows for other competitors. They ended the day with 7563 points, putting them marginally ahead of Matt Bain and David Burton, who overcame early issues to finish the day on 7143. Third place went to Charlie Harper and Colin Worsley, with the latter’s car battery proving up to the task of keeping a top-level challenge truck moving to the end of an event. Sadly, there were no entries in Class 1. This means the Goodwinch prize bundle will be kept to go towards a charity fundraiser at the last round. There’s a lot of winching to do between now and there, of course – but despite the low numbers, our first post-lockdown event was a great success. Hopefully this bodes well for the next five rounds in the Odyssey series – it’s certainly very good to be back!

JUNE 2021 | 15

04/05/2021 17:50

CALENDAR KEY

P Off-Road Playday

G Green Lane Convoy Tour

A Overseas Adventure Travel

S 4x4 Show

IMPORTANT: In the wake of the Covid crisis, most green laning and adventure travel companies have redrawn their calendars from scratch. As a result, some of the information on these pages will inevitably be out of date. In addition, some dates are for rearranged tours which had to be cancelled this year and which may already be full. Most operators are still prioritising existing clients over new business; some are yet to start accepting new bookings. While we do go to great lengths to ensure that our 4x4 Calendar is accurate and up to date, it is essential to check with the site, operator and/or organiser that events are still going ahead. Even without a pandemic to deal with, events are always prone to being rearranged, sometimes at very short notice, so this advice will always apply – we accept no liability for the consequences of any inaccuracies in this information.

16 May Off Road P Explore Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent P Hill’n’Ditch Mouldsworth, Cheshire Bottom P Muddy Minstead, Hampshire

20 May – 2 June

A Trailmasters Morocco Extreme 22-23 May Land Rover Gathering S Classic Wansford, Peterborough G Protrax Wiltshire

23 May Pit P Devil’s Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire 4x4 P Frickley Frickley, South Yorkshire Safari P Slindon Slindon, West Sussex

Off Road Centre P Kirton Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs

Safari P Slindon Slindon, West Sussex

31 May

16 June

P Hill’n’Ditch Mouldsworth, Cheshire Landrover Events G UKNorthumberland

Landrover Events G UKYorkshire Dales

19 June – 4 July

3-4 June

Safari A Peru Jaguar Tracks Tour

Events G UKEdenLandrover and Tynedale

20 June

6 June 4x4 P Frickley Frickley, South Yorkshire Bottom P Muddy Minstead, Hampshire Wood P Picadilly Bolney, West Sussex Events G UKNorthLandrover York Moors

Off Road P Explore Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent 4x4 P Frickley Frickley, South Yorkshire Bottom P Muddy Minstead, Hampshire

21-27 June

A Landtreks French Pyrenees

3 July Events G UKPeakLandrover District

6 July Events G UKTyneLandrover and Wear

9-23 July Adventure Tours A 4x4 Pyrenees

9-24 July

A Ardventures Balkans 10-24 July Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

11 July Landrover Events G UKLincoln and Belvoir

6-20 June

21 June – 1 July

Adventure Tours A 4x4 Albania

A Corsica

7 June

22-23 June

A Landtreks Pyrenees

Events G UKLakeLandrover District

G Protrax Wiltshire

15-16 July

7-16 June

26 June

4x4 Adventures A Active Pyrenees

Off Road Centre P Kirton Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs

28 May – 11 June

9-23 June

26-27 June

A Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

A Pyrenees

29 May

12-13 June

Off-Road Show S Billing Billing, Northamptonshire G Protrax Wiltshire

24-28 May 4x4 Adventures A Active Provence

25 May – 5 June

A Landtreks Portugal Peru Safari

Off Road Centre P Kirton Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs

Protrax

G Protrax Wales

29-30 May

12-27 June

G Protrax Wales

A Ardventures Pyrenees

30 May

13 June

Leisure P Cowm Whitworth, Lancashire

16 | JUNE 2021

AWITING ADS Scene June.indd 16

Rochford and District 4x4 P Essex, Rayleigh, Essex

Atlas Overland

27 June Leisure P Cowm Whitworth, Lancashire Off Road Centre P Kirton Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs Safari P Slindon Slindon, West Sussex

12-18 July

Landrover Events G UKCumbria and Yorkshire

17-18 July Overland G Atlas Wessex G Protrax Wales

19-28 July 4x4 Adventures A Active Alps

24 July Landrover Events G UKDurham Dales

24-25 July

G Protrax Wiltshire

4x4 04/05/2021 17:50

CALENDAR 25 July

28 August

11-16 October

28 May – 11 June 2022

Events G UKDalesLandrover and Eden

Events G UKNorthLandrover York Moors

A Landtreks Pyrenees

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

27 July – 8 August

29 August

15-31 October

18 June – 2 July 2022

A Pyrenees Coast-to-Coast

Landrover Events G UKNorthumberland

A Ardventures Morocco

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

31 July – 14 August

31 August – 12 September

16-30 October

9-23 July 2022

Overland A Atlas Italian Alps

A Landtreks Pyrenees

A Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

31 July – 15 August

11-12 September

17 October – 4 November

8-27 August 2022

A Morocco

4x4 Adventures A Active Botswana

Landtreks

World Overland A Lost Sardinia

Show S LRO Peterborough

Peru Safari

Protrax

2-6 August

11-19 September

18 October – 1 November

20 August – 3 September 2022

4x4 Adventures A Active Provence

Landrover Events A UKPyrenees

A Sahara

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

7-8 August

13-22 September

25 October – 8 November

10-24 September 2022

Landrover Events G UKWiltshire

4x4 Adventures A Active Southern France

A Morocco Atlantic Sahara

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

7-27 August

13-27 September

29 October – 14 November

1-15 October 2022

A Ardventures Galicia

Overland A Atlas Morocco

A Ardventures Morocco

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

10-24 August

15-29 September

13-27 November

22 October – 5 November 2022

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

A Protrax Pyrenees

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

A Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

14 August

16-29 September

21 November

23 October – 10 November 2022

Events G UKEdenLandrover District

A Trailmasters Morocco Marrakesh

S Stoneleigh, Warwickshire

A Morocco

15 August

18 September – 2 October

3-17 December

6-24 November 2022

Overland G Atlas Yorkshire Dales

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

A Morocco

16-22 August

21 September – 2 October

5-24 March 2022

12-26 November 2022

A Landtreks Pyrenees

A Landtreks Corsica

A Protrax Morocco

Safari A Peru Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

16-25 August

30 September – 13 October

16 April – 3 May 2022

3-17 December 2022

4x4 Adventures A Active Pyrenees

A Morocco

A Kuelap / Cloud Warrior Tour

A Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

20 August

2-10 October

7-21 May 2022

7-26 August 2023

Landrover Events G UKTynedale

A Pyrenees

A Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

4x4 Adventures A Active Namibia

24 August – 4 September

3-16 October

11-25 May 2022

A Trailmasters Morocco

A Trailmasters Morocco Draa Valley

A Protrax Pyrenees

25 August

3-21 October

25 May – 8 June 2022

Events G UKLakeLandrover District

A Protrax Morocco

A Protrax Pyrenees

4x4 AWITING ADS Scene June.indd 17

Atlas Overland

UK Landrover Events

Active 4x4 Adventures

Trailmasters

Great British Land Rover Show

Peru Safari

Protrax

Peru Safari

JUNE 2021 | 17

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PRODUCTS

Ford selects General Grabber AT3 as exclusive OE tyre for Ranger Raptor

f you buy a Ford Ranger Raptor from now on (and admit it, you’d love to), you won’t just get a top truck. You’ll get a top truck and a top set of tyres. That’s because Ford has just confirmed the General Grabber AT3 as standard-fit original equipment on all new Raptors. The exclusive double-cab, whose race-bred suspension and ‘Baja’ drive mode gained it as much attention as its bullish styling when it was first brought to Britain in 2019, was conceived as a turn-key off-roader that can blast its way up sand dunes all day long, and the all-terrain option in the Grabber range is ideally suited to it. The Ranger Raptor is built for global markets in Silverton, South Africa. It’s equipped ex-works with LT285/70R17 tyres with additional reinforcement for special load capacity. This new size was added to the existing Grabber AT3 range during the development process with Ford; produced in Port Elizabeth, by a factory owned by General’s parent company Continental, they are also now available to end users through the aftermarket.

18 | JUNE 2021

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The Raptor bears a great many similarities to other premium models in the Ranger line-up. But it comes into its own when tackling off-road terrain at speed – meaning the AT3 had an unusual set of boxes to tick in order to meet Ford’s requirements for an OE tyre. These included grip performance in wet and dry conditions, noise generation, mileage, reliability and stability. ‘The original equipment approvals for the Ranger Raptor once again conﬁrm the excellent reputation of the Grabber AT3 as a tyre with exceptional qualities both on and off-road and in all weather conditions,’ says JJ Dowling, General Manager Manufacturing at Continental Tire South Africa. Technical features of the Grabber AT3 include TracGen and DuraGen technology. TracGen is designed to ensure exceptional traction on loose surfaces by deploying numerous grip edges in its innovative tread design, promising an optimal transmission of both driving and braking forces. DuraGen, meanwhile, is General’s term for an extremely robust rubber

compound. This uses extra-strong stud rows to achieve a long service life, even when used on rough terrain. A highstrength steel belt construction is designed to ensure reliable stability under all permitted load conditions. In addition, the AT3’s tread geometry is designed for uniform material distribution and low stiffness, and the arrangement of the tread blocks reduces vibrations in the tyre – meaning greater comfort and low noise. It can also be used when local traffic laws require winter tyres, as it bears the snowflake symbol on its sidewall. ‘The development engineers at Ford went to great pains to find

the perfect tyre for their benchmark product,’ continues Dowling. ‘Ultimately, the decisive factor for selecting this tyre was its optimal interaction with the outstanding suspension and performance features of the Ranger Raptor. We’re excited about the vehicle and delighted with the collaboration.’

4x4 04/05/2021 17:50

• Frame - Powder Coated UV Stable Dark Grey Hammerite Finish • Doors - Powder Coated UV Stable Light Grey Smooth Textured Finish • Other Colours Available to Order • Locks - Black • Solid Side Doors • Front Panel - Fixed Clear Glass • Rear Door - 4mm Toughened Glass • Roof Rails come as standard • Pressure Equalizer Vent Load Bearing to 2500kgs

CANOPY ACCESSORIES • LED Lights • Aluminium Cupboard/Sidelockers • Wolf Box Holder • Jerry Can Holder • Brushed Stainless Steel Table • Table Storage Roof Bracket • Insulation - Roof & Doors • Tailgate Dust Kit • Drop Down Shelf • Eye Hooks • Sliding Windows In Side Doors • Air Vents/Dog Vents • Roof Cross Bars

38 | FEBRUARY 2020

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PHONE: 01299 250174

E-mail: enquiries@apbtrading.co.uk

4x4 02/06/2020 15:38

PRODUCTS

Lazer Lamps adds ﬁtting kit for new Isuzu D-Max

suzu’s new D-Max only arrived in the country a couple of months ago, but LED specialist Lazer Lamps has already introduced

a ﬁtting kit for the vehicle. This is designed to let you instal the company’s Linear-6 LED Spotlights discreetly and securely behind the

truck’s grille, transforming its light output on main beam. There are two versions of the Linear-6 available. The Standard model will, says Lazer, ‘deliver a signiﬁcant improvement over the standard high-beam driving lights on the vehicle.’ Upgrade to the higher-spec Elite units, meanwhile, and you’ll get double the standard output, with 1 lux at 400m and a

42-degree spread of light to both right and left. The fitting kit for the new D-Max utilises stainless steel brackets which mount to the support bar behind the front grille. It comes with full wiring and fitting instructions, making the installation job as quick and simple to complete as it could possibly be. A two-lamp wiring kit is also available, allowing the lights to be connected directly to the truck’s standard main beams and/ or operated via a separate switch on the dashboard. As you’d expect, the lights and their installation are fully approved and legal for use on the road. They’re made in the UK and carry a five-year warranty, with Lazer promising that ‘we have taken every step to maximise lighting performance and build quality to ensure your lighting installation remains in excellent condition for years to come.’ You can find out more by visiting www.lazerlamps.com.

SPEEDTEX™ Europe is the newly formed ‘sister’ company to SPEEDLINER® Europe Ltd. If you think other ‘shake & shoot’ spray coatings are good wait till you try this! SPEEDTEX™ utilises SPEEDLINER EURO HS® - The only spray liner with a 20 year established track record in the UK.

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20 | JUNE 2021

AWITING ADS Scene June.indd 20

4x4 04/05/2021 17:50

PRODUCTS

MUD-UK INTRODUCES RETRO-STYLE KNOBS FOR DEFENDERS’ GEAR AND TRANSFER LEVERS IT WOULD BE HARD TO EXAGGERATE how much we love these Heritage Gear Knobs from MudUK. Moulded from 100% bakelite, just like the factory-fitted originals from way back in 1948, these UK-made accessories bring a bit of retro chic to the cabin of any Defender they’re used in – with the option of red and yellow for the diff lock lever offering a clear nod to those used throughout 35 years of Series trucks. For the primary gearbox, your choice is between the classic mushroom-style Series I/II/IIA knob or the later ball-shape used on the Series III. In each case, they’re available with the reverse position next to first (to suit the LT77 and LT85 Santana boxes) and below fifth (to suit the later R380). On the transfer box, meanwhile, the red and yellow options are both suited to the LT230 – as used on all five-speed Defenders (and autos, if you’re the proud owner of a 50th Anniversary or NAS model). For reference, these use an M10 thread, while the main gearbox uses 0.5” UNF. Got a Puma? Sorry. The knobs aren’t currently available to fit the Getrag gear lever you’ll find on 2.4 and 2.2 TDCi Defenders. The knobs, which are supplied with a lock nut to help you line them up perfectly, cost £30 plus shipping directly from Mud-UK. Taste is personal, but as far as we’re concerned these are among the coolest accessories we’ve seen for a Defender’s cabin. You’ll find them by visiting www.mudstuff.co.uk.

4x4 AWITING ADS Scene June.indd 21

JUNE 2021 | 21

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

28/01/2020

PRODUCTS

17:31

BIG BRAKING PERFORMANCE!

WITH PEDDERS TRAKRYDER EXTREME BRAKE KITS BRAKE KITS

ADJUSTABLE 4X4 SUSPENSION

CMY

Stainless steel abutments.

For the discerning driver who is particular about how eXtreme Brake Kit. The braking results are staggering with the inclusion of a larger 6 pot caliper design, high tech TrakRyder eXtreme kevlar ceramic pads mated with a 10 slot dimpled and geomet coated larger diameter rotor. Bigger braking surface means bigger stopping power. With the fitment of the all new Pedders TrakRyder eXtreme brake kit, independent Australian Engineering tests reflected an average improvement in braking distance by up to 14%.

Features: • Stainless steel braided hoses. • 10 slot and dimpled TrakRyder geomet coated rotors 14”/356mm diameter (OE 11.85”/301mm). • TrakRyder eXtreme Kevlar Ceramic low dust brake pads. • TrakRyder eXtreme 6 pot design caliper brackets and bolts. • 6 Pot, 2 piece aluminium forged calipers. • High grade alloy steel brake pad insulators. • Stainless steel pistons.

Specialising in Suspension solutions since 1950 For further information go to www.pedders.co.uk or please contact your local Pedders experts.

01296 711 044 info@pedders.co.uk

* Independent Australian engineering test results proved that at 100kmh the TrakRyder eXtreme Brake Kit system upgrade stopped on average 11m sooner than original distances are reduced by 21%. This kit is suited for 18” wheels or larger. Further details available in store and on our website. Suits Ford Ranger PX & PXII Models.

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

www.rlgtyres.co.uk

22 | JUNE 2021

AWITING ADS Scene June.indd 22

ARB VEHICLE AWNING WITH INTEGRATED LIGHT COMES TO BRITPART RANGE AWNINGS ARE GREAT for protecting you from the sun. That’s why, though they might not be ever such a common sight on lane wagons or challenge trucks, if you’re planning an overland build it’s likely to be one of the ﬁrst things you think about. At the top end of the market (which is a good place to be looking, especially if you want your expedition to end in a triumphant return home rather than something messy involving the Foreign Oﬃce), Australian off-road specialist ARB has long offered a range of awnings to go with the rest of its incredibly extensive range of touring kit. What it hasn’t offered, until now, is an awning that will illuminate the scene below. That’s because canvas, even the sort of high-quality canvas you can expect to be dealing with when ARB is involved, is not noted for its luminescence. LED strip lights, on the other hand, are – and with the march of technology making it ever easier to get useful outputs from small sources, ARB has now rolled the two together to create the imaginatively named Awning and Light Kit. This incorporates an LED strip light into the roof of the awning, where it’s thin enough to stay even when the whole plot is rolled up ready for travel. Powered via a fused cigarette lighter plug and a four-metre insulated waterproof cable and connectors, the light is controlled by a waterproof digital dimmer switch. At its maximum setting, it provides up to 1200 lumens while drawing a current of 1Ah.

4x4 04/05/2021 17:51

PRODUCTS

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:

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You can also choose the output colour, which can be either cool white or amber. The latter is ideal when you want softer lighting or, no small matter, to avoid attracting every flying critter for miles around. ‘Just like in your home,’ says ARB, ‘good quality lighting is in the ceiling, not the walls. Therefore, placing the light right where it’s needed and not harshly in your eyes is important. Having good bright light in the right spot will further enhance your overnight experience in the great outdoors.’ Designed to be mounted on a roof rack, the awning is ideal for protecting your camp site from the sun – or indeed the rain. It comes in two sizes (2000 x 2500mm and 2500 x 2500mm) and offers the following features: • 300gsm heavy-duty roof material, mould-proofed and UV-resistant • 1000mm water head rating for excellent waterproofing • 25mm aluminium poles and arms with 1.2mm wall thickness • Abrasion-resistant PVC carry bag • Welded seams and flexible arm joints • 1200 lumen RATED heat-resistant LEDs with aluminium extrusion for heat dissipation • Digital dimmer control rated to IP56 for water resistance ‘Building a high-performance light into the roof came with some challenges,’ says ARB. ‘One was making sure we could get the LED strip small enough as well as making sure we could keep them cool so they would not de-rate and dim prematurely. This has been achieved by using quality LED chips that can handle more heat than a standard strip light and also attaching the strip light to an aluminium track for heat dissipation, all sealed in a water tight resin.’ The above can be taken to mean ‘don’t expect this to be cheap,’ but there we go harking back to what we were saying above about the importance of tooling up with good gear when you go travelling. We’ve seen the 2000mm awning offered at about £330 including VAT, which sounds pretty decent for something you’ll be using every day on expedition; it’s available through Britpart’s range of ARB stockists, so a visit to www.britpart.com is the place to start.

4x4 AWITING ADS Scene June.indd 23

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JUNE 2021 | 23

04/05/2021 17:51

DRIVEN

ISUZU D-MAX

All-new pick-up raises the game at both ends of the market – and could hardly have arrived at a better time FIRST DRIVE Isuzu D-Max

ortune favours the brave. Last time Isuzu launched a new D-Max, it was 2012 and Ford had just brought out a new Ranger. There could hardly have been a worse time to introduce a new pick-up truck. The Ranger was, to put it mildly, a hard act to follow. But the D-Max quickly showed it was up for the fight and soon gained a reputation as one of the toughest and most capable trucks around. It might not have been many people’s first choice as a lifestyle pick-up, but farmers and fleet buyers loved it.

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Now there’s a new D-Max, and farmers and ﬂeet buyers still love it. As does everybody else, it would appear, because initial demand has been strong as an ox and the waiting list is growing every day. Not just for the work-spec models utility owners depend on, but for the range-toppers that will carry the ﬁght to rivals like the Ranger Wildtrak and Hilux Invincible. There are various reasons for this. A very good one is that unlike in 2012, there could hardly be a better time to introduce a new pick-up truck.

The Toyota Hilux has just had a major mid-life update, yes – and as you’ll know if you read this magazine regularly, the results are very good. But the Ranger is rocking on for a ten years old and it’s still a year or two away from being renewed. The Volkswagen Amarok has been discontinued, with a new model to come at the same time as the Ranger. Mitsubishi is withdrawing from Europe altogether, taking the L200 with it. And most recently, Nissan announced that when the new Navara comes out, it won’t be brought to Britain.

Land Rover, of course, has decided against doing a pick-up version of the Defender. Ineos might ﬁll that void with the Grenadier, but that’s very much a matter of watching this space. The Merc X-Class and Fiat Fullback have already gone, the Renault Alaskan never even made it… all of a sudden, if you want a pick-up truck in the UK you’re soon going to be looking at either a Ranger, Hilux, SsangYong Musso or, of course, the new D-Max. Thus Isuzu is a brand whose star is in the ascendency here. When the new model was on the horizon,

4x4 01/05/2021 23:03

The D-Max has an elegant dash layout that’s executed in good quality materials, whether you’re aboard the V-Cross (top) or, left to right above, the Utility, DL20 or DL40. The size of the screen in the media console is the most obvious distinction from this angle it set itself a bold sales target of 10,000 units per year by 2025: with the opportunities that have opened up in the market since then, that figure is actually starting to look rather conservative. All the company needs is for the new truck to be up to the job. Based

on some exclusive pre-launch testing, we named it our Pick-Up of the Year for 2021, so it’s fair to say that our first impressions were good. And now it’s time to see if they were right. The first examples of the newgeneration D-Max were already in

their owners’ hands prior to the UK media launch, for which we were kept waiting until lockdown restrictions had eased enough to let it be done properly. Interestingly, those owners have been particularly vocal on social media, mainly raving about their new trucks, so our task

here is not just to review the truck but to assess what it means to the people who buy it. To start at the beginning, the D-Max is a traditional one-tonner with a ladder chassis, diesel engine and live rear axle. It’s available in single, extended and double-cab form, and at launch there’s a choice of four trim levels. Of these, all but the entry-level Utility model have a locking rear diff. That’s a new feature for an Isuzu pick-up, and one which adds real value to what it offers as an offroader. It still has a part-time, twospeed transfer case, though this now features a new actuator which

The DL40 is the one with all the chrome. It looks good for it, too; depending on your taste, you might prefer the gunmetalthemed V-Cross (main picture opposite), but neither will disappoint you with the amount of equipment you get JUNE 2021 | 25

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DRIVEN makes it far quicker to engage than the reliable but ponderous old one. The diesel engine is an updated version of the 1.9 from the previous D-Max. The main difference is that it now uses AdBlue; outputs are 164bhp and 265lbf.ft, and there’s a choice of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Isuzu says that the latter has been improved to allow up to 25% faster gear changes. This sounds impressive, but a quarter of a lot is still a lot and we found the new D-Max prone to long, moany shifts in automatic form. We tried using manual mode to tell the box what to do, but the response was the same – gales of engine noise as the box almost begrudgingly found its new ratio. It didn’t take long before we chucked it in Drive and left it to make its own mind up. The manual unit, on the other hand, is precise and accurate, with a nicely mechanical feel that makes it pleasing to operate. It’s very well matched to the diesel engine, allowing you to lope along at a relaxed pace or push ahead quite positively around town or on twisting A-roads. There’s an engagingly analogue feel to the D-Max when you drive it in manual form that we found missing on the auto model. Dynamically, the front suspension has gained a new, higher position for the upper control arms, while the rear springs and shocks have been revised. The result, says Isuzu, is reduced body roll and vibration, as well as better road holding and a more comfortable ride. The latter

is further aided by larger, more absorbent body mounts, while the brakes and steering have also both been upgraded. The results are subtle in places, but as a whole they make for a truck whose refinement, ride and handling all move the game on compared to the previous model. It does still feel like a pick-up to drive, especially unladen, when poor surfaces interfere with ride quality, but it’s quieter at speed and, given the right road surface, remarkably smooth.

Previous Isuzu one-tonners have given the D-Max a lot to live up to off-road, but here again it gives an excellent account of itself. We only got the chance to drive an auto, and once again we’d choose a manual every day of the week, but the hill descent control system works well and can be tuned with dabs on the gas and brake pedals to finely adjust the set speed, which is a neat function. It’s manoeuvrable, too, and even on its rather low-profile 265/60R18 tyres there’s still ample

traction available – even before you engage the rear locker, which puts another useful weapon in your arsenal when the rear body is jumping around unladen. There’s little it won’t do on tickover, though the top two models in the range come with wide, low-slung side steps whose main purpose in life, if you do any sort of serious off-roading, is going to be to get spanked into the ground. For this reason, we were drawn towards the second-up DL20 model

The 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine has been carried over from the previous model, though not in exactly the same form. The main news here is the adoption of AdBlue to help keep it ahead of the game on emissions

26 | JUNE 2021

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4x4 01/05/2021 23:04

The D-Max has traditionally sold particularly strongly in Utility trim, and Isuzu expects this to remain the case. Cloth seats, steel wheels and black bumpers are the stuff of a no-nonsense pick-up – though you do still get air-con, cruise control, DAB and Bluetooth, so it’s not exactly what you’d call sparse in the launch range. We also drove the entry-level Utility, which ticks every box it sets out to tick, and the range-topping V-Cross, whose 9” media screen and extensive gunmetal styling give it a premium look both outside and in, but our feeling was that the DL20 and DL40 models in what Isuzu calls the AllPurpose section of its line-up sound ideally suited as a range within a range – the latter adds things like leather, infotainment, dual-zone climate and electric seat adjust, but both are very well equipped.

4x4 4pp D-Max.indd 27

Having said that, every D-Max now has air-con, cruise control and lumbar adjust as standard, as well as Bluetooth, DAB and a massive range of safety aids. And each has a well designed, well put together cabin, too, with excellent rear legroom in double-cabs and the pleasure of being able to hose it out thanks to the vinyl floor that’s standard in the Utility model. This holds a lot of appeal at the muddy end of the market, even if recreational off-roaders are likely to look higher up the range for what

will, after all, also be their everyday car. When they do, they’ll find a D-Max that’s not just better than ever at being a premium pick-up, but one which is also better than ever at being a premium off-roader. We said earlier on that our task here was not just to review the new truck but to assess what it means to the people who buy it. That might sound a bit waffly, but the L200, the Navara and the Ranger have all had spells as aspirational vehicles – as pick-ups you want to boast about owning. The D-Max has never quite

got there – but this new model has a better chance than ever of bringing home the holy grail. Isuzu has always stood for ruggedness and authenticity, but until now the D-Max hasn’t had the sex appeal to match. Now it’s more worthy than ever – but it’s sexy, too. And as that waiting list shows, double-cab buyers are getting turned on to it in bigger numbers than ever. There could, indeed, hardly have been a better time to introduce a new pick-up truck – especially when it’s this good.

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DRIVEN

LAND ROVER DEFENDER HT

New Defender offers something different in commercial form – including rugged spec levels, no-nonsense load carrying and, for many people, affordability FIRST DRIVE Land Rover 90/110 Hard-Top

and Rover’s transformation into a premium car maker has been very well documented. It’s come with a certain amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth in some quarters, but the numbers don’t lie and truth

is, being a premium car maker has turned out to be something Land Rover is rather good at. But Land Rover is also a company with tremendous heritage – a heritage which it trades on heavily, of course, and why wouldn’t you when it’s such an enormous part of your brand? However, that heritage comes from building simple, basic, ﬁt-for-purpose work trucks. The premium cars didn’t come until a lot more recently, and even then it’s only in about the last third of Land

Rover’s history that they started to become really premium. Hardcore Landy fans often grumble that the company has abandoned its traditional customers. Maybe it has – or maybe its traditional customers have changed. Or maybe neither. Because when Land Rover offers its vehicles in commercial form, those customers are still there. Around one in four Discoverys are vans. Yes, the Discovery, that vehicle which Landy diehards write off (wrongly) as being just another Range Rover. Bearing this in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that with the new Defender, that proportion is shaping up to be higher still.

The old Defender was available in commercial form as a van, a pickup, a double-cab and a double-cab van (the famous Utility Wagon). This time, it’s just a van. A missed opportunity, you might say, given the popularity of the other versions back then, but Land Rover says it has no plans to do anything like that with the new one. We’ll see. For now, here it is. The Defender Hard-Top, as it’s called (all Defenders have hard tops now, but this is the historical name for the van version so why the devil not), in both 90 and 110 form. Land Rover’s website says it starts at £36,896.67 plus the VAT, and also at £44,210 on the road.

Whereas the rear door on the old Defender was somewhat narrow, this time it uses all the available width and height to allow for easy loading and unloding. The cargo area has a full-width ﬂat ﬂoor, too, and the rear lip is nice and low

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The Defender’s cabin looks simple, but a lot of clever design has gone in to that – it’s rugged and strong on practicality, but loaded with high-tech equipment and premium materials. The optional jump seat (below) is a far cry from the basic effort in the old model – it’s a proper seat now, and it folds down when not in use to create a multi-function armrest complete with cup holders and USB sockets Those numbers don’t quite add up to us, but they give you an idea of what it takes to put a Defender on your driveway. They only tell part of the story, though, because the vehicle is showing good residual forecasts – which means its leasing and finance costs are looking quite affordable. This could be one reason why the company says it’s seeing customers coming back to it from the doublecabs to which they decamped en masse towards the end of the old Defender’s rather lardy demise. The pick-up market is going through a fairly seismic time at present, after decades of seemingly unlimited

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growth; the Mercedes X-Class flopped, the Volkswagen Amarok won’t be back for a couple of years and the Mitsubishi L200 and Nissan Navara are putting down roots in the departure lounge. That accounts for a considerable number of the premium pick-up options people were taking for granted until very recently. Which is where the 90 and 110 come in. They’re not double-cabs, but they’re definitely premium. And if what you’re after is a cool truck the taxman can’t touch (and, of course, you don’t need a second row of seats), just open the door and the Defender will waltz right in.

Even with a starting price that’s more than 50% above the typical 4x4 pick-up, Land Rover says the Hard-Top is attracting strong business from utility companies and so on. Fleet operators have certainly started to understand that a comfortable driver is a safer and more productive one, so cost is no longer the be-all and end-all it once was – but it’s still a fact that the most lucrative part of the market for vehicles like these is the top end, where small businesses and sole traders without the buying power of a big fleet are paying much closer to list price for high-spec vehicles with big mark-ups.

As we all know, those high-spec trucks are loaded with fancy kit. Big alloys, leather, fancy infotainment, lots of chrome, you know the drill. Some do it better than others but they all do it. Here’s what the absolute bogstandard, entry-level model in the entire Defender range gives you: cruise control, LED headlamps, heated windscreen, fabric (as opposed to vinyl) seats, dual-zone climate control, electric power-fold mirrors, 10” touchscreen, sat-nav, DAB, Apple CarPlay, 3D surround camera, 360-degree parking aid… It also has the small matter of low range, which the main premium

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DRIVEN pick-up (the Amarok) didn’t, in addition to full-time four-wheel drive and Land Rover’s well known Terrain Response system, and it comes with a wide range of safety kit and a five-star EuroNCAP score to back it up. And that’s the boggo one. It’s notable for its 18” white steel wheels, of course, which in our view look absolutely brilliant and totally in keeping, and it’s just a twoseater – though for an extra £815 you can specify a third which, very much unlike in the old Defender, is a proper seat. It folds down into a multi-function armrest when not in use, too – it’s a very cleverly thought-out bit of kit. The 90 Hard-Top is only available in this entry-level form. With the 110, you can also get S, SE and HSE equipment packs which load it up with things like leather, alloys, keyless entry, power seats, lumbar adjust, auto main-beam, matrix headlamps and a ClearSight rear mirror (which displays the image from a camera in the tailgate). Many of these things are also available on the options list, if the model you’re going for doesn’t already have them, though there are notable omissions. It doesn’t appear possible to add lumbar adjust on the 90, for example – which is a shame because its seats are otherwise excellent, with a really stout fabric trim, supportive base and bodyhugging side bolsters. If you don’t go for the third front seat, a cubby box is also available on the options list. Either way, oddment stowage as standard is very good with a decent glovebox, deep, wide door pockets and a full-width tray within the dashboard whose rubberised surface makes it ideal for odds and ends. This is the case with the 90 and 110 alike, whose cabins are to all intents are purposes identical.

A huge difference between these vehicles and the old Defender is that the driver’s seat is very spacious, with plenty of leg and elbow room as well as so much headroom you could give the Pope a lift home and he wouldn’t have to take his hat off. The full-height bulkhead separating the cab from the load area behind it is far enough back to let the seats slide

fore and aft through a full range of adjustment, and they recline just as effectively too. Behind that bulkhead is a load area with a flat floor measuring 1030mm long, 1326mm wide and 947mm high in the 90 and 1472mm long, 1423mm wide and 937mm high in the 110. There are lockable underfloor stowage compartments, one in the 90 and two in the 110, adding to a total cargo capacity of 1355 litres and 2059 litres respectively. The side-hinged tailgate opens to reveal a gaping aperture, too – overall, it’s so much better than the old Defender, the difference is almost comical. Payload capacities are 670kg for the 90 and 778-800kg for the 110, depending on engine and specification, while all models

are capable of towing the allimportant 3500kg. Talking of engines, the 90 comes with Land Rover’s D200 unit, a straight-six diesel developing 200bhp and 369lbf.ft. The 110 offers a choice of D250 and D300 units, again six-pot diesels but this time offering 249bhp and 420lbf. ft or 300bhp and 479lbf.ft. In each case, they’re mated to an eightspeed auto box, which definitely comes as a bit of a culture shock if you’re used to wrestling with an old LT77, but you get used to it pretty quickly and, like all Defenders, it’s an easy drive. We experienced a 110 D250 on the launch, as well as a 90. There’s more than enough in either engine; people were saying you might want one of the bigger engines for heavy

Both models have hidden stowage under their rear floors. The 110, meanwhile, also has a large front compartment accessed either through a lift-out top panel or via the side doors seen here

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Only the entry-level Defender Hard-Top models get steel wheels. They’re also the only models with fabric trim on their seats, and both these facts are very good reasons not to go any further up the range. Add in the coil springs you get on these base models and it’s a done deal towing, but that kind of sounds like falling for it a bit when you consider what farmers have been hauling around for decades behind old-school Defenders with power outputs that barely make it into three figures. Anyway, we drove the 90 HardTop unladen and it has no shortage of get up and go. Most of all, however, we discovered something wonderful about it. This was the first new-shape Defender we’ve driven (and there have been a few) with coil springs rather than air. And you know what? It handled like a Defender. A proper one, with all the playful body roll and gung-ho handling of a stubby short-wheelbase off-roader romping its way through corners. It was involving, engaging, even liberated; robust but real, inviting you to chuck it around and ride the waves in a way no Land Rover has since the days before the old Defender was saddled with anti-roll

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bars. It was, by some distance, the most fun we’ve had in a newgeneration Defender. We previously drove a 90 in much higher-spec, passenger-carrying form, and were underwhelmed. Not by the way it drove, which was fine, but but the rear seats and the incredibly tedious process involved in gaining access to them via the front. We said at the time that we felt it would be better suited as a Hard-Top, and on this experience we were right. There’s less of a dividing line with the 110. It’s well suited to life as a station wagon and drives similarly in Hard-Top form. Obviously, depending on what you need it for it may offer a higher level of practicality than the 90. Money, choice, etc (there are lots of choices and mainly lots of money). But for us, it’s the 90 Hard-Top that’s the breakout story here. The Defender is a very good vehicle in general but with a short wheelbase,

steel springs and no seats in the back, this most stripped-back model is the most old-school 4x4 Land Rover has made in a generation. The 110 is an outstanding family wagon and in commercial form, it’s an outstanding work truck. However the 90 Hard-Top is, absolutely, the Defender that will appeal most to

enthusiasts. And that’s not just because it’s the only one they might be able to afford. It’s a very happy coincidence that among a range whose prices now vault into six-figure territory, the variant with the greatest character and, to us, the most appeal is the cheapest of the lot.

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DRIVEN

SSANGYONG REXTON

Britain’s best value 4x4 gets its ﬁrst major revisions since launch and continues to impress. But is it still as special as it was when it won our 4x4 of the Year title? ON TEST SsangYong Rexton Ultimate

hen the current SsangYong Rexton ﬁrst arrived in Britain, it got off to a very good start. It was handsomely equipped and extremely keenly priced, it looked absolutely stunning

inside and it was better to drive than anything with a SsangYong badge had ever been before. It promptly won our 4x4 of the Year title, and it has been taking home the Best Value trophy in our annual awards ever since.

And now it should be better than ever. SsangYong has just unveiled the vehicle in facelifted form, with a more powerful engine and all-new gearbox as well as revised styling, a digital instrument display and a new suspension set-up that’s been

tuned for European tastes. It looks more assertive than ever and feels quite different to the pre-facelift model inside. Another way in which it feels different is in its range structure and therefore, inevitably, its pricing. Three and a half years have passed since the Rexton was launched in the UK; back then, it started at £27,500 for what was by no means a sparsely-equipped entry-level model and climbed to £37,500 for a range-topper whose eye-popping kit list included a diamond-quilted leather treatment which helped create an astonishingly credible feeling of luxury. Now, the cheapest Rexton costs £37,995 and the range tops out at £40,665. That comparison comes

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The Rexton’s cabin has always been one of its strongest suits, with a tidy, classy design and an impressively high level of material and build quality. It’s sportier than it used to be, with a ﬂat-bottomed steering wheel and a much slicker centre console designed around a far more modern shifter for the new auto box, however it has lost some of the character that made it so appealing when the vehicle was ﬁrst launched. We loved the diamond-quilted leather on the doors and dash, and the fact that the hide was available in a light cream colourway – something that gave it a real feeling of luxury that’s not quite as strong now, however premium it may still feel with a caveat, however, which is that the actual spec levels have changed too. The new entry-level model is closer to what used to be the mid-range option, and all Rextons now come with seven seats and an automatic gearbox as standard. As a general guide, the current price represents an increase of about £1000 a year since launch – not a lot compared to the sort of strokes some manufacturers try to pull, and small beer if the revised Rexton has

indeed moved forward as much as SsangYong says.

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY We’re testing the range-topping Ultimate model here, so let’s start with that diamond-quilted leather. It used to be on the dashboard, door inserts and shoulder bolsters: now, it’s… missing. Somewhere along

the line, it’s been discontinued. We can only assume this was due to cost-cutting, because surely it can’t have been in response to negative customer feedback. Either way, the plain fact is that the Rexton doesn’t feel as special inside as it used to. It’s still premium in the extent and quality of its equipment, and build quality remains formidably strong, but an atmosphere that once felt handcrafted now feels machine-made.

It’s good, especially at the price, but it’s hard not to be disappointed. The seats themselves are very comfortable, however, and you can easily fit one six-foot adult behind another. We can’t say much about the third row, because our test vehicle was fitted with a dog guard that prevented them from being deployed, but going by previous experience they do their job. The second row drops near-flat for loading big items (in our case it

Space in the front seats is excellent, and there’s enough adjustment in them to allow one six-footer to sit comfortably behind another. The seats themselves are clad in a decent leather trim, even if their design is no longer show-stopping the way it used to be

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DRIVEN The Rexton’s mid-life facelift has brought with it a much more aggressive front end (left), with a huge grille giving the vehicle enormous presence on the road. The engine has been upgraded too (below) and now delivers more power – though the real story here is how smooth and quiet it has become

swallowed an entire household door, which takes some doing) and even with the seats in use there’s still an enormous boot behind them, so practicality is as good as ever. Up front, the layout of the dash is little changed, with a large multimedia screen dominating affairs. This runs a system that’s quick and easy to operate, and its resolution is excellent, through the actual graphics no longer feel particularly modern. When the reversing camera and surround-view monitor swing in to action, they’re among the very best we’ve seen at any price.

As before, there’s plenty of stowage space in the glovebox, door pockets and cubby; the latter is housed in a redesigned ﬂoor console with a much more modern looking shifter for the new gearbox. The virtual instrument display looks more modern, too – not that there was anything wrong with the old one – and the steering wheel has been replaced by a striking ﬂat-bottomed item that looks much more sporty and houses its various switchgear very elegantly. Said switchgear includes buttons for the cruise control, and here’s a bizarre anomaly we found when

driving our Rexton. The set speed is displayed right next to the speedometer itself – and they don’t agree with each other. Let’s say the cruise indicator said it was set to 76mph; according to the speedo, we’d be doing 82. Yes, we checked that this wasn’t radar cruise in action, and we were able to make it happen repeatedly, so it appears to be a quirk rather than a one-off occurrence. Either way, seeing two speeds displayed next to each other while you’re cruising does seem a bit ridiculous. Something else that’s ridiculous is the assortment of electronic

noises that bombard you as you drive along. Stray above the speed limit, approach a camera, wander close to the white line… the Rexton has a beep, squeak, fart or quack for every eventuality. They were all switched on when the vehicle was delivered and it was like listening to the world’s worst orchestra all tuning up at once – so we just switched them all off. Not really what you want to be doing when you’re talking about safety warnings, but needs must when there are so many of them that they become a distraction. Annoying though this was, we have to recognise that the Rexton is packed to the rafters with safety features. It already was, and it has more than ever now – all of it packaged up in a vehicle whose frame is made from 81.7% hightensile steel, making it massively strong if the worst does happen.

DRIVING Another advantage of the Rexton’s ultra-strong construction is that it promises a better NVH performance than ever. And this is largely borne out, particularly on the motorway, where it cruises very smoothly and quietly with next to no engine or road noise. There’s a distinct rustle of wind from around the wing mirrors when you get up to cruising speed, but this may well be more noticeable simply because everything else is so quiet.

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All Rextons are now seven-seaters as standard, though ours might as well not have been as there was a dog guard in the way. With the second and third rows down, it’s a vast cargo carrier – we slid a full sized household door in here without having to move the front seats forward

Getting up to speed does involve a bit of moaning from the engine. The new gearbox shifts quickly from ratio to ratio, however, so you don’t get the gales of noise some autos are prone to provoking under hard acceleration. The box shifts imperceptibly around town, too, where the Rexton glides around without fuss – all the while giving you a superb view of the traﬃc. It’s sharp and responsive on A and B-roads, too, where the Rexton now aims to deliver a more sporty drive than before thanks to its revised suspension. Certainly, it does grip very well in corners, staying commendably ﬂat after crouching just a touch on turnin. Rebound damping is excellent,

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too, so once you’re used to it you can hustle it along quite briskly. In fact, because the engine is so quiet once up to speed we alarmed ourselves once or twice by failing to realise just how fast we were going on the way in to corners. We’re pleased to report that the brakes are very good, then, and body control retains its composure even when you’re losing your own… Ride quality feels less sophisticated, with more shudders coming up through the chassis than we remember from the old model. It feels heavy over bumps and, at times, unsettled on corrugations. Whether this is a consequence of the new suspension’s tuning, we don’t know, however all Rextons

now run on 255/60R18 tyres; the old Ultimate model had 255/50R20s, and we remember being more impressed by its road manners. Off-road, the good news is that the change to a new gearbox hasn’t robbed the Rexton of low range. It’s still a proper off-roader, and those taller tyres stand it in better stead than the old model’s 20-inchers. The alloys they’re on do look vulnerable to rut rash, though. As before, with all-independent suspension there’s not a lot in the way of wheel travel to mould the vehicle to uneven ground. Traction

comes instead from the nowfamiliar electronic aids, which by and large do an excellent job of keeping you moving. Probably the most important of these for most Rexton owners will be the newly introduced Trailer Sway Control, which joins the suite of safety assistants to help prevent your rig from going rogue. This is standard on all models; you need to go for the Ultimate, however, if you want the cameras that drive 360-degree monitoring, blind spot and lane change warnings and rear cross traﬃc alert.

★★★★✩

SsangYong Rexton Ultimate Less of a luxury sleeper now, but improved in plenty of ways and still a very strong value proposition The Rexton used to feel very special. Now it merely feels very good, which is a bit of a come-down, however while it’s no longer tilting convincingly at luxury 4x4s it still offers exceptional build quality and a barnstorming array of equipment. You can’t call it a cheap truck any more, but it remains a strong proposition in terms of value – and, indeed, as a hard-working premium SUV

04/05/2021 14:22

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THE NEW REXTON

FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT • • • • • •

7 seater SUV LED headlamps and rear lamps 12.3” digital instrument cluster 2.2L engine; 441Nm torque Selectable 4x4 with low range 3.5 tonne towing capacity

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Fuel consumption figures in mpg: Combined 32.9. CO2 emissions in g/km 225. Model featured is a Rexton Ultimate priced at £41,355 including optional metallic paint priced at £690. *Rexton Ventura including VAT, delivery charge, Road Fund Licence & first registration charge. Prices are correct at the time of going to print but may be modified or changed at any time.

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26/04/2021 17:59

BARE NECESSITY Jeep teases us with the Red Bare concept – a vision of what we’ll be able to drive if the Words: Kaziyoshi Sasazaki Pictures: Jeep

t the present time, the double-cab market in Britain is in the process of losing an unprecedented number of its best known makes and models. But while there doesn’t ever seem to be any ﬁrm news about it one way or the other, hope springs eternal that before we’re much older, the Jeep Gladiator will be coming here to plug some of the gaps.

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It’s a very different proposition to anything we’ve had in Britain before, of course. But variety is the spice of life – and while there’s nothing wrong with plenty of the trucks we’ve had here up to now, the Gladiator would be the most exciting pick-up ever to make its UK debut. That’s not just because it’s a mighty great beast of a thing with the heart of a Wrangler and the proportions of a Ram. It’s also because the

majority of pick-up owners are rather partial to standing out in a crowd, and in particular they love to modify and accessorise their vehicles. And the Gladiator is probably the most accessorisable pick-up of all time. Accessorisable. Yes. Of COURSE that’s a word. As if to prove the point, Jeep recently unveiled the Red Bare. This is a Gladiator Rubicon taken to the max, with a range of modiﬁcations to make

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Gladiator comes to Britain

it more of an off-roader than ever. And, being a Rubicon, it was already more of an off-roader than almost anything else. It’s powered by Jeep’s 3.0-litre V6 EcoDiesel engine, which slugs out 260bhp and 442lbf. ft through the familiar eight-speed automatic gearbox. This has been calibrated to shift at lower speeds, helping to harness the engine’s torque at low speeds.

Also helping in this department is a set of Dana 44 heavy-duty axles whose diff ratios have been upgraded to 4.88:1. This gives the vehicle an overall ratio of 91:1 in low ﬁrst, even with a set of 37” BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains at the end of the drivetrain. Riding on 17” rims, these are accommodated by a 2” suspension lift from Jeep Performance Parts, the branch of Mopar that deals with the

fun stuff. Some of Jeep’s concept vehicles are very much one-offs but others demonstrate what you can build yourself if your pockets are deep enough, and this vehicle has the vibe of the latter; the Sand Slider rock rails, bed cover and rack system all come from Jeep Performance Parts and the bumper is home to a Warn winch and grille guard for two different forms of peace of mind when off-roading. There’s a factory colour scheme, too, with a Fire Cracker Red paint scheme complemented by custom black graphics and gold accents as well as Mojave hood and cowl pieces and a custom bonnet graphic. Up top, there’s a factory-fit black soft-top, and the full-height doors have been replaced by half-doors. There’s also a colour-coded sports bar mounted to the cargo bed, which in turn contains a second spare wheel protected by a rigid sliding tonneau cover. Inside, Katzkin Black leather seats have been customised with red stitching and custom chequered red inserts. The same flannel material is used to wrap the dash panel, while the floors have been sprayed with a red-tinted truck bed lining material and topped off with Mopar slush mats. Jeep feels that this gives the vehicle’s interior a ‘bold, rustic finish.’ We’re put in mind of a lumberjack shirt, and it doesn’t come much bolder or more rustic than that, so that would be job done. The purpose of this build was to evoke ‘the passion and enthusiasm of Jeep SUV owners who spend countless hours creating customised looks and modifications to express the unique personality of their trusty off-roading vehicle.’ It’s all about individuality – and about buying kit from Mopar and JPP, of course, but mainly it’s a Jeep thing and if you don’t get it, you never will. A bit like the Gladiator itself, then. Will we get it, or will we never? After all this teasing, we hope more than ever that Jeep does the decent thing and brings it here so we can set about building trucks like this ourselves.

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01/05/2021 23:24

KILLER

Boudica was among the earliest historical figures to become great British icons. ruthless warrior – so it’s very fitting that her name now lives on in a Land Rover Words: Gary Martin Pictures: Alan Kidd

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QUEEN

The legendary queen of the Iceni was an utterly that’s been designed to slay the opposition

f you ask people to name Britain’s greatest historical figures, there are a few that will crop up over and over again. Churchill is sure to be one. Queen Victoria would be another. Darwin, Brunel and Shakespeare are sure to be there or thereabouts, too, and you’d like to think Stephen Hawking and Alan Turing would be too. So too would King Arthur, and I’ve just asked the Editor and he said Archie Gemmill. What all these have in common is that they came after Boudica. The legendary Queen of the Iceni was possibly the first Briton ever to become an icon of our nation’s history. Around 60AD, she led a revolt against the might of the Roman empire which, though it was ultimately unsuccessful, came to embody the bulldog spirit which, centuries later, helped see us through the darkest days of the struggle to defeat Hitler. As is so often the case with history, the romance of the story can hide some uncomfortable truths. And there’s more than a little evidence to suggest that Boudica was actually a bit of a psycho. If you were a Game of Thrones watcher, you’ll remember that episode near the end where Daenerys rides into town aboard a dragon and leaves its entire population done to a turn – well, that’s basically what the Iceni did to London, only with a lot less fire and a lot more torture. History is a story told by the winners, of course, so who knows what really happened, but safe to say Boudica was up for a fight. And her legacy is

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Above left: Both axles are Land Rover units, though not as Land Rover made them. They’re been trussed and ﬁtted with ARB diff pans, protecting a set of innards which includes 330m shafts all round and 4.75:1 lockers front and rear, all from Ashcroft Above right: Siobhan’s partner Lee Craighead runs Titan Offroad Racing, whose hydralic steering is a common sight on top-level winch challenge trucks. Hardly a surprise that her own vehicle is a showcase for one of his set-ups, then… Below: Long-travel Rough Country shocks sit in fabricated brackets as part of a set-up designed for extreme ﬂex, with progressive-rate springs holding the vehicle up at the front. It’s still on radius arms and a panhard rod at the front, though the A-frame and rose-jointed trailing links at the back are aided in their articulation by dislocating lower spring seats

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Beneath the bonnet, you’ll ﬁnd a Land Rover 300Tdi engine – though like the axles, it’s a lot different to the way it was when Land Rover built it. It’s running bespoke injectors and injection pump, Spal fans and an Allisport VNT turbo and cooled by a standard radiator – standard, but mounted in the back to keep it away from the worst of the mud

definitely one which has come to be celebrated in Britain as an example of never-say-die willingness to stand up in the face of overwhelming odds. That’s definitely a useful approach to take when you’re winching your way into impossible-to-reach places, at any rate. Which is good, because when it comes to doing just that there’s a modern-day Boudica with no shortage of fighting spirit. Boudica is, naturally, a Land Rover. She started life as a Defender, and if you push it that’s what she still is, but her chassis has been cut down at both ends for better approach and departure angles and now has a Whitbread frame on top of it. She might be a Land Rover, but she’s also a purpose-built challenge special. The man who did the building is Lee Craighead, whose own challenge truck (a Patrol-axled spaceframe proto called Titan) appeared on the front cover of our March issue. Doing the driving, meanwhile, is his other half, Siobhan Cook, who’s to be found competing against him in the Odys-

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sey Batteries Winch Challenge series run annually by the Viking 4x4 Club. What she’s driving is a Defender whose Land Rover axles are turned by a Land Rover engine. None of these things are standard, needless to say, but they’re still about the most standard things on the truck. The engine is a 300Tdi with an Allisport VNT turbo, bespoke injectors and pump and, behind it, an Ashcroft monster box. There’s more Ashcroft stuff in the axles, too, in the shape of the company’s lockers and heavy-duty halfshafts, and the whole drivetrain ends up at a set of 37” Maxxis Trepadors. These are kept ﬁrmly on the ground by a high-articulation suspension set-up which dislocates at the rear, allowing a set of long-travel Rough Country shocks to stretch to their fullest extent. The Defender’s A-frame location is retained here, albeit with rose-jointed trailing links; a set of extreme-angle Bailey Morris propshafts

takes care of the massively increased potential for droop. These are the basics of a truck which, some four years ago, joined the family as a used and abused trials motor. ‘It used to compete in the hands of Matt Jarrett before we procured it,’ says Lee. ‘Then myself and Shaun Dighton set about turning it into a full-on Class 3 challenge truck with Land Rover axles instead of the Toyota 80s that were on it, suspension from RAC parts, 37” Treps instead of 35” Simex, cage alterations and the introduction of three winches, lockers and 300m shafts.’ He makes it sound so easy. But the build was done in parts rather than all being chucked on there at once. The ﬁrst stage of the project saw the Whitbread cage and Gigglepin winches go on to a freshly chopped chassis, then after that came the Land Rover axles – complete with all the mods that make them so much stronger and more tractable. Finally, the suspension was

01/05/2021 23:14

Above: Front and rear winches are Gigglepin GP84s with air freespools. There’s a Goodwinch unit in the centre, too, mounted alongside the Viair tank where compressed air is held Below: 37x12.50R16 Maxxis Trepadors are mounted on beadlocked modular rims. The hilarious thing is that for winch challenges, these actually count as quite small tyres by today’s standards

upgraded, giving the vehicle a level of ﬂex and articulation that would have been unthinkable in its trialling days. Watching her in action, Boudica does cover ground beautifully smoothly. Whether it’s at speed over an averagely rough quarry ﬂoor or crawling over rocks the size of your sofa, there’s a natural

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nature to the axles’ movement that stands it in very good stead. Even though those Trepadors are actually on the small side by the standard of today’s winch trucks, she ﬂexes her way over anything – and if the winches have to come out, they have the blistering page for which Gigglepin’s best are known.

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Something else that was noticeable from our photoshoot is that Siobhan is not scared to put the boot in. Not that that would come as any surprise to Lee, who reports that she was already showing a positive attitude behind the wheel back in 2018 on the Nightmare Challenge. ’On Stage 2 in the woods, Siobhan was giving it plenty,’ he says. ‘Next thing, I get a shout on the radio to come assist her as she was “broken down”. On arriving, it was clear she had been a little enthusiastic with the throttle and never made a turn, ultimately gaining a new-found close friendship with a rather large tree. ‘This had caused the steering joint to part company and the wheels to point in opposite directions. We recovered her to the pits, made haste and ﬁtted new parts then got her back out with a simple bit of advice: “Avoid the trees!”’ As this illustrates, to Lee off-roading is about much more than just the driving. ‘There are two sides to the off-road scene,’ he says. ‘The ﬁrst is the side everyone knows – the actual playtime, speed, mud, water, testing technical sections, camaraderie, banter, sunshine and snow… and the breakages. Which brings me to the second part – the work that goes into prepping them, friends giving up their own time without question to lend a hand, workshop banter being the best bit. And of course, the major support and understanding we get from our other halves. ‘I’m lucky in this respect as my other half is also into the same sport.’

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Siobhan and Lee have owned a wide variety of challenge and playday vehicles between them in the past, and both of them drive Audi SUVs as dailies, so it’s fair to say 4x4s are in their blood. And it’s deﬁnitely fair to say that after a series of competition cars of various levels of ability, Titan and Boudica represent the culmination of a developmental journey which ought to serve the couple very well indeed as the winching scene opens back up.

For a vehicle driven by one of the few women competing at the highest level of the winching game, Boudica is very well named. This is a Land Rover that’s standing up for itself in a male-dominated arena, after all, just as its namesake stood up to the Romans. The difference being that while the Queen of the Iceni caused absolute mayhem before her revolt was quelled, this Boudica is a lot more level headed. And she’s got a much better chance of beating the odds and winning, too…

01/05/2021 23:15

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ON TOP OF THE WORLD From the Med to the Atlantic, off-road almost all the way – that’s the dream-like reality

Words: Redmond Neale Pictures: Redmond Neale and Becky Woodcock

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4x4 04/05/2021 13:51

you can discover in the Pyrenees

ast month, I told the story of the mission I set out on last summer to conquer the Via Del Sale, a stunning old military track amid the Alpine peaks of northern Italy. Travelling with my ﬁancée Becky, we drove our Toyota Landcruiser Utility down through France, exploring a variety of unsurfaced trails along the way, before experiencing what must be one of the most beautiful off-tarmac routes anywhere in Europe. But the Via Del Sale was only a taster. For the main part of our holiday, we had made plans to drive coast-to-coast along the length of the Pyrenees – staying off-road all the way. This is of course prime territory for organised off-road tours, on which customers pay to join convoys being led by an experienced guide. It’s easy to see the attractions of doing it this way – campﬁre camaraderie, safety in numbers and routes set out by someone who already knows them, for example – but I prefer to do it myself. I use Wikiloc, an app and website which allows users to upload their own itineraries for others to follow; it has served me very well many times, and I had complete faith in my fellow subscribers to offer information that would help me plan the perfect route through the mountains. So it was that the morning after bidding farewell to the Via Del Sale, we pointed our Landcruiser along the coast for a six-hour blast into Catalonia – where Cap de Creus was to be the start of out coast-tocoast expedition in the Pyrenees.

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Clustered on a hill overlooking the El Segre river, Arfa is a typical Catalan mountain village. It’s near the border with Andorra and makes a perfect stopover before following the famous Smuggler’s Route over the mountains

Having explored Empuriabrava, an elegant coastal town whose network of canals has led it to be known as the Venice of Spain, we spent the night in Roses (that’s a village, not a flower bed) before striking out into what was going to be ten days in the unknown. It started very promisingly, too. The trail from Roses to Llanars is quite rough in places, definitely requiring low-range and difflock, and it’s also very remote in places. We saw a wild boar, which apparently is pretty rare, as well as three vultures eating a dead cow! We covered 88 miles in total – which took us six and a half hours.

We had planned an itinerary taking us from town to town, rather than just casting ourselves into the wild and setting up camp when every day at sunset. So our first trek through the wilderness finished off with us exploring the mediaeval border town of Camprodon and the modern ski resort of Vallter 2000 – as well as finding an ideal place to cool off with a swim in a river. Things speeded up the following day – this time we covered 90 miles in a blistering six hours! The trail from Llanars to Meranges was much smoother, taking us through some superb alpine woodlands to an overnight stop in a village

whose population at the last census was precisely 98. It was remote to say the least - the hotel owner told us that they never see anyone English in these parts, which was good to hear! We finished the day with a traditional Catalan meal, which could have been a hit-and-miss affair had it not been for Google Translate. This was a big part of the trip for us – we’re definitely not into visiting foreign countries then spending all our time looking for a Burger King. Food plays a massive role in any culture, after all – and a benefit of staying in hotels rather than camping is that instead of cooking for yourself all the time, which inevitably means trying to eat as ‘Britishly’ as possible using whatever you can find in local shops, you can experience local specialities done by people who know how to prepare them. This meant tapas the following evening, after a longer day on the

trails – 122 miles in nine hours, and we loved every minute. The scenery really was breathtaking and we spotted lots of wild animals – though not many people, with one section where we didn’t see anyone else for several hours. Eventually we did meet another couple from France, also travelling in a Landcruiser, who we stopped and had a chat with. Our destination was Arfa, a small town on the El Segre river near the border with Andorra. The Pyrenean micro-nation, which straddles the border between France and Spain, covers a slightly bigger area than the Isle of Wight and has about the same population as Inverness. Most of these live in the capital, Andorra la Vella, which is understandable as the rest of the country is made up largely of mountains. Sounds good, right? Well, that’s not the half of it. After a bit of a false start caused by a digger blocking our route, we got ourselves

Above: Among the many things you don’t expect to see when you’re following an off-road trail through the mountains is a large statue of a dog. Created by Emili Armengou, this is a monument to the breed of sheepdogs local to the Catalan province of Castellar de n’Hug Right: Ruined buildings are a slightly more common sight next to rights of way, but they’re not often as impressive as this

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on to a series of incredibly quiet forest trails – once again, we saw no-one else for several hours. These led to the famous Smuggler’s Route, a track which actually crosses the border into Andorra itself. It’s still used for smuggling today, believe it or not – you sometimes see police patrols waiting to pounce, which can be alarming though they definitely know the difference between overland travellers and contraband-runners. We checked in to our hotel, high up in the mountains, just after lunchtime then headed back out, first to explore the centre of Andorra La Vella on foot then to have a bash at another trail. This one turned out to be something really special, needing low range almost non-stop and lifting the Landcruiser’s wheels

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into the air in several places – all of it at an altitude of around 9000 feet. That’s one Ben Nevis on top of another, and what a place for a picnic! You can see why more than a million people visit Andorra every year, even if only a tiny fraction of them will ever appreciate what these trails offer. Fewer still will do what we did the following day and literally drive up a mountain. One of the trails we found climbed higher and higher, until we were literally driving on the naked rocks of a soaring peak with views in all directions across the Pyrenees. To say it was beautiful would be an epic understatement. We weren’t alone up there, as some guys in an older Landcruiser had also made the journey. There was another vehicle up there too –

a long-abandoned Volkswagen Type 2 sitting among a field of boulders. Battered, rusty and covered in stickers and graffiti, it’s jarringly out of place in such a wild environment – but also strangely fitting, as if it tells the tale of an indomitable spirit of adventure in the face of all odds. In an absolutely bizarre way, it also set the tone for what we were to come across the following day. The trails were busier, perhaps because it was a Sunday or maybe because were we driving through a lot of national parks, but we only came across one actual traffic jam – and it was made of cows! What put us in mind of the old Volkswagen, however, was finding what looked like a brand new BMW motorbike parked by the side of the

track. Brand new… but smashed up. It looked as if someone must have dropped it and possibly hurt themselves in the process – because however they exited the scene, no-one thought to take the keys with them! The chances of it staying there for as long as the old VW were, we felt, slim. Our plan for the day was to follow the trails to Plan des Artiguetes and walk to Saut deth Pish, a spectacular waterfall in the Val d’Aran. This was the perfect place for a picnic, which was good because the restaurant at our hotel didn’t even open until 9pm – which seems to be the norm in Catalunya. With a very early start in the morning, that didn’t really work for us. Our target for the day, Roda de Isábena, was only about a

04/05/2021 13:51

Taking endless photos of your dinner appears to be one of those things that come naturally if you’re aged under about 35 and make no sense at all if you’re not. At least, that’s how it is when you’re talking about visits to Pizza Hut or KFC. The sort of food that gets dished up when you’re travelling in the Pyrenees is a different matter altogether; in this case, it would seem rude not to share it with all your friends. So long as they don’t want you to actually share, obviously. Mussels aren’t a Pyreneean dish, by the way; this one was on the journey back home. Leaving dead livestock in large pits to feed the vultures, on the other hand, does seem to be a local speciality, though we’re delighted to say the authors didn’t furnish us with any pictures of that hundred or so miles away, but it was extremely slow going. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. The trail looked as if it had not been driven on in years and was very tight and scratchy in places – and we also had to negotiate a landslide, which meant moving

rocks in order to be able to pick out way across. Even in the town itself, when we finally got there, most of the ‘main’ roads are gravel-surfaced. We did get stuck in another traffic jam, though. Sheep, this time!

No English is spoken here at all, so it was slow going in more ways than one. That’s all part of the experience, though – and it was very much in keeping with the atmosphere of the hill-top town, which is very quaint and traditional. When all’s said and done, having to find ways of communicating with people didn’t get in the way of anything – and it’s certainly a small price to pay for the experience of travelling through places

where you’re not just another Brit in a football shirt. Another early start saw us heading for Nocito, in the province of Aragon – once again, about 110 miles but even slower going than before. This was one of the hardest trails so far, with lots of rock crawling. We even got stuck at one point – thankfully, the combination of low range, diff lock and a lot of power did the trick, but it was a scary moment. Once again, nobody spoke English. Nocito is absolutely miles

As the saying goes (sort of), you can drive more or less anything up a mountain. But if you want to drive back down again afterwards, you’d best be driving a Landcruiser

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Whatever happened to this BMW motorbike, it looked as if it might have been on its first time out when its owner dropped it. You can’t help but suspect that it was a sore one, because however they made their onward journey, they didn’t think to take the keys with them

from anything, really off the beaten track… which is kind of cool. The latest census records its population as 28, and we had chats with two of them. The first was the owner of the local bar, who told us in Spanish about a swimming spot in a river that’s a hike away, then drew a map showing us how to get there. It looked like nothing more than a scribble, but we followed it and, sure enough, it led us to an amazing little corner of paradise. Back in town for dinner, we managed to order our entire meal in Spanish. When I say that, I mean the waiter spoke to us, we agreed and he brought out food. Well, it worked. On the way to Luna the next day, we descended into the foothills of the Pyrenees. As our altitude dropped, the temperature started to climb up towards the mid-thirties – and with the heat came a new kind of landscape, with lots of parched rock formations. This route also included perhaps the toughest off-road section we were yet to face – an extreme sideslope made worse by a series of deep axle-twisters. During the trip, I lost count of how many times Becky said ‘you’re not going to get through that’ – which she certainly

did here, only this time I thought she might be right! It was very remote and virtually impossible to detour or turn around, so to be honest we shouldn’t really have been tackling this trail. But once we were in it, we were in it. The surface kept getting worse and worse until finally, we had to stop and build up a deep hole with stones – and that was before we came to the side slope. Becky walked ahead and guided me slowly, and she did it well because one false move and I would have rolled it. Despite several wheels-up moments, we made it through – not without some scratches from the rampant undergrowth, but we certainly weren’t going to worry about that when all that mattered was simply to keep it the right way up.

The next day, the difference was extraordinary. The route from Luna to Sangüesa was mile after mile of dry, dusty dirt trails through vast plains of farmland – nice, easy going, which was a relief after the previous day. We also spotted a group of eight baby boar walking along in a line, which was awesome. Finally, the route brought us to Bardenas Reales. The landscape here is very cool indeed – it’s basically an arid desert, certainly nothing like what you expect to see in Europe and very, very different to what we had been experiencing in the mountains. Having arrived in Sangüesa, where we were staying the night, we drove to a nearby lake for a swim. Unlike the rocky terrain surrounding the rivers we’d swum in on previous

days, the shore was rather muddy – though the locals actually cover themselves in the mud and then sit in the sun, so perhaps there was something special about it! There was another big change coming, too. After two weeks of hot temperatures, suddenly the sky above us was cloudy and the temperature much cooler. It was kind of refreshing as we followed another trail towards BurgueteAuritz, in the Basque region (its name is Burguete in Spanish, Auritz in Basque), a village that’s best known for being mentioned in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. It’s a nice place to stay (Hemingway went there twice), though we’ll remember it mainly for the landslide that forced us to reroute on the way there!

Back home, when you see a sign saying ‘unsuitable for motors’ you tend to sneer and go straight for it. In a landscape like this, on the other hand, it’s best to pay attention – you don’t want to be messing with the terrain up here without the right kind of truck on your side

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04/05/2021 13:52

We also met a group of French off-roaders on the trail who we had previously bumped into a couple of days earlier. It’s always interesting to catch up in these circumstances and talk about the route with fellow 4x4 drivers – definitely part of the camaraderie that surrounds overland travel. Arriving in the Basque region meant we were nearing the end of our trip. And sure enough, the next day saw us arrive in Hondarriba, close to the French border on the Atlantic coast. It wasn’t just a case of trundling up to the finishing

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line, though – our last day in the Pyrenees was another hundred miles of trails, with yet more rough, technical driving in places. What will really stick in our minds from today, though, was seeing something like 30 vultures feeding together in a wake. What we learned was that the farmers dump dead animals in huge pits for the vultures to devour their bodies – when we saw them, they were feasting on a baby horse. It’s incredible to see something like this in the wild, and to hear the sound they make. The smell was pretty incredible, too…

With the sea air refreshing our nostrils, we were able to put that fascinating but deeply gross experience behind us and enjoy an early dinner in the Basque port of San Sebastian prior to letting the Landcruiser show us the other side of its character in the morning – when we set off north for the big autoroute journey back home through France. We covered something like 575 miles in around nine hours, which was a bit quicker that what we had become used to – though even then, having broken the back of the journey on toll roads, we

spent the last couple of hours going cross-country and enjoying a very different kind of countryside. After that, the following day involved no more than a gentle drive to Calais, stopping off to explore some coastal villages then look round the huge shopping centre of Cite Europe before checking in for our crossing home on Le Shuttle. Our expedition had been every bit as good as we’d expected – and then some – and it had completely borne out my decision to change my old Suzuki Jimny for a bigger, newer and more standard Landcruiser.

04/05/2021 14:43

Not to put too fine a point on it, our Toyota had done its job to perfection. It never missed a beat and, however much I might muse about fitting bigger tyres, it didn’t want for anything in the way of modifications or accessories. Those French guys we met were amazed that we were going to do the Pyrenees in a virtually standard vehicle, but when we met them again they were able to see just how well it had done. Even so, I’m already toying with various ideas of what I want next. Possibly a classic old-school 4x4, if I can find a decent one, or maybe a pick-up. First, though, I’m already planning another trip. Later this year, we’ll be taking the Landcruiser back to the Alps – some new locations, and a different set of routes, but once again we’ll be exploring the region’s unsurfaced roads. Oh, and this trip will be more than just an expedition. It’s going to be our honeymoon. I’ve had a lot of cars in the ten years Becky and I have been together, and now I’m into off-roading who knows how more there are going to be. But whatever we end up driving, one thing’s for sure – I’ve already got the perfect travelling companion. As we plan our future trips together, I’m looking forward to a lifetime of Becky telling me ‘you’re not going to get through that.’ And I’ll do everything I can to keep on proving her wrong!

8pp Redmond Neale Pyrenees.indd 57

Opposite page, far left: The arid semi-desert region of Bardenas Reales feels very different from the lush mountains of the Pyrenees, but it’s every bit as exotic in its own way Opposite page, left: Also very exotic is the map drawn for the authors by a resident of Nocito, a village where nobdy speaks any English. It might not look like much, but it led them to a spot that was pretty much their own personal piece of paradise Right, below: En route from Nocito to Luna in the foothills of the Pyrenees, some of the trails are seriously tough – the axle-twisters seen on the right asked some real questions of the Landcruiser’s articulation and called its diff lock into action. Even when the going wasn’t as hard, rock formations like the one seen below tell you you’re definitely not green laning in Surrey anymore

04/05/2021 14:43

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OUR 4X4S Vehicle: Isuzu D-Max GO2 Year: 2018 Run by: Alan Kidd Last update: May 2021 On the fleet since: January 2020

And now for something completely diff… WHEN WE DECIDED to join the growing ranks of people whouse a pick-up truck as their off-road weapon, there was something we were very clear about. It had to have a locking rear diff. We’ve done a lot of off-roading in a lot of pick-ups. We’ve listened to a lot of waffle from manufacturers about why theirs is the best, and we’ve come to our own conclusions about what’s right and what’s not. Some are down to taste (give us a manual over an auto every time), while some are simple questions of fact. The manufacturer’s demo driver who tried to tell us the truck we were in was every bit as good off-road even though it didn’t have low range, for example, might as well have been sticking his fingers in his ears and going ‘lalalalala’ while the truth shouted in his face.

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The need for a rear locker perhaps floats somewhere in between those extremes. Land Rover, which used to make a Defender pick-up, would swear blind that its suspension was flexible enough to mean you’d never need one. And in truth, 99% of Defender owners didn’t. And fifteen years ago, Mitsubishi did away with it on versions of the L200 equipped with traction control, saying this feature did the same job only better. Most pick-ups do still offer a rear locker as either standard or optional equipment, however. But until the new D-Max came out earlier this year, Isuzu had always been an exception. We felt very much that we had proved the need for a locker in the old-model D-Max when we took an AT35 version up the late, lamented

Cam Steps in North Yorkshire and it made heavier weather of them than we thought possible. Its unladen and heavily sprung rear end just wanted to bounce, up and down and from side to side, until finally we built up the gaps between the steps themselves with loose rocks

and it was finally able to struggle to the top. The vehicle following it, a standard Defender 90 on 235s, walked up on tickover. Not proof of the need for a locker, perhaps, but certainly rock-solid evidence that in a vehicle designed to carry

4x4 01/05/2021 23:17

Above left: With the propshaft dropped away and the diff housing removed, the diff itself is lifted out leaving the halfshafts visible. Before starting work, the bearing caps need to be marked to show which is which Above right: Finding a space to locate the switches for the compressor and locker can be easier said than done. We managed to squeeze them in next to the controls for the heated seats, which feels like a bit of an odd contrast Right: The backlash is checked and the average reading noted down for reference when the assembly goes back together

Above: With the diff housing under tension in a spreader, the diff itself is pulled out. It’s essential to do this properly if the correct bearing preload is to be maintained when the finished unit goes back in Right: The crownwheel is unbolted then removed from the diff

Left: The bearings are removed from the diff centre using a puller. After this, the bearings and shims need to be kept separate so you don’t get mixed up as to which parts came from which side of the diff. The bearings and their cups can be reused so long as there’s no sign of any damage – something that’s only likely to be the case on an older and/or higher-mileage vehicle than ours. Next, using a caliper accurate to within 0.0015”, the exact distance from the bearing shoulder to the crownwheel face on both the old diff carrier and the body of the new Air-Locker has to be measured, as does the thickness of the shim pack you’ve removed – these figures will be essential when the new assembly is built up a tonne in the back, you need something to counter the laws of physics. Letting a load of air out of its back tyres might have been an answer. A tedious one when you’re green laning, but if push comes to shove you do what it takes. Being able to take an obstacle at a crawl without all your drive spinning out through one wheel the moment it gets

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light, on the other hand, is not tedious – and, as countless offroaders have proved time after time, it works. Hence the need for a locker in our D-Max. We were pretty strident about that when we talked to Isuzu about speccing it up, and when the new model arrived we were impressed to see that all but the entry-level Utility model come with a rear

diff-lock. Naturally, we’d like to take the credit for convincing them to see it our way, but we’d imagine they might already have had the idea. It’s a happy coincidence, though, that after nineteen locker-free years spanning the TF, Rodeo and first-generation D-Max, Isuzu should adopt this feature at the same time as installing one in our project truck.

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OUR 4X4S

Left: The build-up begins with the Air-Locker supported in a press so that the bearings can be pushed home. Here’s where you need to check, and double-check, that you’re using the correct bearings on either side of the unit before committing yourself Above: Before mounting the crownwheel, it’s given a thorough clean. Not the kind that involves soap and water, but a tap in the bolt holes followed by a seeing-to with an air line to make sure there’s no thread lock left in place. It’s good practice to gently rub the face of the crownwheel with a sharpening stone, too, again to remove any detritus and also to knock off any high spots

The crownwheel is eased on to the Air-Locker with its mounting holes carefully aligned. The bolts are wound in gently then torqued up in a star pattern to ensure it’s evenly seated

Time to choose carefully, and definitely not to rush… The diff housing needs to be drilled and tapped to take the air line into the locker. This needs to be in a position where it won’t risk interfering with the diff, crownwheel or any other obstructions, for obvious reasons. When drilling the hole, use rags to catch the iron filings you’re bound to create and inspect the inside of the housing afterwards to ensure none have escaped. Remove any burr from the edge of the hole you’ve just drilled, too – any risk of foreign contaminants getting loose in here has to be reduced as close as possible to zero

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Time for yet more careful work. Using a pillar drill, a quarter-inch hole needs to be put through the bearing cap for the copper air tube to pass through. This is not something you want to lash up – bearing caps are unique to the axle, so if you wreck it you can’t replace it

Of course, there are different kinds of locking diffs. Factory-fit axles tend to use e-lockers, which are electrically actuated, whereas the majority of retro-fit items will be air actuated. There are no hard and fast rules, but in most cases the latter tend to be stronger. We’ve spoken to Jeep fans, for instance, who say they would rather buy a version of the Wrangler without factory-fit diffs and instal an aftermarket unit instead. That view may well assume 37” tyres or beyond and extreme off-road use on baked-dry rocks

with more grip than a hungry boa constrictor. For what we’re doing, if a factory locker had been available we’d have been happy with that, but since it wasn’t we naturally wanted to go for the gold-standard aftermarket alternative. This meant putting in a call to Britpart, which has become the go-to supplier for ARB in the UK. The Australian company’s AirLockers have long been seen as the definitive answer to this question – they have a lot more competition these days than they once did, but ARB is still almost a Hoover word

in off-road circles. In the same way that Suzuki always used to get infuriated when people referred to the Samurai as a ‘Jeep’, other lockers’ manufacturers must grind their teeth in fury when they hear their products being called ‘arbs.’ When it comes to fitting one of these bad boys, if it’s a DIY job to you then you don’t need us to tell you how to do it. If you do need us to tell you how to do it, then you can’t do it. As a guide, all the modifications to our D-Max were done by Isuzu GB’s own technicians, so these are top, top spanner men.

They can do anything – including diffs, but normally they farm everything in that area out to specialists. The only reason they fitted the Air-Locker on our D-Max was that if they hadn’t, for us to take pictures of the job, we’d have needed a tremendously long lens. Tremendously long and able to see through walls. We’re a lot of things, but we’re not spies. Anyway, learn from that. The real experts, top pros that they are, don’t touch this job unless they have to. The guys who worked on our D-Max said they couldn’t remember the

Now comes the fun bit. To set the backlash on the new diff, first you need to put the bearing caps in place and torque them up. Then you check the backlash as before… and, when it turns out not to be right, undo the bearing caps, remove the diff and either add or subtract shims. Repeat as necessary, each time with more swearing, until the reading on the meter finally releases you from your torment

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OUR 4X4S

The copper tube now needs to be shaped so it will exit through the hole you drilled earlier in the diff case. It has to run snugly (but without touching) around the bearing cap so that it will clear the axle case when the diff is finally installed. Your hands are the best tool for this – the harsh, sharply edged jaws of a pair of pliers will only damage the tube last time they did a diff. And that’s before you get into the business of installing the locker itself, which adds complexity and introduces bountiful opportunities to mess it up. Drilling a hole in your diff case? Yeah, better not do that without being sure you’ve marked a big ‘X’ in exactly the right place… So, our suggestion is that unless you’re a seriously capable mechanic yourself, this is a job you leave to a pro. Even if you do as much of your own work as you can, you want to be pretty certain of yourself before giving this one a bash – not least because the equipment you’re installing is pricey stuff, as of course is the axle you’re installing it in. Apart from anything else, if

you’re doing it as a one-off you’ll need to invest in a set of special tools that won’t be much use ever again, so you might as well spend the money on a bloke who already has the right kit and knows how to use it. Whoever does the job, something you will have to decide is where to mount the air compressor and the switches for the locker. In a pick-up, under the back seat is an obvious place for the former, while with the latter it’s a case of figuring it out based on the specific make and model of truck you’ve got. We managed to squeeze them in next to the buttons for the heated seats, which is a sentence that will make you roll your eyes if you’re a grizzled

old-school off-roader who thinks it’s not fun unless you’re having a good, miserable time. Talking of things that are not fun, lockdown has meant no lock-up. Obviously we tested the Air-Locker’s operation once it had been fitted, and all was good, but access to the sort of terrain that requires it has been, well, absent while we’ve all had to stay at home. Part of that has of course been down to the fact that in addition to its diff lock, our D-Max also has an outstanding suspension system from Pedders and an excellent set of General Grabber X3 mud-terrain tyres which, like the ARBs, are as strong as they are effective. It’s also due to the fact that the Cam Steps

have been levelled into a smooth, gentle hill. Phew, a right of way that had character. Just as well that’s been sorted, then. The Cam Steps might have gone the same way as Tilberthwaite Lane, Stanage Edge and many others, but our D-Max has character in a way no self-important fun sponge can kill. And now that the off-road centres are opening back up again, we’re getting set to reinforce that with a session on the axle-twisters which will let its Air-Lockers prove their worth once and for all. We were, don’t let’s forget, very clear that the truck needed one. So it would be rude not to. It’s a tough job, this…

Left: A bulkhead fitting is now slid over the tube and screwed into the tapped hole in the diff housing Above: With a seal of instant gasket run around the mounting face, the new diff can now be installed into the axle and the propshaft and drive flanges refitted before topping up with oil. It’s then a case of mating the air hose to the output from the compressor, which is then wired up – and final leak testing can begin

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ROADBOOK

THE LAKE DISTRICT

Classic old roads amid a majestic landscape of hills and mountains 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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ROADBOOK The Lake District has a long-held appeal for green lane users. Its unsurfaced roads have been sterilised somewhat by resurfacing work over the last couple of years, and of course various rights of way have been lost over time to the effect of anti-vehicle politics. But as this roadbook demonstrates, it’s still a sensational place to go if you want to experience Britain at its most free, with long, gloriously scenic lanes through a sublime landscape of mountains and forests. As post-lockdown adventures go, they don’t come much better than this!

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ROUTE GUIDE

is it suitable?

START FINISH HOW LONG? TERRAIN HAZARDS

TYRES

OS MAPS

Step

0.0 Step

1.75

Pooley Bridge (NY 471 244) Lowick Bridge (SD 292 865) 61.4 miles / 7-8 hours Hilly farmland and mountainous moors Isolation; other users; occasional technical sections, mainly rocky Landranger 90 (Penrith & Keswick) Landranger 96 (Barrow & South Lakeland)

NY 471 244

Start in Pooley Bridge, outside the Sun Inn – it’s on the main street through the village, as are a number of local shops which would be a good place to stock up. Zero your trip with the pub door to your right and set off heading more or less west, then follow the main road over the bridge at the traﬃc lights Turn right at the Brackenrigg pub

Bennethead

WEATHER LOW BOX SOFT-ROADERS SCRATCHING DRIVING DAMAGE

Road tyres with low-proﬁle sizes may be susceptible to damage Avoid when foggy or icy Will make it more relaxing Tougher ones should manage it Minimal risk Discpline required when passing other users and people’s homes Very occasional potential for rocks to catch your underbody

Step

2.5 Step

Penruddock Greystoke

3 412

NY 437 242

A sign by the gate tells you you’re on your way into Tongue House

2.85

Step 1: Start outside the Sun Inn in Pooley Bridge, a pub that would make a good place to stay the night before your trip Step 13 (right): The Old Coach Road is one of the most beautiful green lanes anywhere in Britain. Five miles of pure perfection

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Step

Dead slow past the house. As the road swings right then left, it feels as if you’re driving into someone’s garden; you’re not, but you’re certainly in their territory so be respectful

3.05 Step

3.45

Step

10 5.5 Step

NY 429 237

11 7.1

Public Way

A509 Ullswater 234

Step

3.55

8.35

Step

NY 380 219

4.5

9.35

ZERO TRIP

Step

5.25

4x4 12pp Roadbook June 21.indd 69

13 You probably do have the right of way here, but the white lines on the road suggest everyone is to give way to everyone else

Matterdale End Dockray

2 314

Step

Turn right at the Royal Hotel in Dockray

High Row 1 Dowthwaite Head 2

Follow the sign for St John’s in the Vale (assuming it’s pointing in the right direction, which it wasn’t when we visited). Take great care here – the start of the lane goes through a car park, and you’re certain to encounter walkers on the route

The descent steepens quite sharply and gets rockier. After this, stay on the proper track through the quarry area – it’s not a playground

4.3

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Step 21 (left): The hairpin is very tight and pretty steep – in most vehicles, it’ll be a toss-up between staying in low range and going into two-wheel drive to avoid winding up your centre diff Step 27: Watch out for the road ahead to Red Bank as you roll through Grasmere Step

Step

Caution – there’s a bit of a step down on the far side of the crossing

4.5

6.3

Step

4.9

6.35

16 Step

Caution – this is a main road, and it’s blind on the left

Step

5.0

6.45

Step

5.05 Step

19 5.3

Keswick

414

NY 312 231

St Johns in the Vale Church Diocesan Youth Centre

6.75 Step

25 Step

6.05

9.4

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Extreme caution – it’s very sharp over your shoulder on to a busy main road. Use shunts rather than swinging out on to the wrong side of the road

ZERO TRIP

7.25

Step

There’s a very sharp hairpin as you drop down the hill. You’ll want low range, but it’s so tight and grippy that you could also do with not having diff-lock engaged…

26 Grasmere Village

4x4 01/05/2021 23:10

Step

Take the road signed for Red Bank

9.9 Step

Caution – there’ll be loads of people on foot around here

10.0 Step

RED BANK ROAD

12.95 Step

30 1.75 Step

31 2.1

4x4 12pp Roadbook June 21.indd 71

Step

ZERO TRIP

32 Coniston A593

NY 329 022

The turning is hard to spot. It’s the ﬁrst of any sort on the right after you’ve passed the road on the right for Elterwater and the Langdales. Look out for the wooden parish notice board on the corner as a landmark, too. Having turned, continue straight ahead at the fork

A home-made sign says no through road. It’s trying to deceive you, but you will go very close to someone’s home so again, it’s time to show maximum respect

Dead slow through the farm, then the road becomes a track as you go through the gate

2.25 Step

As you climb, you’ll round a tight left-hander into a set of rock steps. Don’t follow the tyre tracks going up the hill straight ahead

2.4 Step

34 2.6

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Step 39 (left): This picture shows the route out of the farmyard. Stop short of the ﬁrst gate and open them all before passing through, rather than sitting in front of the house with your engine running Step

Step

2.65

4.15

Step

3.25

6.35

35 36

37 38 Step

SD 312 996

Caution – the turning is sharp enough that you’ll probably need a shunt

Tilberthwaite

When you reach the farmyard, stop and open all the gates before heading through, then stop again to close them. Out of respect to the people who live here, don’t sit in the middle of their home with your engine chuntering away

7.7 Step

40 8.7

Public Way Fell Foot 12

Step

41 8.8 Step

Caution past the old farmhouse and over the bridge – it’s ridiculously narrow

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Step

ZERO TRIP

9.25 Step

44 0.15 Step

45 0.95 Step

46 47 1.6

4x4 12pp Roadbook June 21.indd 73

48 1.95

It’s not obvious who has right of way at the junction

Little Langdale Ambleside

NY 313 034

Ambleside (Challenging option)

Keep it slow past the farmhouse

Step

49 2.05 Step

ZERO TRIP

Colwith Little Langdale

Caution – this is a main road

1.3 Step

Coniston

NY 328 017

2.0

1.2 Step

Step

Watch out for a sharply raised ironwork in the track just before the gate. The going gets quite rocky for the rest of the way after this

Step

52 2.1

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Step

Some nice rock steps to get up here

2.25 Step

54 55 3.85

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Extreme caution – this is a horrible junction. It’s blind over your left shoulder and also round the corner to your right

3.95 Another set of rocks

Step

57 4.6

3.0 Step

Step

Keep it slow past the house

Step

58 4.7

Hawkshead Newby Bridge

4x4 01/05/2021 23:11

Step

59 5.25 Step

60 5.55

Grizedale 3 Newby Bridge 8

The turning is very hard to spot until you’re on it

Grizedale Satterthwaite

Step 66: Just after the fox sculpture (inset), as the main track swings right look for a smaller one ahead. Don’t assume the timber stacks in our picture will still be there…

Step

5.75

8.45

61 Step

62 8.1 Step

63 8.35

4x4 12pp Roadbook June 21.indd 75

64 SD 336 944

In Grizedale, pass Go Ape on your right then come in to the cluster of buildings. Look for a red post box in the wall on your right, then opposite that turn left and immediately left again on to the track. You WILL need to swing wide and use all the road, and even then you’ll need a shunt The biggest rocks come towards the top of the hill

Step

65 8.7 Step

As the main track swings right just after you see the Fox sculpture, fork left so as to go more or less straight ahead on a smaller track, then immediately fork right as it splits

8.9

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Step

Where the track splits around the tree, the correct line is to its left. There’s an impressively uneven rock ledge to crawl over as you drop down a short, steep hill

9.45 Step

Step

70 3.25

ZERO TRIP

Step

9.65

5.3

Step

2.8

6.15

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You have the right of way, but there are no road markings so assume the other bloke thinks he has too

SD 319 873

The turning is as you pass the Oxen Park village sign

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Step

Dead slow past the house

6.35 Step

74 75 7.9

78 9.8

SD 323 894

Turn left at the T-junction with the road then almost immediately left again on to another track

7.65 Step

Step

79 10.8

Take the left fork where the track splits on the way up the hill

Step

Caution over the cross-roads (it’s a fast road), then pull up outside the Red Lion for the end of the route

10.9

Step

76 8.9 Step

77 9.05 4x4 12pp Roadbook June 21.indd 77

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15.2

Step

12.8

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

15.0 Step

13.4

11.7

Step

There’s a coup le of huge wate troughs afte r r the junction

1312 .1 .6

10.9

11.8

More rock steps, water trough

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

track

You may find yourself drivi a river bed ng along for a while…

13.65 Step

45 14.7

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

18 80 | JUNE 2021

Step

12.8 88 | JAN UARY 2020

Next Month June.indd 80

these axleentum to clear t need a bit of mom the right is much bigger Step 37: You migh -off to warned, the drop twisters – but be than it looks here

4x4

14.9 28/04/2021 20:49

THE NEW NAME IN ALL-TERRAIN

Now available in a wide range of 15-21 inch fitments

Life is an adventure. Embrace the ride with Terratoura A/T. Davanti’s rugged all-terrain tyre is ready for anything. Whether you’re exploring off the beaten track or navigating the highways and byways, Terratoura A/T will get you wherever you need to go.

INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW ISUZU D-MAX

WHEN YOU’VE GOT TO BE NOWHERE

SMARTER. STRONGER. SAFER.

PICK-UP OF THE YEAR

2021

DRIVEN TO DO

VISIT ISUZU.CO.UK FOR MORE INFORMATION All fuel consumption and emission values are based on the new WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) test cycle which uses real-world driving data. Official fuel economy for the standard Isuzu D-Max range in MPG (l/100km): Low 25.1–27.6 (10.2–11.2). Mid 31.4–36.4 (7.8–9.0). High 36.0–39.4 (7.2–7.8). Extra-High 29.0–30.8 (9.2–9.7). Combined 30.7–33.6 (8.4–9.2). CO2 emissions 220–241 g/km. The All-New Isuzu D-Max is Smarter Stronger Safer compared to previous model. Visit isuzu.co.uk for full details.

32578 Isuzu 4x4 Magazine Ad_1.indd 1

28/04/2021 13:52