4x4 Magazine - October 2021

4x4

NEWS • TECH • DEBATE • TRAVEL • MODIFIED VEHICLES • GREEN LANING DRIVEN A 110 with an engine you’ll really want

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

GLOBAL DISCOVERY

How this unique 300Tdi went from being a Tesco cruiser to one of the smartest overland wagons you’ve ever seen

INEOS Grenadier: Shotgun ride in the all-new off-road hero

£4.99

Roadbook: Bruising lanes in the depths of South Devon

OCT 2021

On safari in the wonderful wilderness of Botswana 4x4 Cover Oct OK'd by Sarah.indd 1

29/08/2021 21:45

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October 2021

CONTENTS

36

‘With all that torque at such low revs, it covers sticky ground with dismissive ease’

42

2 | OCTOBER 2021

PAGE NOS AND SUBS INFO 2-3 Contents Oct.indd 2

20 48

4x4 31/08/2021 16:00

66 12 MAGAZINES FOR THE PRICE OF 3!

Subscribe to Britain’s only 4x4 magazine and save a massive 75% by getting it delivered every month. Your last chance to grab this amazing offer!

4x4 Scene: News, Products and More…

14 16 16 18 19 20 22 22 24 24 26 27

SsangYong New design direction could mean a hardcore off-road model Isuzu D-Max Huntsman pack returns to tailor new model to country life Range Rover Sport SVR Ultimate moves further upmarket than ever East Gloucestershire Fear and loathing in the Cotswolds Ramsden Road Restrictions proposed in the face of relentless vandalism BXCC 50-strong field endures sweltering heat in the hills at Sweet Lamb Bridgestone Silverline becomes first stockist for new Dueler M/T 674 Minerva Oils Wide range of lubricants joins the range at Euro4x4parts Osram Flexible LED strip-lights are ideal for expedition trucks and more Mopar +2” lift kit for Jeep Wrangler 4xe is a world first ARB Drawer kit helps maintain order in the back of your Defender Machine Mart Pro-quality tool chests join the Clarke range of workshop kit

Driven 28 30 34 36

INEOS Grenadier First passenger ride in the much-vaunted new off-roader VW T-Roc R Performance SUV aims to be more than a fast Golf on stilts Lexus RX450h Ultra-smooth premium SUV better than ever in Takumi form Defender 110 D250 Torque-laden six-pot diesel makes a great truck greater

Every Month 4 66 68 80

Alan Kidd Are proper off-road vehicles about to come back into fashion?

Subscribe Stay at home and get 4x4 delivered – and save a huge 75%!

Roadbook The lanes of South Devon are definitely not for the faint-hearted Next Month Some seriously cool variations on the classic 4x4 theme

Features 6 42 48 56

Bowler Defender Challenge New 90 becomes a full-on cross-country racer Unique Wrangler JK Rare 3.6 Edition model gets the Storm Jeeps treatment Discovery Camper The story of a truly sensational one-off conversion Dacia to the Rescue 4x4 Dusters at work saving lives in Europe’s mountains

Travel 58

Botswana An entire world of ecosystems in one almost deserted nation

68 South Devon Roadbook rough, hilly and

28

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OCTOBER 2021 | 3

31/08/2021 16:00

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

Alan Kidd Editor

C

Is the proper off-road market about to come back into fashsion again?

ar manufacturers are forever trying to predict the future. It takes something like half a decade to develop a new model from scratch, so they need to know that what they’re working on now will be the right thing for their customers in five years’ time. There’s a whole industry dedicated to delivering ‘market intelligence’ to help them do this, and entire departments whose sole job is to predict things like what paint colours will be in fashion when the next generation of vehicles comes out.

It’s a long way from a bloke picking up a stick and drawing the outline of a rudimentary 4x4 in the sand on a beach in Anglesey, then the finished vehicle being launched to the world the following year.

But we all know how that ended up.

Anyway, some time in the late 1980s or very early 1990s, when everyone was turning its back on GTis and falling over themselves to buy an off-roader instead, someone came up with a bit of business intelligence that helped shape the future of the car market in a way they can’t possibly have imagined. They looked at all these Suzuki Samurais, Land Rover Discoverys, Mitsubishi Shoguns, Isuzu Troopers, Jeep Cherokees and so on that were sweeping the world, and they noticed something: almost nobody was taking them off-road.

And so, quite rightly, they figured that if car manufacturers were to make vehicles that looked like these off-roaders but weren’t, people would buy them anyway.

If vehicles with low-range transfer cases, beam axles and ladder chassis were being driven by people to whom all these things were actually irrelevant, you could take them away and they wouldn’t stop.

It stands to reason. As I write this, I’m eating a takeaway pizza from a cardboard box. If the cardboard box had teak inserts to make it stronger and a brass lock for security, it would make no difference to my dinner – but it would make life harder and more expensive for the company that makes the pizza.

Someone who used to put pizzas in boxes designed around the same principle as the antique campaign chest in my mum’s living room would, at some stage,

4 | OCTOBER 2021

Edline Oct.indd 4

have realised that cardboard would work just as well and nobody would mind. If that someone worked in the market intelligence sector, every pizza maker would jumped on the cardboard bandwagon overnight.

And so it was with 4x4s. The first soft-roader on the market was the Toyota RAV4 (I’m not counting the Matra Rancho, though it certainly has a claim), but it was followed by an absolute torrent of new-style motors with monocoque construction, allindependent suspension and no low range.

It’s not because Toyota had the idea and everyone copied them. It’s because everyone was working on the same idea and Toyota was first on the market with it.

Pretty soon, the world was awash with softroaders, and it has been ever since.

But has there been some other sort of market intelligence that flies in the face of all this? I ask because while soft-roaders do continue to Rule OK, I’m seeing a few signs here and there that car makers are starting to pay attention to the proper off-road market again too.

There will be no wholesale return to the days when everything had low box, clearly. But consider the INEOS Grenadier.

The guy behind it didn’t become Britain’s richest man by chucking billions at vanity projects. The company did all its proper due diligence on the business case for creating a brand new hardcore off-roader and concluded that yes, a market did exist.

Then there’s SsangYong. Its latest design sketch for a forthcoming new model shows a vehicle looking like a cross between a Toyota FJ Cruiser and the Jeep Hurricane.

The Rexton and Korando are both way too new to be ready for replacement, so this is either the next-gen Tivoli (in which case the design is incredibly misleading at best) or a whole new model.

SsangYong calls itself the Korean Land Rover. Is it about to hit us with a Korean Defender? Now, that really would be a case, and a heroically bold one, of a car maker trying to predict the future.

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, Gary Noskill, Olly Sack, Tom Alderney, Gary Simpson, Mike Trott, Raymond and Nereide Greaves Photographers Harry Hamm, Steve Taylor, Richard Hair, Vic Peel, David Sharp, Richard Barnett Group Advertising Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Manager Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 553244 Advertising Production Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Subscriptions Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription, call 01283 553242. Prices for 12 issues: UK £42 (24 issues £76); Europe Airmail/ROW Surface £54; ROW Airmail £78 Distributed by Marketforce; www.marketforce.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure the contents of 4x4 are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these.

When responding to any advert in 4x4, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org 4x4 is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House 1.08, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

© Assignment Media Ltd, 2021

4x4 31/08/2021 16:01

OEM Spec Springs Leaf Springs These springs are manufactured to the original OEM specification and constructed from the correct grade alloy steel - 60SiCr8. Each leaf is heat treated consisting of hardening & tempering as the Land Rover engineers specified. Fitted with OEM bushes, these leaf springs will therefore give you years of service with the correct ride comfort for your Series vehicle.

241283G

SWB

Petrol

Front

9 Leaf

RHS

242863G SWB

Petrol

Front

9 Leaf

LHS

265627G SWB

Diesel

Front

11 Leaf

RHS

264563G SWB & LWB Diesel

Front

11 Leaf

LHS

517588G

SWB

Rear

11 Leaf

RHS

517589G

SWB

Rear

11 Leaf

LHS

276034G LWB

Front

11 Leaf

RHS

265627G LWB Diesel & Petrol

Front

11 Leaf

RHS

279678G LWB

Rear

10 Leaf

RHS

279679G LWB

Rear

10 Leaf

LHS

272967G LWB Heavy-duty

Rear

8 Leaf

RHS

272968G LWB Heavy-duty

Rear

8 Leaf

LHS

535173G

LWB - 1 Ton

Rear

9 Leaf

RHS & LHS

562631G

Lightweight

Rear

7 Leaf

RHS

562632G Lightweight

Rear

7 Leaf

LHS

279678G

517588G

“Years of service with the correct ride comfort...”

272967G

562631G

Parabolic Springs The Britpart range of high quality parabolic springs are made to the exacting specifications as fitted to Santana specification vehicles.

Manufactured to an OEM standard and quality by using the correct grade alloy steel - 60SiCr8.

Heat treated consisting of hardening & tempering and springs are shot peened before painting. These parabolic springs will bring a comfortable ride and improved handling to your Series vehicle. Note - Includes ‘U’ bolts and nuts.

DA4106 DA4107 DA2003

Series - SWB/LWB Series - SWB Series - LWB

2 Leaf 3 Leaf 4 Leaf

Front kit pair Rear kit pair Rear kit pair

DA4107

www.britpart.com Find your nearest stockist - www.britpart.com/stockist

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DEFENDER: ON THE ATTACK Land Rover is getting ready for a return to top-level motorsport – with this Dakar-ready Words: Tom Alderney Pictures: Land Rover

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ince 1985, the name Bowler has been an ever-present at the leading edge of off-road motorsport in the UK. Founded by the late Drew Bowler and now part of the Land Rover empire, the Derbyshire company was already very highly respected in comp safari circles before becoming globally

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famous when the Wildcat 200 started appearing in the Dakar Rally and other international cross-country events.

More recently, Bowler built a series of competition cars based on the old-shape Defender which competed in their own championship on the UK stage rallying circuit. And now, the company has

unveiled the successor to those vehicles – the 2022 Bowler Defender Challenge.

Based on the current Defender 90, the Bowler Challenge model is fitted with a version of Land Rover’s turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine developing 300bhp. It’s fitted with a full cage, underbody protection, raised suspension, 18”

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Defender 90 prepared by in-house rally specialist Bowler Motors

rally-spec wheels and column-mounted paddle shifters for its auto box.

The vehicle is certain to become a collector’s item. However it was created for a more direct purpose – to compete in a new version of the Bowler Defender Challenge rally series, which will take place over the course of seven events

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around the UK during 2022. Packages start from £99,500, which includes the vehicle itself and entry into the series, complete with event support.

As before, the series is designed to act as a feeder into international cross-country rallying and an environment in which drivers and navigators can learn the ropes. It’s open to competitors

with any level of experience, with its own dedicated service and hospitality areas as well as the option of training and extended support. Bowler says past versions of the Challenge have been ‘an ideal platform on which to gain motorsport knowhow before joining other Bowlers and competing in rally-raid events across the globe.’

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‘Our technical support, married to Bowler’s legendary rally expertise, has turned the Defender into a purposeful competition machine’

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Some car makers put a set of alloys and stickers on a warm hatchback and talk about it being ‘rally bred.’ This is not one of those: it’s a fully prepared competition car. Held securely in your bucket seat by a six-point harness, you share the cabin with a full FIA-spec roll cage and plumbed in fire system, and there’s a full set of controls including navigator’s-side switches for the horn, wipers and washers. Behind the steering wheel, meanwhile, are paddle shifters for the automatic box – something which, at this moment in time, is unique to the Bowler-built Defender

All competitors will be driving identical Bowler Defender Challenge 90s. Bowler Motors, which since 2019 has been part of Jaguar Land Rover’s SVO operation, prepares the vehicles by stripping them down and rebuilding them into full-spec competition cars.

In doing so, it makes detailed modifications to the Defender’s body shell, adding extra rigidity to cope with the specific demands of motorsport.

This was designed in tandem with a full-width, full-length underbody protection system in 6mm aluminium, and there’s also a full FIA-spec internal roll cage linked in to the suspension mounts.

Underneath, the suspension subframes have been modified, with front and rear strut braces

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adding extra strength up top, and the engine, gearbox and radiator mounts have all been revised to cope with motorsport use. There’s a rally-spec rear crossmember, too, and the spare wheel is mounted on the rear stays of the cage.

Talking of the suspension, a set of bespoke turrets hold stiffened springs and Fox dampers, and the upper front wishbone is revised to suit the geometry of the vehicle’s new ride height. All-terrain tyres are mounted on bespoke 18” wheels.

Performance-wise, the suspension is very much the focus of the work that’s been done on the vehicle. The 2.0-litre Ingenium engine remains largely standard, though it does breathe out through Bowler’s own sport exhaust. Cooling for

the engine is improved by modifications, including the removal of the auxiliary radiators, designed to allow greater airflow through the main radiator, and cooling capacity for the automatic gearbox is also increased.

Sticking with the gearbox, this has a new column shift position that’s been optimised for the vehicle’s motorsport bucket seats. It also gains paddle shifts behind the steering wheel – something which is currently unique to Bowler.

The company has developed its own rally-focused software, too. This is fully integrated into the 90’s ECU network and ABS/DCS system – as well as the standard safety systems which remain in place (unlike the airbags, all of which have

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been removed). The body control unit has been adapted for motorsport use, too.

In addition to all of this, the engine breathes in through a raised air intake. In Britain, these are traditionally fitted to protect against water ingress during deep wading; this tends not to be a big issue on stage rallies, however dust certainly can be – and, as is the case in most of the world, a snorkel is the best way of protecting your engine long-term and preventing its air filter from getting clogged by the sort of intense clouds that can be kicked up by other vehicles’ wheels.

From the outside, while the vehicle’s purpose is already very clear there’s further evidence for it in the shape of a roof spoiler, with integrated high-level marker lights, and additional front and rear lighting. All door windows have been replaced by polycarbonate, as have the Alpine lights in the roof.

Inside, items like a kill switch, plumbed-in fire extinguisher and navigator’s-side controls for the lights, washers and horn further demonstrate that this is very much a motorsport machine. There’s a rally-spec facia on the dash, too.

Elsewhere, there’s not a detail left unattended to. The navigator gets a footrest, the wheelarches are extended and reinforced and there are additional bonnet-mounted windscreen washers to deal with the levels of crud and dirty water that get thrown around when off-roading at max chat.

For the same reason, the standard mud flaps have made way for rally-spec units, and for extra safety and speed off access to the spare wheel there’s a manual release mechanism for the rear door. As you’d expect from a team with Bowler’s pedigree (it had the second-largest factory entry in the 2005 Dakar), no stone has been left unturned in the quest for rallying perfection with the new Defender.

‘The development of the new Bowler Defender Challenge rally car perfectly illustrates the mutual benefits of Bowler joining Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations,’ comments SVO boss Michael van der Sande. ‘Our technical support, married to Bowler’s legendary rally expertise, has turned the extraordinarily capable Defender into a purposeful competition machine.

‘The Bowler Defender Challenge will prove the Defender’s durability through some of the very toughest conditions, while providing an exciting and accessible entry point into all-terrain motorsport for a new generation of Bowler and Land Rover customers.’

It may not have escaped your notice that the Defender Challenge’s £99,500 price tag is very close indeed to that of another recently introduced member of the Defender family – the 5.0-litre V8. In this case, however, you also get a supported entry into a full rally championship as part of the deal.

As for the vehicle itself, one suspects most off-roaders and Land Rovers fans alike would sooner have a Bowler-prepped rally truck than a lowered speed machine. Though if you can afford one, you can probably have both…

A good chunk of the value in this vehicle comes from Bowler’s suspension work – which in this case features remote-reservoir Fox dampers. The suspension mounts are linked in to the roll cage, and front and rear turrets alike are reinforced by strut braces

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Above, left to right: The vehicle’s front profile has been amended to integrate the bumper with a complex underbody protection plate. The sills are protected, too, by a full-width hull made from 6mm reinforced aluminium. To comply with rally regs, the window glass has been replaced with polycarbonate, and a raised air intake feeds mainly dust-free air to the engine – a version of Land Rover’s turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol unit developing 300bhp. Production-class eligibility rules mean the engine is essentially standard, as is the gearbox, though both sit on strengthened mounts amid a fully braced structure of main monocoque and subframes

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NEW 4X4S

New design language previewed off-road model to come X200 codename for ‘next generation SUV’ from Korean 4x4 specialist • Fully electric

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sangYong has previewed the styling of the X200 – its codename for what it calls its ‘next generation SUV.’ If the company’s sketches are accurate, this will look something like a cross between a Jeep Wrangler and a Toyota FJ Cruiser.

With the Rexton and Korando both still many years from replacement, the identity of the new vehicle is something of a mystery. The oldest model in the company’s current range, the Tivoli was only facelifted last year – and this is a crossover whose character would be dramatically at odds with the hardcore appearance of the X200.

SsangYong has also recently revealed what it calls the J100 – a medium-sized SUV which will sit between the Korando and the Rexton in its range. This will be fully electric; like the Rexton, it will also spawn a pick-up variant.

The J100 is scheduled to go on sale in Korea in 2022, with European markets following on. Before this, SsangYong’s first full EV, the Korando e-motion, is due here before the end of 2021 – having been delayed by the global shortage of semiconductors following its introduction in Korea in June.

Again, the sketches for this vehicle show a return to much more aggressive design language than has been apparently in SsangYong’s most recent models. There are similarities to some of Land Rover’s recent products, and in pick-up form the front end bears more than a passing resemblance to the current Mitsubishi. L200.

This inevitably lead to speculation that the J100 will ultimately become the replacement for the current Musso. However this vehicle is still a long way from replacement, with a first facelift since launch in 2018 due to appear on the forecourt towards the end of this year. The current Musso is based on the Rexton, itself recently facelifted, so

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NEW 4X4S

by SsangYong hints at hardcore mid-size SUV also coming next year • Facelifted Musso pick-up on sale this autumn this would represent a future change of model emphasis from SsangYong – as well of course as being a move into electric propulsion the likes of which the pick-up market has thus far resisted.

Moving back to the X200, this is currently being talked about primarily in terms of what it means for SsangYong’s future design language. The company’s name for this is Powered by Toughness, a credo which it says combines strength and modernity with the authenticity of its heritage as a specialist 4x4 maker.

Nonetheless, SsangYong is clear that the X200 is not just a styling concept – it’s a real vehicle, one which will join the J100 in moving the company forward. ‘We have reinterpreted our future design vision and product philosophy by drawing heavily on our unique heritage,’ says design boss Lee Kang. ‘With the forthcoming J100 and X200 models, we have drawn a line in the sand in terms of design, and everything from this point forward will follow this new brand design direction.’

So we know what the company’s next generation 4x4. will look like.

But what will the X200 actually be? The sketches SsangYong have shown to the world are of an out-and-out off-roader. Of course, traditional 4x4 design will always inform the look of every SUV, but a number of manufacturers (and a whole section of the kit car industry) have sailed into choppy critical waters in the past by creating vehicles that looked like racing cars but were actually just everyday runabouts.

The 1980s’ craze for Lamborghini Countach replicas powered by Ford Cortina engines is at the extreme end of the scale – however a vehicle showing the X200’s extremely clear off-road intent but not backing it up with the ability to match would be every bit as dishonest.

So, is SsangYong hinting to us that it’s about to bring out its equivalent of the Wrangler or Land Rover

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SsangYong unveiled the newlook Musso (above) ahead of its debut at the British Motor Show. The J100 (right) will be a medium sized SUV with fully electric propulsion, and will also spawn a pick-up model; the latter is unlikely to be sold in the UK, however the styling in these sketches illustrates the ‘Powered by Toughness’ credo of the Korean specialist’s new design language. So too does the X200 (opposite), whose appearance is extreme enough to suggest that SangYong may be planning a rival to the Jeep Wrangler and new Land Rover Defender Defender? Fanciful though this may sound, Land Rover had to build a business case for the latter model, as did INEOS for the forthcoming Grenadier – and both concluded that yes, the market is there. And SsangYong, don’t forget, describes itself as ‘the Korean Land Rover.’

With the Grenadier and Defender both starting at around £45,000, and the Wrangler and Landcruiser either side of that, a similarly sized traditional off-road vehicle with SsangYong’s combination of generous warranties and pricing would certainly attract attention.

‘SsangYong will build on the history and heritage of its unique and distinctively authentic SUV designs,’ adds Lee Kang. If the X200 turns out to be as authentic as it looks, the off-road market will be in for a bombshell few people would have seen coming.

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NEW 4X4S

Isuzu brings back Huntsman accessory pack for new D-Max

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he previous-generation Isuzu D-Max featured a specialist model called the Huntsman. Based on the highish-spec Utah variant, this was in effect an accessory pack featuring a variety of equipment designed to suit those who live and work in the great outdoors.

It turned out to be a big hit, not least with us. It won the Best Individual Model title in successive Pick-Up of the Year awards and our very own GO2 project vehicle ended up using a number of items from its extensive list.

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Isuzu’s customers were obviously pretty into it, too. Because the company has now introduced a new Huntsman pack to suit it new D-Max, which went on sale in the UK earlier this year.

It’s a little different this time, in that the pack is available to purchase with all versions of the D-Max Double-Cab. Once again, though, it’s designed to suit the job you want it to do if you’re part of the hunting-shooting-fishing business, or indeed if you just live and work in the countryside. In Isuzu’s own words, ‘each detail of the Huntsman

package has been added with the hardworking huntsman/countryman in mind.’

Those details are: • Aeroklas Commercial canopy • Bed drawer system and under-rail bed liner • Towbar with 13-pin electrics • Side steps • Tailgate locking kit • Tailgate assist • Rubber floor trays • 18” alloy wheels and Pirelli allterrain tyres ‘We are excited to launch the Huntsman Accessory Pack as it will mean our customers can make the most of their D-Max,’ commented William Brown, Managing Director of Isuzu UK. ‘Providing high-quality accessories is essential in instilling customers with confidence that they can rely on our brand to produce trustworthy, resilient products.’

Available now, the new Huntsman pack can be ordered with any new D-Max Double-Cab, allowing customers to have it fitted prior to delivery. It’s priced at £5825 plus VAT; the dealer who sells you the truck itself will be able to give you all the info you need.

WITH THE CLOCK TICKING on the current Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, Land Rover has unveiled a new SVR Ultimate edition of the latter vehicle. This is based on the existing Sport SVR, with the same 575bhp supercharged V8 engine and 176mph, 4.5-second performance to go with its muscular but understated appearance and dramatic soundtrack.

The SVR Ultimate will be rather less understated than the standard model, however, as it’s offered with a choice of exclusive Maya Blue Gloss and Marl Grey Gloss paint colours.

These are applied using glass flake base coats to give them what Land Rover describes as ‘an intense, star-like sparkle.’

A third paint option is satin-finished Ligurian Black. In each case, the vehicle will come with a Narvik Black contrast roof, gloss black 22” forged alloy wheels and black brake calipers. Narvik Black is also used on the door mirrors, front grilles and grille surrounds, front wing details and tailgate finishers.

The ‘Range Rover’ badging on the bonnet and tailgate will be in gloss black too, edged in Fuji White – a colour also used on the vehicle’s side vents.

Inside, the vehicle gains an SV Bespoke Ultimate edition commissioning plaque, chrome SV Bespoke B-pillar badges, illuminated Ultimate edition treadplates and black anodised gearshift paddles. SVR-embossed lightweight seats are trimmed in Windsor leather and contrasting Suedecloth.

While this is definitely not a truck for green laning, the SVR Ultimate edition remains a Range Rover at heart – with all the off-road ability that brings.

Unveiled to the public at the Salon Privé event at Blenheim Palace in September, it’s available to order now – with prices starting at £123,900.

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• 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

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PHONE: 01299 250174

E-mail: enquiries@apbtrading.co.uk

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RIGHTS OF WAY

Vehicle users implored to stay away after vandals ignore temporary closure of much-loved ford in East Gloucestershire

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ne of the longest fords in England has been closed – albeit only temporarily while repairs are carried out to the ramparts of an adjoining raised footpath which has partially collapsed into the water. The ford, through which a track between the villages of Duntisbourne Abbots

and Duntisbourne Leer follows the course of a small river bed for several hundred yards, is very close to a number of houses – whose owners have traditionally been very tolerant of motor vehicle users.

There’s a danger of this changing, however, as a number of 4x4 drivers and motorcyclists have ignored the

closure signs. The raised footpath runs adjacent to the stream bed, and there have been instances of motorcyclists riding along it – and of 4x4s knocking down barriers placed across the track and ploughing on through the ford, running over sandbags placed in it to try and prevent further damage. Understandably,

this has led to growing anti-vehicle sentiment among residents, even though the responsible users who would normally be among their only visitors are currently staying away.

Aside from the curiosity of the ford, which is notably scenic in its nature, the lane itself is hardly a challenge. It’s hard not to speculate that while it’s closed, vandals are targeting it as an opportunity to do damage and cause trouble.

The Green Lane Association has implored its members to respect the closure while it remains in place – though of course anyone who would ignore it and vandalise a right of way like this is hardly likely to be a member in the first place.

ELSEWHERE IN THE EAST GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGION, GLASS rep Richard Loveday has been at work to ensure legal access remains unhindered on a number of rights of way. One, an unclassified county road near Salperton, has been blocked by illegal obstructions including large logs and a steel barrier, while incorrect Restricted Byway signs have been erected on two sections of the Macmillan Way near Rodmarton, both of which are byways.

The obstructions have been reported to the local authority – which, Richard says, has responded quickly and has already passed the matter to its legal department to facilitate enforcement work. The incorrect signs, meanwhile, are being investigated – but even while they remain in place, the lanes in question are classed as Byways Open to All Traffic on Gloucestershire County Council’s Definitive Map and can therefore be driven legally.

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RIGHTS OF WAY

Network of lanes around Ramsden Road spared the axe – but new Public Spaces Protection Order will restrict access in last stand against relentless vandalism by criminal motor vehicle users KIRKLEES COUNCIL intends to implement a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on a number of green lanes in the Holme Valley area near Holmfirth. The plans, which are being drawn up in consultation with the Green Lane Association, are a response to the actions of vandals whose persistent abuse of these rights of way, and the land adjoining them, had over a long period of time reached what GLASS’ West Yorkshire rep Alex Davidson describes as ‘epidemic proportions.’

The damage, caused by 4x4s and motorbikes being driven illegally, has been highlighted in these pages before. The group of lanes centres around Ramsden Road and Kiln Bent Road, south of Holmbridge; the latter in particular is a Freelander-friendly right of way which could even be driven with a little care in an everyday car, but both have become magnets for hooligans who trespass into the adjacent countryside with no concern for the amount of damage they cause to the ground.

Despite the efforts of Friends of Ramsden Road, an organisation representing all user groups as well as landowners and local residents, Kirklees Council has been coming under increasing pressure to close these lanes altogether. Showing commendable understanding of the situation, however, the authority did not want to penalise responsible motor vehicle users, and the local businesses their trade helps support, and has instead come up with the PSPO proposal as an alternative.

Under the proposal, which at the time of writing was still to be implemented, a PSPO would be created for a duration of three years (the maximum allowed by law), to be reviewed every six months. It is likely that this will include the following restrictions: • A limit of 8 vehicles per day • Maximum group size of 4 vehicles • No vehicles from November to March inclusive • No driving at night Access to these lanes will be by permit, with an application scheme to be managed by the local authority – which will also remain committed to maintaining progress on repairs to the lane and working closely with Friends of Ramsden Road. Through his constant contact with Kirklees Council, Alex is able to report that it has recently appointed a new rights of way project officer – who has been tasked with Ramsden Road as his highest priority.

The initial plans attracted some controversy, as they would temporarily restrict access only to members of GLASS itself and other organisations identified as being appropriately responsible. Although this was at the suggestion of the local authority, it provoked no shortage of angry comments and some extraordinarily wild accusations on social media. Happily, since then Kirklees Council has reversed this decision, meaning the permit scheme will be open to all.

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‘It was considered that when a council approaches us with a proposal to manage a situation like this while retaining access rights for 4x4s, it is prudent to engage with them and work to retain access in the long term,’ explains Alex. ‘It was made clear to me that Kirklees did not want to close these routes to motorised vehicles but, in view of the situation, there was significant pressure for a complete ban. This arrangement was agreed by GLASS as an alternative to closure.’

As these developments illustrate, criminal use by 4x4s, bikes and ATVs can and does cause lanes to be closed. Even local authorities which support all groups’ freedoms on right of way can end up turning against motor vehicle users when faced with relentless vandalism and the distress it causes to local residents and other visitors to the countryside. Most authorities do understand the difference between legal users and criminals who turn up at night in stolen vehicles to trash the landscape (an example of the damage is visible in our photo, taken midway up Ramsden Road) but there’s only so far that this can stretch when the latter are so determined – and when so little is done in any other way to stop them.

It’s also clear from this sorry saga that although green lane users are a minority under immense pressure, political in-fighting remains as big an issue as ever. Unity and consensus are powerful weapons of defence in the face of non-stop attacks by anti-4x4 fanatics – but, sadly, they remain too much to ask for.

Most importantly, however, what the PSPO plan demonstrates is that by engaging with local authorities to find constructive solutions, green lane users still can rescue cherished rights of way from blanket closures.

It might not always be possible, as the disgraceful behaviour of at least one national park authority has made clear, but dialogue remains our best hope. Kiln Bent and Ramsden remain alive for all to savour because the Green Lane Association is constantly working in the background, throughout the country, to help local authorities and other users understand that responsible 4x4 drivers are not the problem but a large part of the solution.

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MOTORSPORT

Marfell finds redemption amid searing heat and dust of Sweet Lamb Word and pictures: Gary Simpson / Songasport

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drian Marfell and Paul Bartleman battled back from the disappointment of losing a win at the opening round of the Britpart British Cross County Championship to take victory at an extremely hot and dusty Sweet Lamb. At an event with 50 starters, Marfell stepped up the pace on day two to overhaul overnight leader Justin Birchall, eventually finishing 31 seconds clear.

Marfell’s attack began on the first run of day two – when Birchall was also slowed by a puncture.

‘I’m chuffed to have got the win,’ said the Whitchurch driver.

‘We made a set up change late on Saturday night and pushed hard on Sunday. It was a great fight at the front. We had a couple of issues

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with a faulty kill switch and broken wipers on one run but other than that we had a good event. It makes up for the driveshaft failure we had at Parkwood when we were leading.’

A further puncture for Birchall saw him and Richard Kershaw separated by just one second going into the final run – where Kershaw posted the fastest time to claim second place. But the runner-up was simply happy still to be in the event after a fire on board his Lofthouse Evo. ‘I’m more than happy with the result considering the issues we had,’ said Kershaw. ‘The fire did a fair bit of damage and the service crew did an amazing job to get the car fixed for the Sunday runs. We also had problems with the brakes and the boost pipe. The result means we’re

leading the championship at the halfway point.’

Dave and Antony Hooper enjoyed a good event in their Simmbugghini, finishing 7th overall and first in the beam-axle class. ‘Day one went well, other than being stupidly hot!’ said Dave. ‘Our only issue was a snapped brake hose.

We picked up three punctures on the second day and the course got rough in places. We couldn’t keep up with the pace of the independent cars, especially on the section of course with the washboards.’

Harry Nicoll and Emily Sibley had a successful event, finishing 20th in their Bowler Tomcat, though a lack of power from their 3.9-litre Rover V8 made Sweet Lamb’s hills a strug-

gle and a damaged brake line on the final run meant they were happy just to finish the event.

George and Jacqueline Bryson, meanwhile, were happy just to reach the event after a blow-out on the M6 meant the journey there took ten hours. And once the action started, they encountered a very un-British issue. ‘We had problems on the early runs with catching the car in front and getting stuck in their dust,’ said Bryson. ‘It got so bad that we had to stop a few times to let it clear!’

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MOTORSPORT

Tom and Alice Jones (above left) won the Trophy class and finished 12th overall in their Can-Am Maverick after posting a run of consistent stage times in the sweltering conditions. Harry Nicoll and Emma Sibley (above right) did well to finish 20th out of 50 starters in their Bowler Tomcat, whose 3.9-litre V8 engine struggled for power on the long climbs Tom and Alice Jones had a great weekend in their Can-Am Maverick, winning the Trophy class and finishing 12th overall after a consistent performance which saw them post seven consecutive times within ten seconds of each other.

Managing the heat and dust was a concern for most teams. Tom and Alice spoke of being ‘absolutely cooked,’ while the Brysons’ pit crew modified their car’s window washers to help its radiator keep on top of the engine’s temperature. And Mike Wilson and Ian Letman won their class despite spending most of the Sunday trying to prevent their clutch belt from overheating.

In Wilson’s old Freelander, Reece and Sean Mathieson were going very well until they sheared their’s engine’s left-hand side mounting bolts. ‘This caused real issues in controlling the power and the car itself,’ explained Reece. ‘The engine movement then caused the

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driveshaft to come out, smashing into the gearbox and putting a hole through it!

‘We struggled round the course as best we could but we lost second gear and then first, meaning we could go no further. As we’d done over 75% of the mileage, we were classified as a finisher which massively cheered us up.’

Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy, who have moved from stage rallying to cross-country this season, set some quick times in their 6.0-litre Warrior.

‘It was a new event for us,’ said Foy. ‘We had a few issues with dust blocking the air filter and. choking the Chevy engine. Some improvisation helped, but the issue persisted.

‘We were pleased to set two top 12 times on day one, which shows promise for the future. It’s all part of a learning year and we’re really enjoying the challenge.’

It was definitely an event to forget for Team OFG, however, as both

Phil Bayliss and dad Chris were forced out of the running. Chris and navigator James Harding started off by rolling their Land Rover 90 on the first day, then Phil and his navigator Lance Murfin had several problems culminating in a fire caused by the oil pipe working loose and spraying oil over the engine.

The car’s previous owner, Rob Bool, also had a fire in his new Lofthouse M3. Despite this, he set him good times before his clutch failed while he was sitting on the start line, leaving him no option but to retire.

Jasmine Philpott described the course as ‘probably the scariest I have ever driven.’ Her car was still in bits late on the Friday evening, so the team had already had a stressful run-up to the event, and the heat and dust only added to that.

‘The car seemed to pull dust into the cab. There were times when I couldn’t see anything, and I looked

like I was wearing Halloween makeup after each lap!’ A PAS failure on the penultimate lap cost her some places, but she came away happy just to have survived.

Colin Gould and Simon Kerfoot dropped down the table late in the day, too. They had been in fourth place overnight, but clutch and transmission problems forced them to take course maximums for the final runs.

With the BXCC now taking a break until late September, the final word has to go to two of the unspoken heroes of the weekend. Paul Chambers and Fiona Urwin spent two days in the timing van – where the temperature didn’t dip below 33 degrees and reached a peak of 44!

The biggest cheer at prize-giving came when they were presented with the Spirit of the Event award for doing their crucial job in the sort of conditions you definitely don’t expect in Mid-Wales!

29/08/2021 21:53

PRODUCTS

Silverline becomes first UK retailer to stock new Bridgestone Dueler M/T 674 mud-terrain tyre

S

ilverline Wheel and Tyre Centre is a well known name in the off-road world. And the Warwick-based specialist has become the first retailer in the UK to stock Bridgestone’s all-new Dueler M/T 674.

Designed to meet the demands of hardcore off-road driving, the M/T 674 promises ‘incredible mud traction and grip, outstanding off-road stability in all conditions, improved tread-wear balance for increased life and excellent braking performance.’

It’s a rugged mud-terrain whose blend of control, traction and durability promises to make it a major new player in the premium off-road tyre market. And at the time of writing, you can only get it by going to Silverline.

This of course is something which people have been doing for many years. Silverline already offers bespoke conversions, tyre and wheel packages, alloy polishing and finishes, split-rim rebuilds, custom colours, special finishes and even diamond cutting – making it one of the most comprehensive full-service wheel and tyre specialists anywhere.

That’s why more and more 4x4 enthusiasts are making the journey to Warwick to avail themselves of the service offered by Centre Manager Lee Cartwright and founder Antony Barnsley. And with the arrival of the new Dueler, that number is

only going to increase.

‘We’ve got more than 30 years’ experience in the 4x4 world and we know a good tyre when we see one,’ commented Antony. ‘And the Bridgestone Dueler M/T 674 really is an incredible tyre. We’re thrilled to be the first 4x4 dealer to stock the product.

‘Having driven on it on harsh terrain, we can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a rugged, durable tyre and its performance in extreme conditions is like nothing we’ve come across before.’

Praise indeed. Silverline is currently offeriNg the new Dueler M/T 674 as part of a tyre and wheel

package in four sizes: 235/85R16, 245/75R16,245/70R17 and 265/70R17.

Want to know more? Of course you do. For more information about the M/T 674, and indeed everything else Silverline can do for you, you can contact Lee or Antony by visiting www.silverlinewheels-tyres.com.

Minerva range of lubricants now available through Euro4x4parts MINERVA WAS THE ROMAN GODDESS of wisdom, medicine, commerce, poetry, handicrafts and the arts. In later life, she also became the goddess of war. Those were the days before HRT, see.

Anyway, Minerva was clearly a goddess who liked to keep herself busy. And she still does, because now she’s also the goddess of oil.

Minerva is a French company which makes a wide range of oils for engines, gearboxes, transfer cases and axles. And your vehicle has some or all of these things.

The company says its products are driven by ‘constant innovation, advanced technology and a deep respect for the environment’ and that they have more than 65 official approvals as OEM lubricants. The result is ‘perfect protection for all the mechanical parts of your 4x4.’

The range includes various grades of engine oil, including one for competition cars and a fully synthetic 0W20 for units with DPFs; ATF and steering fluid; and gearbox and diff oils, again in different grades – including one specifically for LSDs. Depending on the product, Minerva’s lubes come in 1, 2, 5 or 25-litre cans – or, if you’re a a workshop user, 60, 210 and 1000-litre drums. They’ve recently been added to the range on offer from Euro4x4parts – which you’ll find at www.euro4x4parts.com.

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PRODUCTS

Flexible strip light from Osram promises to light up your truck’s interior

N

ormally when we write about LED lighting products, it’s big, serious stuff designed to be bolted to the front of your vehicle

and illuminate the terrain ahead to a distance of several miles. Stuff like the Osram FX500-CB SM Lightbar, for instance, which we featured in these pages last month.

But Osram has a whimsical trick or two up its sleeve too. You wouldn’t know it from the name, but the LEDINT203 will turn your cabin into the brightest thing on four wheels.

The LEDriving Interior Strip Kit, to give it its slightly less prosaic name, contains two flexible LED strips, each 1.5 metres long and with

90 LEDs. These are self-adhesive, meaning you can install them anywhere you want without any need for soldering, drilling, screwing, riveting or anything else permanent and unsavoury, and once in place they illuminate the space around them with a cheerful white glow.

Osram suggests motorhomes and delivery trucks as suitable applications for the lights, but you’re already thinking about your overland motor. Don’t think about them as a way of entertaining passers-by, though, because they’re not ECE-approved and mustn’t be displayed on public roads.

The lights run a nominal voltage of 12v and produce a colour temperature of 4500 K with a 900-lumen luminous flux. They come with a 2-year warranty and a recommended retail price of £79.99, and you can find out more about them by visiting www.osram.co.uk.

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FREEPHONE 0800 774 7809 sales@taftsafetystore.co.uk www.taftsafetystore.co.uk 24 | OCTOBER 2021

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4x4 31/08/2021 18:03

PRODUCTS

Mopar introduces world-first lift kit for Jeep Wrangler 4xe THE JEEP WRANGLER 4XE hasn’t quite made it to the UK yet. But back home in America, Jeep’s Mopar stablemate has already launched a load of equipment for the new plug-in hybrid off-roader – including what it says is the world’s first lift kit for a vehicle of this kind.

Sold under the Jeep Performance Parts banner, this is tuned specifically for the Wrangler 4xe, lifting the vehicle by 2” to allow greater ground clearance and a whole new world of exciting tyre fitments. The kit includes four springs and Fox shocks, front lower control arms, front and rear anti-roll bar links, front and rear bump stops and all the hardware you’ll need, as well of course as the all-important JPP badge. It comes packaged in a reusable wooden crate, because Bezos had all the cardboard, and is priced at $1495.

Yes, dollars. Mopar’s European arm recently announced its own range of off-road accessories for the 4xe, including tubular steps and, ‘for more intrepid experiences,’ a mesh basket to keep your cargo tidy in the boot. We suspect we know which you’ll find most interesting.

There’s the left-hand drive thing to think about when buying suspension lifts from the States. But since that’s the only place you can currently get this one, the place to check in on is www.mopar.com

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PRODUCTS

NEW D-MAX THE FIRST TO INTRODUCES STRONGER, VERSIONS OF ENDURINGLY UTILITY HARD-TOPS 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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2006 NISSAN 2006 JEEP 2006 JEEP GRAND 2015 LAND 2004 JEEP CHEROKEE WK PATHFINDER 2.5 GRAND GRAND 5.7 V8 HEMI ROVER DCI 2018 Discovery 2015 Range 2006 NISSAN 2014 Jeep 2006 JEEP GRAND DISCOVERY CHEROKEE WK CHEROKEE WJ PATHFINDER 2.5 WK Evoque Sport CHEROKEE Rover Cherokee KL Charlton Recycled Auto Parts SPORT DCI 5.7 V8 HEMI Vehicle Recycling Centre, Gravel Pit Hill, Thriplow, Cambridge, SG8 7HZParts Charlton Recycled Auto Tel 01223Gravel 832656Pit Hill, Thriplow, Vehicle Recycling Centre, Email parts@charltonautoparts.co.uk Cambridge, SG8 7HZ PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHARLTONAUTOPARTS.CO.UK Tel 01223 832656 Email parts@charltonautoparts.co.uk PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHARLTONAUTOPARTS.CO.UK

26 | OCTOBER 2021

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PICK-UP HARD-TOP SPECIALIST TRUCKMAN HAS ADDED two new models to its Classic and Utility ranges. Boasting a number of new features, these reflect the company’s policy of continuously improving its products over time.

The Classic and Utility ranges are designed specifically for users such as tradespeople and field-based engineers, who need the all-terrain capabilities of a 4x4 pick-up combined with the storage capacity of a van. To this end, they now feature improved handles, increased reinforced roof strength and optional remote central locking.

Starting with the Classic, this is a solid-sided hard-top offering a combination of strength and high capacity. It gains a stylish, easy to use handle with optional remote central locking on the rear door, giving it increased security and accessibility.

The Classic also features a carpeted lining on the inside of the hard-top and rear door – allowing customers to add accessories such as roof bars, vents and beacons, as well as insulating the truck bed.

The Utility hard-top, meanwhile, follows the lead of Truckman’s existing options in this range by offering all-round easy access to tools and equipment through a rear door and two side gull-wing doors – all of which are hydraulic-assisted and can be easily opened with one hand. On top of this, BRITPART’S RANGE OF ACCESSORIES for the new Land Rover Defender now includes a Mesh Luggage Rack for the 110 Station Wagon. This sits in place behind the second row of seats to provide a deep, sturdy tray in which to stow everyday items.

The rack measures 65mm deep at the front and 115mm at the rear, and its full-width dimensions give it a usable area of 1290 x 430mm. It comes with a mounting kit and hardware to let you fit it on-board the vehicle, where it can be relied on to keep hold of all the items that typically go together to

4x4 31/08/2021 18:03

PRODUCTS

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INTRODUCING THE NEW MUD TERRAIN TYRE FROM BRIDGESTONE

TYRE PACKAGES AVAILABLE however, the new model gains an innovative ‘T-handle’ – promising superior grip to open the solid rear and side gull-wing doors, even when wearing the thickest work gloves.

It can also be fitted with optional remote central locking and its hinges are now more durable, allowing them to withstand the rigours of working life. Its over-rail design prevents water ingress, with clamp fitting for quick and easy installation, and it comes with a solid rear door and bulkhead and a smooth, wipe-clean interior.

Both these new hard-tops are made from tough GRP, which can be colour-coded, and include a high-level LED brake light above a solid rear door designed for enhanced privacy and security. Both can easily be adapted with a range of accessories including racking, drawers and optional roof bars, and with additional reinforcements in the roof area they can carry a static load of up to 500kg.

These new hard-tops will be initially available for extra-cab and double-cab versions of our reigning Pick-Up of the Year – the new Isuzu D-Max. Truckman says the range will then be expanded as new pick-ups hit the market.

Both the new-look Classic and Utility tops made their debuts at the recent CV Show – with the latter getting the honour of appearing on Isuzu’s own stand. To find out more, visit www.truckman.co.uk. turn your boot into a disastrous mess of unrecognisable jumble.

Shop around and, all else being equal, you’ll find the Rack for around £200 plus the dreaded VAT. It’s widely available from the Britpart dealer network – track one down by visiting www.britpart.com.

4x4 Scene Oct 21 Products.indd 27

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www.silverlinewheels-tyres.com OCTOBER 2021 | 27

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PASSENGER RIDE

INEOS GRENADIER The off-road world is waiting with baited breath for the vehicle hailed as the spiritual successor to the old Land Rover Defender. Here’s where we find out how it’s shaping up…

AS INEOS AUTOMOTIVE PROGRESSES TOWARDS next summer’s launch of the new Grenadier, the fledgling 4x4 manufacturer continues to do things its own way. It revealed the vehicle’s exterior design early in the development process and more recently unveiled its cabin, allowing the press to sit inside a prototype model – something few other manufacturers are ever willing to do.

More recently, the company embarked on a UK roadshow, presenting the vehicle to prospective customers – again, in prototype form – and allowing

them to experience it through a series of off-road passenger rides. Actually driving one remains a treat for the future, however the event gave us a first opportunity to understand what the Grenadier is all about, albeit in fairly moderate terrain.

We were also able to chat with senior engineers from the INEOS programme, who answered a number of the questions we were left with following the static interior reveal event we reported on in last month’s issue of this magazine.

With live beam axles at either end, the Grenadier is designed to lift itself over the ground and keep its wheels pressed down on to the surface wherever possible. Articulation looks good, from what we’ve seen so far, and INEOS says its use of a five-link rear set-up hasn’t detracted from that. A feature we should all be pleased to see is that the chassis is galvanised – so the sort of galloping rot that overtakes so many other off-road vehicles shouldn’t be a problem here

28 | OCTOBER 2021

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The first of these concerns the use of five-link rear suspension with upper and lower trailing arms and a panhard rod, rather than the inherently more flexible A-frame set-up used to such effect in the original Range Rover and carried over into several other Land Rover products. Why did INEOS choose this arrangement for a vehicle designed first and foremost with off-road use in mind?

The answer we were given is that in the early stages of development, three-link suspension was actively considered – and fully investigated as part of the CAD process. The engineers’ conclusion was that five-link would deliver better road manners, but they disagreed when we suggested that this was a compromise – saying that they could achieve the same articulation this way as with an A-frame set-up.

They also pointed out that with locking differentials available in the Grenadier’s front and rear axles, maintaining traction over rough ground will be about more than just keeping wheels on the ground.

We also brought up the question of mud traps in the chassis, having spotted areas in the rear suspension link mounts which we thought would be vulnerable to collecting the stuff.

As a consequence, something else we learned from the event was that the chassis will in fact be galvanised – an impressive investment for INEOS to make in the Grenadier’s long-term fitness for purpose.

The vehicle’s ZF gearbox is an eight-speed automatic unit. There’s no manual option, however the box can be taken over by the driver and will remain in gear as commanded – something that can make the difference between success and failure off-road. This couldn’t be demonstrated the way we wanted, as the prototype vehicle wasn’t able to be used in low range, but production versions should be able to crawl down extreme descents on compression braking alone.

Primarily, what we observed about the vehicle during our passenger ride was that it covers ground with remarkable refinement. There’s

4x4 2pp Grenadier passenger ride.indd 29

very little drivetrain noise and nothing significant in the way of bumping from the suspension; especially considering this was in a prototype vehicle whose transmission tunnel was sitting uncovered, it’s extraordinarily quiet.

It’s very smooth, too. Being in high range at this kind of speed, the box would have constantly been shunting between first, second and perhaps occasionally third gear, but there was literally no sign of any shifts happening. With its occupants well looked after by excellent Recaro seats, it promises to be a very comfortable way of covering ground in typical offroad situations.

How it will deal with more radical stuff, we’re yet to discover. And of course there’s the small matter of what it’s like on the road. So far, however, it’s a case of not just so good but so very good.

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DRIVEN

VOLKSWAGEN T-ROC R Massively popular compact SUV gets 300bhp, sports-focused suspension and a great deal more in a bid to become the Golf GTi of the 4x4 world

IT HARDLY SEEMS LIKE ANY TIME (though it’s getting close to two decades) since VW introduced its first SUV. ‘What does Volkswagen know about 4x4s?’, people thought. ’Shouldn’t they just stick to making Golf GTis?’ Then those same people drove the Touareg and the penny dropped.

Volkswagen meant business.

Fast forward to today, and VW is slugging it out with Toyota for the honour of being the world’s biggest SUV maker. The Touareg has been joined by the Tiguan, T-Roc and T-Cross, as well as a new generation of electric vehicles, and associated brands Skoda, Seat, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini have all joined the fun too.

And they’re still making the Golf GTi, too.

In fact, they’re also making the Golf R, which is like the GTi only more so. For years, it’s been the definitive super-hatch. You know, like a hot hatch, but so hot it sets your trousers on fire.

Which brings us to the T-Roc R. It would be a bit much just to call this

Golf R on stilts, but the two vehicles are closely enough related for the preceding five paragraphs to be more than just a load of old guff.

The T-Roc R is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine which puts out 300bhp and 295lbf. ft. Fitted as standard with all-wheel drive and a 7-speed DSG auto box, it promises a 0-62 time of 4.9 seconds

Volkswagen’s 2.0 TSI petrol engine is pushed to 300bhp and 295lbf.ft for the T-Roc R. Mated to a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox as standard, it drives all four wheels and can be tuned from the driver’s seat via a mighty array of drive modes – including Race, courtesy of the optional DCC adjustable chassis set-up, and not one but two offroad settings

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As tested, the T-Roc R won’t leave you an awful lot of change out of fifty grand. Even so, it’s not overwhelmingly luxurious; equipment is good, and it’s every bit as well put together as you’d expect, but the seats are sporty rather than sumptuous.

Quite obviously, Volkswagen has spent the money on making the R go fast rather than cossetting you with leather and so on. That’s as it should be in a performance variant, of course – though even then, you might be disappointed by the sheer amount of hard and scratchy plastic on the dashboard

and a top speed of 155mph. It comes with its own sports-tuned suspension to help you get the best from all that power, too, and the drive mode palette includes a promising sounding Race setting.

That’s in addition to Off-Road and Off-Road Expert positions, so this is a vehicle that aims to be good at a lot of things. Just as an SUV should be, of course.

First up, is it good at being an SUV? Well, the T-Roc is a former class winner in our 4x4 of the Year awards, so that’ll be a yes. Its cabin is very well put together, with the sort of rock-solid build quality you expect from Volkswagen, though there’s enough hard plastic around to feel disappointing in a vehicle that costs £42,190 on the road.

Stowage space is adequate up front (the door pockets will do most

of the work here) and headroom is outstanding, though you won’t be able to sit one tall adult behind another without at least one set of knees feeling the pinch. The boot is as good as you could ask for in a vehicle of this size, both with the rear seats up and down; they do lie some way off flat when folded, but it gives you a good chunk of space without moving the game forward in any particular way.

Obviously, where the T-Roc R wants to move things forward is on the road. Forward, and at speed.

Ours came with VW’s Dynamic Chassis Control system, meaning variable suspension settings, and an Akrapovic quad-exit titanium exhaust, which between them accounted for just over half of the £6500-ish worth of options on board, so it was definitely set up for serious fun.

And you can indeed have serious fun in it. You can also encounter serious frustration – we found ourselves travelling through the Peak District in it one Saturday morning, and being sat in a line of posthumous day-trippers while holding back a vehicle that desperately wants to be let off the leash never gets any less infuriating. Find yourself a B-road with no traffic, though, and mad cackles are never far away.

The drive modes include one called Race, which is of course like a red rag to a bull. The steering and suspension firm up a little and the exhaust note hardens; it doesn’t

grow horns the way some performance SUVs do when you press the fun button, but it does demand that you give it the beans to get the best from it. Simply trying to drive fast isn’t enough – it wants you to drive it fast.

Do so, and there’s a combination of grip, balance, poise and response to go with the sheer urge being channeled out through the seven-speed box. It feels wonderfully competent, in a way that’s both exciting and reassuring, though if you want a raw, seat-of-the-pants experience you might find it a little anodyne. Obviously, comparing it

Left: 235/40R19 tyres are mounted on lightweight 10-spoke alloys, showing off your big, bright brake discs and black-painted calipers.

The tyres were made to be leant on in fast corners but they don’t get upset by mild off-road terrain – though they do drum up a lot of noise at moderate speeds over badly surfaced roads Above: This is what three grand’s worth of Akrapovic exhaust looks like. The quad tailpipes tempted a passer-by into asking us to give it a blip; he was left wondering where all the noise had gone

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DRIVEN

to something like a Toyota MR2 or Mazda MX5 will sound idiotic, but it sets out to appeal to the same sense of fun – without being anything like as engaging.

A more useful comparison might be with the Golf R or GTi. From our experience, it doesn’t get close to matching those wonderful things for sheer entertainment, either. A manual gearbox probably wouldn’t sell well enough to be worth the development costs, but we reckon it would add an edge which, to us, wasn’t quite there.

It could be said that hot hatches are great because you don’t actually need to be going all that fast for them to be fun. Once they get to the point where you have to be going very fast indeed before they start being fun, they risk losing their soul as road cars.

Which brings us to the high spot in the drive mode menu. It’s not called ’Sport’ – it’s called ‘Race.’

Perhaps the T-Roc R simply has too much about it to be an SUV for cross-country hooning. Perhaps we should be looking at is as a trackday motor instead.

Either way, we were jumping aboard in a car park when someone rolled their window down and, gesturing at those big old quad tailpipes, shouted over to us to give it a blip. When we did, the look of disappointment on the guy’s face was an absolute picture. We consoled him with some old bunny

about how you really need to hear it under load – but the thing is, we agree. We were expecting to hear a lovely banshee howl as we threw it at the horizon, and some shotgun bangs and pops as we banged it down the box, but it all seemed to stay kind of strangled. Again, we came away feeling that perhaps we just didn’t ever drive it hard enough to unlock the real drama.

On the plus side, you don’t get the wrong kind of drama around town or on the motorway either. It rides smoothly and quietly at cruising speeds, and the suspension doesn’t go harsh on you over the sort of shattered, broken road surface that’s all too common in our magnificent nation. Considering it’s able to handle with such panache, it rides extraordinarily well.

It doesn’t match this with refinement, though. On rougher A and B-roads, the amount of noise coming through from the surface is startling both in how nasty it sounds and how intrusive it is. That was one of the only marks we found against it as an everyday SUV. And yes, you can off-road it too.

The 19” wheels on the T-Roc R clearly weren’t made for this, but its 4x4 system can be configured to deliver traction at low speeds on slippery and uneven surfaces – and when you consider that we were nursing it over a stony lane over the moors then, moments later, leaning on it round fast corners on the way home,

you’ve got to hand it to Volkswagen for the breath and depth of engineering that goes into making such a thing possible.

For not a lot less than fifty grand, though, rather than merely handing it to them we wish we were feeling like rushing over and giving them a hug.

The T-Roc R is great at everything it does, but it didn’t stir our souls the

way we were expecting. Perhaps we should have taken it to a trackday, perhaps we were just unlucky with the traffic, but if we walked into a Volkswagen dealer with this much money to spend we’d come home with a Golf GTi, an Amarok and a feeling of smug satisfaction that we were all set to enjoy the very best of both worlds.

32 | OCTOBER 2021

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DRIVEN

LEXUS RX450h TAKUMI The RX is one of the most luxury-led SUVs there has ever been. In Takumi form, Lexus describes it as ‘the pinnacle of luxury’ – and at £63,315 it has come to look like a high-value option too

WHEN A CAR MAKER DESCRIBES one of its vehicles as the ‘pinnacle of luxury’, it’s easy to sneer a bit. But when it’s Lexus, you take it seriously.

The Takumi model sits at the top of the RX range. And it certainly IS luxurious – though there’s no such thing as an RX that isn’t.

Needless to say, the equipment list has everything on it that you’d expect. But what the RX demonstrates is that luxury doesn’t just come from a load of spec. It’s never convincing if it’s not based on a strong foundation, and this is where Lexus scores. The quality of the vehicle itself is top-notch – it would still be a good SUV with fabric seats and none of the toys, which is why it’s a brilliant one with them.

It’s such a cliché to say a vehicle feels like it’s carved from a solid block, and of course it’s a cliché that comes out a lot when people are talking about Lexus. It’s worth repeating, though, if only just to highlight how well the RX really is made. The feeling of solidity, even perfection, is all around, and the quality of the materials in which the cabin is trimmed adds a layer of class on top of that.

So often, we find ourselves sitting in leather seats and thinking a good quality fabric would be better. But that’s certainly not the case here. The hide used in the Takumi is soft, supple and exceptionally comfortable, while the seats themselves are three-way heated and cooled, with four-way lumbar adjust for driver and passenger alike. They feel as good as they look, and they look superb.

Elbow and leg room are excellent, and headroom is fine – not amazing, thanks to the panoramic roof that’s a no-cost option (the Takumi is in fact listed as two separate models, with and without the sunroof and both at the same price), but you’d have to be extraordinarily tall for it to be a problem.

It’s not quite as palatial in the back. The seats are heated again, and very comfortable, and legroom is excellent, but headroom is only just enough for a six-footer. The C-post sweeps forward at a fast angle, too, putting it right next to your head, so you’re looking forward and out rather than having a vista next to you. Nonetheless, the RX can carry four tall adults with none having to feel cramped.

This is a vehicle which, through many models, has been a bit of a practicality sleeper, and so it proves again with the current one. The boot

You expect immense build quality and effortless luxury from Lexus, and that’s exactly what the RX delivers. Its cabin has an elegantly designed image to it that’s individualistic without being over the top, and the materials and fittings alike are top-notch

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Load-lugging practicality isn’t what you think of first when you consider the RX, but down the years each new model has been something of a sleeper in this respect. Oddment stowage is well above average, with a range of simple but clever touches such as fold-out door pockets, and the boot is enormous. The seats don’t lie as flat as we’d like when folded, but the cargo area that’s revealed when they drop down is enormous

is immense with the seats up, and still more so when they drop down. The seats fold electrically, though they stop some way from flat and won’t be pushed down any further, so there’s a slope in the floor – not ideal for Ikea runs, though if you’re spending this sort of money on an SUV it’s possible that that won’t matter…

Nonetheless, in terms of sheer volume it’s excellent. And the use of space for oddment stowage mirrors this, with some very smooth touches up front. In addition to a good, big cubby and glovebox, the door pockets fold out to swallow large items and the map pockets on the seat-backs are elasticated – small touches, but ones which make a good thing better still.

The RX’s ergonomics are as well thought-out as you’d expect, with controls that feel as good as they look and an infotainment system whose display looks striking and works well. We’ve been critical in the past of the finger pad used to control the media system, as it’s so sensitive that moving the cursor around the screen and clicking to select options from the menu takes all your concentration; it seems to be better now, and the haptics built in to it go some way to helping you control what you’re asking it to do, but it’s still tricky to operate. Obviously, a system like this should be easy, indeed intuitive, and it’s still some way short of that.

Nonetheless, the RX is a very pleasing vehicle to drive. It’s incredibly easy around town, with a beautifully natural weight to its steering, then on the motorway it’s smooth and very quiet indeed. The engine note is never more than a background snarl, and at cruising speeds it disappears altogether, leaving a little road rumble but no wind noise at all to disturb you. Add in the fact that you’ll be driving on electric power only for much of the time around town, and you’ve got one very refined SUV indeed.

On the A and B-roads that come in between, it rides well and handles far better than you might expect. It grips very well, of course, allowing you to

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corner it hard, but on top of that it’s really positive and even engaging for a spirited drive. Body control is excellent, even when you’re ragging it, and its big alloys and low-profile tyres don’t upset the flow or pile any crudeness into the cabin.

For a luxury SUV, it’s really quite sporty and certainly quick. But it’s also very luxurious, most importantly of all, and it looks the part. Lexus’ colour options include a cream leather interior, which we think would look pretty sensational – and what makes it more surprising than ever is that with the way the market has gone, it’s now looking like very good value for money at £63,315 on the road.

That’s still a good bit of cash, of course. But it’s low to mid-range Defender money and nowhere near what you can spend on a Range Rover Sport, so by no means is it stratospheric.

The RX is a different kettle of fish to either of those vehicles, for sure.

In fact, in the SUV market it has always been a model that wanders its own line. It’s a posh family wagon with no more than a touch of 4x4 ability, and in Takumi form it’s posher than ever. But if that’s all you’ll ever need from it, what it offers in a wide range of other areas makes it a choice you’ll keep on being happy you made for years to come.

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DRIVEN

LAND ROVER 110 D250

Six-pot diesel engine brings a new level of stump-pulling grunt to the Defender range and becomes the default choice for buyers looking to use their truck properly ON TEST Land Rover Defender 110 D250 SE

T

he new-shape Defender has become a very well established sight on Britain’s roads since its arrival last year. In the time that’s passed since it went on sale, the model range has gained some very well publicised additions – as well as a few early updates.

The D250 is one of the latter.

Over the winter, we tested a Defender 110 with the D240 engine – which even by that point, had already been discontinued. This is its replacement.

The D250 is a 3.0-litre, sixcylinder diesel producing 249bhp and 420lbf.ft. Those are the kind of figures that will make any diesel lover’s heart proud, and all that torque comes in from just 1250rpm

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– putting this Defender firmly in stump-pulling territory.

It’s tested here in SE form, a midrange trim level listing at £58,355 with this engine. Pricey enough, you might think, but our test vehicle also had around ten grand’s worth of options on it.

We don’t normally talk about paint colours but these include Yulong White metallic paint, a black roof, black exterior detailing and satin-finish dark grey wheels, which between them add £3365 to the bill.

Having got your breath back, pause to consider how astonished we feel to be saying that in our view, it’s worth every penny. The Defender is a handsome looking beast, but we’ve never seen such an imposing example as this one when it rocked

up in our car park. That’s not the view of one person but of everyone who saw it; for some reason, this colour combination made it look about twice as big as normal.

Enormous, classy, dominant and with off-the-scale road presence.

That’s the stuff of personal taste, of course, but the 110 did command the attention of everyone who saw it. Which, when you’ve spent this much money on one, might feel like a good return on your investment..

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY Our tester had more options inside, too. Ebony Dinamica and Steelcut premium textile seats very much

leading the way here, in lieu of the grained leather and weave that’s standard on the SE. This is a nocost option, which is doubly good because however much we like the white and black exterior, we liked the seats more.

We’re not huge fans of leatherfor-leather’s-sake here at 4x4, so we certainly are huge fans of Land Rover for the alternatives it offers. Not just because these are more sustainable, either (though it matters): mainly, the look and feel of these materials is on another level altogether. The impression is of a hard-wearing suede, but done at a fabulously premium level – our notes include the phrase ‘bang on the money,’ which is doubly good because they don’t cost any.

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The Defender’s cabin has become a familiar sight over the last year or so – yet however it’s trimmed, its design continues to command your attention. It manages to be instantly recognisable as a Defender without being anything like the old one, and it blends the minimal simplicity of a nearly featureless facia with the high-tech usability of its digital controls and multi-function infotainment system. There are more luxurious versions than this but it’s a vehicle that doesn’t need to be lavish to stand out Put it this way. Our 110 was also equipped with a sliding panoramic sunroof, which costs £1650 and doesn’t even slide that far. If it was free, we still wouldn’t want it: but if it was the seats that cost £1650, we still would.

Further options in this particular 110 include three-zone climate control, heated rear seats, cabin air ionisation and an air quality sensor.

There’s about £1250 in that little lot, which shows how far you can go to improve the environment you and your passengers are sitting in.

Comparisons are odious, as the

saying goes, but we are by nature odious people so comparisons we shall make: remember when a Defender 110 was a thing with metal flaps you could open to let the air in?

All of this comes on top of all the good stuff that makes the (new) Defender’s cabin what it is.

Which includes huge space, brilliant practicality and a blend of quality, equipment and sheer fitness for purpose that’s so good it’s almost obscene. Its general usability is so, so good, with no end of places to stash things and, should you need

to carry serious cargo, an almost van-like space in the rear when the seats go down.

They do so using a timehonoured method with the bases tumbling forward and the backs dropping down into the space that’s left. Thus configured, the 110 offers a loadspace floor that’s not only completely flat but boarded out in a tough, splash-proof plastic whose rubberised finish means it’s also grippy enough to stop things from sliding around. This remains in place even when the rear seats are up and you’re running with a

traditional boot arrangement – and unless we’re talking about a monster tip run or particularly enthusiastic mission to Ikea, it’ll swallow everything you can throw at it even in this form.

Up front again, there’s enough space in both rows of seats for one six-footer to sit very comfortably behind another.

Everyone on board will get stacks of headroom, too (that panoramic roof notwithstanding), as well as a superb view out. From the driver’s seat, this means the same high-command position as the old

Front and rear legroom in the 110 are both excellent, with plenty of room for one six-footer to sit behind another. The driving position is as toweringly epic as you’d expect, and so is headroom – even with our test vehicle’s panoramic roof, for which we’d definitely not pay an extra £1650, you could climb on board wearing a top hat and still not come close to hitting the head lining

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DRIVEN

Defender – only this time with the added bonus of being able to relax.

DRIVING While the D250 is the D240’s replacement, it’s not exactly of the like-for-like variety. The old unit was a 2.0-litre four-pot, after all, while this is a 3.0-litre straight six. It’s only up by 12bhp in this form, but torque is massively increased by 103lbf. ft – that’s around 33% better. It’s available from 150rpm lower, too.

So, will it surprise you to learn that the D250-engined 110 is effortless to drive? Didn’t think it

would, no. It’s a mild hybrid unit, though this has no appreciable effect other than to help it run a bit more efficiently; what you notice is the unrelenting linear pull that comes on stream the moment you start to squeeze the throttle. It feels at once very, very controllable and also like being in charge of something massively powerful like HMS Ark Royal or Godzilla.

The impression of having so much in reserve is aided by the impressive refinement with which all this is done. The engine is not especially quiet, but its note is nicely purposeful and certainly not

strained. The gearbox, meanwhile, appears to perform entirely seamlessly however hard you try to confuse it, both on and off-road, and ride quality is smooth enough to confound everything you thought you knew about what a 2300kg truck would be like on 20” wheels.

The air suspension that’s standard on most Defenders does help here, and it allows the 110 to handle with a fluid suppleness that defies its weight, proportions and sheer size. Nobody’s pretending it’s a sports car, or even a sports SUV, but it’s also not like driving an oldshape 110. Some will say that this

is a bad thing (and we ourselves have praised the base-spec 90 for reminding us of what the old one was like in corners) but its steering is responsive, its body movements are predictable and its drivetrain never lets you down.

There was a kind of anarchic quality to the old 110’s dynamics that made it lovable in a hilarious kind of way. This one by contrast is very grown-up, but it’s just as easy to appreciate. It’s like the difference between the teacher who finally got you to understand calculus and your mate who taught you how to roll your own; you remember them both

The Defender’s side-hinged rear door swings open to reveal a massive, square-shaped aperture through which to access an equally huge cargo area. The second-row seatbacks fold down into the space left by tumbling their squabs forward, creating a totally flat floor whose surface is both tough and waterproof. It’s grippy, too, and contains several lashing points to keep your load under control

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Dinamica and Steelcut premium textiles are available as a no-cost option in lieu of leather in the SE, and we’d heartily recommend them. Our Defender’s seats looked and felt sensational – and as well as being made from a sustainable source, these fabrics are likely to keep on looking fresh well into old age

fondly, it’s just that one memory is a bit hazier than the other…

Despite its size, the 110 is impressively manoeuvrable around town – where its suspension continues to excel, even where the road surface does not. It’s an absolute monster on the motorway too, bowling along quietly on all that torque with nothing more to disturb you than a bit of wind noise and a far distant rumble from the road.

Get it off-road, meanwhile, and it’s in its element. The gap between the old 90 and 110 here was pretty huge, but the new model has changed that – obviously, its longer wheelbase will come in to

play in some situations, as will its extra weight, but with a barrage of electronic aids helping you out there’s really very little between them. The 110 is surprisingly agile in tight situations and, of course, with all that torque at such low revs it covers rough, hilly and sticky ground with dismissive ease. Put it on the sort of bumpy, stony, unmade track that makes up 99% of the off-road work people do in the real world, and you might as well be driving on a smooth runway.

That’s without getting into the many options offered by the air suspension and Land Rover’s All Terrain Progress Control and Terrain

★★★★★

Land Rover Defender 110 D250 Massively torquey new diesel is perfectly suited to buyers who want to use their Defender properly The Defender was already our 4x4 of the Year before the D250 engine came along – and now it’s better than ever. The V8 and PHEV units have stolen the headlines this year – but if you intend to use your 110 properly, this brilliant new diesel option will be the most significant addition to the range since it first came out

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Response 2 off-road drive modes.

The Defender is almost endlessly tunable to suit the terrain, and on top of that you’ve got various cameras ready to create an array of images on the standard-fit Pivi Pro infotainment screen. It’s absolutely not a substitute for having a competent spotter on your side, and it remains the case that when all’s said and done, low range is still your staunchest ally off-road, but the 110 has that and so much more besides.

Keeping on top of it all can be distracting, if truth be told. The vehicle’s deep reserves of built-in ability mean it’s only rarely that you’ll get into a situation where your choice of Terrain Response programme actually becomes critical, at any rate.

Going back to the options list for a moment, our 110 was also equipped with a electronic locking rear diff. That’s another £1020 on

the bottom line, but it’s well worth it if you’re going to do anything more than the most basic off-roading.

Being fully automatic, it’s not something that you have to worry about operating – but watching the off-road information display as you drive, you see how much of the time it’s engaged. It might not always be making the difference between success and failure, but this does show how much of a benefit you get from it.

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Folios Classifieds 2020.indd 51 Folios Classifieds 2020.indd 51

SEPTEMBER 2021 | 47 OCTOBER 2021 | 41 03/08/2021 21:06:43 16:26:41

| 51 31/08/2021 JUNE 2019 JUNE 2019 | 51

THE BIG FINISH

The Jeep Wrangler Edition was the final hurrah for the old JK model before it went out of production to be replaced by the current JL. With only 55 sold in the UK, it’s a rare beast – especially in 3.6-litre V6 form, as most that came here were diesels. This example, however, is more than just rare – having been given the treatment by Storm Jeeps, it’s a bona fide one-off Words: Tom Alderney Pictures: Storm Jeeps

W

hen the current Jeep Wrangler was launched in the UK in 2019, it was the dawn of a new era. But thanks to Europe’s approach to cutting carbon emissions, it was also the end of another.

When the previous-generation JK model was launched, back in 2007, it was with wall-to-wall diesel engines. Except in the case of the evolved

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Rubicon model, that is, which got a 3.8-litre petrol engine with 196bhp.

But then, during the course of the JK’s life, Jeep introduced the 3.6-litre V6 Pentastar engine. With 280bhp, this was much more like it. It took time, but the new engine found its way into UK models in the latter part of the JK’s production run, not just in the Rubicon but in everyday models too.

What you’re looking at here is one of the very last. One of, if not the very last, in fact, because UK supply dwindled to less than a trickle as the JK neared its end.

It’s a 2018 Wrangler Edition. As the name suggests, this was a limited-run model designed to squeeze the last drops out of the JK (something Jeep hardly needed to do, such was the clamour

4x4 29/08/2021 21:41

for them). Only 55 came to the UK, most of them with diesel engines – making this V6 example a rare beast indeed.

As you can see, though, it’s more than just rare.

It’s very much one of a kind. That’s because, with a trifling 6500 miles on the clock, it fell into the hands of Storm Jeeps. And as a long line of cool builds has shown, the guys at Storm Jeeps know

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The Dana 30 and 44 axles are standard, but the suspension bolted to them is not. The +3” TeraFlex system uses Falcon 2.1 dampers and promises a blend of strong road manners with extreme articulation a thing or two about taking a good thing and making it better.

‘This JK Edition has everything it takes to make an icon even more special,’ the company says.

‘The aim behind the exterior enhancements on this Jeep was to create a blackout stealth look with styling inspired by Poison Spyder Customs builds in the USA.’ Poison Spider Mesa is a famous off-road trail in the rock-crawling paradise of Moab, Utah. And sure enough, this JK has the look of a rock rig – albeit a brand new one that hasn’t taken the sort of beating Moab is very good at dishing out.

It was built using what Storm describes as ‘some of the best known aftermarket brands on the custom Jeep market with no expense spared,’ and as a consequence it’s very capable indeed – though all the same, that lush black paintwork wouldn’t half show up any scratches…

The first thing you’re likely to notice is that it’s on big tyres. Big or bigger, depending on which photos you’re looking at. For the street look, it’s wearing a set of 35x12.50R20 Toyo Open Country Mud-Terrains on 20x9” KMC Rockstar rims, while for off-roading it wears 37x12.50R17 BFGoodrich KM2s on Pro-Comp Cognos rims. Neither of these is as big as some of the monsters you see on fullhouse rock rigs, but they still put on quite a show – and anyway, Storm needed to keep it sensible as, despite its extreme image, this was clearly a vehicle built to be drivable on the road too.

Hence the use of a 3” suspension lift kit from TeraFlex, featuring Falcon 2.1 shocks, which majors on drivability and performance as well as giving the vehicle ‘everything you need to conquer the most extreme trails and conditions.’ Any idiot can lift a vehicle this much and turn it into something that handles like a man possessed by satan

riding a unicycle while balancing a blancmange on a stick of rhubarb, but TeraFlex promises ‘properly developed’ suspension geometry roll centre and load tuning to ensure that all the vehicle’s factory-fitted stability measures remain functional and within Jeep’s original parameters. The results, the company says, are ‘increased vehicle stability on and off-road, improved dynamic roll control, improved low-speed damping and optimised fitment for clearance during full suspension travel and articulation.’

On a full rock crawler, the suspension would be backed up by locking diffs and strengthened axles, but this JK retains its standard Dana 30 front and Dana 44 rear axles. These run their original 3.73:1 diff ratios, too. However the team at Storm definitely went all out when it came to fitting heavy-duty bumpers and sill protection – as well as a towering set of wheelarches.

Both bumpers are from Poison Spyder Customs. The high-clearance Brawler Lite unit at the front is fabricated from 3/16” plate steel, while the RockBrawer II at the back was designed both to look good and maintain the best possible departure angle. The exhaust beneath it is a Borla Dirt Sports car-back job; safe to say the Pentastar V6 engine rarely sounds this good

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Upgraded JW Speaker headlamps offer DRL functionality and a better beam pattern than the standard halogen units. The rear bumper has integrated LED foglights, while above it the spare wheel contains a spectacularly cool halo LED brake light. Best of all, the Rigid Radiance Plus 50” LED bar mounted at the top of the windscreen (below) has a red backlit feature for those look-at-me moments

This is where the Poison Spyder Customs connection comes to the fore. Starting at the front, the company’s high-clearance Brawler Lite front bumper extends far enough out at each side to protect the lower corners of the Jeep’s grille, but not so far as to hinder tyre clearance or approach angle when tackling vertical obstacles. Fabricated from 3/16” plate steel, CNC laser-cut and precision brake-formed into a low profile design, the bumper is home to a Warn Zeon 8000lb electric winch whose synthetic rope is pulled through Poison Spyder Customs’ hawse fairlead.

Moving back, you come to those arches. These are Poison Spyder’s aluminium Crusher flares, colour-coded here to match the Jeep’s bodywork. As well as looking amazing, they’ve got the strength to protect the rest of the vehicle too, with an inner structure which fully braces them against

4x4 5pp Storm JK Edition.indd 45

‘punishing scrapes with granite canyon walls.’ Car park dings are so very last year…

The arches flow down towards a set of Mopar rock rails, then round the back there’s a Poison

Spyder RockBrawler II rear bumper. Following the same approach as its counterpart at the front, this is designed for ‘the best possible departure angle and corner obstacle clearance.’

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It’s there to look good, too. Storm says its appearance ‘is designed to be streamlined and spherically pleasing while still providing increased protection from corner impacts… not like the squarish, boxy shape of many other bumpers on the market.’

There’s a Rugged Ridge cast alloy heavy-duty tailgate hinge up top, helping carry the extra weight of the outsize space wheel – inside of which a halo LED brake light is located. On the

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subject, the rear bumper also has integrated LED foglights, retaining its neat lines without the need for anything to be mounted on top of it.

Further bright lights come in the shape of a JW Speaker headlamp upgrade, offering DRL functionality as well as better beam patterns and superior performance to that of the standard halogen units. Brightest of all, however, is a 50” Rigid Radiance Plus light bar mounted along the top of the windscreen. This is proper turn-day-

into-night stuff – ideal for off-roading, of course, and also for making the vehicle look cooler than ever whether it’s switched on or off.

So if you’re sitting inside this Wrangler, you can be fairly sure everybody will be looking at it and admiring you. But what do you get to look at yourself? The short answer is that it’s pretty much standard in there – albeit standard JK Edition, which means you’re sitting in heated McKinley leather seats with grey stitching and a matching cubby box lid, steering wheel and door armrest.

There passenger’s grab handle has embossed JK badging, and there’s a serial plaque recording the vehicle as number 868 out of the 1250 Edition models built for the worldwide market.

Obviously, a plaque recording it as number 1 out of 1 would be equally relevant, albeit slightly extra. And anyway, you don’t need that to know this is a unique Wrangler. On top of all the other stuff we’ve mentioned, it has a Mopar PowerDome vented bonnet and Borla Dirt Sports cat-back exhaust – the latter helping ensure that it sounds as good as it looks.

Which, it won’t have escaped your notice, is very good indeed. This may have been a rare and special Wrangler from the word go, simply by being one of the last of its kind, but what’s happened since then has turned it into much more than just another Edition model. It’s gone from being a JK Edition to a Storm Edition, done in the style of one of the great American Jeep-building houses – and more than any plaque ever could, that makes it very special indeed.

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PRIMED FOR Richard Barnett used to gaze longingly at the immaculate 300Tdi Land Rover Discovery parked on his friend’s driveway. Finally, the great day came when the vehicle became his – and its journey from urban runabout to sensational off-road camper could begin Words: Mike Trott Pictures: Mike Trott, David Sharp and Richard Barnett

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R ADVENTURE

F

or many 4x4 drivers, it’s the globetrotting adventures that they dream of most.

You can tell yourself that you’re happy enough just using your Landcruiser to drive the kids to school, that the limit of your ambitions for your Wrangler is the odd local playday, or that you enjoy just tinkering and making sure your Series III hasn’t lost a fatal amount of fluid to your driveway this week, but is that really the extent of your curiosity?

Obviously, everyday family life can put a spanner in the works of expedition planning. But there are plenty of overlanders out there to show you that you really can live for the open road.

Take Richard Barnett, for instance. A man of Discovery, in more ways than one. Richard didn’t just see his Land Rover as a ticket to go on distant adventures. Instead, he took the decision to convert it into the perfect overland truck.

However, it began with Richard gazing with envy at his mate’s Land Rover.

‘Every time I saw it, the truck was immaculate,’ recalls Richard.

‘So I said, “If you ever want to sell it, let me know.”’

At the time, the Land Rover was a regular 300Tdi Discovery, finished in blue. But a lot has changed since then.

It was seven years ago when the Discovery was relinquished into Richard’s possession, by which time he had already experienced his first expedition whilst travelling with Atlas Overland on one of their Pyrenees treks.

‘The Pyrenees trip was around ten years ago and gave me the taste. Then the Discovery came along,’ smiles Richard. Morocco and Corsica were also ticked off the list, again whilst using Atlas Overland, but now at the wheel of the blue Disco. Somewhere along the line, though, the blue exterior transformed into the yellow complexion you see here.

‘The Camel Trophy idea came about after I bought it,’ says Richard. I’d always wanted a Camel, but could never justify the sort of price

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The off-road prep is that of a typical playday or laning build, with a raised air intake, solid steering guard, +2” Bearmach suspension lift and tubular bumper and A-bar on top of a heavy-duty winch mount. We doubt you’ll have seen anything like this cab-top roof rack before, though – the pop-top camper body means space is short, in every sense of the word, but there’s still room for a space wheel up there and that makes it precious. As you can see in the picture below, the legs of the roof rack also make a very handy anchoring point for a washing line – which, if you’re sharing a vehicle for weeks at a time, is the sort of things you’ll most likely come to appreciate more than most people could ever comprehend

The cabin is like that thing from the Generation Game. Dash-top pod… antenna… tablet mount… power supply… dash cam… mobile phone cradle… seat covers… pair of shades… cuddly toy. Brucie would have approved

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Left: These days, a Land Rover without climate control would be incomprehensible. But it was only standard on high-spec versions of the Discovery 1 – hence this little reminder of what life was like in the early days of expedition travel Right: Something else they didn’t have in the early days of expedition travel was electronics. Not to worry, though, Richard’s Disco has enough of those on board to make up for everyone else

“The whole thing was fabricated from scratch. I didn’t want it too wide or big – it’s only three inches wider on each side than a regular Discovery” people ask for them. So I went and got some yellow paint and stickers instead.’

To show off the Discovery’s new paint job, Richard celebrated with another overland trip, this time to the edge of the Arctic Circle and the depths of Scandinavia. Up until this point, he and his partner had been using roof tents – at first a Howling Moon and then latterly their preferred Maggiolina – and for a time this was perfectly acceptable. But an even better set-up, dreamt up

by Richard, was soon to become a reality.

‘The problem was that we found when the weather turned bad we didn’t really have any-

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where to go,’ explains Richard. ‘The awning would provide a bit of protection, but just didn’t cut it.

Climbing up and down the ladder, especially after a drink or two, that wasn’t going to cut it either…’

So when the Discovery started showing signs of corrosion on the rear, Richard decided that rather than weld the issue away for a year or so, the time had come to convert the truck into a proper overlanding camper.

Built on his garage floor with some assistance from a few mates, Richard set about constructing a new rear frame and body for the Discovery that would allow for sleeping inside the vehicle, whilst still housing all the kit needed on expeditions.

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Top: The contents of the rear body are meticulously arranged to make every last scrap of space work for its living. Richard planned its design with storage on one side and windows on the other – and in between them is a double bed which folds away when not in use. The panel on the back of the cab is home to a variety of items, including a pair of speakers, a carbon monoxide alarm, a solarpanel monitor and a panel for the night-time heating Above right: Tucked in to the right of the back body, just ahead of the rear door, is an Engel fridge-freezer Right: One of the final parts of the jigsaw to fall in to place, the rear door was created to provide additional storage space. The drop-down shelf seen to the bottom right illustrates just how three-dimensional its design is

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The rear body was designed to be as usable as possible in every way, and there are countless fittings, hatches and stowage holes all around it for this very reason. A recovery rope is stashed just behind the offside rear wheel, for example, and a door above the nearside tail-lights opens to reveal a pull-out shower ‘The whole thing ended up being fabricated from scratch and I took sheets down to a metal folder in Cardiff,’ says Richard. ‘I didn’t want it too wide or too big, so it’s only three inches wider on each side than a regular Discovery. And the thinner walls give you lots of extra space.’

Still on the same chassis and original body mounts, the Discovery now runs a mid-duty 2” lift from Bearmach and Pro-Comp shocks, which are slightly softer and provide a better ride quality when travelling across desert. Having now been to Morocco three times, it’s probably safe to take Richard’s word for it!

Richard continues, ‘We thought about having the bed up in the roof, but the car could have done with being two feet longer. It was all planned out, though, with windows on one side and storage on the other.’

Towards the top, there’s a solar panel, carbon monoxide alarm and night heater panel, while a

6pp Barnett D1 Camper.indd 53

fridge sits near the rear door – which in turn is a relatively new addition after a friend folded it to aid with interior space and storage options.

Things are kept simple in here to minimise any issues. The cabin, for example, is backed with a sheet of canvas using Velcro to stop dust getting into the rear when on the move.

Having completed the conversion, it’s no surprise that Richard has been finding any excuse to get out into the world.

‘We’ve now done most of the Atlas Overland destinations, although we’re looking at Portugal next,’ he says.

‘Morocco is the off-roader’s dream and while the people and culture are fabulous, for driving it’s great. It’s a proper full-on adventure. But if you’re one for relaxing, Corsica is probably the favourite.’

You begin to wonder whether there is anywhere left for Richard to explore, but

actually one of the top priorities on the bucket list lies on the doorstep.

‘Scotland is one place we’d really like to visit, or the Outer Hebrides to be exact.’ See, adventure is everywhere. And with his Discovery now fully converted into a dedicated overlanding machine, Richard is a man on a mission to make the most of it wherever he goes.

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PRODUCTS

MAXXIS AIMS TO MAKE ITS PRESENCE FELT WITH ‘MAKE AN IMPACT’ PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN MAXXIS HAS LAUNCHED a promotional campaign with a difference. Called Make an Impact, this will see the tyre manufacturer reaching out to help those who pride themselves on supporting others.

Kicking off in May, the Make an Impact campaign comprises what Maxxis describes as ‘a series of community outreach programmes, local grass-roots sponsorships, charity initiatives, giveaways and more.’ Operated in collaboration with UK distributor Stapleton’s Tyre Services, it will run for several months, bringing together ‘a series of ideas to help local businesses, charities and individuals that deserve recognition.’

The first initiative in the programme saw Maxxis inviting its followers on social media to nominate local heroes for recognition. The company has also introduced a Blue Light Card partnership, through which members of the emergency services can claim cashbacks when buying full sets of Maxxis tyres.

Maxxis, whose wide range of all-terrain and off-road tyres are well known in 4x4 circles, will also be donating to a range of charities in a variety of outreach programmes this year.

‘We are truly excited about the Make an Impact campaign and we can’t wait to hit the ground running to really make a difference this year,’ said Brand Manager Samantha Allatt.

‘Maxxis are one of the world’s top ten tyre manufacturers and have a ready-made platform that is perfect for helping local communities throughout the UK. We believe that so many businesses and individuals have been overlooked with their work during the past year – which is why we are wanting to step in to thank them, by giving back.’

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HITTING THE HEIGHTS When disaster strikes in the mountains of Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia, help will always Words: Kaziyoshi Sasazaki Pictures: Jeep

I

f someone were to ask you to name Europe’s most popular regions for mountaineering, you’d almost certainly come back with the Alps or the Pyrenees.

You might try to be clever and say something about Scotland or the Peak District, or maybe the Black Forest, but the smart money is on leading with your banker.

As they might remind you on the BBC, however, other mountain ranges are available. You’ll be aware of the Tatras and the Urals, those ones in Poland and possibly something going on down the middle of Italy. But would you think about the Kamnik, Julian, Dinaric and Carpathian mountains?

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These are among the ranges which every year attract thousands of visitors to the wild places of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. In Croatia alone (the only one of the three that doesn’t have a peak above 2000 metres), the total number of visits to its mountainous regions equates to 600,000 days of hiking per year.

And where you get mountaineering, you get mountain mishaps.

Still in Croatia, the nation’s peaks are watched over by a rescue association of some 700 volunteers.

As an illustration of how valuable their services are, they attend 7000 callouts every year. Mostly in summer, but human error (and natural disasters) can strike all year round.

Some of these volunteers have been doing it for as long as a quarter of a century. But in 2013, they were joined by a new team member – the Dacia Duster.

Following a tie-up with Dacia, the three nations’ mountain rescue associations took delivery of around 20 Dusters each. Naturally, these are all-wheel drive models – whose tractability and ground clearance has made them an invaluable asset in the rugged terrain and harsh conditions of the mountains.

Used as rapid response vehicles, the Dusters typically carry teams of three rescuers along with all their equipment and, if necessary, search dogs to the scene of an accident.

Most often, this requires specialists including mountaineering, caving, diving and rock climbing experts to reach wild, remote locations – often in the sort of harsh weather that gets people into difficulties in the first place.

In Serbia, for example, a nationwide team of around 500 volunteers is called out around 1500 times a year. This has resulted in the Dusters being used every single day for the last eight years, to tow trailers full of rescue equipment and transport rescuers and search dogs to the most remote parts of the country – something Dacia says they’ve done without ever registering a single failure.

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be at hand – and when it arrives, it will be brought to you courtesy of a Dacia Duster

In Croatia, around 15% of callouts are caused by natural disasters including floods, earthquakes and avalanches

This includes an almost literal perfect storm of winter conditions in 2014, when the vehicles had to operate over several days in flooded areas, facing rain, mud, snow and blizzards. In Croatia, meanwhile, some 15% of callouts are caused by natural disasters including floods, earthquakes and avalanches.

In December 2020, an earthquake destroyed the town of Petrinja, Croatia. Driving their Dusters, the Croatian mountain rescue teams were the first on the scene. Thanks to their rapid response, they were able to save a woman trapped beneath the rubble.

‘With the Duster, we can get to the scene of the accident really

quickly to give first aid,’ said Darko, a long-serving Croat rescuer. ‘They are really practical vehicles because they can be driven on urban roads and forest tracks too.’

Darko’s Slovene counterparts, who number 430, were called out to 485 incidents in 2020 alone – a figure that becomes even more daunting when you remember that

large parts of Europe spent so much of the year in lockdown. Around a third of these incidents involved people having either got lost or become trapped. One again, the Dusters play a pivotal role in getting volunteers and their equipment to those who need them.

Of course, most of the Dusters in the UK are front-wheel drive only.

However with 4x4 variants having been available since the first-generation model went on sale here, it’s a vehicle that’s earned its reputation for toughness and off-road ability.

And that’s no idle boast, either – just ask the guys who rely on their Dacias to help them save lives in the rugged terrain of mountain ranges you’ve never even heard of…

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UNDER AFRICAN SKIES Botswana is the size of France but has less than a quarter of the population of London. No Words and pictures: Raymond and Nereide Greaves

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wonder it feels empty – leaving plenty of room for wildlife

O

n every journey, the point comes when you realise you’re getting close to your destination.

If you’re heading for Europe, it’s when you start seeing signs for the Channel Tunnel; if you’re commuting to work in Croydon, it’s normally when the traffic slows to a stop; and for us, on our expedition from London to Cape Town, it was when we crossed the Zambezi on the hilarious Kazangula ferry and arrived in Botswana.

It was a jubilant moment – we were now in Southern Africa!

We had done a lot of research before setting off, all of which suggested that travelling would only get easier from here on in. The roads would be better, the availability and quality of accommodation would improve, access to cash through ATMs would be easier and so on. Expedition travel is all about experiences and we hadn’t half had some, both good (mainly) and bad (occasionally), but now we were ready to relax and enjoy a part of Africa that was a little more like home.

A little.

Botswana is an interesting country in several respects. It is about the size of France or Texas yet has a population of slightly less than two million. As a result, the country feels virtually empty – we drove for hours between towns and saw virtually no one en route.

It also has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world – more than 30% of the population when we visited (it has dropped to closer to 20% now but is still one of the world’s worst). Shockingly, the

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Left: Unlike the authors’ Range Rover, the Kazangula Ferry feels rickety and under-powered. But even though the Zambezi was swollen from weeks of rain, it managed to chug its way across – delivering its cargo of a few vehicles at a time to the far bank, where they would leave Zambia and Central Africa behind and pass through the frontier into Botswana Below: You know that thing they say about the king of the jungle being a lion? Get up close and personal with an elephant and you’ll be left in absolutely no doubt as to who’s in charge

average age of its citizens at the time was under 15.

While this may suggest an impoverished nation, however, the reality is somewhat different thanks to a successful diamond industry and a thriving tourist sector. This is immediately evident in the quality of infrastructure and services which overall makes the country a pleasant place to visit.

Even crossing borders was going to be easier from here on in, too.

Botswana, Namibia and South Africa are all part of the Southern African Customs Union, meaning the dreaded carnet would only need stamping once on entry to the region and once again at exit (Cape

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Town in our case), thus significantly speeding up our paperwork.

So we were in a positive mood.

And not just because we felt we had finally put the horrors of the Lake Nasser ferry, the hard, dangerous going of northern Kenya, simply being in Khartoum and the tiresome nuisance of coppers on the take behind us. Being able to relax is a great feeling – and with some of the world’s most fascinating natural places to explore, Botswana is a great place to be able to do it.

The country is incredibly flat, its whole area lying at about 1000 metres above sea level. But it possesses four important, unique and fascinating ecosystems: Chobe

National Park, one of Africa’s great game reserves; the Okavango Delta, an incredibly unspoilt area of bush that is flooded annually by waters flowing in from Angola; the vast Makgadikgadi salt pans, formed after an ancient lake dried up; and finally the Kalahari Desert, one of the largest areas of sand in the world.

Although we had taken a little time out of our schedule for a safari drive in Tanzania and, unforgettably, joined an organised jungle walk in Uganda to get up close with that beautiful nation’s native gorillas, our time in Africa had been more about its people. Now, however, we intended to do some serious game viewing, focusing our attentions on

Chobe and the Okavango. And we were not to be disappointed.

After the ferry crossing, our first port of call was the town of Kasane, only a few kilometres away. This was to be our stepping stone into Chobe National Park.

We could see that we were very definitely coming back into a more familiar form of civilisation.

The town was clean and tidy, fuel stations were abundant, bigbrand South African retailers and supermarkets were all over the place and there was even a small shopping mall – something we had not seen for a VERY long time!

As we had in the Ngorongoro, way back in Tanzania, we wanted to stay

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in a lodge close to the game reserve then go in on an organised game drive. This might fly in the face of the classic (and fanciful) image of a totally self-sufficient overland traveller camping among the wildlife in his own vehicle, but our reasoning was sound – the guides on these drives are pros and they know their parks, so would spot more animals than we ever would.

Unfortunately, when we arrived in Botswana the Easter holidays were in full swing. As a result, accommodation was thin on the ground and what little we could get was rather expensive. Many years ago, Botswana adopted a deliberate policy of offering only high price, low volume safaris, the aim being to keep its superb wildernesses pristine.

In the end, we spent two nights at Garden Lodge, which was beautiful, very tastefully fitted out and finished to a very high standard. The British and German couple running the lodge created a very laid-back and friendly atmosphere, further enhanced by the classic African safari approach of communal dining at a long table. The staff were very attentive, the food was extremely good and the banter between the guides and the Dutch, German and South African guests continued well into the evening. Going on safari isn’t just about watching game – it’s about eating it as well!

The following morning, we joined an extensive game drive into Chobe Park, then in the afternoon we took a boat ride up Chobe River. Listing everything we saw would be rather tedious. But what Chobe is really famous for is its elephants – and our encounters with these huge beasts were, at times, rather too close for comfort. There were also lots of baby elephants in evidence, some still unsteady on their feet, some playing in the sand and dust, all close to their mothers for reassurance and food.

The other major highlight was spotting a group of wild dogs. I say ‘spotting,’ but in reality six were lying in the sandy vehicle tracks ahead of us, so it was actually impossible to miss them. Nonetheless, this was a really big deal as they are very elusive indeed. Although an extremely efficient predator, man nearly hunted them out of existence and they are now the third rarest predator on the African

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continent. Expensively produced tourist brochures will always be full of pictures of lions, cheetahs and giraffes, but if you know your wildlife the African wild dog will be on your safari wish list. We were among the very few to get lucky.

The boat ride up the Chobe River was equally enthralling and, given that the river is infested with crocodiles, there is an added level of excitement. We did see crocodiles – a juvenile hanging in the shallows and a more mature example sunning himself on the bank – but in our minds, there were many more just under the surface of the inky water.

At times, there was so much action on the banks of the river it was hard to know what to look at. A particular favourite was the baboons – they are extremely entertaining to watch and sometimes seemed just as interested in us as we were in them. There were two drinking from the river while another kept watch for crocs; young ones were practising their climbing skills in bushes and trees; an elder sat on the bank gazing into the distance contemplating the world while a couple more play-fought each other in the background.

Given that the hippos had been so elusive in the Ngorongoro, we were keen for some better viewing of this bad tempered and unpredictable animal – and Chobe delivered in spades. Large pods were cooling themselves in the river but as sunset approached they started to get more active, baring their teeth in

huge yawns and sauntering out of the water. Observing by boat meant that we could get very close without getting in their way (definitely not something you want to risk doing) and we finally managed to get some decent photographs.

Both these experiences delivered superb game viewing. No way were we roughing it overland-style, but if there was ever a reason to put your hand in your pocket, this is it.

Delighted with our experience in Chobe, we pressed on deeper into the country to the town of Maun – which serves as the gateway to the Okavango Delta. This 375-mile journey took us straight through the middle of the Makgadikgadi salt pans, another one of Botswana’s major draw cards.

These pans used to form a ‘superlake’ covering more than 60,000 square kilometres (three times the size of Wales) which reached the Okavango and Chobe rivers in the far north. But then, less than 10,000 years ago, changes in the climate caused the huge lake to evaporate, leaving only salts behind.

The pans have become famous for their vast, flat, white emptiness.

When conditions permit, it is even possible to drive out on to them for that truly in-the-middle-of-nowhere feeling – however the rains had been heavy across southern-central Africa in the months leading up to our visit. ‘Absolutely do not go anywhere near the pans as you will get stuck and there will be no one to help you, was the advice we

had been given, which did seem fairly unequivocal.

The Okavango Delta is a complex and unique ecosystem and is one of Africa’s true, untouched wildernesses. So much so that the best bits are not really accessible by car – no, not even our Range Rover!

The Okavango River rises in central Angola, flows south-east across Namibia’s Caprivi Strip and cascades through the Popa Falls before entering north-western Botswana. At this point, its waters begin to spread and sprawl as they are consumed by the sands of the Kalahari. The Okavango, ‘the river that never finds the sea,’ disappears in a maze of lagoons, channels and islands covering an area of 16,000 square kilometres.

The result is the perennial wetland of the Okavango Delta. It’s a wonderful place to observe wildlife – though while it’s not unheard of, you’re less likely to see big cats.

The experience is more about huge landscapes and mokoro (dug out canoe) rides in the water channels.

But first, you’re got to get there.

Which for us meant parking our Range Rover in Maun and boarding a tiny little aircraft for a flight into the delta.

From the air, it’s clear how water dominates the whole region. There are countless small lakes, rivers and channels – even the grasslands looked largely flooded. As a result, getting around on the ground is a difficult task. It took only 30 minutes to reach our bumpy bush landing

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strip from Maun but the trucks that make the journey from time to time to supply the camps with diesel and non-perishables can take two days, if they have no breakdowns.

Accommodation in the Delta is of the tented variety – and camping is something the Africans have refined over the years into an art form. At short notice, we were lucky enough to find space at Shinde Camp, one of the most established in the Delta and one of the best located for wildlife viewing both on and off the water.

Frankly, as an experience, staying at the camp ranked as highly as being in the Delta itself. First of all, the staff we were absolutely brilliant . They managed to be both relaxed and good fun, as well as delivering a high level of service at the same time. And on arrival we were sung into camp by the dinner ladies!

The communal camp areas are constructed above the bush floor and connected with elevated walkways. Accommodation is literally in tents in the bush but these tents are spacious affairs with good beds, bathrooms and pleasant decoration. Shinde strikes a very good compromise between being civilised and being ‘in the bush’.

The camp routine is a good one.

Tea is served in your tent at 6am, then after an expansive breakfast the first excursion of the day is from 7.30 to 11.00. Lunch is at 11.30, after which there is a siesta period,

then it’s time for afternoon tea at 3pm. The day’s second excursion starts at 3.30 and runs until sundown at around 6.30, then drinks are served ahead of an excellent dinner at 8pm.

If this makes it sound as if the whole safari revolves around food and drink… well, then that is entirely correct. Even in the bush or on a boat, proceedings would stop midmorning and excellent coffee and home-baking would appear – or in

the late afternoon, our choice of beer, wine or gin and tonic would be served to enhance the enjoyment of watching the sun set. Even in our tent, there was a crystal decanter of sherry to help with preparations for pre-dinner drinks. In the haze of alcohol that ensued, it’s a wonder that we saw any wildlife at all…

And in all fairness, actually, we didn’t see that much wildlife.

On the game drives we spotted the usual impalas, kudus, zebras,

giraffes, elephants and warthogs without much difficulty. There was a nice pod of hippos in one of the lakes near the camp, where a few crocodiles also occasionally surfaced. Unfortunately, however, most of the predators kept very much to themselves. We did see fresh leopard tracks and spend the large part of a morning trying to find the damn cat, but it remained elusive. We even went on a late night drive, which is when many animals become active – but, apart from a mongoose, we saw frustratingly little.

We took a motorboat cruise up and down some of the many waterways and apart from some colourful birds and beautiful water lilies, there was little else in evidence. It was a very relaxing way to see the Delta, however, and enjoy its epic landscapes. On the way back to camp, we watched the sun set over a lagoon and this was sufficient compensation for the relative lack of wildlife in itself – and mere words can hardly begin to do it justice. It was probably the best,

When you’re in search of wildlife, finding a pod of hippos is a good thing. When you’re trying to get to sleep in your tent, however, knowing they’re in a nearby lake could be considered unnerving

64 | OCTOBER 2021

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The classic image of a lone expedition truck parked in the African bush with zebras and giraffes grazing nearby while you watch enthralled as a pride of lions tries to sneak up on them is largely just that – an image. You might argue that leaving your own 4x4 behind and paying a professional guide to take you out looking for wildlife is a bit of an overlanding cop-out. But you’ve travelled all this distance to see the animals – so don’t you want to actually SEE them?

most epic sunset either of us had ever seen.

Finally we took a mokoro ride through the waterways – and then at last the Delta made sense. This is the way the local tribes have always navigated and hunted in the Delta, and the silence and ease of moving through the tricky terrain really made us feel at one with the environment.

Somehow, looking at the massive skies reflecting in the oily smooth and exceptionally clear Delta waters was very cathartic. Even without seeing a leopard, this is definitely a very special part of the world.

Another tiny aircraft transported us back to Maun, from where we contemplated our next moves. We were keen to change the oil and fuel filters on the ever-faithful Range Rover, given what we had heard about African east-coast diesel – whose high sulphur content rapidly degrades the engine oil. The trouble was, we did not have enough with us to do an oil change, and finding the grade demanded by the Rangey’s modern engine was impossible.

Just as we were about to give up and leave for Namibia, we found just enough Mobil 1 to do an oil change. There is even a small Land Rover dealer in Maun, and they were prepared to drop everything at the last minute to help us. Within half an hour, we had a clean filter and a sump full of nice new oil.

From Maun, it was a fairly uneventful 350-mile drive to the Namibian border. Thanks to great

roads, we were able to average almost motorway speeds the whole way, which made shortish work of the distances. The road took us straight through the Kalahari desert – which, contrary to our expectations, was not a sea of sand but was sprinkled with grass and trees and enough grazing cows next to the road to keep the driver

hovering over the brake pedal.

Given the amount of time and distance that had passed since we left London to drive to Cape Town, you’ll understand the excitement we felt here when we saw… our first signpost to South Africa! Our goal was getting closer – perhaps the road across the Kalahari wasn’t so uneventful after all…

Raymond and Nereide drove their Range Rover from London to Cape Town in the first half of 2010. You can read the full story of their expedition at www.lilongwedown.com

The first road sign you see to South Africa is a big moment when you’ve driven all the way from Britain to get there

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ROADBOOK

SOUTH DEVON

Tight, technical trails amid a landscape from your childhood holidays 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.

68 | OCTOBER 2021

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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

4x4 29/08/2021 21:27

ROADBOOK The landscape in Devon is sometimes gentle and sometimes rugged, but always beautiful. And that could be a description of the county’s rights of way, too. A colourful combination of intense greenery and rich red mud gives it an appearance all of its own – and a number of tight, sunken lanes means you must approach with great care. We went home with a broken window, and we think we got off lightly – this roadbook contains a bypass route for the lane where it happened, but the whole route is to be taken with caution

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ROUTE GUIDE START FINISH HOW LONG? TERRAIN HAZARDS OS MAPS

Stoke Gabriel (SX 847 569) Labrador Bay (SX 930 704) 23.55 miles / 5 hours Tight coastal valleys Scratching; panel damage; Roughly eroded descents; Dangerous road junctions Landranger 202 (Torbay & South Dartmoor)

is it suitable?

TYRES

WEATHER LOW BOX SOFT-ROADERS SCRATCHING DRIVING DAMAGE

Step

1

0.0

Mud-terrains recommended when wet; Robust constuction better for peace of mind Avoid when very wet Necessary in places Unsuitable Quite severe Care and precision required Highly likely – verging on inevitable in one place SX 847 569

Start in Stoke Gabriel, in the car park by the River Shack on the waterfront at the end of Mill Hill.

The shack itself is a delight – well worth stopping at before you set off, but do park considerately. Zero your trip next to the shack and set off back into the village to start the route

Step

1.2

SCHOOL HILL

1.35 Step

Fuel on the left

7

0.7

1.95

Step

Step

4

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Shortly after a road called Broadpath on the right, turn left immediately after the building that’s hard against the side of the road

6

0.15

3

5

SX 856 577

Step

2

Step

Step

8 Waddeton Galmpton

112 234

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Step

9

2.3

13 COOMBE HOUSE LANE

4.25

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Step

3.0

4.5

14

10 Step

11

SX 839 590

Step

15

3.45

5.1

Step

Step

3.6

5.3

12

Caution – there’s a deceptive side-slope with a drop-off into the brook on the right. Keep your speed right down

16 Step

17 5.5 Step

18

ZERO TRIP

5.75 Step

19 0.35

SX 809 605

BOURTON LANE

Step

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Step

Step

1.2

2.0

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1.4

2.1

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Step

1.65

2.2

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1.75

2.35

21 22 23 24

25

As the main track swings left, carry on ahead on a grassier one

26 27 28 Step

29 3.15

Castle Marldon Torquay

1 212 9

Step

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Berry Pomeroy Castle Afton

4x4 29/08/2021 21:27

Step

35

SX 825 632

6.0 Step

36 6.15 Step

37 6.55 Step

38

SX 828 639

6.75 Step

31

SX 840 628

Don’t go too early – this is after Afton Farm and the big corrugated barn on the left

Step

39

4.8

6.95

Step

32

Step

5.2

7.55

40

The surface goes from being road to track and back again several times over the next half a mile or so

SX 835 648

Extreme caution – this is a fast, busy road and there’s terrible visibility to both sides as you emerge before immediately turning left again on the track

Step

33 5.55 Step

34

Caution over the main road and follow ahead for Uphempston

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Step

41

ZERO TRIP

8.1 Step

42

Step

43 1.05

SX 844 647

0.3

WARNING: This lane is savagely tight and potentially very damaging indeed. We’ve seen reports that it’s currently obstructed at this end, but it doesn’t appear to be closed so if it’s accessible we’ll leave it to you.

To miss it out, turn left here then right at the T-junction for Compton and Marldon. Follow the road until you come to Compton Pool junction, with a track to the right and a sign for North Whilborough to the left. This is step 45 (the track on the right is the one you would have come out of), so skip to there and zero your trip as you turn left.

And in case you missed it, here it is again: this track is VERY tight indeed and could do your vehicle a lot of damage. Go down here, and you’re on your own. You have been warned!

Step 43-44: Check out the the look of gormless horror on the Editor’s face. This is the moment when the overhanging tree claimed our Discovery’s nearside safari window and condemned us to a very draughty trip home on the M5. Be in no doubt whatsoever: this lane does not want to be your friend

74 | OCTOBER 2021

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Step

50 1.7 Step

51 1.95 Step

44

Join the bigger track

45

Carry on ahead for North Whilborough. Or, it you’ve missed out the lane at Step 43, turn left

ZERO TRIP

46

52 Step

53 2.35

1.65 Step

Step

2.05

1.5 Step

SX 871 666

Take the turning for Long Barn Holiday Cottages

Step

54

0.8

3.95

Step

Step

0.8

4.95

47

Kingskerswell

55

BARTON HILL ROAD

ZERO TRIP

RIDGE ROAD

Step

48 1.5 Step

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Step

58 5.5 Step

59

Turn left between a pair of sheds and into what at first looks like it might be a farmyard, or a rubbish dump, but is actually a proper road

5.8 Step

60 5.85 Step

56

SX 904 693

57 5.45

76 | OCTOBER 2021

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As you drop down the hill, suddenly the surface gets very uneven indeed on the way round a corner

This is very soon after Step 59. The track is clear to see, but sadly so is the fact that someone doesn’t want you around. Illegal obstructions have become a persistent problem here; a legal process is underway to try and stop them, but you may encounter blockages or suffer harrassment at this end of the lane.

If you do, you should take pictures if safe to do so and report it to the local authority.

To skip this lane, continue about 0.6 miles to the T-junction with the A379. Turn left and immediately left again on Ridge Road. The tarmac appears to run out after about 0.7 miles at an angled crossroads where everything else is a track; bear right here on what’s marked on the map as a yellow road

Don’t go too early – it’s just after a couple of houses on the right

5.25 Step

SX 912 689

Step

61

The track ahead is actually classed as a C-class road!

6.25

4x4 29/08/2021 21:27

Step

Step

6.4

6.75

Step

Step

6.65

6.8

62 63

64

SX 916 703

65 Step

66 7.55 Step

67 7.75 Step

68

Pull into the Labrador Bay car park on the right for the end of the route

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PRODUCTS

Can’t go a month without a Land Rover fix?

Subscribe to The Landy today and you won’t THE LANDY SUBS ADhave to!

ARB are the first to break cover with their accessories for the new Jimny SO WHO HAD ARB in the firstnew-Jimny-mods sweepstake, then? The Australian 4x4 accessories giant has unveiled its Project JBOX demo vehicle, sporting a range of off-road items which, while they are all still prototypes at this point in time, will become available to buy in the near future.

Suzuki’s Australian importer worked with ARB by giving the company’s engineers access to a pre-launch vehicle, allowing them to start work early on developing a range of all-new and adapted accessories. In addition, ARB was able to test-fit existing products to confirm they would work on the new vehicle – and the great news for Jimny fans looking to build a serious off-roader is that these include the legendary Air-Locker.

Among the new products ARB has developed for the Jimny is the smallest ever version of its Summit bull bar. This will come complete with a winch mount, which on Project JBOX has been used to house an 8000lb Warn Magnum.

Underneath the vehicle is a new suspension system. ARB doesn’t quote the size of the lift it gives the Jimny, apart from to say it’s ‘suitable for a set of new muddies and improved off road ability’ – which could of course mean anything. Safe to assume, however, that it’ll be in the usual commercial range, which means it can be expected to be in the region of two inches.

Further metalwork will come in the shape of steel rock sliders and a tubular roof rack. You’d need to be doing pretty extreme stuff with a Jimny to put its sills at risk, especially after lifting its suspension, but for any sort of long-range travel a roof rack would certainly be a must-have way of overcoming the limited luggage space that’s an inevitable consequence of the vehicle’s small size – or putting the little Suzi to work.

With this and the bull bar adorned with LED lighting, some underbody protection bolted on and a gear reduction transfer case mod to take care of the bigger tyres you’ll surely want, ARB is already well on the way to being able to kit out a new generation of super-Jimnys. How long before it all becomes available to buy? We don’t yet know – but it’s surely shorter than the waiting list Are you crazy about Defenders? Dotty about Discos? Does the sight of a classic Series for an actual vehicle. To keep tabs on progress, visit www.arb.com.au.

I make you weak at the knees? If so, The Landy is most certainly for you! The UK’s only

Land Rover newspaper is brought to you by the very same publisher and writers as this very magazine. And you can get your monthly fix by subscribing today – for the fantastic price of just £25 for a year!

With your subscription, you’ll get:

• 12 issues of the UK’s only Land Rover newspaper delivered straight to your door • A saving of 17% on the cover price.

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And all for just £25! How could you resist?

Simply fill out the form below, including your credit or debit card details, or send it with a cheque payable to The Landy at Assignment Media Ltd, G11 Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Burton-upon-Trent, DE15 0YZ Alternatively, just give us a call on 01283 553 243 or visit www.thelandy.co.uk FULL NAME: SHIPPING ADDRESS: TEL NUMBER: CARD NUMBER: EXPIRY DATE: SECURITY CODE:

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OCTOBER 2021 | 79

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4x4

NEXT MONTH IN…

What happens to old competition cars when the time comes to hang up their trialling boots?

Tested: Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid and Isuzu D-Max DL20 Plus: A restified Landcruiser that will fill your heart with longing, and a Jeep that will make you want to see the world

ON SALE: 8th October

Step 40: Tur n left off the main track, embankment dropping dow then plungi n the ng straight into a water trough (right) are sharp rock Step Caution – there you climb the

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4x4

14.9 4x4

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

80 | OCTOBER 2021

Next Month Oct.indd 80

4x4 29/08/2021 21:46

www.osram.co.uk/ledriving-lights

Light is Adventure OSRAM LEDriving® Working and Driving Lights The new range of intense LED lights are built to step up to the challenge when the going gets tough. Leave the tarmac behind and see clearly what lies ahead of you off the beat track. The new range of robust and stylish spotlights, reversing lights and lightbars can improve near- and far-field vision whilst enhancing driving performance, even under the most extreme conditions. Don’t let the darkness spoil your next adventure.

For more information visit: www.osram.co.uk/ledriving-lights or email: automotive@osram.co.uk

Light is OSRAM

THE ALL-NEW ISUZU D-MAX

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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.

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