4x4 Magazine - Winter 2022 by Assignment Media Ltd

4x4

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PICK-UP OF THE YEAR

Defender 110 Hi-Cap becomes a stunning fashion wagon

£4.99

Sensational green lane roadbook on the Mid-Welsh trails

WINTER 22

Family hols in the Pyrenees – the double-cab way 4x4 Cover Winter 22.indd 1

24/11/2021 08:58

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

21/08/2020 10:39

The World’s best accessories for Land Rover Discovery

At Terrafirma we stand behind every product we sell, we believe that quality is the definition of something superior, more than fit for purpose and that meets customer’s expectations. Terrafirma Serious 4x4 Accessories now come with a Certificate of Conformity, the ultimate statement of quality and an industry first!

19785 Allmakes Ltd 4x4 Magazine - 3 page advert - Discovery.indd 2

21/08/2020 10:39

Terrafirma accessories are available from over 100 distributors worldwide Wheels, Brakes and Drivetrain

Suspension

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For more information visit www.terraﬁrma4x4.com email sales@terraﬁrma4x4.com

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

21/08/2020 10:43

EGR ROLLTRAC.

INTRODUCING THE WORLD’S BEST ELECTRIC ROLL TOP COVER.

EGR RollTrac is the all new roll top cover that keeps cargo fully protected, wherever your pickup truck is heading. Just the job for even the toughest of rides, it boasts a lightly textured black powder coating that’s water and scratch resistant to boot.

And if security’s top of mind, the EGR RollTrac simply won’t disappoint. With an aluminium interlocking slat system, it’s impossible to cut through, or pull apart.

Find out more and buy online at www.4x4ni.com 30 | AUGUST 2020 Ad spreads.indd 30

What’s more, the EGR RollTrac is fully integrated into your vehicle’s electrical system. No hassle. It opens or locks shut with just the click of your key fob.

EGR RollTrac. Bring it on.

4x4 30/06/2020 17:05

Available exclusively from

SMART TECH • SECURE • WATER-RESISTANT • TOUGH • CENTRAL LOCKING

4x4 Ad spreads.indd 31

AUGUST 2020 | 13

30/06/2020 17:05

Winter 2022

CONTENTS

“The pick-up market may be in a state of flux at there and it’s still rock-solid”

64 | JANUARY 2020

2-3 Contents Winter 22.indd 4

4x4 24/11/2021 08:55

78 SUBSCRIBE AND LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE! You can save almost 50% by subscribing to Britain’s only 4x4 magazine – and we’ll send you a FREE Ring workshop inspection lamp worth £9.99 as well! 4x4 Scene: News, Products and More… 8 10 12 12 13 14 16 20 22 23 24 24 25

Great British Land Rover Show 2021 sees record visitor numbers Ford Ranger Spectacular all-new model previewed in global unveiling Land Rover Defender Brilliant D250 engine added to Hard-Top range Land Rover Discovery Commercial Posh van moves yet further upmarket Land Rover Discovery Metropolis edition goes straight to top of range Wolvens Lane Persistent vandalism to blame as closure beckons Odyssey Challenge New names join fray as season’s end approches Alcon Brakes Britpart expands range of top-spec Defender anchors Thunderpole T-600 Compact CB is perfect for Christmas Clarke Car Creeper A comfy seat as you work on your truck Rimmer Bros New catalogue details expanded Range Rover parts range Powerﬂex New bush kits for Subaru Outback and Volvo XC60 Davanti Maiden BXCC class title for Terratoura all-terrain

Driven 26

Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Is this the ultimate performance SUV?

30 Pick-Up of the Year 2022 32 34 38 40 44 46

Ford Ranger The new one’s on the way: the old one’s still masterful Isuzu D-Max Reigning champion is now fully in place in the UK market Nissan Navara Last knockings for the 2020 title winner SsangYong Musso Recent facelift makes a good thing better Toyota Hilux Legendary name hits the heights with brilliant new engine PICK-UP OF THE YEAR 2021 The winner is unveiled!

Every Month 6 66 78 80

Alan Kidd Simplicity is still the key to building a truly great truck Roadbook An awesome route on the mightiest lanes in Mid-Wales Subscribe Get 4x4 for almost half price – and get a free lamp from Ring too! Next Month Next up… it’s time for 4x4 of the Year!

Features 50 56

Classy Hi-Cap Defender 110 HCPU becomes a style wagon with substance Militem Ferox T Turning the Jeep Gladiator into a bonkers pose-truck

Travel

present, but it’s still

Pyrenees by L200 A truck, a trailer and the best family holiday of all time hillside Step 40: Turn left off the main embankment track, droppin then plungin g down the g straight into a water trough (right)

Step

12.3 41

Abbey Strata Florida

8.75

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

Step

38 13.1

Step

12.6

10.9 Step

are sharp rock Caution – there as you climb the steps to negotiate

Step Step

More rock steps, water trough

13.1 Step

11.7 Step

16 11.8 Step

17 12.8 Step

18 12.8 88 | JANUARY 2020

Step

followed by a long

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

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

15.0

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

Step

Look out for you cross the the waymarker as ford

15.2

13.4 Step

Join the Cat A

track

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

13.65 Step

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

14.7 Step

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

4x4

46 14.9 4x4 JANUA RY

4x4 2-3 Contents Winter 22.indd 5

2020 | 89

JUNE 2020 | 3

24/11/2021 08:55

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

Alan Kidd Editor

he job I do has changed a lot in the decades since I wrote my first article. Which, since you ask, was a review of Leisure Pursuits, an off-road centre near East Grinstead which I’m pleased to say is still going strong today. Anyway, back then it was a much slower, more labour-intensive job involving things like taking photos on 35mm transparency film, writing letters to people and sending page make-ups to and from reprographic studios on the back of a motorbike. But it was also an amazing time to be working in the magazine business. I remember talking to a guy at a party in Folkestone (I used to go to all the most happening places) who was in awe of what a cool job I had. When I asked him what he did, it turned out he was a professional footballer. During the two and a half decades since then, being in the magazine trade has gone from making you worthy of worship and envy to getting you respected for not being one of those new-fangled internet chancers to basically earning you either pity or scorn. The polar opposite of that conversation with football guy was when I was talking to someone recently who listened politely to me gassing on about magazines then pointed out that they know a guy who does some sort of silly car thing on YouTube and has something like eight million subscribers. So yes, times have changed since the days when this magazine was called Off Road and 4 Wheel Drive and the pages were made up using scissors and glue. But some stuff stays the same; everybody who writes, or blogs, or vlogs, or otherwise guffs on about cars for a living is very well used to people asking them what’s the best car they’ve driven. An unusual twist was that someone recently asked me which pick-up truck I thought was the best I had driven. Which is a tricky one for me, because I’ve always thought that if you could take the best bits of about four or five different models and mash them together, then you’d finally have the perfect one-tonner. So instead my answer was this. The best pick-up I’ve driven is… the simplest one.

6 | WINTER 2022

AWAITING FLANNEL Edline Winter 22.indd 4

The best pick-up truck is usually the simplest one available Obviously, since the dawn of the doublecab manufacturers have been fitting them with leather, chrome, alloys and all the kit they can think of. And jolly nice they can be, too, don’t get me wrong. But every single one of the pick-ups that really stick in my mind have been lowspeccers. A steel-wheeled version of the current-shape Hilux; a pair of XLT-spec Ford Rangers, one a double-cab and the other an extra-cab, suicide doors and all, which towed my old Cherokee home from Storm Jeeps through torrential rain and flooding and was one of the finest workhorses I’ve ever driven; a Nissan D22 Singe-Cab with a bench seat and no frills at all; and, perhaps most memorably of all, a Volkswagen Amarok with the fabulous old 3.0 TDI tuned down to 163bhp and mated to a lovely manual gearbox. In the case of the Amarok, I found this model particularly welcome because automatics (and almost all of them were) didn’t have low range. Of all the dealbreakers in the world, there was never a bigger one than that. But again, instead of all the leather and bling it just had the stuff you need and nothing you didn’t. And to me, that’s what tunes in to the essence of what makes pick-ups so great. That’s why, in my humble opinion, there actually is a pick-up that rates as the best I’ve ever driven. It had a 5.6-litre V8 engine, and strictly speaking there’s an outside chance that this counts as more than you need, but it was a Mk1 Nissan Titan which the company had brought over from the USA so there you are. What made it so good? That engine, obviously. And the fact that the rest of it was equally as huge. But mainly, they hadn’t brought it over in super-luxury spec. It was an extra-cab, too, complete with suicide doors of its own, and while it was better equipped than anything we got here at the time (this was in 2003, I think) it was still a wipe-clean, hose-out kind of a deal. And to me, that is what makes pick-ups eternal.

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

4x4 23/11/2021 17:00

Defender Cubby Boxes DA2035

DA2035LCS

DA2035RPI

DA2035T

DA2035MESH

DA2035GREY

DA2662T

DA2662GREY

‘Chubby’ Boxes Extra padded lid!

Fitting a Britpart cubby box in your Land Rover will help you keep your vehicle clutter free. With a double cup holder as standard, spilt drinks are a thing of the past. Hand-built in the UK, these quality cubby boxes are suitable for Series 3 and Defenders. Expertly crafted with precision tools using a hard wearing leatherette outer with locking stay brass hinges. Style DA2035 DA2662 ‘Chubby’ DA2035LCS DA2662LCS ‘Chubby’ DA2035RPI ‘Chubby’ DA2662RPI DA2035T DA2662T ‘Chubby’ DA2035MESH DA2662MESH ‘Chubby’ DA2035GREY XS Style DA2662GREY ‘Chubby’ XS Style

Top Body Black Black Black Black Grey Grey Grey Grey Vinyl twill Grey Vinyl twill Grey Techno Grey Techno Grey Black mesh Black Black mesh Black Light grey Dark grey Light grey Dark grey

‘Chubby’ Boxes Fitting a Britpart ‘Chubby’ box in your Land Rover will also make driving more of a pleasure with the extra padded lid.

DA2662MESH

Comfy 80mm thick lid In addition to our standard cubby box features, our ‘Chubby’ boxes have a lovely thick and comfy 80mm thick lid. This compares to 20mm thick lid for a standard cubby box.

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

NEW 4X4S

Great British Land Rover Show makes triumphant post-lockdown return with biggest ever turnout THE GREAT BRITISH LAND ROVER SHOW, at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, took place on Sunday 21 November. And after missing out last year when the second round of lockdown restrictions came into force, the annual indoor event was back with a bang. Timed perfectly for the pre-Christmas market, the show has become recognised as the final flourish in the annual Land Rover calendar. It has traditionally pulled in bumper crowds – but this year, thanks perhaps to pent-up demand following the restrictions that have blighted all our lives since the start of the pandemic, more visitors than ever made the trip to Stoneleigh. Once again sponsored by BFGoodrich, with support from Terrafirma, Paddock Spares and the All Wheel Drive Club, for the first time ever the show featured a driving course set out by the Land Rover Experience. Transforming an apron next to the main entrance to Stoneleigh’s show halls, this featured a man-made hill, side-slope and axle-twister which demonstrated the abilities of the Discoverys and Defenders in which visitors could take passenger rides alongside the Experience’s instructors. With a best-ever attendance leading to a lengthy queue at the doors, the Driving Experience provided plenty of entertainment for onlookers. And this soon meant another big queue as visitors waited in line to climb aboard and see for themselves what it was all about.

For those bringing their own vehicles, the All Wheel Drive Club was once again running the off-road course in the woods at the edge of the showground site. And this too was busier than ever, with more than 300 vehicles taking the plunge – leading at one point to a long line waiting their turn after a highly modiﬁed Defender had suffered a broken steering linkage which left it stranded on the course. It was also notable how many of the vehicles taking part were ‘new generation’ Land Rovers with independent suspension and Terrain Response. Old-school Defenders and Discoverys were perhaps still just about in the lead in terms of numbers but Disco 3/4s, L322s, Range Rover Sports and new Defenders were a common sight too. Interestingly, the marshals reported that most of these vehicles’ drivers were struggling on hills because of not using enough gas – a sign that they had learned how to drive in traditional Landys and were needing to unlearn their old habits in order to get the best from the new breed.

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Inside the halls, meanwhile, big crowds ensured that the traders had a busy time of it. All commented that for business and networking alike, it had been a huge success, with Martin Thompson of BFGoodrich summing it up: ‘The Great British Land Rover Show is always a big success for us, and this year it has been better than ever. We’ve had a very busy day and done great business – and I’m pleased to say that we’ll be continuing as Headline Sponsors again in 2022.’ Speaking for the show’s organisers, Managing Director Sarah Moss said: ‘We were absolutely delighted to see the Land Rover community out in force at the Great British

Land Rover Show on Sunday 21 November. It’s been a frustrating two years since the event was last permitted to take place due to the restrictions on indoor events, but it was clear that both exhibitors and visitors alike were raring to get back to it and we hope that the Show will continue to thrive and grow in size going forward.’ The organisers are already working on a new springtime version of the Great British Land Rover Show, which is planned for 17 April at Newark Showground. And the show will be returning to Stoneleigh once again next November – you can keep up to date with all the organisers’ plans at greatbritishlrshow.com.

4x4 23/11/2021 21:39

WINTER. BRING IT ON.

£299 WINTER SERVICE OFFER AND SAFETY CHECK* FOR 3+ LAND ROVERS, INCLUDING £750 MOT WARRANTY COVER.** With the winter weather beginning to set in, now’s the time to make sure your Land Rover is fully prepared for the colder months with our Interim Service and Winter Safety Check, for Land Rovers between 3 and 10 years old.*

WHAT’S INCLUDED: £299 Interim Service* £750 MOT Warranty Cover** Full Winter Safety Check: – Battery check – Washer fluid top-up – Wash & vac – Software update if required***

For just £299 including VAT, our Land Rover trained technicians will check on the condition of key components from wiper blades to brakes.* What’s more, when it’s time for your next MOT we’ll cover the cost of any work your Land Rover needs, up to £750.** Search Land Rover Winter Service oﬀer. *Standard Interim Service includes: oil and oil filter change, pollen filter replacement, brake fluid change, air filter replacement (if required, dependant on model) and updated Online Service History. **Subject to terms and conditions. For full terms please visit https://www.landrover.co.uk/ownership/servicing/index.html ***Land Rover mandated updates only, excludes satellite navigation mapping. Always check route, surface, base and exit before entering frozen terrain. Oﬀer available until the end of January 2022. Only applicable at participating authorised Land Rover Retailers.

NEW 4X4S

New Ranger breaks cover as Ford

More premium cabin and 50mm longer, wider body • Global vehicle with 2.0 and 3.0-litre

ord has lifted the wraps on the new Ranger, which is expected to go on sale in Britain towards the end of 2022. Designed in Australia for a global audience, the vehicle promises to be the ‘toughest and most capable’ Ranger yet – and its cabin appears to be making a quantum leap forward in terms of dash design, with a huge vertically set tablet giving it a premium image the likes of which has never before been seen in a one-tonner.

This is particularly relevant as the Ranger has been developed in partnership with Volkswagen – which will subsequently use its underpinnings as the basis for the next-generation Amarok. Particularly in Europe, Volkswagen created a highly lucrative market for itself by positioning the now-discontinued ﬁrst-generation Amarok as a premium model within the double-cab sector, and its inﬂuence looks clear in the boldly upmarket appearance of the new Ranger.

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With a hexagonal grille and inward-facing C-shaped headlamp clusters highlighted by wrap-around DRLs, the Ranger’s exterior styling shows a clear family resemblance to the F-150, Ford’s monster-selling full-size pick-up from North America. Like the F-150, it was designed to look rugged and imposing. Ford is also understood to have shared design data with ARB ahead of the Ranger’s launch, allowing the Australian off-road specialist to develop a range of equipment with

which to prepare it for hardcore expedition readiness. It’s not just the F-150’s exterior styling that will be visible in the new Ranger when sales get underway next year, either. The vehicle will be available with a range of engines – at the top of which will be its big brother’s 3.0-litre V6 Power Stroke turbo-diesel. Developing 250bhp and 440lbf.ft as ﬁtted in the F-150, this sounds like a natural successor to the similarly sized engine from the old Amarok – though it’s yet to be

4x4 24/11/2021 11:48

NEW 4X4S

lifts wraps on 2023 model

diesel engines • Developed alongside new VW Amarok • UK orders set to open late 2022

New model’s tablet-style infotainment screen shoulders the burden of most vehicle functions, allowing an uncluttered dash and creating a premium looking interior. Longer wheelbase means more cabin space than ever – an area in which the Ranger was already outstanding conﬁrmed whether it will be available in Europe. Either way, the Ranger line-up here is sure to be based on the 2.0-litre diesel which will also be part of the engine range. This four-pot unit will be offered in single and twin-turbo form – again, mimicking the old Amarok. Ford’s familiar 2.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine will also be available in some markets, but we won’t see it here – and nor will there be a hybrid model, at least at launch, though this is very much a real prospect further down the line. Volkswagen’s part in the project also seems to be apparent in the Ranger’s transmission, which will feature two different four-wheel drive systems. Lower-spec models have the traditional part-time, twospeed transfer case, while there will also be a premium full-time set-up. Unlike on the old Amarok, which blotted its copybook horribly by not including low range as part of its full-time four-wheel drive set-up, every version of the new Ranger will be a proper 4x4. Ahead of the transfer case, an evolved version of the Ranger’s current 10-speed automatic gearbox will feature heavily through the range. This has a revised torque converter and closer ratios and will offer a new driving mode for use when towing. Ford will also offer certain models with six-speed manual and automatic boxes, however it’s far from

certain that these will be part of its plans in the UK. It’s also yet to be conﬁrmed what the model line-up will be in the UK. However Ford can be expected to pursue ﬂeet sales with its usual vigour – meaning it’s highly likely to feature the full range of Regular-Cab, Super-Cab and Double-Cab models body styles. In each case, the third-generation T6 platform underpinning the vehicle gives it a body that’s 50mm wider and longer, with the front wheels moved forward to extend the wheelbase and provide a sharper approach angle. This should in turn yield better than ever cabin space – an area in which, a decade after launch, the current Ranger continues to put

4x4 AWAITING NEW RANGER Scene New 4x4s Winter 22.indd 15

many rivals to shame. The old Amarok was one of them, so long-term Volkswagen customers can expect to be very pleasantly surprise indeed when they climb aboard the rear seats in the new model. Up front, the vertical tablet-style infotainment screen will measure either 10.1” or 12” depending on how far up the range you’ve gone. Both versions will run Ford’s latest Sync4 software, providing full smartphone integration, as well as operating a wide variety of vehicle functions – allowing the rest of the dash area to remain uncluttered by buttons and switches. Ford says the cabin will feature premium soft-touch materials, though it’s unlikely that this will be at the expense of the wipe-clean

durability that’s necessary in any real working truck. And the Ranger certainly does remain work-focused. The rear bumper now features integrated side steps for access to the load bed, and the tailgate was designed to be used as a workbench – complete with clamping points and, rather wonderfully, a built-in ruler. The Ranger’s global sales roll-out is expected to get underway in the second quarter of 2022, when the order books open in main markets such as Thailand and South Africa – the two locations in which it will be manufactured. In the UK, Ford says the new Ranger will be ‘mainly 2023 news for us,’ with deliveries expected to commence early that year.

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24/11/2021 11:48

NEW 4X4S

90 and 110 Hard-Top get D250 straight-six Land Rover updates Defender range for new

and Rover has announced a number of updates to the Defender range. Adding further choices to the already extensive station wagon and Hard-Top models alike, these are introduced for the beginning of the 2023 model year. Yes, 2023. Talk about wishing your life away. The good news, anyway, is that if you want a D250 Hard-Top, you don’t actually have to wait until 2023. Because the 2023MY is available

to order now, and the straight-six Ingenium engine that’s already taken the Defender wagon to a whole new level is part of it. New to the commercial part of the Defender range, the D250 develops 249bhp and 420lbf.ft – the latter at a gloriously stump-pulling 1250rpm. There’s good, and there’s great, and there’s epic, and this Defender promises to be all three. It’s available in two trim levels, Defender and Defender SE. As we all ought to know by now, even the

entry-level model is generously equipped by anyone’s standards and jaw-droppingly equipped by traditional Defender standards, and if you spring for the SE you’ll get even more on top. Premium LED headlights with signature DRLs and front fog lights, 20” sparkle alloys, heated seats with electric adjust and memory, Meridian ICE, keyless entry, blind spot assist and a centre console with armrest all join the party, and what a party it promises to be.

In addition, the grained leather that has been standard on the SE until now is replaced by a new animal-free material called Resist. Land Rover says this ‘offers a similar grain and feel to Windsor leather’; the latter remains available as a no-cost option if you prefer the old ways. Further changes, which come in across the whole of the core Defender range, include an upgrade to a larger 11.4” infotainment touch-screen for the Pivi Pro media

R-Dynamic model added to range as Discovery Commercial moves THERE’S A NEW, POSHER VERSION of the Land Rover Discovery Commercial in town. For the first time, Land Rover has added the R-Dynamic spec level to the tax-busting version of the Disco, making it more premium than ever. This brings styling enhancements designed to give the vehicle a lower, wider stance, including Land Rover’s R-Design front and rear bumpers and a black contrast roof, as well as the ever-popular Black Exterior Pack. There’s gloss black detailing for the front grille, smoked rear light lenses and a choice of 20” to 22” alloys ‘providing the perfect combination of practicality, all-terrain capability and visual appeal.’ On the subject of practicality, the Disco Commercial retains its 3500kg towing capacity in R-Dynamic form, aided by the option of Land Rover’s Advanced Tow Assist pack. In the back, the vehicle gains a flat, heavy-duty rubber loadspace floor and

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4x4 23/11/2021 21:39

NEW 4X4S

engine option as model year Disco gains new range-topper LAND ROVER HAS INTRODUCED a new version of the Discovery – which goes straight to the top of the range and, in the company’s own words, ‘represents the pinnacle of the Discovery family.’ Called the Metropolitan Edition, which might suggest something about the kind of buyer it’s aimed it, the vehicle is based on the existing R-Dynamic HSE. It gains Bright Atlas detailing for its grille and ‘Discovery’ lettering, along with silver lower bumper inserts, 22” diamond-turned alloys with gloss grey detailing, black brake calipers, privacy glass and a sliding panoramic roof. Inside, the cabin features Titanium Mesh trim detailing. The Metropolitan Edition is equipped as standard with head-up display, heated steering wheel, wireless phone charging, refrigerated cubby and four-zone climate control. What’s all this going to cost you? From £73,250 on the road is the potentially sobering answer. But a less Metropolitan Discovery will do, the good news is that the range continues to be available from £55,100 – still hardly cheap, but at that money in the present day the Disco certainly does qualify as a lot of car for your cash. system. P400e, P400, X and V8 models also gain Secure Tracker Pro in addition to the Ultra Wide Band security that’s standard on all Defenders, while X-Dynamic versions now come with a black contrast roof as standard. Lantau Bronze also joins the lineup as an additional paint colour. And up at the top of the range, V8 models come with the option of Ebony or Ebony and Vintage Tan Windsor leather seats. Real ones, this time, which is the sort of privilege you get

to enjoy when you spend a hundred grand on a Defender. Talking of prices, the Defender Hard-Top starts at £45,675 on the road, including VAT, which gets you a 90 D200. The same vehicle with the D250 engine costs from £48,390, again OTR including VAT, which sounds like a no-brainer to us. Move on up to the D250 SE, meanwhile, and the damage vaults to £55,830. Harder to carry off? You decide. Either way, welcome to 2023.

still further upmarket ﬁxed partition as well as two underﬂoor stowage areas, six lashing rings, roof lighting, high-sided cabin mats and additional cargo hooks. It can accommodate loads of up to 1638mm in length and has a total cargo capacity of 2024 litres. It’s about a great deal more than just vulgar load-lugging, though. The Disco’s cabin gains Ebony leather seats with contrast stitching and piping, Ebony Morzine headlining, metal sports pedals, bright steering wheel paddles and Shadow Aluminium trim. Powered by the familiar D300 diesel engine, the R-Dynamic goes straight to the top of the Discovery Commercial range. It’s priced from £62,885 and is available to order now.

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23/11/2021 21:39

RIGHTS OF WAY

Unholy alliance of criminal off-road activity and rank mismanagement set to kill one of the home counties’ very best green lanes

or many years, the green lanes in Surrey have been blighted by rampantly criminal behaviour by a small but determined group of 4x4 drivers. The word ‘irresponsible’ hardly begins to describe their total lack of regard to the damage they cause. Over time, the authorities’ efforts to identify the people in question and prevent them from continuing their destructive rampages appear to have amounted to zero. With stretched resources and more pressing matters elsewhere, damaged rights of way tend to be given a very low priority – and as green lane users are all to aware, on a local government level the answer is normally to punish legal, responsible users for the actions of a tiny criminal fringe. For many years, however, Surrey County Council has been commend-

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ably level-headed in its approach to managing its rights of way. The council has long resisted the inevitable calls for blanket closures from residents, who don’t understand the difference between legitimate use and vandalism, and serial anti-4x4 fanatics who do but don’t care. Over time, however, a number of rights of way have fallen under seasonal restrictions and, in a few cases, full closures. This worrying trend has of course done nothing to prevent damage, instead merely shifting the problems from lane to lane – however this hasn’t stopped the authority from voting to impose a new Traﬃc Regulation Order which will mean Wolvens Lane, a gloriously scenic and peaceful ancient road near Dorking, can no longer be used by 4x4s. Wolvens has for many years been the site of enormously damaging

off-piste activity by a small but determined group of 4x4-driving criminals. However the lane itself is ﬁrmly surfaced, with a well drained sandy base that makes it 100% sustainable under all kinds of legal use. The lane has already been subject to a temporary closure following erosion which affected a small section of the woodland it passes through. During this time, the vandals have moved elsewhere – a perfect example of how preventing legal 4x4 use fails completely to stop illegal activity. As always, however, closing lanes is a way for local authorities to silence loud and troublesome voices by being seen to be taking action – even if anyone with a shred of knowledge about the subject knows it’s the wrong action to take. ‘I was surprised how slightly disorganised and parochial the meeting was,’ says Stuart Boreham, Surrey Rep for the Green Lane Association. ‘I wonder how many of the councillors had read the extensive report and information about the issues on Wolvens Lane. ‘Seasonal TROs, permit TROs and Public Space Protection Orders were all dismissed out of hand and they went with that old favourite – ban the 4x4s. It’s almost as if the consultation was just a box- ticking exercise. Who’d have thought?’ A feature of the closure proposed on Wolvens Lane, as has been the case so often elsewhere (notably, the Monks Trod in Wales has just

been reopened to two-wheeled traffic only), is that it applies only to 4x4s. Specifically, the TRO will be based on vehicles’ width. ‘The mud-pluggers have moved on and there are two other lanes in the county now with extensive damage, plus a couple more under pressure from local residents and MPs,’ adds Stuart. ‘(These are) mainly complaining about the noise and speed of motorbikes – the same vehicles that the county has just voted to allow to continue using Wolvens. ‘Much as we support our twowheeled colleagues, it is us 4x4s who are being penalised for the actions of a few criminal drivers – and apparently as a result of some overly speedy bikes as well. ‘The council can’t think of a way to stop bikes that does not also stop horses. And as the police don’t seem keen on doing very much, shutting off the routes to 4x4s is “something” they can point to as a response. Enforcing against a few destructive drivers might be more appropriate but efforts seem to flow towards the easy solution – at the expense of the rights of responsible drivers like ourselves.’ The Association is now taking advice on the next stage of the process as it seeks to defend Wolvens against the actions of an authority that’s supposed to protect it. ‘The Wolvens story is not over yet,’ reflects Stuart. ‘Certainly, the experience has made me rethink my attitude to how a rep might influence things, at least in this county.’ The Green Lane Association is to be applauded for its continued efforts on behalf of Britain’s rights of way. These take many forms and more volunteers are always welcome – you can get in touch at www.glass-uk.org.

4x4 23/11/2021 17:19

It doesn’t matter when – or where. Earn the title ‘Driver Enough’ when you drive on our tyres. #DriverEnough BFGoodrich.co.uk

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21/09/2018 31/03/2019 23:2915:56

MOTORSPORT

Bumper crowd at Buildwas sees new competitors taking on the Odyssey Challenge Words: Pip Evans Pictures: Tomasz Jarecki

he ﬁfth round of the 2021 Odyssey Batteries Winch Challenge series brought competitors to the westernmost part of the Viking 4x4 Club’s territory, at Buildwas near Telford. And though it was a bit of a trek for some competitors, that didn’t stop them – previous rounds had suffered from clashing with other top-level challenge events, but on this occasion the calendar elsewhere was clear, meaning a healthy turnout of 20 trucks. These included some welcome newcomers to the Odyssey series – including Alex Danells, partnered by Sam Webster from Goodwinch, and Wayne Gotheridge, whose truck had been built by John Sales. John is a bit of a legend on the challenge

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scene, but he’s usually seen in the driving seat – so it was a surprise to see him competing as Wayne’s winch man. A day’s rain following a long dry spell meant the ground at Buildwas was slick in places and grippy in others. One result of this was that teams had to choreograph their rigging and driving like a 4x4 ballet in order to reach the trickily located punches – and another was that there were several rollovers as trucks slid sideways… until they came to a dry patch, whereupon momentum took over. This also had the effect of popping several tyres off their rims, resulting in a steady stream of trucks returning to the paddock to ﬁre up their air lines. As a result,

4x4 23/11/2021 21:08

competitors with beadlocks were at a distinct advantage on this event. Being able to deal with problems like this and get back into action as quickly as possible is part and parcel of the challenge game – as, sadly, are the sort of problems that refuse to be fixed. The first casualty of the day on this occasion was Paul Curling, whose new hydro-steer unit failed straight after the mandatory special section, then Matt Wothers followed him back to the paddock with a total system failure in the electrical department. Dave Adams, on the other hand, was able to spanner his way out of a swivel bearing failure, while his main Class 1 rival, Georgie Smith, lost a brake pipe. Luke Wakelen, meanwhile, suffered a blown front CV joint, a front axle locker and then a smashed rear winch. Challenge crews have an amazing ability to fix things, but this lot was a bit too much for Luke to recover from. For every event up to now this season, James Watts has been the winchman for Scott Haines – with some great successes. But for this

one, Scott agreed to swap places and let James have a go in the driving seat. Sadly, they were to suffer a broken front halfshaft, three off-rim tyres and a broken rope, as well as a potentially catastrophic incident in which their diesel engine started running on its own oil after a roll. Thankfully, they were able to kill the engine before its revs ran out of control – whereupon their rivals Johnny and Tracey Johnson gave up an hour and a half of their time to drag the stricken truck back to the paddock. It was worth it, too – because, incredibly, James and Scott managed to ﬁx their issues and carry on for the rest of the day. These were just a few of the issues the teams reported, and there were times when the paddock looked more like a breaker’s yard. Given the enormous strength of the vehicles, this just goes to show how extreme the terrain is on challenge events – and prove that those who come out on top really do have the right stuff for off-road success. Talking of which, times were very close for completing the special

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23/11/2021 21:08

MOTORSPORT

section, with the top three teams within seven seconds of each other. The fastest of them all, however, were Hugh Gascoigne and Jack Watson, who completed the section in just 50 seconds. It’s worth noting, however, that their truck is in Class 2, putting them at a distinct advantage over its Class 3 rivals,. Another challenge newcomer was the team of Kieran and Simon Robinett. They took it steady while learning the ropes, but they man-

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aged to keep going all day – and were rewarded with 3rd in Class 1 on 750 points. Ahead of them, just one punch score separated the top two in Class 1. Dave Adams and Tom Britten ended the day on 2201 points, just behind Georgie Smith and Will Baker – who took top spot on 2477. This in Class 2 went to Richie Lott and Seb Parkes, on 3001 points. Ahead of them, Kevin Bates and Joby Hooley took second on 4214

points, with top honours going to Johnny Johnson with Tracey Stafford on 4560. Don’t forget, this is the team that gave up around a quarter of their allocated time to recover Scott Haines – it was deﬁnitely a very popular victory. In Class 3, third place went to father and son team Alan and Daniel Willcocks with 7144 points. Second went to Henry Papworth and Paddy Burman, on a creditable 8547 points – but once again, the class act were

Matt Bain and David Burton, who stood out in a class of their own by amassing an extremely impressive 11,643 points. With the Odyssey circus having now been to its furthest point from home, all eyes turned to Weekley Woods, one of the Viking 4x4 Club’s traditional heartland venues. This is where the ﬁnal results in the 2021 title race would be conﬁrmed – we’ll bring you the full report and season round-up in our next issue.

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23/11/2021 21:24:29

PRODUCTS

Increased options in Britpart range of Alcon performance brakes for Land Rover Defender

here was a time when Land Rover enthusiasts would spec up their dream Defender and brakes were no more than an afterthought. But many things have helped to change that. For one, a lot more Defenders now have enough power to go fast enough that you can’t just rely on wind resistance to bring them to a halt the way you once could. For another, bigger tyres have become

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much more common and once you’ve experienced brake fade once, you never want to again. And most of all, there are lots of open-spoke alloy wheel designs around these days, which means everyone can see your brakes – and nobody wants to be the guy with clangy old drums bringing up the rear, do they? Happily, the kind of brakes that look good also tend to be the kind that work well. Also happily, if you own a Defender of a certain age,

fetching off the rear axle in favour of one from a Discovery means an instant upgrade from drums to discs. And happiest of all, this makes you eligible for the Alcon range of Defender brake kits available through Britpart, which is now more comprehensive than ever before. This is, not to put too ﬁne a point on it, the good stuff. The very good stuff. Alcon is a hugely respected name in the world of performance brakes, with Bentley, Prodrive, McLaren and Aston Martin Racing among its many leading motorsport and OEM clients. It makes braking systems for military vehicles, too, so the Defender is an absolutely natural ﬁt for what it does. There are a lot of options in the range, but the main one is between sizes to suit 16” and 18” wheels. The former uses four-pot calipers allround, while the latter upgrades this to six-pot up front. Then you need to choose between silver or red calipers because as we’ve already established, appearances matter. Either way, you get high-friction pads with an increased surface area for longer life and better heat

management; these also have staggered positions for even wear. The calipers are hard-anodised and internally drilled, with no external pipework, and the pistons within them are made from stainless steel for improved resistance to thermal conductivity. The 16” kit comes with two-piece cast calipers, whereas on the 18” kit these are of a monobloc cast design. As for the discs, these have a C-groove construction pattern all round. Front discs in the 16” kit measure 334 x 28mm, while in the 18” kit they’re 355 x 32mm; at the back, it’s 298 x 14mm in each case. As well as the full kits, Britpart now offers replacement parts for its Alcon range. Which is just as well because though you can expect this to be an investment that’ll last a good long time, it’s one you want to protect too. Investment? Oh yes. Expect to pay upstairs of two grand per end for these brakes, with VAT on top. For the recently added replacement parts, it’s in the region of £200 per disc and a bit more for a pair of pads, again plus the dreaded. Did we mention that this is the good stuff? It would need to be at that money, but since when was braking a place to cut corners. Hit up www.britpart.com for everything you need.

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RECWATCHES .COM RECOVER • RECYCLE • RECLAIM

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PRODUCTS

Christmas-friendly T-600 CB kit from Thunderpole proves that good things do come in small packages CHRISTMAS IS COMING. And you know what that means. Yes: what can you ask for in the way of vehicle parts that won’t end up with you getting a pair of socks instead? Things like winches and locking diffs are only on the cards if you’re so loaded that presents don’t mean much anyway. And stuff like bearing and seal kits make for the lamest stocking fillers of all time, however useful they might be. That’s why a CB radio makes such a good gift. It’s the right sort of price, it comes in a nice big box for you to unwrap and while it IS for your truck, it’s universal enough not to make the whole family roll their eyes and reach for the gin. Thunderpole’s T-600 is a perfect example. And it’s perfect in other ways too, being small enough in size to fit in more or less any vehicle – while providing full-on CB performance. Measuring just over 10cm in width and weighing 257g, this is definitely a pocket rocket in the radio game. However it has a 4-watt output and a full-sized mic, as well as 8 frequency bands and a bright backlit LED display, so it’ll do the job all day (and, no small matter at this time of year, all of the night). Talking of the mic, this has a quality electret condenser promising the sort of audio quality you can still make out perfectly even when your ears are being assaulted by a moaning diesel engine and a green lane full of scratching branches. And however bumpy things get, a properly mounted T-600 will stay put, with a strong aluminium frame shrugging off everything your off-road life can throw at it. ‘Tiny yet tough’ is Thunderpole’s way of describing the radio, and that seems to sum it up pretty nicely. Best of all, the T-600 on its own comes at a price of £59.99. That’s a lot of CB for your cash (listen up, Santa) but better still, it’s also available as part of Thunderpole’s Off-Roader Pack, complete with your choice of mount and antenna (length and colour), for £89.99. All you need to do now is leave your copy of 4x4 lying around with a ring drawn around this article. And then Santa’s elves will visit www.thunderpole.co.uk and come Christmas afternoon, you’ll be busy with the spanners while everyone else is listening to the Queen.

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PRODUCTS

COMBINED SEAT AND CAR CREEPER FROM CLARKE PROMISES TO MAKE YOUR WORKSHOP TIME THAT MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE YOU PROBABLY SPEND A LOT OF TIME crawling around under your vehicle on your driveway or garage floor. And the rest of it, you spend sitting on your garage door either working on your vehicle, figuring out what to do next to your vehicle or, if you own an early Freelander, weeping quietly next to your vehicle. The Clarke CMC60 2-in-1 Folding Car Creeper and Seat from Machine Mart can’t do anything about the dire state of the 4x4 in your life. But it can at least allow you to concentrate on the heartache untroubled by actual physical pain from your back and lower body. That’s because it has a split base which allows it to be converted from car creeper to mechanic’s seat, or back again, in a matter of seconds. Measuring 1030x425x150mm in creeper mode and 555x425x510mm in seat mode, the unit normally lies flat on six nylon swivel castors, allowing you to manoeuvre your way around underneath your vehicle without a care in the world. Your only worry should be that with its wipeable faux leather finish and adjustable back and head rest, you might nod off. The creeper has a heavy-duty frame with a powder-coated finish, which can be broken down in an instant allowing you to fold it up into its position as a seat. This is done without the need for tools, which is ironic because this is the one time when you can be absolutely guaranteed to have them to hand, and again you’re on castors (four of them this time) so you can slide your way around your truck without having to heave yourself to your feet all the time. For such a useful bit of kit, we reckon £45.59 including VAT sounds like great value. You’ll find it at www.machinemart.co.uk.

RLG Tyres

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PRODUCTS

RIMMER BROS GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH NEW CATALOGUE FOR RANGE ROVER CLASSIC RIMMER BROS IS ONE OF the biggest names in the Land Rover parts business. But did you know that the company’s ﬁrst full parts catalogue was for the Range Rover Classic? That was in 2000, to celebrate 30 years since the launch of the original Rangey, and since then Rimmer has brought out similar catalogues for the Range Rover P38A, Range Rover L322, Range Rover Sport (up to 2009), Discovery, Discovery 2, Discovery 3, Discovery 4, Freelander, Freelander 2, Defender (up to 2006) and Defender (2007-on). Quite a lot of Land Rovers there, then. Most recently, the company has brought out its latest collection for… the Range Rover Classic. As if to prove what an enduring vehicle this is, more than a quarter of a century since the last one left the factory it’s still worthy of a new edition containing 210 pages of parts, upgrades and accessories for the original Rangey. ‘Since the early 1980s,’ says the company, ‘Rimmer Bros has specialised in supplying parts for British cars. In 1982, we started selling Classic Triumph parts and by the mid 80’s were supplying stainless steel exhaust systems for Land Rovers and other 4x4 vehicles. ‘We are now pleased to return to the beginning of the Land Rover parts side of our business by introducing a completely revamped and updated parts and accessories catalogue for the Range Rover Classic, to replace the old catalogue that has served us and our customers so well for the last 21 years. This new catalogue details what has been a continuously growing range of genuine, OEM and aftermarket parts and accessories. ‘Our website also features this catalogue plus any new products or part number changes.’ You can get your hands on Rimmer Bros’ new Range Rover Classic parts catalogue, or indeed any of the company’s catalogues for other Land Rovers, absolutely free. Just pay a visit to their website at www.rimmerbros.com, and prepare to do some serious shopping.

Davanti Terratoura takes class title in maiden BXCC season

MOST COMPETITORS IN THE BRITISH CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP run on specialised kevlar-reinforced rally tyres. But Edd Cobley claimed victory in this year’s Modified Production Class in his Defender 110 – running on everyday Davanti Terratoura A/Ts. Designed and engineered in Britain, the Terratoura is a rugged all-terrain which was first launched on to the market in 2015. This year was its maiden season on the BXCC – making it all the more impressive that following the final round, at Walters Arena in South Wales, it has proved itself perfectly suited to the rigours of off-road racing. This despite no less than three wheels being destroyed by boulders as Cobley drifted off-course while going all-out for a victory that would make the title his. As it turned out, he needn’t have worried; by the end of a hard weekend’s racing, he was more than seven minutes ahead of second-placed Pat Masters. ‘All four courses this season were really tough, said Cobley. ‘Everyone pushes their tyres, their cars and themselves past the limit in their efforts to win – and we were no exception. ‘We had grip for days and even when we took off, we had full control of our landings thanks to Terratoura A/T’s unique design. Throughout the season we also had fewer blow-outs than the majority and we were able to really push the 110 as hard as she could go because we had a great, reliable base under us.’ ‘The title was always my goal and to achieve that is an incredible feeling. It was a tough championship this year but I want to thank the organisers for ensuring it could go ahead. ‘Having been using Terratoura A/T for everyday off-roading for a couple of years, to take it out competitively and become British Champion in my class is an amazing feeling. For a standard all-terrain tyre this is a fantastic achievement. Terratoura A/T is one of the best all-terrain tyres on the market – this victory only serves to confirm that.’

Powerflex adds bush kits for Subaru Outback and Volvo XC60 POWERFLEX HAS INTRODUCED a new anti-roll bar bush set to suit the Subaru Outback made from 2009 to 2014. Available in 23, 24 and 25mm sizes to suit the diameters of the various original equipment bars used on the vehicle, this is ‘an affordable upgrade to improve mid-corner stability and cost-effectively replace old and worn rubber components.’ It’s available in 95A Black Series material for maximum performance, too; either way, www.powerflex.co.uk is the place to look. In addition, Powerflex has introduced a new rear anti-roll bar bush to its range for the first-generation Volvo XC60. This is also compatible with the Ford Mondeo, which all XC60 owners will no doubt be overjoyed to hear. You can find out more at www.powerflex.co.uk.

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FIRST DRIVE

PORSCHE CAYENNE TURBO GT As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Cayenne’s introduction, Porsche launches the ultimate performance variant – with 640bhp and a 0-62 time that would stun a Ferrari F40

THE PORSCHE CAYENNE has been doing wonderful things for almost two decades now. And in the shape of the new Turbo GT model, it has just become more wonderful than ever. Going straight to the top of the Cayenne range, this is the Fast One. By comparison, the entry-level Cayenne has a 0-62 time of 5.9 seconds; hardly slow, but the Turbo GT does it in 3.3. Who knew that one day, the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari F40 and Porsche’s own 959 would be blown away by an SUV? The Cayenne does it thanks to Porsche’s version of the 3996cc twin-turbo V8 engine which also appears in the Lamborghini Urus, as well as various Audi, Bentley and other Porsche products. In the Turbo GT, it’s tuned for 640bhp and 627lbf.ft. When we tested the Urus last year, it was stunningly fast. Stunningly, usably, wonderfully fast. On paper, this Cayenne is even faster. Flat out, it will do 186mph. That’s 4mph less than the Urus, for what it’s worth. But it’s the 0.3 of a second that matters. That’s how much more quickly the Cayenne can despatch the 0-62mph sprint. And without having a Lambo in tow to compare it to, what we can say is that its acceleration is every bit as phenomenal as the numbers make it sound.

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It’s as phenomenal as the engine note makes it sound, too. Which is to say that it’s absolutely glorious. There’s a massive sense of purpose the moment you press the button and the engine erupts with a bark before settling to a deep, thundering rumble, but even this doesn’t prepare you for the roar that assaults your sense when you hit the open highway and put your foot down under load. The response is instant and unequivocal; acceleration from any legal speed, and a litany of illegal ones, is extraordinary. If the sheer wonderment of it doesn’t peel your eyelids back, the g-forces will. With various drive modes at your service, including a Sport Response programme engaged by a huge red button on the steering wheel that looks like it ought to deploy some sort of surface-to-surface missile, the Turbo GT has the dynamics to go with its pace. Which is saying something. It’s all very well to make a tall, heavy SUV handle like a supercar at 50, 70, even 100 miles per hour. But at three times the speed limit? The answer is that its steering and handling are so sharp it makes you laugh out loud. And also question everything you thought you knew about cars, but mainly laugh out loud. It’s astonishing. Grip levels are off the scale, with a nice bias towards the rear to let you launch it through corners with the self-assurance of Casanova on Tinder. On twisting B-roads, you can only imagine the joy of taking tight corners with such a combination of precision, balance and sheer grunt; it’s so, so stable under braking (10-pot front calipers do tend to have that effect), so sharp as it turns in and so instant as the throttle goes back down. And at the other end of the scale, it redefines the sort of corner for which you don’t have to slow down at all. We didn’t get to take the Turbo GT on the motorway, however with air springs and active dampers we see no reason to fear a long cruise. It’s not nervous and harsh the way a performance vehicle can be, with none of that feeling that it’s straining on the leash. Most of all, around town it’s like driving any other SUV; it doesn’t ride bumpily on its lowered suspension and 22” tyres, it’s engine doesn’t fret and fume and its eight-speed auto box doesn’t fidget and shuffle. Obviously, you could mess it up by choosing the wrong drive mode, but assuming you’re not actually trying to make yourself feel like a racecar driver in the pit lane the Cayenne has all the school-run skills of any other 4x4.

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It’s lovely inside, too. The cabin’s design combines a very snug, settled driving position with a real sense of occasion and excitement – to your side, a huge ﬂoor console carries a bank of vehicle controls with a bit of a ﬂight-deck vibe to it, then up top there’s a nice, big media screen next to a very purposeful looking multi-function steering wheel. Rather than cladding it all in leather, Porsche has used alcantara for all the main touch points – delivering plenty of grip as well as looking, in our view, every bit as classy as a sea of hide. We didn’t start investigating the Turbo GT in terms of its practicality and rear-seat accommodation, because we only had a limited time with it and we weren’t about to waste it on anything other than driving as much as we possibly could. We do know from previous experiences with the Cayenne and Cayenne Coupé, however, that they’re better in these respects than you’re likely to expect, with the ability to carry four adults in comfort

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or a very large load with the seats down. And this one can carry them faster than ever. The notes we took before even starting the engine included the phrase ‘it’s here to go fast,’ and how right we were. However good a driver you are, however fast you want to go, this vehicle will have you in its comfort zone. It doesn’t goad you into spending your whole life on the attack and it won’t fuss and grumble if you don’t – but you always know what’s there, waiting for you to get your fun on. As we said, the Turbo GT has arrived in Britain and gone straight to the top of the Cayenne range. What this means in terms of your pocket is that it’s going to cost you £143,910 in showroom spec; ours had a range of options ﬁtted which took the price to £156,695, but none of them were things which actually enhance the way a car drives. So the lower ﬁgure gets you every last bit of the performance and handling on offer. And that’s a lot. A lot of money, for sure, but an incredible amount of super-SUV. Comparisons with the Lamborghini Urus are inevitable, just as they are pointless. The two vehicles share real similarities, but they’re very different beasts – with about thirty grand between them to prove the point. If you see the Cayenne Turbo GT as being a faster car for less money… well, it is, but way to over-simplify a choice which, like the vehicle itself, deserves to be savoured.

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2022

PICK-UP

OF THE YEAR AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE. Three years ago, Pick-Up of the Year included nine different vehicles. Last year, it was seven. Now, the last 12 months have seen the Volkswagen Amarok and Mitsubishi L200 withdraw from the market, leaving the quintet you see here – and with the Nissan Navara right on the verge of going too, the numbers are going to drop some more before they start to rebound. But rebound they will. Ford has just unveiled the all-new Ranger – and that’s a colossal deal. It’s been developed hand-in-hand with Volkswagen, too, and will subsequently become the basis for the return of the Amarok. And when Ineos launches the hotly anticipated new Grenadier in the middle of 2022, it will do so with a double-cab model firmly in its plans. So, while the number of options has reduced dramatically in the last three years, don’t be fooled. The pick-up market is still thriving. Demand is still high, interest is still high, and before long a feature of the market is going to be that everything in it will be either new or recently revised. Last year, the new Isuzu D-Max (below) was on its final approach to landing in the UK and thanks to some early access to the vehicle we were able to include it in our judging – with the result being that it’s our reigning champion. The competition is fierce, however. Toyota introduced some major updates to the Hilux just under a year ago, with a superb new 2.8-litre diesel engine leading the way. SsangYong has just facelifted the Musso. Even the Ford Ranger, as the current model approaches the end, has remained fresh thanks to a steady stream of special editions – and when you’re talking about such a massively dominant market leader, that’s very relevant. Don’t be in any doubt, then. The one-tonne market may be in a state of flux at present, but it’s still there and it’s still rock-solid. And so are the vehicles competing for your cash – and for the title of 2022 Pick-Up of the Year.

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2022 PICK-UP OF THE YEAR

FORD RANGER

Several special editions launched this year • All-new replacement unveiled • Still seen

e said last year that the Ranger was in the process of winding down towards its replacement in the middle of 2021 by an all-new model. Turns out we shot our bolt a little, because here it still is – though the new model in question has just been unveiled, and very businesslike it looks too. The special editions have been coming thick and fast as Ford works to keep sales going, though that has never been a problem with the Ranger. Ever since the current model made its debut in 2012, they’ve been flying out the door as fast as Ford can get them in.

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The Ranger remains available with a choice of 130, 170 and 210bhp outputs from its 2.0-litre diesel engine. There are the usual three body styles, too, plus the big beast at the top of the pile in the shape of the race-bred Raptor. This is a great halo model, but the Thunder edition that was reintroduced to the range last year did almost as good a job of catching the eye. And with the Raptor not being classed as a commercial vehicle for tax purposes, as well as costing more than fifty grand on the road, it’s no surprise that less elevated Rangers have continued to pull in the strongest sales.

Nonetheless, even the Raptor itself has had the special edition treatment in the last year. It has all added up to keep the pot boiling – and even now, with the all-new Ranger only months away, for an awful lot of buyers the current one is still impossible to see past.

RANGE

The Ranger is available in DoubleCab form throughout the range, with Single and Super-Cab alternatives at utility level. Here, even the basespec XL gives you equipment like cruise, air-con, DAB and Bluetooth – and while it’s not as plush as the lifestyle models above them, we’ve

spent enough time with everyday Rangers to know that they leave you wondering why anyone would bother shelling out the extra cash. The XL and XLT really do have everything you need in a truck – as well as a no-nonsense honesty that’s very refreshing if you’re not one to be fooled by a big screen or swathes of leather and chrome. All Rangers come complete with an epic list of optional equipment, too, allowing you to add everything from off-road hardware to mains electricity. Unlike some manufacturers, Ford doesn’t gouge you with the price of these items, either. So getting the right model at the right

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by many as the benchmark pick-up truck

PRICING (as of spring 2021) List (ex-VAT) OTR (inc VAT) XL 2.0 130 Regular Cab XL 2.0 170 Regular Cab XL 2.0 170 Super Cab XL 2.0 170 Double Cab XLT 2.0 170 Super Cab XLT 2.0 170 Double Cab Limited 2.0 170 Super Cab Limited 2.0 170 Double Cab * Limited 2.0 213 Double Cab * Wildtrak 2.0 213 Double Cab * Thunder 2.0 213 Double Cab auto Raptor 2.0 213 Double Cab auto *

£21,545 £22,195 £22,995 £23,795 £24,355 £25,155 £28,420 £29,220 £29,920 £31,320 £32,965 £41,145

£26,770 £27,550 £28,510 £29,470 £30,142 £31,102 £35,020 £35,980 £36,820 £38,500 £40,474 £50,290

Auto extra £1450 + VAT

CONCLUSION By the time its replacement arrives, the Ranger will have been in Britain for a full decade. Some of its rivals have been through two all-new models in that time – yet this is still the benchmark one-tonner for an awful lot of people. It’s famous for its lifestyle models – but the range is built on rock-solid foundations which make it a truck for everyone price and making sure it’s right for you shouldn’t be a problem.

CABIN

The Ranger’s cabin was the best in the business when the vehicle was ﬁrst launched back in 2012, and even now it’s still a benchmark for the opposition. The materials don’t feel as special as they once did, however, and all the leather in the world won’t stop a dash that’s going to creak when you prod it, but the seating position is still excellent and the rear seats remain roomy. Other, newer designs have caught up in this respect, but it’s still capable of seating four six-footers in comfort.

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A common grumble with Fords is that the graphics on their buttons can be unclear, and this is the case again on the Ranger. However the controls are good and positive, and their layout is reasonably clear. Lower-spec models are better in this respect, simply because there’s less going on to confuse your eyes. Probably more important in most people’s eyes is a vehicle’s media functionality, and Ford has gone in hard here. The Ranger gets a set-up whose features include a mobile wiﬁ hot spot and access to app-based remote control functions, broadening its appeal still further for buyers who need to stay connected. Of

course, not every version gets this, but you don’t have to go to the top of the range and again, the options list is there to be your friend.

DRIVING

The Ranger drives with an excellent feeling of heft, giving you real conﬁdence behind the wheel. It has good, smooth steering and the sort of predictable body roll you can use to your advantage in corners. Reﬁnement is generally good, too, with the occasional shudder when you hit a big pot-hole in town but no fussing or noise on scrappy roads and a peaceful experience on the motorway. On higher-spec

double-cabs, this is aided by active noise cancelling, though noise is never an issue in any model. The 170bhp engine is as strong as you’ll ever need, but the 213 is a hoot – though in Sport mode, it can be quite a handful on B-roads, giving you the feeling that you’re having to hold it back. On top of this, it’s extremely able off-road, with good suspension and tractability on all models and a Baja mode on the Raptor. Better still, that options list includes a package giving you underbody protection, an alarm and a locking rear diff for just £300 – a box which, in our world, you’d be crazy not to tick.

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2022 PICK-UP OF THE YEAR

ISUZU D-MAX

Reigning title holder launched in UK spring 2021 • High-spec models build on strong

he D-Max was yet to arrive in Britain 12 months ago when it took overall victory in our 2021 PickUp of the Year awards. That was on the strength of its performance in pre-production form, which showed us how much of an improvement it was going to be over the previous model – itself no mug. Now, of course, the full D-Max range has been launched in Britain. And the sales figures it has been posting bear out the fact that it is, indeed, a truck to reckon with. It’s powered by a 1.9-litre diesel engine. This is the same basic unit that appeared in the old model, with

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AdBlue and Euro6 compliance the headline updates. It’s mated to a choice of manual and auto boxes. Whereas the old D-Max was a strong seller in more work-focused form, this time Isuzu is anxious to break further into the lucrative market for high-spec lifestyle trucks. A classier cabin and dash design promises to help here – as does a particularly strong suite of high-tech safety equipment.

RANGE

At launch, the D-Max was available with Single-Cab, Extended-Cab and Double-Cab bodies and four spec levels. As usual, as you climb the

range it becomes Double-Cab only. Isuzu divides the line-up into three sub-ranges: Business for the Utility, All-Purpose for the mid-range DL20 and DL40 and Adventure for the V-Cross. This will probably start to feel as if it has more of a point to it once further models are introduced, which will happen in the spring when the iconic AT35 model arrives. At any rate, every D-Max has air-con, cruise control and lumbar adjust as standard, as well as DAB and Bluetooth. The DL20 adds alloys and body-colour bumpers as well as carpets instead of rubber mats, heated seats, parking sensors and the locking rear diff that gives

it its name, while the DL40 piles in with leather, dual-zone climate, LED headlamps, a media system with phone connectivity and loads of chrome styling. Move up to the V-Cross and you get a bigger media screen as well as a gunmetal styling theme instead of the chrome. The auto gearbox is also available as an option from the DL20 upwards.

CABIN

Having driven every version of the D-Max, our feeling is that unless you want a hose-out interior, the DL models are the sweet spot in the range. After a week with a

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utility base • Still very much a workhorse

PRICING Utility Single-Cab Utility Extended Cab Utility Double-Cab DL20 Extended Cab DL20 Double-Cab* DL40 Double-Cab* V-Cross Double-Cab*

List (ex-VAT)

OTR (inc VAT)

£22,179 £22,929 £23,679 £25,179 £25,929 £28,929 £30,429

£27,545 £28,445 £29,345 £31,145 £32,045 £35,645 £37,445

* Auto extra £1500 plus VAT

CONCLUSION The D-Max won the title last year on the strength of our first impressions. It’s a hugely capable truck with a good range of equipment and it drives very well both on and off-road. Now the full range has arrived in the UK, however, we think it’s still at its best as a utility or all-rounder rather than a full-on lifestyle truck – at the very top of the range, there’s a sense of occasion which some of its rivals mange to pull off more convincingly V-Cross, we came away feeling not exactly disappointed, but less than enthused by what it offers for your extra money. Obviously, it’s down to taste whether chrome or gunmetal floats your boat, or indeed whether you’re fine without either. But we also spent a week with a DL20 and in the cabin, it rang truer than the V-Cross. Some trucks do a better job of feeling premium in lifestyle form, but to us the D-Max struggles to break free of its utilitarian roots even with its biggest media screen and widest range of kit on the case. On a more basic level, the cabin is very spacious and comfortable

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whether you’re driving or sat in the back. Even with the front seats set for a six-footer, another equally tall unit can sit behind them; headroom is not so good back there, but over the piece it’s well above average by double-cab standards.

DRIVING

Every new vehicle should move the game forward, and the D-Max has a reﬁnement to it that’s up there with the best in the pick-up market. Its engine is quiet and very smooth, stroking you peacefully around town and settling well on the motorway. We said the same about the auto gearbox last year, but since then the

longer we’ve spent behind the wheel the more we’ve found it frustrating, with too many long, loud shifts. Putting it in manual mode doesn’t seem to help: happily, the real manual box is a very good one, with an engagingly analogue feel to it that you don’t get from the auto, so we’d stick with that. Ride quality is as we initially found, though, which is to say it’s very good. You’ll never make an unladed pick-up perfect on rough roads, but its suspension works well to damp out the worst of the interference and it both steers and handles well enough to be hustled along with conﬁdence.

Off-road, meanwhile, the locking rear diff is the cherry on top. But even without it, the D-Max is very tractable and, considering its size, remarkably agile. Again, our preference would be for the manual box, but the auto does what you tell it here and both are very capable of making steady progress on every kind of terrain. We’re not fans of low-proﬁle tyres for off-roading, so the fact that 18” rims are standard on all models except the Single-Cab Utility is a bit of a mystery to us. Notwithstanding this, though, the D-Max remains a rugged contender which you’d be more than happy to use in anger.

WINTER 2022 | 35

23/11/2021 16:32

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19/11/2021 14:12

2021 PICK-UP OF THE YEAR

NISSAN NAVARA

Pick-Up of the Year winner in 2020 • Soon to be axed as new version won’t come here

ow times change. Two and half years ago, Nissan gave the Navara a major facelift – in the wake of which, it waltzed to victory in these awards. Now, the once-mighty Navara is on its last legs. News broke early in 2021 that when the next round of revisions are introduced (and they’re due any time now), the resulting vehicle won’t be coming to Europe. This came shortly after Nissan had announced that its Barcelona factory, which makes Navaras for the European market, will switch to other models during 2022. The official line is that ‘future product plans will be communicated in due

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course,’ but it’s impossible not to reach the conclusion that here in Britain, at least, the Navara is a dead truck walking. If you want hard evidence, take a look at Nissan’s website and see what has happened to the Navara range. Where once it offered a set of options covering just about every base you can imagine, now it’s down to one single vehicle. That’s what happens when car manufacturers are squeezing the last drops of life out of a sickly model. Lest we forget, though, the Navara is, or was, a serious player in the pick-up market – and a pioneer, too, in that it was the first major model to use coil springs instead of leaves

on its back axle. For a long time, it was double-cab royalty, with lifestyle pick-up buyers in particular putting it near the top of what tended to be very short shortlists.

RANGE

So, that range of one. It’s the 163 Acenta Double-Cab – a mid-spec vehicle rather than an all-out luxury truck, and one whose engine was until recently the entry-level unit in the Navara line-up. Not exactly going out with a bang, but it only costs a touch over thirty grand including the VAT and you can get it for a good bit less by playing the dealers. What does your money get you? Cruise control and a speed

limiter, manual air-con, DAB radio, Bluetooth, a chrome grille and a 5” ‘combimeter’ are all part of the spec, as are 17” alloys. The Navara also comes with a range of safety kit including Forward Emergency Braking and an electronic limited slip diff. The former in particular is well worthwhile – though with modern features like lane assist, adaptive cruise and traffic sign recognition, the latest trucks can beat it on this score. Going by the configurator on Nissan’s website, the Navara can now only be ordered in manual form. Mind you, the same process also seemed to suggest that there was only one vehicle left in stock, which

4x4 23/11/2021 16:45

• UK range now down to just one model

PRICING List (ex-VAT) OTR (inc VAT) 163 Acenta Double-Cab

£25,075

£30,090

CONCLUSION The Navara has been a stalwart of the pick-up market for so many years, and even as it prepares to make its exit you can still make a strong case for the one remaining model in the range. Its engine is a very good one and its chassis is one of the best, with a superb combination of dynamic ability, ride quality and overall reﬁnement. Its cabin is excellent, too, in so many ways – though accommodation in the back is a serious letdown if you intend to carry adults there with any sort of frequency. That apart, the strengths which carried the Navara to this title two years ago are still there. We’re going to miss having it around. would suggest that the end is even nearer than we realised.

CABIN

It’s common knowledge that the Mercedes X-Class (remember that?) was based on the Navara but tried to step it up in terms of premium quality. To Nissan’s credit, it’s the Navara that always felt more like the premium one. Some pick-ups try to appear classy with ﬂashy leather and electronics, but Nissan’s cabin has always managed to carry off an air of effortless quality that’s built in rather that plastered on. The result is that even without all the high-end kit, the Navara still

4x4 2022 Navara.indd 39

feels like the sort of truck you want to be in. You might not agree if you’re a tall adult in the rear seats, however. It’s cramped back here, with limited legroom behind a tall driver and only just enough headroom.

DRIVING

The Navara’s 2.3-litre diesel engine produces 163bhp and 313lbf.ft, and the spread of ratios in the manual box gives you ready access to all that torque. You used to be able to get the same engine in 190bhp, 332lbf.ft form, and yes it was a bit quicker, but in truth the down-tuned unit feels more or less every bit as strong. In particular, its in-gear pull

is profound, meaning you don’t have to row the gearstick in search of power – though with a beautifully smooth, precise action, doing so is no chore. The engine’s strength is matched by its reﬁnement, too. It runs really quietly, without ever sounding harsh even when you push it hard. This is complemented by a smoothness that makes it really easy to live with whether you’re tooling around in town or cruising on the motorway. The Navara also steers and rides with real sophistication, and handles with a positivity which, even now, is hard to improve upon in the pick-up sector. It’s extremely stable under hard braking, too.

Off-road, the coil-sprung back axle should in theory ﬂex with a greater degree of suppleness than the leaf-sprung equivalent. As we all know, there’s more to it than just that, however it does follow the ground very naturally. The engine’s torque makes for an effortless performance on rough terrain, too. You just drop it into low range and given the traction, it’ll walk over anything. Steep climbs are despatched with a similar lack of drama, and a well shaped bonnet and low waistline mean you get an excellent view of the terrain around you. Even with an LSD instead of a proper locker, It’s strong, agile and easy to drive off-road.

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23/11/2021 16:45

2022 PICK-UP OF THE YEAR

SSANGYONG MUSSO

Long-running value champion • Refreshed styling and equipment recently introduced

ast year, we introduced this section by talking about the new long-wheelbase Rhino model that had just been introduced to the Musso range. Now the whole range has had a tickle-up, too, with a new chrome grille, front spoiler, bolder fog lights and more aggressive bonnet profile designed to make it look more assertive on the road. There’s a bit of new equipment in the mix, too: LED foglights on the Rebel and a revised instrument panel on the Saracen, and both on the Rhino. All models also get a new design of alloy wheel, too. But the most telling thing might be what

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they’ve lost: the range has been slimmed down so that the entrylevel EX is now the only Musso with a manual gearbox. Prices have gone up by around a grand and a half over the last year, too, not that this makes SsangYong at all unique in the pick-up market. And that Musso still represents formidable value for money, not least because its 7-year, 150,000-mile warranty continues to leave its rivals gasping for breath.

RANGE

Continuing on the value theme, even the EX has 17” alloys, air-con, DAB and Bluetooth. By the time you reach

the Rhino you’ve got nappa leather, 9.2” sat-nav, all-round parking sensors, powered, heated and cooled seats, smartphone pairing and a reversing camera. In the ‘standard’ range of three models, the Saracen is the lifestyle truck with the best leather, media and so on. It also has 18” alloys; the Rhino LWB retains all the luxury and tech but drops back down to 17” in recognition of the fact that it’s also meant to be a work truck, with leaf springs instead of the coils you find elsewhere in the range. The Rhino’s wheelbase is about 4.5” longer than that of the standard model. But its rear overhang comes

close to doubling that difference, the result being a load bed that’s 1.61m long as opposed to 1.3 elsewhere. Its payload is a little higher than the others’, too, at 1140 rather than 1095kg. All automatic models are rated to tow 3500kg, while the EX can haul 3200kg; SsangYong makes the point that unusually, the Musso can do both at the same time without breaching its gross train weight.

CABIN

The Musso is based on SsangYong’s massively underrated Rexton, a former winner of our 4x4 of the Year title, and that means its cabin has the most SUV-like styling and

4x4 23/11/2021 16:42

• Two wheelbases and suspension formats

PRICING EX Rebel auto Saracen auto Rhino LWB auto

List (ex-VAT)

OTR (inc VAT)

£23,165 £27,165 £30,165 £31,165

£28,128 £32,928 £36,528 £37,728

CONCLUSION It may have been revised just a couple of months ago, but the Musso is still the same truck as it was last year. That’s to say it offers something different to the rest of the market – something which combines strong value for money with a set of propositions whose appeal is undeniable. You want space? Got it. You want kit? Got it. You want big capacities? Got ‘em. You want a warranty that goes to the moon? Got that, too. But if you also want a badge that says ‘pick-up royalty,’ the word SsangYong is apt to be the biggest hurdle the Musso has to overcome. Its mainstream rivals are, by and large, that bit more polished in the way they drive, but where the Musso is behind them it’s very close – and in other areas it offers something unique. As the market shrinks, more than ever you’d be mad to ignore it just because its name sounds a bit funny. materials of any pick-up ever sold in this country. It’s extremely well put together inside, smartly laid out and trimmed in quality materials. Also worthy of note is that never in our entire experience of doing this job have so many people climbed into a vehicle we’ve been testing and immediately remarked on how comfortable its seats were. This is the case whether you’re sitting on the tough, tactile fabric of an EX, the faux-leather of a Rebel or the nappa of a Saracen or Rhino. It’s good and roomy, too, though legroom in the rear is a little more limited. For one six-footer to sit behind another does require a bit of

4x4 2022 Musso.indd 41

compromise, but headroom in the back is way better than average. Compare the above paragraph with our comments on the Nissan Navara and Toyota Hilux, and you can see why SsangYong deserves to give itself a pat on the back. The Musso doesn’t just look like an SUV inside – it has that sort of space, too, along with an image that’s not traditionally truck-like but certainly does feels genuinely premium.

DRIVING

With coil and leaf-sprung models co-existing in the Musso range, the ﬁrst question is whether they feel any different to drive. The answer

is no, they don’t. Whether you’re in a standard or LWB model, it feels weighty and hefty but not harsh or lumpy, even over really bad road surfaces. It doesn’t settle entirely at the back when unladen, but the bumping is well enough damped and it can cruise without undue fussing. The steering is a little nervous around the straight-ahead position on the motorway, however, and wind and road noise aren’t dealt with particularly well. It’s not dire in these respects, but it’s not as sophisticated as some of its rivals. It does handle with a kind of lusty aplomb, though, which lets you make the most of the 181bhp

and 295lbf.ft from its 2.2-litre diesel engine. It pulls strongly throughout the whole of its rev range and only starts to raise its voice if you try to rev it out under heavy acceleration. Leaving it in auto should deal with this, of course. And we don’t recommend the manual box, whose ﬁerce clutch and woolly gearchange make it no fun at all. For real-world off-road use, any Musso will be tractable and robust enough to do the job. The Rhino is a proper work truck and posh barge combined, while the Rebel’s coil springs, shorter proportions and taller tyres mean it’s the best if your needs are more extreme.

WINTER 2022 | 41

23/11/2021 16:42

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23/11/2021 16:18

2021 PICK-UP OF THE YEAR

TOYOTA HILUX

Significant revisions introduced at the start of this year • New 2.8-litre, 201bhp engine

his time last year, Toyota introduced a heavily revised version of the Hilux. Everything about it was good but its timing was terrible, because it arrived the week after judging closed for our 2021 awards. So here we are at last able to talk about the Hilux in the present tense. The new-look range, with a 2.8-litre engine in the top models, has been around since last December and it has already had one major addition in the shape of an AT35 model built by Arctic Trucks. That’s always fun, but what really matters are the improvements Toyota made to the vehicle’s steering and suspension as part of its

44 | WINTER 2022

2022 Hilux.indd 44

facelift. The Hilux was also given a new multimedia system, addressing an area in which it had been playing catch-up to most of its rivals.

RANGE

The 2.4-litre, 150bhp diesel engine which previously powered the whole Hilux range remains the only option on most models. And it’s perfectly good, too, though we’d steer clear of mating it to an auto gearbox. As you reach the top, however, in comes the 2.8 with its 201bhp. The engine is optional in the Invincible (on which, rather surprisingly, it costs only £291 plus VAT more than the 2.4) and standard in the Invincible X and Invincible X AT35

range-toppers. Pleasingly, it can be had with a manual gearbox in all but AT35 form. This may have been the big story a year ago, but the Hilux will never lose sight of its roots. Even now, more than half the range is made up of base-spec Active models. These cover single, crew and double-cab body styles as well as a couple of chassis-cab options. You’re not slumming it down here. The Active trim includes cruise, air-con, Bluetooth and a locking rear diff, and in day-to-day use it’s everything you want a truck to be. If you want a touch-screen media set-up with DAB and smartphone pairing, however, for a couple of

grand it’s worth upgrading to the Icon model, which also gives you 17” alloys and premium seat fabric. Up top, the Invincible adds bigger alloys, climate control, heated seats and all-round parking sensors, while the Invincible X brings sat-nav and a (very impressive) premium stereo. Very pleasingly, all models get the full range of safety equipment.

CABIN

Inside, the Hilux is slickly laid out and carried off using crisp, classy materials. And at the centre of it all, the new multimedia system is a vast improvement on the old one. Throughout the cabin, there’s a rock-solid feeling of build quality.

4x4 23/11/2021 16:32

• Improved dynamics and in-car media

PRICING List (ex-VAT) OTR (inc VAT) 2.4 Active Extra Cab Chassis £23,574 2.4 Active Double-Cab Chassis £24,199 2.4 Active Single-Cab £22,991 2.4 Active Extra Cab £24,241 2.4 Active Double-Cab £24,866 2.4 Icon Double-Cab* £26,991 2.4 Invincible Double-Cab* £29,366 2.8 Invincible Double-Cab* £29,657 2.8 Invincible X Double-Cab* £32,991 2.8 Invincible X AT35 Double-Cab** £53,021 * Auto extra £1250 plus VAT ** Auto standard

£29,345 £30,095 £28,645 £30,145 £30,895 £33,445 £36,295 £35,589 £39,589 £64,681

CONCLUSION We said here last year that we expected the revised Hilux to be very good. And how right we were. The new 2.8-litre engine gives it the extra oomph it needed and it has the dynamics and road manners to match. Its cabin has been improved, too, and its legendary build quality is there to be seen from the top to the bottom of the range. We don’t like the lack of knee and head room in the back seats, but that apart Toyota has taken a good truck and turned it into a brilliant one. The trim does retain the toughness of a utility vehicle, for example with leather that looks better than it feels, but the seats are roomy and very comfortable. At least, they are up front. In the back, something Toyota hasn’t been able to address is a lack of space which, for some buyers, will be a deal-breaker. For our six-foot tester’s knees to fit in at all, the seat in front had to be moved into a position where driving became impossible. It’s fine for families, but a crew of big lads won’t make for a comfortable fit at all. The cabin is otherwise very good, with an above-average range of stowage opportunities for your odds

4x4 2022 Hilux.indd 45

and ends and a general layout that’s been enhanced by what is a truly worthwhile set of improvements.

DRIVING

The new engine’s 210bhp comes with 310lbf.ft in manual form and 369lbf.ft with an auto. It’s all there from 1400rpm – and boy do you feel it. Whether in town or on the motorway, the response to a squeeze of the throttle is an instant purposeful surge that breeds complete conﬁdence. Talking of the motorway, there’s a little ﬁdgeting as the suspension picks up on seams but not so much that it’ll bother you. Road and engine noise are pretty well muted,

too, aside from the odd thump, but wind noise is very pronounced. It comes in particular from behind you, where a roll-top cover for the pick-up bed would no doubt make a big difference. It’s more reﬁned around town, where the suspension deals well with broken road surfaces. Big pot holes do set up a few shudders at higher speeds, but again it’s uncomfortable rather than harsh. We wish the steering had more feel to it on turn-in, however. It’s well weighted around town, and you’re not having to make constant adjustments on the motorway, but there’s a lack of feel and feedback at B-road speeds that means

turning in to corners is a lot less fun than accelerating out of them. Off-road, the standard locking rear diff means you can tackle extreme terrain and, given the tyres, low-traction surfaces with real conﬁdence and control. The engine’s torque is completely masterful here, too, allowing you to do most things at little more than tickover. At times, it feels like you’ve got cogwheels pulling you across the ground. Fact is, the traditional way of offroad driving is still the best way to do it safely while minimising vehicle wear and ground damage. Toyota has been making 4x4s long enough to know that – and the Hilux is all the proof you’ll ever need.

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23/11/2021 16:32

To I N yo N ta E H R ilu x

2022 PICK-UP

BEST VALUE Isuzu D-Max

46 | WINTER 2022

2022 Results.indd 46

BEST INDIVIDUAL MODEL SsangYong Musso Rhino LWB

4x4 23/11/2021 16:47

OF THE YEAR BEST VALUE Isuzu D-Max The new D-Max has arrived into a market which this year has seen a number of Isuzu’s rivals increase their prices quite heavily. This means you can get the latest truck, and our outgoing title holder, for the same money or less as one that’s been around for a lot longer. This alone doesn’t make it good value, but the D-Max is a very serious amount of truck (and warranty) for your money. It’s now just a touch more expensive than the equivalent SsangYong Musso – no wonder Isuzu is being bombarded by demand from eager customers.

BEST INDIVIDUAL MODEL SsangYong Musso Rhino LWB The Musso already stands out by dint of being the most SUV-like pick-up Britain has ever seen. To make it even more unusual, at the top of the range it gains a longer bed and wheelbase, sheds its coil springs for leaves and loads up with its longest equipment list. The result is a double-cab that maxes out its potential for work and play alike. It can carry the biggest, heaviest load of the entire Musso range, but it also has nappa leather and all that kind of stuff. It’s a brave model to offer a very conservative market, but we all know who fortune favours.

BEST OFF-ROAD Toyota Hilux The Hilux is the only truck on the market currently to offer a specialised offroad model built by Arctic Trucks. That’s a feather in its cap, but it’s not the reason why it wins this award. No, the reason for this is that the Hilux comes as standard with a locking rear diff on every model. In addition, the 2.8-litre diesel engine launched last year is an absolute hero on diﬃcult terrain. You rarely need to use the gears to access revs, such is the supply of low-down torque, making this a safe, controllable and masterful way to cover ground. Amid a very, very good bunch, it’s the best of the lot.

BEST OFF-ROAD Toyota Hilux

2022 PICK-UP OF THE YEAR Toyota Hilux The Hilux has always been there or thereabouts in the pick-up market, but since the current model was launched the lack of a really gutsy engine held it back at the top of the range. With the arrival of the 2.8-litre unit, that’s well and truly put right. Now, there’s a winning spread of options across the utility and lifestyle sectors alike. The Hilux has always been rock solid in workaday form, but the high-spec models are now very hard to see past too. It’s not just about the engine, either. The latest Hilux looks stunning and has a tidily revised cabin centred around a media system that’s been brought right up to date. Its dynamics have been revised, too, and it’s as commandingly capable as ever off-road. You get Toyota’s legendary build quality, too, and you don’t need to pay silly money for it. It was always a good truck: now it’s absolutely spot-on.

4x4 2022 Results.indd 47

WINTER 2022 | 47

23/11/2021 16:47

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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

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A NEW CASE FOR THE DEFENCE The Defender market has left off-roading behind in search of bling. But with builders Words: Paul Looe Pictures: Harry Hamm

s we all know, there was a time when if you did off-roading, you did Land Rovers. Even if you did Suzukis too, you still Did Land Rovers. Things have changed a little now. The emergence of Jeep and the growth of the pick-up sector has given people more options, but Land Rover is still an overwhelmingly dominant part of the British off-road scene.

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like Wallis Defenders around, there’ll always be rorm for 90s and 110s in the real world

Nonetheless, the vibe in the Defender game is not about off-roading. Yes, that’s what they were built for – the majority of 90s and 110s going through the hands of rebuilders and modiﬁers are being turned into blingers of one level or another. Sprucing up Defenders has become a major part of the Land Rover industry in recent years. There are of course companies whose builds command six-ﬁgure price tags. It’s possible that if

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you’ve got that sort of money to spend on a boutique Defender, you won’t actually care if you get it muddy or scratched and dented, because if that’s what happens when you take it off-road you’ll just go and buy another one. But it’s probably more likely that the boutique motor will be kept for trips to Harrods and you’ll spend another small fortune (or ‘week’s wages’) on another one with every last bit of off-road kit on it that’s ever been invented.

Back here in the real world, the rest of us have to balance our off-road ambitions with our desire to smoke around in a truck that looks the business too. And the real world is quite a big place. That’s why for every one of the millionaire-motor boutique Defender builders, there’s another dozen creating nicely enhanced, stand-out-from-thecrowd 90s and 110s for a clientele whose wealth is measurable in… well, it’s just measurable.

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Wallis Defenders is one of the most notable additions to this part of the Landy scene – and one of the most recent. Yet it’s also one of the best-established businesses you’ll find anywhere in the motor trade, with a lineage that goes back further than that of Land Rover itself. That’s because it’s part of a family concern which started in the grocery business and moved into the motor trade in 1937. Based these days out of a superbly presented filling station and showroom complex just outside Cambridge, it’s a dynasty whose heritage goes back to the early days of powered flight. Percy and Horace Wallis built a pioneering light aircraft in 1910, having watched the Wright Brothers in action at first hand; Horace’s son, Ken Wallis, served as an RAF pilot in WWII then both invented and flew the autogyro which starred alongside Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice. These days, the business is run by Percy’s great grandson Elliot Wallis. Alongside the everyday stuff that goes with looking after a thriving sales and maintenance operation, in the last few years he has started getting interested in the idea of branching out into Land Rovers. And that’s where Wallis Defenders was born.

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The company has already built a good number of vehicles – some for customers, some for show and some for stock. A difference between it and many of the usual bling-‘em-up suspects is evident right there; this isn’t one of those set-ups that needs to sell one before it has enough money to buy the parts for the next. It might be new to the scene, but it’s got capital behind it and its business planning is rock-solid. Nonetheless, it’s also not one of the many companies that are content merely to play the percentages. When you talk to Elliot, you can tell pretty much immediately that he loves his Land Rovers. Particularly if you’re standing in the showroom they live in at the time. And what this means is that whereas some will happily churn out one identikit modded Defender after another, he’s not afraid of daring to be different. It’s a business, of course, and he’s building them for a market. But it takes a brave man to base this kind of build on a 110 Hi-Cap… The vehicle in question is a 2.2 TDCi from 2013. It came out of the factory in XS trim, meaning it was already fitted with air-conditioning among a few other luxuries, but even then it’s made a quantum leap forward now.

Of course, a white pick-up is hardly the stuff of radical road presence. When it’s a proper gleaming shade of white, though, rather than turgid old Bog Roll Grey, it’s a whole lot different. And when this is contrasting with stuff like a set of 18” Sawtooth alloys and gloss black grille, arches, vents and mirrors, it’s set fair to be about the most eye-catching thing on the road. There’s more black on the cab roof, the chequer plate sills and wing tops and finally the Fire and Ice side steps. And even where things would have been black originally, they’ve been enhanced – the front bumper has been replaced by a DRL job and the headlamp surrounds are the same gloss material as the grille. The headlamps themselves, meanwhile, are halo units. Moving back to those wheels, they’re home to a set of 255/55R18 Cooper Discoverer AT3s. Already more than a little cool, then – but they’ve been spaced out by 30mm at the front and 50mm at the back to give the truck some added stance. Not everyone will get that, but there’s a foursquare attitude to its appearance that definitely catches the eye. Now, off-roaders can be a cynical lot, and you might be looking at this 110 and saying to

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yourself that it’s all fur coat and no knickers. What you’d be saying, however, would be wrong. There are certainly companies out there that think nothing of hiding a ropy motor beneath a blanket of fancy add-ons. But Wallis Defenders is not one of them. Every one of its builds starts with a comprehensive clean underneath, following which the chassis is given a similarly comprehensive course of protective treatment – and the results are there to be seen. You could eat your dinner off the underside of one of these trucks, if only gravity wasn’t trying to stop you. Elliot himself talks of customers turning up to view vehicles, taking a quick look at the chassis and door bottoms and saying yes please, I’ll take it. There’s more hidden stuff inside the cabin, too, with 6mm foam insulation and 3mm sound deadening material helping to quieten it down. You rest your feet in Lucari carpeting, and the same company’s high-rise cubby box is sat between the seats. The dash is trimmed in leather and the roof lining in alcantara, while the steering wheel is a 13” Momo job and the seats are XS Sports units. There are of course things here that you would do differently. That bumper might need a winch tray in it and those wheels might need to shrink by a couple of inches, while the tyres’ sidewalls grow

at least as much in the other direction. And when it comes to black detailing, you might consider the lack of a snorkel to be an omission. But you might also be coming from a place where your idea of the perfect Defender involved vinyl, sliding windows and a rolled-on coat of that same turgid old Bog Roll Grey, and perhaps it might be dawning on you that actually, this here Hi-Cap doesn’t half look good. Perhaps being an off-roader doesn’t need to make you look like a serial killer after all. At the very least, what this truck goes to show is that you don’t need to mess with the engine, suspension and so on to turn a standard Defender into one that’s very special (and valuable) – but still very much a truck, not a car, and still very much a Land Rover, not a pavement princess. This is basically still a standard 110 Hi-Cap, with just as great an appetite for work as it ever had – only one you’d never mistake for anything else. Given that this is a company which builds Land Rovers to sell, we hope it won’t come as too much of a bucket of cold water that the actual vehicle in these pictures has long since become someone else’s property. But if so, well, it’s a company which builds Land Rovers to sell, so you know what to do.

You might be sneering at the idea of getting a professional outﬁt with an eye for good design to build an off-roader for you. But stop and take a look at the way the market has gone since those Jeeps and double-cabs started coming along. High-end builds based on current Rangers and Wranglers are a big deal now – and as well as being incredibly capable, those vehicles tend to be every bit as stunning to look at as they are to drive off-road. That’s a market which, to some extent, passed by the last knockings of Defender production. But while we’re unlikely to go back to the time when if you did off-roading, you did Land Rovers, there certainly is potential for the current craze for blingers to mature into a market for 90s and 110s that look great on the road and can do it in the mud, too. It wouldn’t take much for a build like this 110 to evolve into something like that – and what a cool place it would be to start. The millionaire motors at the top of the market won’t change the Defender zeitgeist. If it’s going to move on into a new version of the real world, it’s companies like Wallis Defenders that will take it there. And when you look at trucks like this 110, you can’t help but feel that it’s going to be a journey worth taking.

Two different kinds of wheel, both of them very classy. The cabin is graced by a 13” Momo steering wheel, among many other things, while the 255/55R18 Cooper Discoverer AT3 tyres are wrapped around a set of Sawtooth alloys

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THE JEEP THAT’S NOT A JEEP Italian styling house Militem takes new Jeeps and modiﬁes them into boutique off-road Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Fering

ver since Jeep introduced the Gladiator, we’ve been looking forward to the day it starts coming to the UK. It’s been on again and off again more often than the proverbial undergarments, and we’re still no closer to learning for sure whether the Wrangler-based double-cab is ever actually going to become an oﬃcial UK import. But a few greys have made it across the Atlantic courtesy of enterprising dealers – and if you don’t mind paying big for a top-dollar truck, which is kind of the point if a Gladiator is on your list, you might also catch a vibe from the Militem Ferōx-T. Militem is an Italian outﬁt which specialises in reimagining Jeeps as a certain kind of style wagon. It already does a Wrangler-based model called

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the Ferōx, blending overtly aggressive styling with an equally overtly luxurious interior retrim, and the Ferōx-T applies the same formula in pick-up form. The Ferōx-T is, in Militem’s words, ‘the maximum evolution of the pick-up as we know it.’ The company also says the vehicle ‘reinvents the current concept of the SUV, transforming it into an SUT: Sport Utility Truck.’ There’s a chance that Hummer may have dreamt that one up ﬁrst (in 2005 with the H2 SUT, to be precise), but you get the idea. The Ferōx-T is based on the Rubicon version of the Gladiator, giving it the same off-road equipment as the similarly named Wrangler – whose built-in ability we’ve praised many, many times in the past. It’s powered by Jeep’s 3.6-litre

Pentastar V6 engine, giving it an output of 285bhp and 260lbf.ft. Remaining very much standard in these areas, it also comes with the Gladiator’s familiar 8-speed auto box, however this now offers the option of manual shifting via paddles on the steering column. The Rubicon base model gives the Ferōx-T its next-gen Dana 44 axles with front and rear locking diffs, along with the world-class off-road ability they endow. Nonetheless, Militem says ‘most of the merit (for this) goes to Militem’s new suspension, developed especially for the new model.’ Featuring twin-tube shocks with a carbon fibre finish, this lifts the vehicle by 2” and allows the fitment of 35x12.50R20 Cooper Discoverer ST all-terrains.

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fashion statements. Its latest model could be a novel route in to Gladiator ownership… wish to press the button on the centre console which modifies the note of the custom exhaust system to attract the attention of all and sundry to what a cool car you’ve got. Only you will be able to see how cool it really is, though. Well, you and anyone else who sits inside your truck. ‘Each Militem is a hand-crafted masterpiece,’ the company boast. ‘With Italian leather seats fitted by hand… climbing on board is an overwhelming experience.’ And if leather is not your thing, customers get to choose from a vast range of trim materials including fabrics and technical fibres.’ On top of this, multi-coloured ambient lighting is standard and can be activated at the touch of a button. If all this isn’t enough, the Ferōx-T is also available with Militem’s Adventure Pack. This adds a snorkel and luggage rack as well as LED headlights and a scratch-resistant finish for the bumpers, while the Cooper tyres are upgraded from STs to STT mud-terrains. So, what does one of these vehicles give you that a Jeep doesn’t? ‘The Ferōx-T embodies the most evolved expression of Militem’s American Tech Italian Made models,’ the company explains. ‘Each Militem vehicle is the perfect combination of American DNA and majestic Italian craftsmanship. Militem redefines iconic American models with an exquisite finish and Italian class and taste.’ The price for this class and taste starts at €97,490 plus VAT and OTR costs. Which means that in the UK, a Ferōx-T is going to start at a bit more than £100,000. It’s hard to know exactly how much of this is for the base vehicle and how much is for the work Militem does on it, but top versions of the Gladiator list at just under €60k including tax so we’d say it looks like about 50:50. It won’t be everybody’s idea of the perfect pick-up truck – but if it’s yours, and you’ve got the money to spend, standing out from the crowd will rarely have been more fun.

Ultimately, though, it’s all about the styling. Those big Coopers are wrapped around Militem’s own design of ﬁve-spoke rims, and a honeycomb grille and wider wheelarches replace the original Jeep parts. The pick-up bed, meanwhile, mounts a unique styling bar on top of which is a set of retractable LED driving lamps. And the running boards are retractable, too, while further LEDs can be mounted in the front bumper. Going back to the pick-up bed, a further option is to have this lined in ‘high-tech nautical material’ in the colour of your choice. The Ferōx-T comes as standard with a towbar, and Militem points out that that its 3500kg towing capacity makes it ideal for pulling your yacht. While doing so, you may

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‘ARE WE THERE YET?’ A long car journey with a couple of pre-teen children sounds like a recipe for disaster. But a

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good truck and a camping trailer is all it takes to create a road trip the whole family will love Words and pictures: Paul Webster

re we there yet?’ It’s not an easy question to answer when you don’t know where you’re going, or when you’ll get there. But with two kids in the back and 3000 miles ahead of you, it’s something you’re going to get asked a lot. Unless you’ve got a plan. Now, I’m very passionate about overlanding. But to expect my wife and two kids to spend a month, or even a couple of weeks as passengers would be unrealistic. It’s the sort of problem every off-roader of every kind faces from time to time – but when your family holidays are also your hobby, you need to be careful not to put yourself first. Still, a bit of beach, pool, playtime, activities and culture all mixed up with a few trails and tracks is surely a way that more 4x4-owning families could keep everybody

4x4 6pp Webster L200 travel.indd 59

happy – including dad! And that’s what my family try to do. We’ve got a Mitsubishi L200 that’s set up for overlanding, pulls a fully featured camping trailer and, without turning holidays into hard work, helps make them an adventure. We’re often approached at campsites and quizzed about our set-up and our travels. We’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve heard people say ‘we would love to do something like that.’ Some of these folk even have great 4x4s and all the camping gear, but have just booked the one site for their entire fortnight way. Over several years, we’ve come to realise that our annual holidays are the one thing that’s always guaranteed to be looked back on by the whole family as the ‘best bit of the year.’ This is why we make such an effort to have the whole family involved in the planning. Though

I say ‘planning’ as if we actually know exactly what we are going to do before we go! Keeping everyone happy on a family holiday is no easier than it is the rest of the year. Mum wants sunshine, a deckchair and a bit of culture; a 10-year-old girl likes dolls, a pushbike and a small pool; a 12-year-old boy’s idea of heaven is a water park or canoeing trip; and dad just wants to get behind the wheel and hit the trails! The important thing is that no-one feels as if they’re being sidelined. Involving the whole family in your plans and taking a flexible approach to the itinerary can certainly help to keep everybody happy – which, pay attention dads, is the key to getting some overlanding in. For us, it helps that we all like camping. It was many years ago that we ordered our off-road trailer, knowing full well that we’d need

both the extra space and the speed of set-up that it offered. Tailgate and roof tents are great if you’re moving daily, family tents are great if you only have to put it up once for a fortnight’s holiday, but what if you want a bit of both? We can pop the main tent up for an overnight stop in about ten minutes; if we’re staying for a couple of days, we can put the awning up; or if we’re there for a fortnight, we can zip on an extra room. It really is flexible – and on top of all that, if you just need a cup of tea or a cold drink you can open up the back in an instant and hey presto, a kitchen. So, the planning. We often choose a basic route, with start and finish points and a few bits in between. We’ll then give the kids the choice of a few campsites to pick from – one at the beginning of the trip, one about midway and one to finish the holiday in style.

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A camping trailer like this one offers the perfect halfway house between the everyday convenience of a roof tent and the semi-permenance of a full-on family tent. What makes it so suitable for this kind of holiday is that it’s flexible: it can be used in quick-up mode for an overnight stop or configured either with an awning or a full extra room for longer periods, and unlike a roof tent you can leave it pitched while you drive away for further adventures

Pools, facilities, play areas, horse riding and so on are all scrutinised as the kids make their decisions – meaning they’re happy in the knowledge that they’ll be getting what they want and have something to look forward to on the road. Campsites for the rest of the trip are chosen on the road, some for their facilities and some just to keep within budget. The last trip had us paying from just £5.00 for an overnight stop to £35.00 for a

site with all the facilities. There’s always plenty of choice in the parts of Europe we travel in, and with us preferring to stay off the beaten track they’re rarely busy. The trip in our pictures was a perfect example of everything that’s good about this kind of holiday. A Thursday lunchtime in August saw us aboard the Calais ferry, destination Pyrenees. We were south of Paris the first night and in Perpignan for the weekend, the

L200 gobbling up the autoroutes with ease. Emma, our 10-year-old daughter, was getting very excited as she had picked the first site – with its swimming pools, slides and bouncy castles. She wasn’t disappointed. We spent a few days around the beaches at Porte Vendre and Argeles just to get into holiday mode and allow Sarah, my wife, to reminisce about childhood holidays, before setting off for the mountains.

A mixture of N-roads and loose tracks saw us arrive at Guardiola Bergueda and Camping El Bergueda, which we found via the fantastic Vibraction Road Book I had borrowed from a friend. We had expected to stay a night or two here, but the beauty of the area and location of the site kept us for six days – after which we were still very reluctant to leave. Once the trailer was pitched, we were free to explore even more

If your friends and relatives tell you the whole overland travel thing is nothing more than a gimmick when all you’re doing is going to the Pyrenees, show them these pictures. This is what paradise looks like: and because it’s accessible only by 4x4, even in the height of the holiday season the author and his family had it all to themselves all day long

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Another great asset the camping trailer provides is that it gives you instant access to kitchen facilities. You have to have it with you, obviously, but whether it’s on a camp site or stopped at the side of a mountain trail, you don’t need to satisfy yourself with cold leftovers out of a plastic bag

tracks and trails. Using the campsite owner’s knowledge, we travelled on tracks not even on the local maps, never mind the Michelin ones. The scenery was simply stunning; imagine green-laning your way to a beautiful mountain stream with deep rock pools and spending the rest of the day swimming and relaxing there with not a single other person joining you. Our 12-year-old son Liam was in his element, diving off the rocks for hours on end.

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Without our L200, we would never, ever have found such a place. A different road through this Spanish side of the Pyrenees took us to a mountain lookout from where we could see miles of tracks through the forest below us. We continued on a dirt road before finding ourselves gazing back down at the same lookout – now some distance below us. Then, as we approached a clearing high in the mountains,

something magical happened. First a flock of sheep appeared, followed closely by a collie. Then a shepherd showed up, carrying his shoulder bag of supplies, a large blanket and a long walking staff. It’s an image that will stay with us all forever. Take a black and white photo of it, and you could convince anybody that it dated from a century ago. Once again, we had had an experience no-one wedded to the tarmac could ever have shared.

Leaving El Bergueda was difficult, but the mountains were calling. We had seen several areas devastated by fire while in Spain, and the heat was definitely on as we approached Andorra. The L200’s temperature gauge had me very worried several times, so a visit to Mitsubishi Interauto in the small province was now on the cards. It was soon apparent that too many dirty river crossings are not good for one’s radiator! Not that an

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Left: From this mountain lookout point in the Spanish Pyrenees, a huge network of tracks was visible far below Above: Dune de Pilat is Europe’s highest sand dune. Yes, Europe has sand dunes Bottom: The Bardeneas Reales, in south-eastern Navarre, is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. A 100,000-acre desert formed by thousands of years of erosion, it’s known as the Badlands – and you can see why outside temperature of 45 degrees, a tonne of trailer, extra fuel, four passengers, camping gear and a mountain to climb make for an easy load on any engine, but cooling is definitely best done by a flow of air, not a trickle. No big surprise, then, that we decided to pitch the trailer for a couple of days and explore the mountains here without it. The northern route out of Andorra offers some of the best scenery in the area. You happen upon a series of amazing little villages in the middle of nowhere, each of them with a bar in the middle of it; once again, we found ourselves wondering if we hadn’t travelled back in time. And this is ‘our’ Europe,

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not the emerging part, far less a developing continent. Leaving Andorra, we headed west via Tor and Sort on a variety of roads and tracks. We were now two weeks in, however, and the kids deserved some pool time, so we made for our next pre-booked site. A jump on to the tarmac soon saw us at Camping Bolaso, our base for a few days. It wasn’t just Liam and Emma who were looking forward to this one, either. The Bardenas Reales Natural Park in South-Eastern Navarre was high on my ‘to-do’ list, and it was stunning. An incredible desert-like region of some 100,000 acres, it’s been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Formed from

thousands of years of erosion, it’s known as the Badlands – and bears a striking resemblance to the famous wilderness of Midwest America whose name it shares. As you’d expect of such a precious landscape, it’s not a place where you can drive where you want. There’s plenty of marked dirt roads taking you here and there around the park, though, giving you a nice sense of adventure as well as plenty to see. The clay, chalk and sandstone soils have been sculpted into amazing forms, creating a landscape that’s almost lunar in its character. Once again, you have to pinch yourself and remember this is western Europe, just a couple

of border crossings away from England. Incredible. We headed back north via the monastery at La Oliva, through yet more glorious scenery and picturesque villages, to Lumbier, for a couple of nights with a pool. Back in France now, our route was pointing towards Biarritz – beyond which our next stop up the coast was for a few beach days at Cap Ferret, on the Bassin D’Arcachon. Here, there’s an attraction that I wouldn’t mind betting you’d not expect to find in France: Europe’s tallest sand dune. It’s called Dune du Pilat and, while the crowds were a marked contrast to the splendid isolation of what had gone before,

4x4 23/11/2021 16:30

it was certainly something we’ll all remember. A fitting climax to our explorations before I turned the L200’s nose back towards the autoroute, at any rate. After four weeks and 3000 miles, we pitched up just south of Calais for our last night of camping. Often,

4x4 6pp Webster L200 travel.indd 65

the end of a European trip can feel like a sorry anticlimax as you bash the tarmac for mile after featureless mile while dashing to catch a ferry, but here’s a tip. Make the most of it. Give yourself time to enjoy your last supper on the road; we took a stroll along a quiet rocky beach on the

shore of the Channel, which yielded a bucket of mussels all ready to be prepared for the pot. Way better than rushing home in a hurry, I’m sure you’ll agree. Camping makes every stop an adventure, and overlanding does the same for every mile. And that’s just as true for

family holidays as it is for hardcore expeditions. We’d seen and done things no-one in an everyday car could have hoped to experience, and we’d mixed together everybody’s favourite ingredients to create a trip we could all enjoy. ‘Are we there yet?’ No-one ever asked.

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ROADBOOK

CENTRAL POWYS

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

NAVIGATION

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

SAFETY

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

RESPONSIBILITY

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

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

ANTIS

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

DO…

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

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

• Ensure you have a right to be

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

• • • •

DON’T…

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

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

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

• Cause a noise nuisance, particularly after dark

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

4x4 23/11/2021 17:17

ROADBOOK There are only six separate rights of way in this roadbook. But two of them are long, three are super-long and the sixth contains a bonnet-deep ford – so don’t be in any doubt that this is a major day’s laning. There’s some challenging terrain to take on, too – as well as an incredible amount of water (be sure to read the warning below). In addition, there’s an unusually high amount of road liaison between the lanes – but amid the spectacular scenery of the Welsh mountains, they’re some of the best roads you’ll ever drive

WARNING ,

This roadbook includes several water crossings which can get very deep and fast-ﬂowing. The consequences of getting it wrong here can be deadly – as was illustrated some years ago when a passenger in a 4x4 died after the vehicle overturned into the water. You’ll also spend much of the route with no phone signal. As a result, we don’t recommend doing it in a solo vehicle. And the water crossings are a matter for your own judgement – just because it’s in the route doesn’t mean it’ll be safe for you to drive on the day. Finally, on a couple of lanes you’ll see evidence of where people in 4x4s have strayed off the rights of way, damaging the surrounding land. Doing this is a crime, pure and simple, and it provides an open goal for anti-4x4 factions who want to see the lanes closed for ever. If you see anyone at it, they are NOT your friends: you should report them to the police (if it’s safe to do, ﬁlm them as evidence), just as you would if you saw a mugger or burglar in action

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ROUTE GUIDE

is it suitable?

START FINISH HOW LONG? TERRAIN HAZARDS

TYRES

OS MAPS

Beulah (SN 920 513) Beulah (SN 920 513) 69.05 miles / 7-8 hours Forestry and rolling mountains Isolation; side slopes; axle twisters; other users; deep water, potentially fast-ﬂowing Landranger 146 (Lampeter & Llandovery) Landranger 147 (Elan Valley & Builth Wells)

WEATHER LOW BOX SOFT-ROADERS SCRATCHING DRIVING

DAMAGE

Step

SN 920 513

Start in Beulah, at the petrol station next to the Trout Inn, by the junction of the A483 and the B4358. Zero your trip as you leave the forecourt, turning left to follow the A483 east

0.0 Step

1.95

Step

3.3 The junction is tricky to identify until you’re on it. It’s not long after a road on the left. Turn right across a track running parallel to the road; the track you’re taking can be identiﬁed by the ‘Unsuitable for Motors’ sign as you go through the ﬁrst of about a dozen gates

Tall proﬁle necessary, at least an all-terrain tread strongly advised Avoid when foggy or icy. Potentially lethal after heavy rain Essential Totally unsuitable Inevitable on the ﬁrst lane General off-roading skills required. Discipline required to stay on the right of way in several places Possible ground clearance issues. Potential for water damage

The track becomes quite washed out for a short spell as you descend, but you can steer clear of the worst of it. After this, a V-gully joins you from the right and you’re driving along a stream bed… then the vegetation on both sides starts to close in and claw at your bodywork

Step

3.4

Step 2: As the main road swings left, look for the turning on the right – as you cross a track running parallel to the road, you’ll see an ‘Unsuitable for Motors’ sign ahead of you

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Step

3.45

4.8

Step

3.8 Step

Llanwrtyd

SN 920 478

Turn left into Glancamddwr Farm

4.2 Step

4.85 Step

SN 881 435

Bear right on the Cat A track into Crychan Forest – look out for the ‘Y Mynegbost’ sign a little way beyond the junction

8.1 Take it easy through the farmyard after the ford – as the sign says, there are animals about

Step

4.5

9.05

Step

4.65

9.65

This ford is a monster – it’s wide, deep and may be fast-moving. Approach with great caution

Cross over a bigger track and strike left ahead into the trees. The going immediately gets rougher

Join a bigger track then immediately carry on ahead as it swings right

Step 10: Make no mistake, this ford is a big one. Even when the water is low, you’re pushing so much of it that you’ll want to be in low range – and when it’s high, it’ll be moving fast. As always, it’s your decision – but be sure that if you underestimate this one, the consequences could be lethal

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Step

15 9.9

For the ﬁrst of several times over the next mile or so, the track splits into a set of detours. In each case, you MUST stick to the main right of way – and if you don’t, you can expect to be picked up by the hidden CCTV cameras which monitor the forest

Step

11.1

0.2

16 Step

18 Caution – this is a main road

ZERO TRIP

13.5

Step

19 1.9 Step

Llanerchindda 234

SN 783 407

Turn right into what looks like the driveway for a house called Pendrainllwyn. Take it dead slowly and keep noise to a minimum. The road becomes a track as you pass through the second gate

After the gate, follow the main track hard left

2.55 Step

Step 28: The road peters out when it reaches Soar y Mynydd Chapel on the left. As it does so, look for the track ahead climbing steeply up the hill

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ZERO TRIP

2.65 4x4 23/11/2021 17:06

Step

Don’t be put off by the ‘no vehicles’ highway sign – this refers to a hidden byway which drops off into the trees at the same junction

You might have right of way here, but the whole junction is completely unmarked

Ignore the road on the left and follow round to the right through the cattle grid

6.0 Step

25 7.1

4x4 12pp Roadbook Winter 22.indd 71

Step

Tregaron 11 Soar-Y_-Mynydd 2

SN 785 534

Caution – it’s hard to know who has right of way here, as there are no white lines, but in theory this is a crossroads

14.6

5.85 Step

26 12.9

0.3 Step

Step

Follow ahead as the main track swings left – it’s a steep climb from the word go

14.7 Stay on the main road

Step

It’s just a small ford at the bottom of the valley, followed by a steep climb up the other side

16.7

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Step 36: The Cat A track is out of bound – you’re looking for the rocky climb to its left. And so begins Strata Florida, arguably Britain’s greatest green lane. You’ll be on it for about two hours; during that time, you’ll be a long way from anywhere with no phone signal and, critically, you’ll see many examples of the damage that can be done by criminal 4x4 use. You absolutely must not stray off the right of way – and if you see others doing it, you should react the way you would if you saw a burglary in progress Step

Dead slow past the youth hostel

17.7

Step

35 8.75

Strata Florida Abbey

Step

31 18.2 Step

This is as you come into Llanddewi Breﬁ

ZERO TRIP

24.2 Step

There’s a village shop on the corner as you turn

0.0 Step

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This crossroads appears after you’ve passed through the centre of Tregaron

Pontrhydfendigaid B4343

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Step 39: This is a serious axle-twister – not least because there’s an even more serious drop-off a little way to your right. We used out rear Air-Locker to help us tackle it nice and slowly Step

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

Step

10.9

11.8

Step

11.7

12.3

39 Step

Caution – there are sharp rock steps to negotiate as you climb the hillside

More rock steps, followed by a long water trough

12.6 Step

Join the Cat A track

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Step

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

Step

12.8

13.4

Step

13.1

13.65

43 Step

44 13.1

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

Step

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

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

As you pass through a short gully, the track has been washed out into a set of side slopes, ﬁrst to the left (a big one) and then the right, with a fairly serious axle-twister in between

13.7

4x4 23/11/2021 17:06

Step

Head through the ford then fork right to stay on the track rather than following the river bed

And now you join the stream bed…

Step

14.1

15.2

Step

14.7

15.25

Step

14.9

15.3

50 51

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

15.0

14.0 Step

Step

54 55

Look out for the waymarker as you cross the ford

This is the infamous Bomb Hole. There’s a route around it to the left, but the correct line of the right of way takes you straight down what feels like a sheer wall of rock…

As you approach what looks like a lake, stay on the main track and look for the waymarker posts ahead to guide you towards the correct route

Step 47 (left): The track surface has become eroded as it passes through the gully, meaning you’ve got an alarming side-slope to the left. This in turn means you need to be crawling, denying you the chance to build up any momentum for the axle-twister that follows Step 54: The Bomb Hole is a legendary feature of Strata Florida. Our D-Max ground its sills on the way over the crest then dragged its tow hook as we levelled out at the bottom; not many vehicles have such a long wheelbase or rear overhang, but don’t be in any doubt that this is a serious technical challenge – as we reached it, we came across a Discovery that had trashed a propshaft on the way over

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Step

This is normally the deepest of the many water crossings on this lane. On the day, it was nothing like as high as we’ve seen it, but don’t make any assumptions – approach with extreme caution!

15.4 Step

Step

60 15.7

Where the track skirts the river, stay on dry land

Step

15.45

16.0

Step

15.5

16.0

Step

15.6

16.1

58 59

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Caution – there’s a short side slope on bare rock that leads straight into the river. Take it dead slow – and in icy conditions, just say no

Caution over a sharp step downwards

62 63

4x4 23/11/2021 17:06

Step

16.7

0.5

Step

17.3

4.7

Step

68 69

65 66 67 18.3

18.2 Step

Beulah

10.3 ZERO TRIP

Step

Llanfair-Ym-Muallt Builth Wells A483

Pull back in to the petrol station in Beulah for the end of the route

10.4

Step 56 (opposite page, top and bottom left): There are many fords on Strata Florida, but this is the (very) big one. You’re actually crossing the conﬂuence of two streams; it starts off deep and the just keeps going. When the water level is high, you’d be certiﬁable to try it Step 60 (opposite page, bottom right): This rocky side-slope is as dangerous as it gets. Topple off it, and you’ll roll over into deep water. Approach with enormous caution and, if it’s at all icy, be ready to turn round and go the whole way back rather than risking your life

4x4 12pp Roadbook Winter 22.indd 77

JANUARY 2020 | 17

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4x4

NEXT MONTH IN…

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An epic Actic expedition supported by a lone Dacia Duster Tested: New-look SsangYong Musso and all-electric Volvo XC40 How a hobby and a crisis combined to create one of Britain’s best-known 4x4 specialists PLUS Up close with a big, big beast of a Land Rover

OF THE YEAR

The Defender claimed the title this time last year, but there’s a long line of brilliant new 4x4s waiting to steal its crown – if they can…

ON SALE: 31 December Step 40: Tur n left off the main track, embankment dropping dow then plungi n the ng straight into a water trough (right) rock Step n – there are sharp

71 34

Step

13.3.1 12

Cautio the iate as you climb steps to negot hillside

Step

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

ROADBOOK: A route in the 15.0 Derby Dales to warm up a bleak winter day a Abbey Strata Florid

8.75

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

Step

4328

Step

Look out for you cross the the waymarker as ford

15.2

Step

11.8

Join the Cat A

Step

track

17 18

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

Step

13.4

11.7

Step

followed by a long

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

1312 .1 .6

10.9

12.8

More rock steps, water trough

Ste p Step

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

13.65 Step

45 Fill in your name14 and .7 address and give this form to your newsagent track Drop off the main the gate and immediately before trough water into yet another

●

these axleentum to clear h bigger t need a bit of mom

Step Step 37: You migh -off to the right Please order 4x4 Magazine and reserve/deliver meis muc a copy every month warned, the drop twisters – but be

12.8 Name Address

88 | JAN UARY 2020

than it looks here

4x4

14.9 4x4 JA NUARY

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