Overlander 4x4 February 2024 by Assignment Media Ltd

LATEST: IT’S A MINI ADVENTURE | DRIVEN: INEOS GRENADIER FIELDMASTER | TRAVEL: HILUX TO THE SOUTH POLE

DEAD CENTRE

Literally an expedition to the middle of nowhere February 2024 £5.99

MILITARY MARVEL COPEHILL DOWN Ex-MOD Defender turned movie star

4x4 Cover Feb 24.indd 1

The hidden secrets of Salisbury Plain

SUZUKI S-CROSS Off-road in the Budget 4x4 of the Year

08/01/2024 13:35

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Editor

Alan Kidd

Design

Ian Denby-Jones

Contributors

Chris Collard, John Pearson, Gary Martin, Olly Sack, Gary Noskill, Dan Fenn, Paul Looe, Tom Alderney

Photographers

ne of the hottest places in the world features in this issue of Overlander 4x4, along with one of the coldest. No, I’m not talking about Salisbury Plain, though when a winter wind blows out there you might be forgiven for thinking so. Even just the word ‘Antarctica’ is enough to give you chills. The first part of our story about the continent on the bottom of the planet was in last month’s issue, but this month Chris Collard and his colleagues reach the South Pole itself – before going on to break a coil spring. You definitely don’t need to be calling the AA in a situation like this. I’m not sure whether you’d call the Simpson Desert more or less hostile than Antarctica. Either way, it pretty much defines the meaning of vehicle

dependent travel, because without the truck that got you there you ain’t coming home. In John Pearson’s tale from the Outback, a group of Land Rover enthusiasts don’t just to the normal thing and follow the existing trails – they make it their aim to strike out into virgin terrain and reach the dead centre of what could certainly be described as nowhere. To me, this really demonstrates what the appear of 4x4 travel is all about. Two very different places, but with something in common. That thing being the spirit of adventure you need in your soul if you’re to go there. The spirit of adventure in your soul and, of course, the 4x4 waiting on your driveway. Go-anywhere vehicle? Make that go-everywhere… Alan Kidd, Editor

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Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription, call 01283 742970. Prices for 12 issues: UK £42 (24 issues £76); Europe Airmail/ROW Surface £54; ROW Airmail £78 Distributed by Marketforce; www.marketforce.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure the contents of 4x4 are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these. When responding to any advert in 4x4, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org

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LATEST: IT’S A MINI ADVENTURE | DRIVEN: INEOS GRENADIER FIELDMASTER | TRAVEL: HILUX TO THE SOUTH POLE

DEAD CENTRE

Literally an expedition to the middle of nowhere February 2024 £5.99

MILITARY MARVEL COPEHILL DOWN Ex-MOD Defender turned movie star

The hidden secrets of Salisbury Plain

SUZUKI S-CROSS Off-road in the Budget 4x4 of the Year

75% OFF

Six issues for the price of 12 sounds like half-price – but when you subscribe to Overlander 4x4 for a year, you actually end up getting 75% off the price on the cover

CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2024 4x4 Scene 4

News

Range Rover becomes fully electric, SsangYong re-emerged with a new name and a man in a Mini bids to drive 6000 metres into the sky

Rights of Way

Relief for Blind Lane as anti-freedom fanatics fail to pull the wool over a planning inspector’s eyes

10 Products

Hard-tops for new Hiluxes, cutting-edge media for original Defenders and a chance for old Suzukis to literally breathe again

12 Events

Shelsley Walsh prepared to host an unusual 4x4 show in the shape of the second Lucas Classic

Every Month 62 Subscribe

Get Overlander 4x4 delivered for a fraction of the cover price

64 Next Month

Epic Alpine trails, and 40 years of the Panda 4x4

Driven 24 Ineos Grenadier 3.0 Petrol

We all know how good it is off-road, but what’s the Grenadier like in posh-spec Fieldmaster form?

28 DS7 La Premiere e-Tense 4x4

It’s a boutique vehicle brand – but is its rangetopping SUV more than a pretty face?

32 Suzuki S-Cross

The winner of our inaugural Budget 4x4 of the Year title proves itself over the miles on and off-road

Vehicles 36 Marvellous 110

A Land Rover Defender 110 Wolf that’s been in the wars and emerged to star on the silver screen

Travel 14 Simpson Desert

Conquering the great trails of the Outback is one thing. Planning to go off-piste to the geographical centre of the fearsome Simpson Desert is taking it to the next level altogether

44 The South Pole

Part 2 of a mighty Antarctic mission reaches the bottom of the world and carries on to set a record for crossing the continent by vehicle

54 Copehill Down

Amid of the Britain’s bleakest landscapes stands a village that’s never been lived in

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NEWS

RANGE ROVER EV OPENS FOR PRE-ORDERING

LR has opened the pre-order book for the Range Rover Electric. A fully electrified version of the current model, which was launched in traditionally powered form during 2021, the vehicle will be built in Solihull alongside existing mild and plug-in hybrid variants – a move which coincides with the opening of a new £70m underbody facility at Land Rover’s original home. While the main focus with the electric Range Rover is to ‘amplify its modern luxury credentials,’ JLR promises that it will remain a workhorse for those who want it to be. ‘Its go-anywhere capability will ensure towing, wading and all-terrain technology surpass any other luxury electric SUV,’ to quote. Also to quote, ‘towing will substantially affect EV range,’ but at least they said it – and will 800V electric architecture, owners will be able to make the most of the fast-charging options available in the public network. Indeed, JLR says that its customers will enjoy ‘a seamless electric ownership experience.’ This includes ‘effortless charging, energy partnerships, software-

over-the-air updates and intelligent technology to maximise range.’ The vehicle’s batteries and motor units will be assembled at JLR’s Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton. That’s the new name for the Engine Manufacturing Centre, which itself hardly seems to have been open for five minutes. JLR says that by the time the new vehicle hits the road, it will have been the subject of more patents than any other Range Rover. Prototype examples, which are currently undergoing what it describes as ‘one of the most rigorous engineering sign-off programmes ever,’ were created following a year of virtual development concentrating on front-end robustness and analysis of the demand on the chassis. At the present moment, these prototypes are being tested in temperatures ranging from -40C to +50, in locations from Sweden to Dubai, as well as all driving conditions and every kind of terrain. Specifically, the latter will be required to prove a wading depth of 850mm – while the programme in general

aims to prove electric drive system robustness, battery durability, chassis integrity and vehicle dynamics. It’s not yet possible to buy a Range Rover Electric. The pre-ordering which is now open allows you to register in advance for the opportunity to be among the first to put their money down – something you can expect to be able to do some time in 2024.

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Bespoke insurance for new Land Rovers JLR has introduced Land Rover Insurance, a range of policies designed to prevent Defender, Discovery and Range Rover owners from being priced out of the market. The policy is comprehensive, of course, and any repairs it pays for are done by a JLR authorised bodyshop using nothing but genuine parts. It’s based on a monthly subscription model and is fully flexible, with no charges for amendments or cancellations. With the theft of luxury cars a burgeoning problem, some owners of high-value vehicles are finding it increasingly hard to get cover – and when they can, the price can be little short of preposterous. JLR says that the new service provided quotes to more than 4000 clients in its first two months of operation, with an average premium of less than £200. Unfortunately, that’s per month. Even more unfortunately, though, in the current climate it still looks like quite good value for money. Better news, if you’re in the market for a new Range Rover, is that they’re highly resilient to theft. Since January 2022, when JLR introduced its current electrical architecture, only 9 of the 12,200 new models on the UK’s roads have been stolen (0.07%). The figure for the Range Rover Sport is 13 out of 13,400 vehicles (0.1%), so both are a very safe risk. So safe they can even cost less than £2400 a year to insure. JLR’s impressively low vehicle theft figures come after a £10 million investment by the company in complimentary security updates. Since 2018, these have been rolled out to more than 65,000 vehicles – the result being a 40% reduction in thefts. Owners of eligible vehicles built since 2018 who haven’t yet had the upgrades installed are urged to contact a main dealer and arrange to get the work done.

Farm trailer wins D-max towing comp Isuzu has announced the winners of its Big Tow showdown, a competition designed to highlight the abilities of the D-Max pickup. Participants were invited to submit images of the strangest, heaviest and most interesting items they’ve towed – with entries including a wacky warehouse, a metal bull and a glass trailer containing a winter landscape complete with Santa’s sleigh. The bull, towed by Michael Taylor, placed him among the runners-up – along with Paul Woodﬁne, who towed a ﬁshing boat, and Susie-Rose Carey, who towed a wooden shed. The winner, however, was Elliot Moulson, who impressed the judges with a picture taken at his farm of a trailer stacked with straw bales.

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To 6000 metres above sea level – in a Mini

KGM BRAND ROLLED OUT AS SSANGYONG GETS A NEW NAME AT LAST

orean 4x4 specialist SsangYong, whose Rexton SUV and Musso double-cab have been perennial winners of the value category in our 4x4 of the Year awards since launch, has changed its name to KGM. The company’s UK importer, which is now known as KGM Motors, had long accepted that the SsangYong name was an obstacle to growth here. However this new identity comes following a 2023 buyout in Korea by the KG Group – which rescued the factory from financial difficulties. The process of rebranding its dealerships has already begun, with a new white-onblack identity featuring SsangYong’s old twin-wings logo alongside the KGM name, and this is expected to be complete by the middle of 2024. KGM Motors’ franchising boss Andrew Cookson says the network-wide rebranding exercise will be taken as an opportunity to expand its spread of dealers. ‘While other brands are restructuring and may be reducing their numbers of dealers in favour of the agency model, we see this as an opportunity to fill our remaining open points. The new corporate identity

is a great opportunity for us to work with our partners to improve the quality of our dealerships and customer service – we’re committed to exploring and implementing innovative solutions in the UK market to achieve this objective.’ Also due in 2024, indeed during the first quarter of the year, is an all-new vehicle. The Torres is a medium-sized 4x4 whose rugged styling is reminiscent of the Toyota FJ Cruiser from some angles; based on a version of the platform below the current Korando, it will sit between that vehicle and the larger Rexton. Power will be from a choice of petrol and, in EVX form, fully electric power trains. Following this, KGM is also on course to debut an all-electric pick-up truck. This will be related to the Torres EVX and is scheduled to enter mass production during the second half of 2024.

It’s not the average expedition motor, but adventurer Ben Coombs has set out for the Andes in a bit to reach 6000 metres above sea level – in a 1974 Mini. Having previously crossed Africa in a classic Porsche and Asia in a Corvette, and driven the length of the Americas, between the world’s northernmost and southernmost bars, in a TVR Chimera, Coombs is a big fan of taking on challenges in ridiculously unsuitable vehicles. Given the Mini’s famous ability not to flinch at anything, driving one six kilometres into the sky actually sounds fairly achievable – though to do so will involve using abandoned mine tracks rather than roads, so maybe it is a bit of a stretch after all. To help the Mini, a gently modified 1000 model carrying a roof tent, Coombs will be supported by Fraser Pestana in his 1990 Range Rover Classic. At the time of writing, both vehicles were in Uruguay as their twomonth expedition got underway; you can read more about it, and track their progress, at detour-roadtrips.com.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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Strap In Tight...

Product shown in situ and NOT bolted into position

DA3554 Seat Belt Anchorage Frame Series 2 / Series 2A / Series 3 / Defender This seat belt anchorage frame from Safety Devices is designed to provide a robust belt mounting in Soft Top models. Manufactured from 38.1mm x 2.64mm seamless tube, the frame provides both upper inertia seat belt reel mounting points and also provides upper harness mounting points when wrapped around the tube. The frame fits directly over the existing canopy support brackets and has rearwards supports which also mount to the capping. Note - Will NOT fit a Lightweight or Series 1.

RIGHTS OF WAY

DERBYSHIRE: GOOD NEWS AND BAD WEATHER

he Green Lane Association’s efforts on behalf of all rights of way users have helped secure the right result at a public enquiry on the status of Excelsior, an unsurfaced road near Grindleford in Derbyshire. The route was put under threat by the actions of anti-freedom fanatics who, in their usual self-serving fashion, applied for it to be downgraded to a bridleway. In a perfect example of why a GLASS subscription is such good value for money, the association dipped in to its ﬁghting fund to employ a professional researcher – who unearthed valuable historical evidence and led a second campaign for user evidence in support of motor vehicle rights. Phil Hobson, GLASS’ Rights of Way Oﬃcer, compiled and submitted a statement of case together with proof of evidence to the inspectorate, and attended

the inquiry with the association’s local rep team. The inquiry lasted three days, overseen by a government inspector who walked the lane twice herself in addition to listening to evidence for and against vehicle rights. The result was a victory for the pro rights of way community, with the inquiry finding that the route has historic public carriageway rights and should be recorded as a Byway Open to All Traffic on Derbyshire’s definitive map. ‘Thanks are due to our Derbyshire team, Peak District Vehicle Users Group members, all the others who helped put our case together and, particularly, the stalwarts who stood up in the public inquiry to give their evidence verbally,’ says Derbyshire rep Chris Mitchell. ‘This case shows that the green laning community can win the day, as long as we all put in

the time and effort to prepare and present the necessary evidence to counter the sometimes questionable claims of the opposition.’ Elsewhere in Derbyshire, an autumn of storms has taken its toll on the surface of Back Lane, also known as Two Dales, and Beeley Lane. The former was graded a few years ago, smoothing down a series of extreme washouts at its southern end, however these repairs were washed out during Storm Babet and the lane is now closed by a temporary TRO. Beeley Lane too has become washed out during the hard autumn and the local team from Peak District Vehicle Users Group recommend voluntary restraint by 4x4 users. This route was still open to vehicles at the time of writing, however Derbyshire County Council was considering a temporary closure.

A CHANCE TO FOSTER HARMONY A contrast to the relentless aggression aimed at rights of way users by certain sections of anti-society came in the shape of an email received by Matt Judson, Oxfordshire rep for the Green Lane Association, from a resident living near to Moor Lane, a byway just south of Didcot. An honest message providing a great opportunity to work together? You decide… ‘I write to enquire if there is anything your organisation can do to help us improve the accessibility for all users on the above byway,’ the email reads. ‘For over a year now, one section of this byway in particular has been so damaged that it is practically unusable and unsafe for most users other than 4x4s.

‘I respect that off-roaders driving vehicles have a legal right to use byways, however treacherous deep ruts have been formed which in wet weather are made worse with ﬂooding. ‘Moor Lane byway is an important route as it acts as a link to a number of footpaths. It is one of very few rights of way that are usable by cyclists, horse riders and carriage drivers in this local area. It is also more important now as roads are becoming increasingly busy; those wishing to escape the traﬃc are looking for safer alternative routes. ‘I see from your website (I have only just discovered your organisation on Facebook) that you work with other organisations and

local authorities to improve accessibility of green lanes and wonder if you might be able to use your inﬂuence to get the surface of Moor Lane improved?’ GLASS has previously asked members to avoid Moor Lane when wet. It’s the kind of byway that can become a cause celebre for either side of the debate. ‘At the moment,’ says Matt, ‘this seems like a reasonable approach to us. But I am conscious that it could easily escalate. I suspect it will be another long discussion with the Rights of Way team to get something done.’ If you have recently driven Moor Lane, Matt would be keen to hear from you at oxfordshire.rep@glass-uk.org.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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PRODUCTS

Webcon breathes new life into old Suzukis

£414.75 plus VAT | www.webcon.co.uk

Truckman ARB Ascent hard-top now at Toyota main dealers Truckman’s new premium hardtop for the Toyota Hilux, the ARB Ascent, is now available to order via Toyota’s main dealer network. With a robust 9mm ABS shell allowing it to bear up to 100kg dynamic and 400kg static weights, the ARB Ascent has a funky vanishing-edge design and comes matched to the vehicle’s factory colour palette, so while it’s resolutely functional it won’s make your Hilux look like a council hack. Its features include electric side windows, while the one at the back can be adjusted between lift-up and pop-out operation. The Ascent comes with a ‘plug and play’ wiring loom, allowing it to be incorporated into the vehicle’s central locking, and it has an interior light and E-marked LED brake light. ‘The Hilux is one of the world’s most popular pick-up trucks for a reason,’ comments Truckman’s Matthew McConaghy. ‘It is reliable and very adaptable, so it can be customised to meet the driver’s needs, whether it is enhanced off-road ability or safe storage of tools and hardware – the ARB Ascent is the perfect match.’

There aren’t many Suzuki SJs left that haven’t been battered to death. But if you’ve got one that’s laid up for the want of a carburettor, it’s about to go again. That’s because Webcon, the world’s largest supplier of genuine Weber carbs, has revised its manifold kit for the SJ413. This was previously available for Weber’s 32DGR, however that unit is no longer in production – so instead, the kit has been re-engineered to utilise the 32/36 DGV. Webcon says it has calibrated the set-up in-house to produce more power without sacrificing anything in the way of economy and reliability. The kit continues to use its own unique plenum intake system, designed for a perfect fit to the existing air cleaner assembly; Webcon promises that it will not suffer the carb icing and that it will be as easy as ever to fit.

Next-level infotainment tech for Puma-era Defender £999 | www.mudstuff.co.uk

For bringing the 2007—2016 Land Rover Defender’s in-car entertainment offering into the modern age, the new Stinger HEIGH10 from Mud-UK promises to be a bit of a game-changer. It’s an all-in-one 10” interactive touchscreen package whose ﬁtting kit locates it high up in the dashboard, making it easy to look at and operate without taking your attention from the road. Designed for a factory-look installation, the HEIGH10 goes in without any need to cut the ﬂanks of the dashboard or extend the original wiring loom to relocate the vehicle’s existing switches. It runs Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, providing large on-screen touch buttons for ease of use – and giving access to navigation apps. It also has a reversing camera input – plus three other camera channels, allowing you to create a surround-view set-up. For entertainment, the HEIGH10 has a built-in amp, subwoofer control and a 15-band graphic equaliser. It comes with a Defender-

specific harness whose interface offers enhanced control over your infotainment system, allowing you to manage camera triggers while showing advanced vehicle gauges easily via the vehicle’s OBD port. These include info such as battery status and oil temperature, which are available from the vehicle’s on-board sensors but don’t get shown on the factory gauge cluster. The display allows you to swipe between pages, with others including off-road info such as pitch, roll and compass heading. Mud-UK provides an instructional video on fitting the HEIGH10. When installed, the unit obscures the air vents and clock on the top of the facia – however it has a clock of its own, and the company says it has found no drop in the efficacy of the vehicle’s air-con even in temperatures of 30 degrees plus.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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PRODUCTS SPEEDLINER PRO SPRAYLINER’ USES THE TRIED AND TESTED SPEEDLINER EURO HS® POLYMER SPRAYLINER THAT HAS A 20 YEAR TRACK RECORD. SPEEDLINER PRO is a 2K spray liner designed for the rear load bed of pickup trucks, land rovers, panel vans, trailers, small boats and many other small to medium size applications. The polyurethane/polyurea hybrid product dries quickly and provides tough, durable, anti-corrosion, wear and tear protection combined with excellent UV properties. SPEEDLINER PRO EASY SPRAYLINER is packaged and supplied in pre-coloured Black or Grey plus the ‘Self Colour’ version is also available.

Speedliner launches new 2K Easy Sprayliner

AFTER SIMPLE MIXING THE PRODUCT IS READY TO APPLY BY SPRAY, BRUSH OR ROLL.

www.speedlinereuro.com Speedliner Europe has introduced a new product designed for 4x4s and other small to medium applications. Called Speedliner Pro Easy Sprayliner, this uses the same tried and trusted HS Polymer whose track record with the company is now approaching a quarter of a century. Speedliner Pro is a 2K spray liner intended for the rear load bed of pick-up trucks, Land Rovers anf other 4x4s, panel vans, trailers, small boats and many other applications of a comparable size. The polyurethane/polyurea hybrid product dries quickly and provides tough, durable protection against both corrosion and general wear and tear – which also offers excellent UV properties. Speedliner Pro Easy Sprayliner can be applied by spray, brush or roller, and just needs a simple mix to make it ready for use. It comes packaged and supplied in a choice of pre-coloured Black or Grey – as well as in Self-Colour form, allowing you to tint it to whatever shade you want.

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February 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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EVENTS

LUCAS CLASSIC INVITES ENTRIES FROM OLDER LANDIES

ollowing a hugely successful first event in 2023, the Lucas Classic will return to Shelsley Walsh, the famed hillclimb in Worcestershire, on Saturday 22 June 2024. Celebrating the rich history of Lucas parts and their long association with classic British car and motorcycle marques, Land Rover included, the event is organised by the company along with SNG Barratt, Wassell and Britpart. Last year’s inaugural event, held beneath a bright, warm sun on the corresponding weekend in June, saw the paddocks full of classic cars and the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb alive with the noise and drama of the motorsport that’s been taking place there since 1905. That was when the Midland Automobile Club first moved its hillclimbs there from their previous venue on Sun Rising Hill near Stratford on Avon; no other event anywhere in the world has been running for longer on its original course. That sort of heritage makes the venue perfect for the Lucas Classic, whose first year had around 1000 spectators in attendance. They enjoyed a relaxed, family-friendly day out, enjoying everything from classic British saloons, sports cars and motorcycles to seemingly rocketpowered 4x4s racing up the hill. On

static display, classic Land Rovers from a bygone era rubbed shoulders with an E-Type Series One with the latest Lucas fuel injection system allowing it to run on fully synthetic fuel – raising and answering many questions about the sustainability of classic vehicles in a greener world. ‘It was the perfect setting to celebrate the history and heritage of one of our greatest parts manufacturers,’ say the organisers. ‘Since the very first wheel on the very first car hit the road over one hundred years ago, Lucas has been at the forefront of component manufacture and parts supply for both OE and the aftermarket. ‘Today, authentic Lucas Classic parts for vintage and classic vehicles are produced under license by three global parts suppliers. SNG Barratt Group manufactures and supplies Lucas Classic parts for cars; Britpart supplies 4x4 parts; and Wassell supplies motorcycle parts. Lucas Classic parts are made to exacting standards using a combination of original diagrams and tooling and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques to produce high-quality authentic parts in smaller quantities.’ There are a good many Land Rover and classic car events throughout the year, but this one is a bit different. It’s a day out for classic motoring enthusiasts and their families and friends where,

instead of the usual rows of traders under gazebos, you can enjoy live music, shops and traditional stalls. As well as the car show and motorsport, there are prizes for games like skittles, Scalextric and a traditional coconut shy. A great day out for all – and the perfect way to whet your appetite for the Great British Land Rover Show, just a couple of hours up the road at Newark the following day! For all the information you need, and to book tickets for the 2024 Lucas Classic, visit www.thelucasclassic.com.

THE LUCAS CLASSIC SHELSLEY WALSH HILLCLIMB | SAT 22ND JUNE 2024 SPONSORED BY

After an epic inaugural event this year, The Lucas Classic will be back next year at Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb. Booking details to follow.

Save Th e Date

\Saturday 22nd June 2024

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February 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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TRAVEL

ave Price is a veteran Australian outback adventurer who, over the years, has driven through most of the country’s vast interior. He’s been to the Simpson Desert on numerous occasions, driving all its many iconic tracks – but never to its geographic centre. This signiﬁcant location is indicated on the Hema Great Desert Tracks map at 25’21’58”S/137’05’05”E – close to the marked tracks, but the last few miles would entail driving through trackless country; over rough, tricky sand dunes.

Which is exactly why Dave wanted to go there. It’s a big challenge, but an absolutely top-notch adventure. He’s invited me to join him and wife Maureen on the trip, kindly loaning me the Land Rover Discovery 2 based Challenger ute that he built in 2016 and which I’ve previously used for Aussie adventures in 2017 and 2019. The Prices are in their own TDCi-engined G4 Challenge Defender 110, and joining us are Graham Grether in his Td5 Discovery 2 plus Kin and Heather Roy, making the ﬁrst big overland jaunt in their new-shape Defender 110 D250 – a big step

forward after many years of travelling in another Disco 2. Dave had meticulously planned a route that would take us into the geographic centre from the east, via the town of Birdsville. Unfortunately, heavy rain has caused serious ﬂooding to the extent that a number of the tracks he planned to use are impassable. There’s no way in. This has necessitated a signiﬁcant amount of last-minute replanning, and we’ll now be going into the Simmo, as it’s commonly known, from the west, topping up with fuel at the famous Mount Dare Hotel. It’s

Even for an expert overlander, travelling to the geographical centre of the Simpson Desert is a major challenge. But major challenges are the best kind of challenges, right? Words and pictures: John Pearson

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not the usual route that people take to the geographic centre, but we have no choice. The Challenger is normally reliable, but on the eve of setting off it disgraces itself by shredding the serpentine belt which drives the fan and auxiliaries. Fortunately Dave has a couple of spares, so we ﬁt one as a last-minute job. But that isn’t the end of the problem. Once underway, we’re a few miles north of Dave’s Angle Vale, Adelaide base when a noise starts coming from under the bonnet. I switch off the engine and coast to a halt, fearing the worst. And my

pessimism is justiﬁed; the replacement belt is also disintegrating. This isn’t looking good. We have another spare belt but as two have shredded, there must be a reason for the failures. There’s no point in ﬁtting the replacement only for that to destroy itself a few miles further on – and the Challenger would then be immobile. Fortunately, Dave’s a resourceful guy and he sets about getting to the root of the problem at the roadside. He works his way down to the crankshaft pulley, where he discovers that a minute piece of wire from

a previous failed belt has wedged between the pulley and the harmonic balancer that’s bolted to it. We unbolt the balancer, remove the offending piece of wire and rebuild it. I’m cautiously optimistic that was the cause of the problem and it will be reliable from now on, but as we get on our way again I’m nervously listening for any noises that would indicate the ﬁnal belt is about to fail.

Flood warning

Four days later, the belt has behaved itself and we’re having lunch before topping up

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with fuel at Mount Dare. Sitting just south of the border between South Australia and Northern Territory, this remote pub, campsite and ﬁlling station is the last contact with civilisation you’ll come across before you enter the vast wilderness that is the Simpson desert. The team there warn us about the ﬂoods and recommend a route that will take us in on the French line, then loop around and bring us back out the same way. But Dave has obtained permits from the Aboriginal Central Land Council for us to drive north on the not-so-regularly-used Colson track, with that hopeful detour into the geographic centre. Then we’ll continue

north to the Madigan Line and exit the desert towards Alice Springs. Dave has calculated how much fuel we’ll need, with plenty extra just in case. I’ve got five 20-litre jerry cans in addition to the standard Discovery 93-litre tank. It’s a harsh, unforgiving environment where mistakes can be costly, so it’s important to have sufficient fuel and reliable vehicles. We’ve got our tall desert flags attached to the vehicles now, to warn 4x4s coming from the opposite direction that we’re there – and which signals to me that the adventure is really starting. Our first detour is to the Dalhousie Springs for a bathe in the 38-43 degrees,

highly mineralised waters there. It’s invigorating and a great way to start a trip, even though you do get small ﬁshes nibbling at your feet. Given what some of Australia’s wildlife will do to you given the chance, that’s not such a big deal. We seek out a wild camp spot for the night, then head east the next morning – into the Simpson. We’re on the French Line, which is sandy with occasional stony gibber sections, and we’re crossing some vast clay pans – which look as though they might have been impassable a few weeks earlier, judging by some deep wheel tracks. Later, the dunes get bigger and the red sand deeper. The Simpson has an

Mount Dare is not your typical hotel. It’s a pub, campsite and filling station rolled into one – but more importantly, it’s your last contact with civilisation before you enter the wilderness of the Simpson

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estimated 1100 dunes running roughly north-south, making for a roller-coaster ride along this west-east route. Fortunately, the Challenger is highly capable in this terrain and it keeps rolling through. I’m using ﬁrst and second gear in high range for the dunes, getting up to third on the sections between them. I’ve got the tyre pressures fairly high at 20 front and 28 rear, keeping it higher than I would normally because Dave is worried about the strength of the sidewalls on its Maxtrek all-terrain tyres. The sun’s shining and the sand is vibrant red, carpeted with spiky grasses and some colourful bushes. We could

continue straight along the French Line but Dave is taking us on a detour south on to the WAA Line, before looping around north on to the Rig Road and then the Colson. This track was constructed in the 1960s to allow access for oil exploration, as were many of the Simpson’s routes. These days, though, they’re just the domain of overlanders like ourselves.

Wild camp

Our wild campsite that night is among some bushes, facing a big red dune. There’s a blazing campﬁre going and I’ve got a juicy steak sizzling on the grille. We’re miles from anywhere, the stars and

galaxies are truly magical in the dark night sky. It’s a wonderful place to be. The dunes are reputed to be easier when travelling like we are from west to east. Some are steep, some dug out and tricky, but we’re all experienced desert travellers and keep rolling along. Later in the day, we reach an area where spinifex has grown in the track centre. This is highly flammable stuff, which can cause vehicle fires if trapped around the exhaust. Kin’s especially worried about a flat tray at the rear underside of his 110, which seems to be a spinifex magnet. He’s brought along a metal rod with a hook on the end to regularly fish out the pesky grasses.

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There’s no way we could attempt to drive off-piste into this terrain without trashing our tyres and getting hopelessly stuck Crossing back over the French Line, we head up the Colson track, now running parallel to the dunes. Permits to use the Colson are reputedly hard to get (Dave has good contacts), and the track seems little used. It’s rough, very rough, and overgrown – with more spinifex in the track centre and bushes at the sides. According to the Hema mapping, there’s supposed to be a ‘cleared line’, a way through that will take us to the geographic centre of the Simpson. The location for this is clearly indicated with GPS coordinates and is supposedly marked by a metal dropper post. And indeed it is, the post poking through the centre of an old tyre. There’s initial excitement that we’ve found it, but then immediate disappointment follows because there’s no way we could attempt to drive off-piste into this terrain without trashing our tyres and getting hopelessly stuck. We were expecting it to be tough,

possibly trackless going away from the main track – but venturing into this would just be foolhardy. We’re even struggling to ﬁnd a suitable clear area to camp. But there’s no reason to get too disappointed; it’s still a hell of an adventure, driving along what is barely a track in places anyway. We eventually ﬁnd a camp spot, just off the track, ironically around the same latitude as the geographic centre – just not the same longitude. So near, yet so far. It’s more of the same the following day, with the track being rough and the sand often quite deep and power-sapping. We haven’t seen another vehicle anywhere on the Colson. There are some motorcycle wheeltracks – which look like they eventually turned back – along with what are possibly the tracks from an Isuzuengined Defender that we saw a few days ago and whose owners said they’d been along here.

Fed up

Most of us are enjoying it, although Graham is getting fed up with the relentless rough going, declaring that he’s been here, done that with the Colson track and has had quite enough of it, thanks very much. Later, the terrain does become easier going for him and the track sides are carpeted by gloriously colourful purpleflowered sand verbena. Then we reach the junction with the Madigan Line, turning left on to the route that Dr Cecil Madigan and his team took in 1939 on a scientific expedition with camels. After another overnight camp, I top up with diesel from the jerry cans and put 40 litres in Kin and Heather’s 110. Dave and Graham have long-range tanks fitted, with more than enough diesel to get them to Alice Springs. Graham’s D2 is now suffering with an alternator that’s stopped charging, but Dave gets on his satellite phone and orders

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DAVE’S CHALLENGER A lot has changed since I last drove the Discovery 2-based Challenger that Dave Price built back in 2016, using a UK-sourced Longranger cab kit and a lot of hard graft. For my 2017 and 2019 adventures, it was a trayback ute with a 115” wheelbase extended chassis that Dave fabricated from two Disco 2s. That was good, but the covid shutdown meant he had time on his hands to get into his workshop in Angle Vale near Adelaide and make it even better. Now, the Disco looks like a real Aussie overland adventure truck, with a gullwing-doored glassﬁbre canopy and a Maggiolina roof tent sitting up top on a set of Rhino Rack roof bars. Inside the canopy are a host of storage solutions that Dave devised. There’s an Engel fridge, dual battery system, water tank, drawers, shelves and handy spaces where storage boxes slide in and out, providing more than enough space for my kit along with jerry cans and provisions for a major outback adventure.

On the back sits a sturdy twin spare wheel carrier that Dave designed and fabricated from box-section steel, and up front is a reassuringly heavy-duty TLM bumper and bull bar. The Challenger sits higher for improved ground clearance, which Dave facilitated by using 20mm spacers between body and chassis. It has Terraﬁrma dampers, with coil springs up front and heavy-duty truck air suspension at the back. When sitting behind the Challenger’s steering wheel, it feels like you’re in a regular Discovery 2 with its comfortable seats and spacious driving position. But

it’s even better. The extended wheelbase makes it a delight to drive through the Outback, and it has proved to be highly capable in the demanding sand dunes of the Simpson desert. As for its name, the original Challenger is a Discovery based pick-up built as a design prototype in 1991 while Land Rover was investigating the feasibility of using one common platform for all its vehicles. Two others were made, both station wagons; the pick-up, which is the only survivor, now resides in the Dunsfold Collection Museum (dunsfoldcollection.co.uk).

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The Colson track is little used, and it shows – if it gets much more overgrown, it won’t be a track at all. A metal dropper post with a tyre around it indicates the start of what’s supposed to be a ‘cleared line’ to the geographic centre of the Simpson Desert…

The Binns Track is smoother, but progress is faster here. There are even some other vehicles on it

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Left: Dave Price organised the trip. Along with his wife Maureen, he drove his TDCi-engined G4 Challenge Defender 110. He’s also the owner of the Challenger Discovery 2 the author used Left Middle: Graham Grether joined the fun in his Td5-engined Discovery 2 Left Bottom: Kin and Heather Roy had spent many years travelling aboard a Discovery 2, so moving to a new-shape Defender 110 D250 must have felt like quite a leap a replacement to be shipped to Alice ready for when we get there. Fortunately, there’s sufficient change in the D2’s battery to keep it going, and if it were to go flat we could swap it for one from another vehicle. We’re into cattle country now and the flies are increasingly persistent. First thing out of camp, the track is rocky and washed out, which slows us right down for several miles. Then it gets smoother, but still with occasional washouts to watch out for. Ironically, after worrying about getting punctures in the Challenger’s tyres, Dave gets a flat in the offside rear BFGoodrich

Mud-Terrain on his Defender. But it’s quickly changed for one of his two spares and we’re underway again. We skirt around the Mac Clark Conservation Reserve, famous for its rare acacia peuce trees, also dodging around some ﬂooded areas. Then we turn on to the Binns Track, with 278km to go to Alice Springs according to the sign. It’s a mostly much smoother track, occasionally corrugated and with sections of bulldust, but progress is faster here. There are even other vehicles using it. And then we’re into Alice Springs, the sprawling town that sits right in the centre of the country when you look on a map. We’re here for a few days to stock up with provisions and give the vehicles and ourselves some TLC – it’s been a while since I last had a shower. It’s also an opportunity to have a look around Alice’s numerous 4x4 and camping stores. Our journey to the centre of the Simpson didn’t achieve its objective. But none of us were regarding it as a failure, not when we had driven through such amazing terrain. The heavy rain before we

came messed up our plans – but it meant that the desert has never been greener and more beautiful. Being out there in the middle of nowhere, driving big red sand dunes and desert tracks, then camping overnight in wonderfully remote locations isn’t for everyone. But I can’t get enough of it.

JOHN PEARSON John spent 22 years as Editor-in-Chief of Land Rover Owner International magazine before it closed in 2023. He’s been overlanding all around the world and has enjoyed three previous adventures in Australia, driving most of its iconic tracks like the Canning Stock Route and Cape York’s Telegraph Track. John owns a 2020 D250 Defender 110 and 2002 ex-G4 Challenge Defender 110 which he’s modiﬁed extensively for adventure travel, including ﬁtting an Alu-Cab pop-top camper roof.

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size (LxWxH) m 3.6 x 3.6 x 2.5 4.5 x 3 x 2.4 4.9 x 3.7 x 2.5 6.1 x 3 x 2.4 6.1 x 3.7 x 2.5 7.3 x 3.7 x 2.5 9.7x4.3x3.65 12x4.9x4.3

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13/09/2023 04/12/202314:09:16 09:43

FIRST DRIVE

INEOS GRENADIER 3.0 FIELDMASTER

s we explained last month, in the very act of announcing the

Ineos Grenadier as the overall winner of our 2024 4x4 of the Year awards, the spiritual successor to the original Land Rover Defender is not perfect. In that way, it’s even more of a spiritual successor to the Defender than we thought it was going to be.

Much has been said about the Grenadier since the project ﬁrst came to light – most of it either starry-eyed in its praise of the idea (mea culpa) or absurd in its condemnation of, mainly, the fact that the vehicle is not made in Britain. Some of the road tests we’ve read about it have been alarming, to say the least. We’re well and truly on record in our admiration for the thinking behind the Grenadier. And as its newly minted 4x4 of the Year title demonstrates, our experiences behind the wheel during the last 12 months have been positive. Combine this with the clear fact that the Grenadier has been the agenda-setting vehicle in the part of the 4x4 market that matters most to real 4x4 drivers,

and it was a clear winner. But no, it’s not perfect. So this is going to be a balanced review. It may at times read like a broadside, because some of the Grenadier’s imperfections are verging on the ridiculous, but let’s start from a positive place. This is a vehicle made the way 4x4s should be made – able to cross the axletwister in front of you and also the desert in front of you, brilliant as an everyday motor and built to last and last. We love the newshape Defender but the Grenadier makes it look like just another corporate SUV. For competition, you’re looking at the Jeep Wrangler and that’s about it. The Wrangler currently costs £62,785 in range-topping Rubicon form, or two grand less for the less off-road focused Sahara. That’s for a vehicle whose manufacturer has the most time-served 4x4 know-how in the world, which immediately set the bar high. The Grenadier starts at £64,500 for a two-seat Utility Wagon and £76,000 for a 5-seat Station Wagon; we’ve got the latter here, in luxury-orientated Fieldmaster form and powered by the 3.0-litre petrol engine –

unlikely to be the one you’d choose, though with 286bhp and 332lbf.ft it puts a smile on your face. The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic box and a full-time, two-speed transfer case, and the latter spins the diffs in a pair of live beam axles. We’ve been waiting a long time to use those words about an all-new vehicle. It’s all hung off a ladderframe chassis made from steel box and treated using a combination of galvanising, e-coating and powder-coating to keep it solid and healthy for decades to come. This is all fabulous but it’s also heavy, and of course the Grenadier’s body is not the most slippery of shapes. Add this together with an engine originally designed for BMW cars and SUVs and the fuel consumption you get is fairly eye-watering. Ineos quotes an oﬃcial WLTP combined ﬁgure of 19.6mpg; we can’t comment on what we got, as the display in the cabin suffered an electrical failure that cut short our week with the vehicle (more on that later). But having poured some £250 down its throat for a total of around 650 miles, it’s

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deﬁnitely thirsty. It shifts, though. And it does so smoothly, steadily and quietly. There’s a nice little snarl from the exhaust when you boot it hard, but nothing that’s intrusive at any speed. Reﬁnement in general is indeed very good, and we say this having put in a good few hundred miles on the motorway.

True off-roader

This is where the built-in driving position of a true off-road vehicle comes into its own. As we’re forever saying, there’s no greater safety feature in the world than a great view of the road ahead, and in this way the Grenadier mimics the old Defender perfectly. It makes for a very relaxing cruise – combine the high perch of a Defender with good legroom and plenty of adjustability in an excellent Recaro seat, and you really can go for hours on end without getting restless or fatigued. Our ﬁrst day with the Grenadier coincided with an Ineos off-roading event in the Lake District, so that was a pretty good introduction to its motorway skills. At this

point, though, we’ll address the elephant in the room. Getting from Overlander 4x4 HQ to the motorway network involves going round a number of corners, which in turn involves (shudder) steering. You’ll have read no end of opinions, verdicts and general crap about this. So here’s ours. Yeah, it feels weird to start with. No, there’s nothing wrong with it. It turns in lazily and self-centres even more lazily, and to start with it does your head in a bit. But half an hour later you’re completely used to it. There was no need for constant micro-corrections to hold a steady line on the motorway, and by the time we arrived in the Lake District and needed to start going round corners again it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Back home, in the ﬁrst few minutes after getting behind the wheel, we were exiting corners into the middle of the road and having to take big handfuls of lock to rescue it: if you know the Lakes, you’ll know that the roads there most certainly don’t offer you any room for error, so we’re happy to say that the only scary moment was when some herbert

in an Amazon fan came barreling round a corner towards us like Carlos Fandango on a mission. So this is all good and we’re sounding like one of those fanboys nobody listens to. Time for a bit of abuse, then. No, not the self variety; we refer you back to the Amazon driver for that. Instead, let’s train our guns on whoever signed off the main display screen for production. It works fine (at least it did until it failed completely) but in all those millions of miles of testing, we can’t believe none of Ineos’ people ever once drove a Grenadier with the sun behind them. We thought the days of being blinded by screen glare were over, but seemingly not. It’s not just that the screen itself becomes unreadable – the reflection is like someone shining a powerful flashlight from just far enough into your field of vision to be distracting. A couple of days later, we were on Salisbury Plain and again it was sunny. This time, we were driving towards it – which showed us that the visors are almost freakishly good at leaving gaps for the light

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The Grenadier’s cabin will only ever be a functional, purposeful thing, and we love that about it. All the chunky switchgear and flight-desk design give it an industrial atmosphere that creates a sense of occasion – different in nature, of course, but every bit as profound, as that you get in something like a Bentley or Lamborghini. The Fieldmaster tested here poshes it up quite effectively with leather trim on its Recaro seats – we’d go for the more functional Trialmaster, which trades the luxuries for more off-road hardware, but it certainly is a nice way to travel

It covers ground very smoothly and rides better on the road than any other true off-roader we can think of, so it would perhaps be churlish to criticise the Grenadier’s design for using five-link rear suspension rather than the A-frame that gave early Range Rovers and old-shape Defenders their sensational articulation. It doesn’t flex quite as far – though as you can see here, there’s still plenty of droop to keep it on the ground in extreme situations

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to get you in the eyes. Making them six inches longer would sort it out, but as it is they’re annoyingly poor at what they do. A detail, and maybe a little one, but exactly the sort of thing that puts people off when they’re thinking about spending ten grand, let along the thick end of eighty. Later that day, we parked up in daylight and, an hour or two later, came back after dark. This pointed up another blindingly simple problem Ineos seems to have overlooked. You turn the Grenadier on using a traditional key, in a traditional keyhole, and hurrah for that – but the latter is buried way down, ahead of your left knee, in a part of the dash that’s practically aphotic. We found ourselves having to fire up the torch app on the editorial iPhone to be able to see where we were trying to aim at. Just a simple little illuminated ring around it, that’s all it would take – again, we can’t believe that none of Ineos’ driving team noticed this during testing. It’s not the end of the world (unless you’ve been chased back to your car by a would-be attacker, or there’s a flash flood coming your way) but it’s a menace that would take so little to address.

Following the launch event, our main criticism of the Grenadier was that the procedure for locking and in particular unlocking its axle diffs, and their relationship to the various other off-road functions, mean that you could end up facing a steep downhill gradient with no hill descent control (it won’t engage when the lockers are in, and they won’t come out without you going round a corner). A vehicle with low range shouldn’t need HDC, but surely if it’s there at all it ought to be accessible without anything to stop it. Anyway, our Fieldmaster didn’t have diff locks, so the above is irrelevant today. Instead, we’re concentrating on how it performs in one of our very favourite places in the whole world. No, not Moab,

Lurking

Now, the other elephant in the room. The one we put in there by mentioning that the screen failed part-way through our week with the Grenadier. The engine warning light came on at the same time and no amount of switching off and on again would cure it, so Ineos sent someone to take a look and he couldn’t either, so that was that until it went home on a wagon. We don’t normally comment on freak faults like this, however something broadly similar happened to one of the Grenadiers we drove on the launch event in Scotland at the start of 2023. Having done some lurking on the social media groups set up by owners, we can see that while a few people with early models have had similar issues, they’ve all been satisfactorily cured by their dealers and that the numbers certainly don’t add up to an epidemic, so our confidence in the vehicle remains high. It would be a lie of omission not to mention that it happened, but we’re not concerned about it coming back in future.

Utah (though if Ineos would like to send us there to test one properly, we’re unlikely to have other plans) but Salisbury Plain. Real-world off-roading at its very best, with mile upon mile of varied tracks to test a vehicle’s suspension and tractability – not necessarily to the limit, but in exactly the sort of use they’ll see day to day in typical use. And it didn’t put a foot wrong. On 17” BFG KO2 All-Terrains, it strode over the ground masterfully. It was the sort of day when the first car through a puddle will break the ice on top of it, and that first car was frequently us, but the ground wasn’t frozen so we didn’t get any added traction that way. In particular, we went looking for axle twisters. Without lockers, you do get a squirt of wheelspin before the traction control kicks in, but nothing we could find was able to actually stop the Grenadier in its tracks. The same goes for ruts; even in the deepest

we could find, the shape and position of its diffs kept them well out of harm’s way. And on a particularly long, slippery climb in the southern part of the Salisbury Plain Training Area, which we expected to be a real struggle, the vehicle strolled up without a hitch. Again, here, the Grenadier’s steering feels totally natural. We were well used to it by this stage, but the low speeds of off-road work suit it admirably and there’s no hesitation when you need to get from lock to lock fast. The natural self-centring of an old-shape Defender isn’t there, so your inputs need to be deliberate rather than instinctive, but then before long deliberation starts to become your instinct and everything just happens. It’s a very, very easy vehicle to drive off-road, but it’s also very comfortable and spacious – like a early Defender that was made in modern times, you could say. Which is of course exactly what Ineos set out to create. It would be glib just to say job done, but they certainly did work to the brief and in terms of how it performs off-road, the Grenadier is the most Defender-like vehicle there is – new-shape Defender included. Its price is likely to be a sticking point if you want a toy, because the Wrangler Rubicon nails it at fifteen grand less, but for a true 4x4 workhorse there’s nothing really to touch it on the UK market. That’s unless you go looking at grey impoirts and see how much 70-Series Land Cruiser you can get for your money. To us, this is the biggest hurdle the Grenadier has to get over, but here and globally, because the big Toyota is a giant in every sense. Nonetheless, the signs are incredibly encouraging for Ineos’ first vehicle. Those social media pages are awash with pictures of customers’ cars in fabulous off-road locations, proving that the games truly have commenced. And while we’d go diesel rather than petrol, and off-road focused Trialmaster rather than more luxurious Fieldmaster, our experience on the motorway, on the Plain and everywhere else showed us why those early adopters are so happy with their trucks. It’s not perfect – but as we said at the top, that just makes it more Defender-like than ever.

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DS7 LA PREMIÈRE E-TENSE 4X4 360

pin-off luxury brands are not new. In the 4x4 world, the Range Rover is possibly the most iconic example of them all, even if it didn’t become a brand (formally at least) until a few months ago. And of course Lexus has long been a leading player in the field of premium SUVs. What both of these marques have in common is that they’re based on sound underpinnings. Land Rover already knew a lot about making off-roaders before it made the Range Rover, and Lexus was built on the reliably stratospheric underpinnings of Toyota’s engineering and quality standards. For DS, its parent is Citroën. A company with a rich history (its vehicles were the first to drive across the Sahara, indeed) and a splendid reputation for making cars that are classy and elegant, if sometimes just a tad more complicated than they needed to be. The idea behind DS is to make the most of that tradition. Of elegance, not

complexity. The brand started off as a posh badge within Citroën’s own range and is now a premium marque in its own right. The idea is that it was born in Paris and has that city’s sense of style. ‘The French Art of Travel,’ they call it. The company’s main SUV, the DS7, was facelifted last spring. We’ve got it here in La Première form; this was a launch edition conceived to highlight the arrival of a new E-Tense 4x4 360 power train, a plug-in hybrid system offering a high-performance option on top of the Parisienne chic and refinement DS puts out there as its leading attractions. With a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine and two electric motors, the E-Tense 360 is the only one in the range to drive all four wheels. As the name suggests, it puts out 360bhp, along with 383lbf.ft, resulting in a 5.6-second sprint time and a 146mph top speed – as well as 40g/km, a 36-mile electric range and, so long as you keep charging it up, 161.1mpg. (The trip info on our test

vehicle said it had averaged 34.8mpg over the previous 1400 miles, so it looks like previous members of the fourth estate hadn’t been.) There’s also a solitary traditional diesel engine in the range, along with five trim levels (La Première no longer being among them). Prices start at £34,035 and climb to £57,690, however ours listed at £62,940 on the road and, including paint, would have appeared in showrooms with a ticket on the screen for £63,535. That money definitely says you’re not in Citroën territory any more. So the DS7’s job here is to prove that it is indeed something more than just that and is worthy of such high prices. The first thing that happens when you switch on is that a fancy looking analogue clock emerges from the dashboard on a kind of rotary cradle. That’s a very impressive touch and it’s very promising, too – the kind of surprise-and-delight moment that gets you warmed up for a good experience behind the wheel.

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The clock rotates outward from above the start button when you fire the vehicle up. It never fails to put a smile on your face and get you excited for the experience to come…

The cabin looks crafted and quite elegant – it does a good job of continuing the theme created by the vehicle’s interior. Not enough about its materials or equipment lives up to the image, though

But as it turned out, for us that was as good as it gets. The seating position is okay, if not especially commanding, and the upper dash is trimmed in soft-touch material. Head and leg room are adequate, as is visibility in all directions except over your shoulder, but there’s a very good rear view monitor to take care of that. The seats are leather trimmed and the front ones give you a massage. These are all good things. The seats look cool, however, but the leather doesn’t feel plush. And while the seats are massaging you, they make a constant electric pulsing noise. It sounds a bit like the heavy breathing of a real-life masseur who enjoys his job a little too much. Not to worry, the seats are heated and cooled, too – though when you ask them to do the latter, a fan whooshes into action and sounds like someone in the back is using a leaf blower. In contrast to the upper dash, the body of the floor console is made from a plastic that feels hard, scratchy and

even quite brittle. Its upper surfaces, and indeed elsewhere, are decorated by a diamond-pattern trim design that’s a bit of a DS signature, picked out in what looks like brushed alloy but when you touch it feels like more thin plastic. Dominating the dash is an infotainment screen that’s nice and big but is probably at its best before you switch it on. The display is crisp enough but the graphics are bland, basic and distinctly old-fashioned, and it responds so slowly to inputs that you keep on thinking it hasn’t worked and doing it again – a major pain in the neck when entering a destination in the sat nav, because your inputs then register twice. Talking of the sat-nav, its synthesised voice is amazingly anodyne – it’s like a throwback to the very early days of pocket Garmins that left your windscreen covered in cup marks. Not to worry, though, Apple CarPlay to the rescue. Oh no it isn’t. Try as we might, we couldn’t get it to connect. The editorial

iPhone did appear on the screen and we were able to make calls, though neither side could hear the other properly, but CarPlay just wasn’t happening. Maybe we did something wrong… like expect it to just work, the way it just works in every other car we test. So, quite a lot about the DS7 was getting on our nerves by this time. On the plus side, there’s enough room in the back for one tall adult to sit behind another, though it would help if they have enormous legs and a tiny body as headroom here is terrible. The seats fold down to lie about as far from flat as we’ve ever seen, so, while it is quite spacious, as a luggage carrier it’s a bit of a blunt instrument. We never really managed to make sense of the electric tailgate, either. Stowage up front is fair, with a big, long cubby, adequate door pockets and a reasonable glovebox. The former has a clamshell lid which opens with a somewhat flimsy sounding rattle, but it can certainly hold stuff.

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21” wheels and 35-profile tyres definitely create a very specific kind of look. They create a very specific kind of ride, too

The E-Tense 360 power train is a newcomer to the revised DS7 range. With a 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors developing 360bhp, if used correctly it combines a handy bit of power with potentially outstanding fuel economy Another bugbear, and one which is carried directly over from current Citroën products, is a multi-function stalk for the cruise control and speed limiter that’s positioned low down and completely hidden by the steering wheel. You can’t see what you’re doing, so you jab away at all the various bits of it until you finally manage to set a speed – or, more likely, you finally manage to try to set a speed but instead, a message flashes up on the dash saying that this is not possible due to the conditions. It’s been said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee; well, this thing is a camel designed by a committee. Of camels. When you do finally manage to set a speed, the DS7 charges along quite happily on the motorway. It’s quick enough to pass muster and its auto box does the job without putting a staccato backing track on the engine’s power delivery, and there’s a lively enough combination of steering and handling to make for some driving enjoyment on smooth, sweeping roads. They do need to be smooth, though. Our test vehicle was shod with 35-profile tyres, and didn’t we know it; ride quality is, to us, the vehicle’s weakest point, and as you’ll have figured out by now there’s some competition for that

honour. Pot-holed urban roads are a constant trial of harsh crashes, and any kind of corrugation sets up a relentless patter through the wheels. The body is constantly being jiggled around by imperfections in the surface and there’s an audible thump over every bump you hit. On one occasion, it bottomed out so violently we thought a tyre had blown – actual shout-out-loud moments are rare in new vehicles, but that was a deﬁnite one. And this was on a motorway. Something else you get when cruising is a constant drone of road noise, coupled by buffeting from the wind. It makes for a rude combination of ride and reﬁnement which leave you pretty unexcited at the prospect of a long journey. It does look cool, though. The aforementioned facelift sharpened it right up, its DRLs are among the most dramatic in the business and a selection of colours which could almost be described as seven shades of grey, if only one of them didn’t turn out to be blue, is very contemporary if not very bright. While that sounds like us damning it with faint praise, the DS7 does have its appeal as an SUV with that sort of Duty-Free glimmering chic. Beauty is only skin deep, but if you like what you see you don’t need to delve any further – and,

for all that people like us guff on about it, eye appeal sells more cars than ride and handling ever will. And the DS7 is a looker, no question. Will those looks be enough to sell this vehicle at prices that put it against what is a formidably stellar line-up of premium rivals? To us, it doesn’t have anything like enough premium qualities of its own to do so with credibility. Even if it only cost half as much, in fact, we can’t put our hands on our hearts and say we’d choose it over the equivalent from the likes of Skoda or Suzuki. We’re huge fans of car manufacturers trying to do something different to the norm, and we know premium spin-offs can work well if they’re done properly – something Genesis has proved, based on a historically low-cost brand in Hyundai. Citroën has great heritage and it has made some great cars, and piling it up with Parisienne ﬂair to create DS ought to be a master stroke. Based on this experience, however, the French Art of Travel is not ﬁne art. France created the impressionists – but the impression the DS7 creates doesn’t belong in the halls of the Sorbonne. It might cost a lot of Monet, but we don’t think you’re going to see Manet of them on the Rodin.

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24/05/2023 12:27 04/01/2024 14:11

SUZUKI S-CROSS 1.5 HEV ULTRA ALLGRIP

ast month, the new Suzuki S-Cross took the inaugural Budget SUV title in our 4x4 of the Year awards. It’s not perfect, and it’s more expensive than Suzuki’s always popular Vitara – yet we’d argue that its award recognises that it’s a very relevant vehicle. Here’s where we’re going to elaborate on why. For starters, the price. The S-Cross starts at £26,099 and climbs to £32,649 for the (deep breath) 1.5 S1-HEV Ultra Allgrip AGS tested here. To decipher that name, there are two trim levels in the range, Motion and Ultra; this is the latter, which adds all-wheel drive, sat-nav, 360-degree cameras and a double sliding pan sunroof on top of an already decent kit list. There are also two engines in the range. The cheaper is a 1.4-litre mild-hybrid; what

we’ve got here is a 1.5 full hybrid with 115bhp and 101lbf.ft. It’s mated to a sixspeed box which Suzuki describes as an automated manual but you might recognise as just an auto. Thus the S-Cross starts where the Vitara leaves off – that vehicle is priced in the range from £20,499 to £25,849. Spec for spec, there’s about seven grand between them – but it still puts the S-Cross very firmly in high-value territory. You get precious little for that sort of money now, at a time when precious little is precisely what more and more people have got left over to spend on an SUV. Now, the S-Cross was previously a vehicle that looked low-rent. We always admired it for its interior and the way it drove, but it was let down by its styling. If

you look at Kia, which is one of the most thrustingly successful manufacturers in the whole of the motor industry, it used to make cars that were a bit embarrassing to be seen in. But then its big bosses put design at the heart of a corporate transformation that fast-tracked it into the mainstream and has allowed it to start creating products like the Stinger and new EV9 that are moving it confidently into the premium market. Back to Suzuki. Its cars have never been embarrassing to be seen in (well, the Liana took a bit of getting used to, but the LJ was among the coolest cars ever and if you know what you’re looking at it set the tone for a dynasty of off-road vehicles) but they’re always been cute rather than chic. There’s an exception that proves every rule, though, and the old S-Cross was an

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The cabin doesn’t feel like that of a premium SUV, but it’s tidily laid out and the media system does the job. We did some long journeys in our S-Cross without feeling fatigued Rear seats have just enough legroom for one adult to sit behind another. Headroom is not so good for tall passengers, though, thanks in no small part to the pan roof that’s standard on Ultra models

awkward looking thing whose styling almost felt like a tacit acceptance that it was cheap and not a lot else. Why does this make the new one so relevant? Because people want to be driving conﬁdent, assertive SUVs. Not being able to afford a Q7 or Range Rover doesn’t change that – and the S-Cross is no longer a bugeyed oddity. Now, if you see one in your rear-view mirror you might actually think you’ve got a big Audi on your tail. It’s a bold looking motor whose face would certainly pass for that of something a size or two up the ladder. It’s a bit of a convention (or old chestnut) among motoring journalists that if the worst thing you can say about a vehicle is that it’s ugly, it’s a good vehicle. Conversely, if the best thing you can say about one is that it

looks good, it’s not. Try asking people who buy cars, though… That’s why the S-Cross matters. It’s a small SUV with a (comparatively) small ticket, but for people who were able to afford something like an X-Trail or RAV4 before The Incompetents got their teeth into the economy (not a party political jab) it keeps them in the road presence to which they have become accustomed. Inside, it’s funky enough without quite fulfilling the promise of its exterior. There’s a lot of hard plastic about the place, but its shaping is nice enough and the main touch points are made of a more tactile material. The dash is dominated by a decent sized screen supporting a media system which works well and mirrors your phone without a fight, and the whole lot is laid out with a simple clarity that’s typical of Suzuki. It’s not premium but it’s not unattractive and it’s not tiresome on long journeys. You can get four adults on board if everyone’s sensible about it, though this is primarily a family SUV and the back seats will be appreciated most by kids. This is particularly the case as headroom in the rear is not that of a bigger vehicle. The seats fold easily to leave a slightly sloping boot floor accessed by a good, wide hatch, allowing you to pile it high with a very decent load of luggage. It’s not a practicality monster, but it does a solid job of ticking the boxes. On the road, it’s typical Suzuki again in that it’s agile enough to be chucked around with vigour. It doesn’t have the clumsy ride that typified some of the company’s past products, either; it’s not very smooth around town, picking up on every small undulation and rattling through the big stuff, but it’s much better on faster roads and positively impressive on the motorway.

You do get enough road and wind noise here to disturb the peace, so you’re apt to end up cruising to the sound of a thunderous volume on the stereo. The engine has settled down by this point, though; it’s a bit boomy under kickdownlevel acceleration, but you don’t need to be tragically gentle with the loud pedal for this not to happen. The drivetrain is smoother than it is quiet, too, so it’s capable of delivering perfectly acceptable refinement if driven with sympathy. That said, it’s not hugely fast. The hybrid engine is adequately willing, with its 115bhp and 101lbf.ft shifting it a lot more briskly than a quoted 0-62 time of 13.5 seconds suggests, but its chassis does still feel like it could cope with a lot more. So you’re not looking at a grand tourer – though it’s an entertaining B-road machine if you want it to be (we did, and it was). You can take it off-road, too. Not the way you could with a Jimny or even the original Vitara, but the S-Cross is grippy on loose surfaces and capable of maintaining traction, and contact over reasonably uneven terrain. Ground clearance is limited, but choose your battles and you’ll find it capable of winning most of them. This is likely to mean comparatively fast and smooth stone and gravel, and here you’ll find that it rides with more sophistication than it does on urban roads. Thus the S-Cross is a vehicle whose range of talents is broad if not uniform. It’s willing rather than masterful, but it’s certainly able. And for a generation of SUV buyers who want a vehicle whose image fits the lifestyle they fondly remember having before the era of The Incompetents, it may well strike the right balance. Well, someone has to…

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ne of the things about ex-military Land Rovers is that quite often, once they’re in civvy street their history becomes obscure. But this one is a bit different, thanks to an owner who, to an unusual extent even by the standards of your typical Landy man, knows what he’s doing. The vehicle is a TUM HS GS Soft-Top, so that’ll be a 110 Wolf to you and me. We’ll start by saying that one of the areas in which its owner knows what he’s doing is that of staying private. We’ll just

call him Stan (take a look at the number plate and award yourself a hundred geek points if you can work out why), which you can safely assume no one else has ever done. Mainly, he’s a bloke who knows his way around a Wolf. He has two. This is the one from the Marvel movie. Now, THAT got your attention, didn’t it? It’s not the one that went about the place with Hulk in the back and its nose pointing upwards, but it was in a scene with Nick Fury. There are not many people, or even vehicles, that can out-cool the actor who

took that role, on account of he’s Samuel L Jackson. But if there is one, you’re looking at it. It’s been in other movies and TV shows, too. The Midwich Cuckoos series from last year, for example. Stan knows about this stuff because he’s the one who supplied it to the production companies, courtesy of a mate whose line of work is in sourcing vehicles for the screen. And he knows what the Wolf did during its time in the Army, too. Sunbathe, mainly. He submitted a Freedom of Information

CYPRIOT CHIC This Land Rover 110 Wolf was one of many that spent most of their military careers in Cyprus. Demobbed into civvy hands as recently as 2020, it’s been through a number of changes since – all of which turned it into a Defender ﬁt to share the screen with the coolest man on the planet… Words: Dan Fenn Pictures: Alan Kidd 36

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request to the Ministry of Defence, which came back showing that it had spent most of its life in Cyprus. It entered service on 29 April 1998 and spent just under a year in storage at Ashchurch before being shipped out to the Med. It ﬁrst went to the Joint Security Unit before serving with the Royal Anglians, Mercians, Riﬂes, Duke of Lancaster’s, Fusiliers and Prince of Wales’ regiments, in some cases more than once as their tours of duty came and went. During this time, a member of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of

This is what Stan took on when he bought the Wolf. It was still in its Cypriot colours, but its first owner had tried to turn it into some sort of homage to the Perentie Land Rover from Australia

Rolling the pitch ahead of a charity cricket match, being the scoreboard then hosting the party afterwards. If that’s not the definition of a General Service vehicle, we don’t know what is… February 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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Fusiliers, managed to crash the 110 so hard it needed a new chassis. As we know, Wolf chassis are built to take the sort of punishment only a squaddy can dish out, so this really must have been a big one. She or he managed to wipe out the offside front wing, bumper, grille, driver’s door and even the gearbox oil cooler, too. The words ‘a’ and ‘mess’ come to mind. Anyway, the whole lot was replaced, chassis and all.

Fighting fit

This is what the Army does, though. Its kit needs to be fighting fit, just as much as the

men and women who’ll be using it. Going into battle with a welded-up chassis would be like telling an injured soldier to pop a Nurofen and get on with it. Bravado gets you so far but to Be The Best you need to be at your own best, too. Which is an incredibly long-winded way of saying the Wolf has a service and maintenance record as long as your arm. Stan is pretty blunt about the way Army vehicles get treated by the people who actually drive them from day to day, but he points out that the way they get treated by the people who look after them is at the

The bumper was installed by the guy who bought the Wolf out of the Army. Sat upon it is a Superwinch TSI 35 – an industrial unit that runs off 24-volt electrics, as does everything else on the vehicle 38

other end of the scale. A thing gets broken or stops working, it gets repaired. The phrase ‘Trigger’s broom’ was used during our conversation. One exception here is the 300Tdi engine, which was rebuilt some time in 2016 after the cylinder head gasket let go. By now, the vehicle had had its Remus upgrade, which was done in June 2013, so it was equipped with full roll protection and extra sound deadening and that new chassis was full of wax – so while it had certainly taken a pasting during its life beneath the Cypriot sun, by the time it was

Ask on an online forum and you’ll get no end of people trying to tell you that a Puma is the best engine to go for in a Defender. We wouldn’t mind better than none of them have experienced the simple delights of a 300Tdi

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repatriated to Britain and put into storage back at Ashchurch, it was every bit as much of a ready-for-action Land Rover as it always had been. More than ever, in fact, you might say. That was it for whatever action it was going to see in the service of the nation, however, because its next stop was the disposal yard – and in November 2020 it was finally registered by the DVLA as a civvy motor. This was as the property of the guy who Stan got it from, who had an interesting idea of what he wanted to do with it.

Remus upgrade? Remus shmupgrade. Matey fetched off the roll cage. What? Takes all types. He removed the hood, too, but kept its Cypriot camouflage and added a winch bumper and wing bars. Stan reckons that perhaps he’d seen a picture of a Perentie and wanted to recreate the look in something more domestic. He only had it for a few months, anyway. Just as well,, or God knows what else would be missing by now. In March 2021, Stan was fancying a lockdown project (there’s no point rushing these things) and perhaps the Wolf’s owner realised that he’d messed

Much as he loves his Wolfs, Stan says he’s anxious not to be mistken for an Army wannabe. The presence of a radition curtain below his Land Rover’s canvas roof might not be the very most convincing evidence for this but, as well as being handy if he ever

up with it. Either way, it changed hands and the process of decrappifying it could begin. First up, Stan resolved to get the truck resprayed in the more familiar Wolf green. Cypriot camo is all very well in Cyprus but it stands out like a sore thumb on the streets of Swindon which is kind of not what camouflage is meant to do. More to the point, however much Stan likes military Land Rovers he has no intention of being mistaken for a wannabe, DPM fetishist, dresser-upper or anyone else you’re likely to see standing at the bar with a very large empty space around them.

If you don’t love the image of pioneer tools and a bonnet mounted spare, you need to learn how to love. In a world of cars trying desperately hard to be cool, precisely none of them are as cool as a Land Rover with a shovel and pickaxe flanking the spare wheel on February 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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Completely unusable

He also wanted a truck that wasn’t completely unusable. Or indeed completely unsafe. So he fitted it with a new roll bar – not the full military cage, which is only tubmounted anyway, but enough to make a difference in most stacks short of the kind in which only the full MSA works will do. He bought a set of hood sticks, too, and over the top of them went a canvas from Exmoor Trim. It’s a bit lighter in colour than the new paint, which makes the overall effect a little less lupine but once again suits Stan’s desire not to be mistaken for an army dreamer. Another addition is a Superwinch TSI 35. Not one of the more familiar names in the company’s roster, but this is one of its Industrial units – and of course it runs off 24 volts, as does everything aboard the Wolf. The bumper it’s on, which is the one Perentie blokle fitted, is another illustration of the vehicle’s transformation from General Service to civvy street. More subtle, but actually the biggest part of the 110’s new look, comes from its

new cage and hood. From side on, it has the same profile as an everyday Defender rather than the higher proportions of an original Wolf. Each to their own; some like the taller canopy, just as some prefer a hard-top (and there’s at least one bloke out there who’d go for a duff take on a Perentie instead) but we have to say we’re liking this 110 the way it is. There’s a rad-haz curtain under that soft-top, which is not something you hear every day. How exactly does this fit in with the whole I’m-not-a-military-wannabe theme? Surely we’ve not stumbled upon some lunatic survivalist lurking in the English countryside? It cuts out noise, explains Stan, and when you think about it a material designed to protect you from nuclear radiation is probably going to protect you from quite a lot else too. Add in the matting on the bulkhead and you can actually have a normal conversation while driving this truck. We tried and it worked. Does it keep noise in as well as it keeps it out? We only wonder because Stan mentioned to us that he uses the 110 as

a pub wagon. And what a pub wagon it must make. There’s cool, remember, there’s Samuel L Jackson cool and then there’s Wolf soft-top cool. Other uses for a cool Land Rover? Limitless, as we know. But Stan also told us that he organises a charity cricket match once a year, and these last couple he’s used it to tow the roller for the pitch. Then afterwards it’s become the scoreboard. And after that, it’s become a sort of bar, disco, light show and all-round party wagon rolled into one. Now, that’s what you call general service. It may have had a few ups and downs along the way, and the concours mob won’t be impressed, but this here Wolf still has a whole lot of duty to be done – and in its new incarnation, you could say it’s the perfect blend of military and civilian virtues. Army-strong but beach-cute, if you want to see it like that, and ready to appear cool in whatever situation is asked of it. Including the set of a Hollywood blockbuster near you. It’s a bit of a Marvel.

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TRAVEL

THE WHITE DESERT

Part 2

After coming to terms with travelling across the gargantuan wilderness of Antarctica, two Toyota Hiluxes from Expeditions 7 push ahead towards the South Pole – and get a taste of what happens when reality bites in the world’s harshest environments Words and pictures: Chris Collard

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n last month’s issue, part one of this story explained the purpose of the expedition that took me to Antarctica. Expeditions 7 was an adventure dreamt up by Greg Miller and Scott Brady, a pair of Toyota Land Cruiser fans whose aim was to explore every continent on the planet; this was the sixth of the seven, and to make it happen they enlisted the expert help of Arctic Trucks. Arctic or, in this case, Antarctic. Either way, it was cold. Cold and unbelievably uniform. Crossing a continent is one thing – doing it when all around you is unrelentingly white, now that’s a whole new kind of endurance. The minutes, hours and days were starting to meld into a cyclical and never-ending dream of drive, refuel, eat, sleep and drive.

When the sun was directly ahead of us, it was midnight. When it was at our ‘six’, it was noon. A blurry moment later, it was directly ahead again. For those of us who live outside the polar regions and have regular periods of darkness, adjusting to continuous daylight can wreak havoc both physically and psychologically. This falls into the realm of a circadian rhythm sleep disorder. After 20 or 24 hours of consciousness, though the body becomes exhausted the mind finds it difficult to shut the system down. In a world without night, do you awake at 0500 hours to have an omelette or a cocktail? Nonetheless, I was becoming semi-acclimated to the routine, catching some shut-eye while bouncing over

sastrugi and listening to unending rounds of Eric Clapton Unplugged. Our expedition leader, Arctic Trucks’ Antarctic workshop manager Gísli Elísson, is exactly the man you need out here in the crevasse-riddled wilderness – but I think this was the only album he possessed… Having already travelled almost 1000 miles to somewhere in nowhere called Camp 83, this concluding part of the story finds us under clear skies and making good time. The hours were passed discussing our optional leg to the Ross Ice Shelf and admiring prismatic arrays of light reflecting off 360-degree snowbows. If we maintained our current pace and didn’t have any delays, not only the Pole but a full crossing of the continent might be possible.

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Snow conditions on the Antarctic plateau vary from firm to very soft. In some places, our boots nary broke the surface: in others, they left a six inch deep impression. If you’ve spent much time driving in snow, you know that success is all about floatation. Our vehicles were fitted with massive 44” Dick Cepek Fun Country tyres on custom AT wheels, a combination that created a broad, flat footprint and excellent floatation. Air pressure ranged from 7psi on firmer snow to as low as 1psi in the softest, or when we got stuck – which did happen occasionally. I mentioned last month that another expedition was in the vicinity at the same time as us. Walking With the Wounded’s South Pole Allied Challenge was also using vehicles from Arctic Trucks; we were hoping for a celebratory meeting towards the conclusion of our travels, but we were also each other’s safety net.

The Call

And a little way beyond the 2000-kilometre mark, with 76 hours’ driving under our belts

and the mercury reading a lively -23° C, Gísli received ‘the call.’ The Walking With the Wounded team were hunkered down in a whiteout at S88°; one of their members had frostbite, and they needed assistance. We jotted down their coordinates and gave them an ETA of four hours. Their condition was not dire, but suddenly our expedition was more than just an adventure. Now it was real. We were excited to meet the crew and be able to provide help where we could. WWTW’s charter is to support wounded veterans in gaining skills needed to integrate into the civilian workforce. With the help of a wide cast of volunteers and generous contributors, and notable patrons such as Prince Harry, they raise funds and develop public awareness, highlighting the fact that the leadership skills a solider possesses in the battlefield can be a great asset in the business world. The South Pole Challenge Alliance was made up of mentors, guides and veterans from the UK, Australia, Canada and the US. They were a hysterically good-natured lot.

We arrived to find them loading skis, sledges and gear on to their support vehicles. Our job was to assist in moving their camp about 100 kilometres to S89°. I grabbed my camera and crawled into a tent with Ivan Castro, a US Army officer who was blinded while serving in Iraq when a mortar hit his platoon. Considering he was completely sightless, Ivan had a very clear vision of the world. He enlightened me on the virtues of women, the Army, governments and sporting teams. I left Ivan’s tent humbled yet uplifted, and feeling a bit guilty for the trivial things I sometimes whine about. With gear piled high in the bed and hanging off the sides of the roof rack, we resembled a Saturday Night Live spoof of The Beverly Hillbillies in Antarctica. I climbed in to find Duncan Slater, a Scot, and Englishman Guy Disney in the back seat. Both had lost legs in Afghanistan, and were more entertaining than a barrel of monkeys. The storm had lifted, visibility had improved and we maintained a reasonable

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pace during the four-hour drive to Camp 89. It had been nearly 24 hours since our day had begun and we were all ready for the sack. In the morning, we extended our appreciation of the guys’ service by going around to each tent with a thermos of hot water. We said our goodbyes and began the short, one-degree push to the Pole.

Ground zero

Standing at the geographic bottom of the earth is surreal. As one who feels he’s pretty good at dead reckoning navigation, the Southern Hemisphere has always rendered me a bit off. The sun at any time of the day is analogous to any other time of day. Set me on the confluence of all meridians and I’m seriously discombobulated. Step left and go north. Step right and go north. If all roads lead to Rome, all meridians lead to the very spot I was standing. Pick one, any one, and follow it in a great circle for about 25,000 miles and end up in the exact same spot: ground zero.

Greg had pulled in a few favours and secured a personal tour of the AmundsenScott South Pole Station. The facility, which is firmly planted (on adjustable stilts) in the middle of emptiness, is right out of the film 2010: A Space Odyssey. It is a life support system in a place void of life. There are dining halls, recreation rooms, living quarters and a greenhouse. The environment outside would render an unclothed person a human popsicle in a matter of minutes. Inside, scientists and maintenance personnel stroll long corridors in shorts and t-shirts. ‘Station big, everything America do big,’ the Russians at Camp 83 had told us – and they weren’t kidding. The current structure, which replaced a variety of renditions since the station’s opening in 1956, can house up to 200 people. The ice airfield, which is slightly more straight and level than the sausage-like one we landed on, hosts a daily Hercules C-130 load of tourists and supplies from McMurdo Station. Accordingly, there is a small store with sundries and souvenirs. It is also the only

terrestrial place on earth where the sun is continuously visible for six months, and likewise out of sight for six months. While all this sounds quite exotic, the station’s primary function is scientific research: geological, meteorological, astronomical and biomedical. The most recent is the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a square kilometre array of subterranean sensors placed up to 2450 meters deep in the ice. The project’s goal is to detect extraterrestrial neutrinos buried under millions of years of accumulated ice. Yes… very technical stuff that went over my head like a satellite. Before bidding our farewells, Greg, whose family owns the Utah Jazz basketball team, presented the facility manager, an ardent sports fan, with a specially made #1956 Jazz jersey in honour of the station’s founding. And though we’re not passport stamp geeks, we did take great pleasure in inking an Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station stamp and giving it a good press on a now highly coveted page.

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The day was still young and, after popping a celebratory cork, we shifted to plan B. The Ross Ice Shelf and the western edge of the continent lay a mere 600 kilometres away – considering the distance we’d traveled thus far, no more than a short jaunt. Though time would be of the essence, the track across the plateau and down the Leverett Glacier was established and well used. Greg, who prides himself in being an endurance driver, took the lead and set a commanding pace. With luck, we could make the Southern Ocean and still have time for the return trip to the expedition’s basecamp at Novo… barring any issues. With the temperature now up to a balmy -12° C, and 100 driving hours on the clock, we were descending the Leverett Glacier when a procession of ants, marching black specks on the horizon, came into view. As

we grew nearer, the apparition morphed into a land train of tracked vehicles towing box trailers and sledges.

Heavy traffic

Considering the fact that we were 10,000 miles from home and in one of the emptiest places on earth, it seemed odd that I would run into a near-neighbour. Keith Hall climbed down from his warm cocoon atop a Caterpillar MT865C. ‘We don’t get much traffic down here!’ he said, before we made our introductions and it turned out that he was from near my hometown in California. His team, which began at McMurdo Station, was en route to the South Pole for a semi-regular fuel drop. Behind his Cat was a sledge burdened with eight 3000-gallon bladders of diesel and jet fuel: a total weight of 168,000 pounds. The posse was reminiscent of a steam

engine train crossing the Great Plains in the 1860s. There were supply cars, sleeping quarters and a dining coach. The journey would take 22 days one way, and they would make two such trips during the summer season. Standing on the confluence of the Ross Sea and continental Antarctica, we scanned the horizon to the north; another infinite breadth of white. Though technically at the water’s edge, the shelf’s 640,000 square kilometre expanse eliminated any chance of seeing the ocean. I reflected on accounts I’d read about the Amundsen and Scott expeditions and how they used the Ross as a staging point for their pursuit of the South Pole. On December 14, 1912, Amundsen and his team became the first humans to reach the geographic bottom of the earth. Scott’s arrival a month later was bittersweet.

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Refuelling in Antarctica: almost as cold as doing it on the M62

Below: Expedition 7’s round-the-world Land Cruiser, piloted by Greg’s son Oakley, made it to base camp at Novo while the Hiluxes were on their way back across the continent. Ultimately, they were to be rewarded with the opportunity to explore together, an altogether more relaxed few days’ overlanding and very much the calm after the storm

When you break a coil spring out here, you needn’t think about calling the AA. Nothing for it but to remove the offending item and weld it up as best you can Though they had successfully reached the Pole, they were in dreadful shape and grievously disheartened by the presence of a Norwegian ﬂag. In late March of that year, somewhere in the distance, Scott and his companions took their last breaths. By contrast, we savoured the sweet taste of victory; the sense of accomplishment, elation… and exhaustion. As we recorded our location and autographed the signpost marking the union of land and sea, Gísli informed us that he believed we were the ﬁrst Americans to cross Antarctica from coast to coast by vehicle. While this was sinking in, I remembered a quote by mountaineer Ed Viesturs: ‘Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.’ We turned away and headed inland, south to set up camp in the lee of the Transantarctic Mountains.

Seventy kilometres from the signpost, Gísli got a funny look on his face. Not funny as in ha-ha. ‘Something is wrong,’ he said. ‘We need to stop.’ To this point, the only mechanical issue we had experienced was the water separator on Greg’s Hilux freezing up, which was a quick ﬁx. But crawling under the 6x6 revealed something none of us wanted to see: a broken coil spring. A sheared axle or shattered differential would have been much worse, but this was still a major issue. We went about removing the spring and repairing it as best we could; spring steel does not take kindly to being welded, even with Gísli’s skills in this area. Our makeshift workshop became our camp for the night, or day, or whatever it was. Then, with the 6x6 back together, we kept our collective ﬁngers crossed in

the hope that if we drove with care, Gísli’s repair would hold. We passed the fuel train: all was good. Then skier Parker Liautaud and his crew: still good. It was at the top of the Leverett that the weld gave way with a nearly inaudible ping. A call to Arctic Trucks CEO Emil Grímsson, who was part of the WWTW support team, revealed that they too had broken a coil spring (apparently caused by the extreme cold and type of metal used on a new suspension design). Good fortune was with us this day. There were two spares at Novo and a regularly scheduled ﬂight departed for the Amundsen-Scott Station the following morning.

New goals

We had achieved the Pole and Ross Ice Shelf and set forth new goals. Greg’s son

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The Vehicles

ARCTIC TRUCKS AT44 & AT6X6 Base model: Toyota Hilux Engine: 3.0-litre turbo-diesel Output: 169bhp, 252lbf.ft Engine pre-heater: Webasto Transmission: 5-speed automatic Transfer case: Part time, 2.56:1 low range Axles: 8.2” front, 9.5” rear Differentials: ARB Air-Locker, 4.88:1 gears Tyres/wheels: Dick Cepek 44x18.5R15, steel AT 15x14” Suspension: Custom, Arctic Trucks Bumpers: Custom, Arctic Trucks with crevasse bar Winch: ComeUp 9.5i on multi-mount Roof rack: African Outback Air compressors: ARB/Viair Utility bed: Arctic Trucks Fuel capacity: AT44, 280 litre; AT6x6, 600 litre Water heater: Arctic Trucks custom

This is the team from Walking With the Wounded, a charity for disabled military veterans whose convoy was crossing Antarctica at the same time as the author’s. They met up after requesting assistance when one of their members came down with frostbite – a challenge which they faced with characteristic good humour 52

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Having ticked off the South Pole and continued to the coast, making them the first Americans known to have driven the whole way across Antarctica, the team are seen here returning up the Leverett Glacier with the Trans Antarctic Mountains in the background. It was around here that the 6x6 Hilux suffered a broken spring…

Oakley and the Expeditions 7 Land Cruiser had arrived in Novo. Given our current pace, and if we could expedite the spring swap, we might reach Novo with enough time for a few days of local exploration on the eastern coastline. We were now, as Greg put it, ‘in rally mode.’ The South Pole, which had been such a monumental accomplishment just a few days prior, passed with barely a nod. WWTW had reached it too and were heading back to Novo. We met them en route, swapped in one of their good springs, which they would replace when the flight arrived from Novo, and resumed our dizzying routine: drive, refuel, eat, sleep, drive. Retracing our tracks to the fuel depot at Camp 83, we then pushed hard back to the camp at Thor’s Hammer – but just shy of here is when the hammer dropped. The sky closed in and visibility was reduced to a few metres. We were in a landscape where everything looks the same – but we couldn’t see it anyway. I was soon hanging out the window in a futile attempt to find traces of our tyre tracks from when we first headed out this way. Piloting the lead vehicle with hazy eyes glued to a small GPS screen was taxing. Gísli and I led until we were semidelirious, traded point duties with Greg and Scott until they were nearly comatose then assumed the lead again. Finally, the veil slowly lifted to reveal the monolith we had camped below 10 days earlier. We’d made it. Within 24 hours, we would be revelling in the palatial accommodation of the Oasis, a Russian guesthouse near Novo.

Among other things, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is home to the world’s unlikeliest greenhouse

We spent the next two days soaking in a Russian banya, feasting on home-cooked meals and exploring the local area. One might ask why three crazy Americans and an Icelander would risk all to drive to the South Pole, or still yet, drive across Antarctica. It really is a pointless endeavour, one for which I cannot ascertain a logical reason. The Pole, whether north or south, is no more than the confluence of tangents, where each is rendered to their lowest common denominator. Collectively, all 360 of them equal zero. Toss in the closest parallel and the grand total is still zero. Maybe Antarctica’s draw is a bucket list thing? To me, it was more than the shallow pursuit of bragging rights and passport stamps. Pitching my tent on the Antarctic Plateau, walking where no human had trod before and standing at the bottom of the world was about the sensation of being thoroughly alive, while in the same moment grasping my lack of significance on this planet we call home. The Ilyushin that would fly us away from here landed in a blizzard, a near whiteout… again. We piled our gear on a sledge and were ferried behind a snowmobile through dense fog and blowing snow towards its looming silhouette. Climbing up the ladder, I looked back at this land of extremes: Antarctica’s White Desert, the last resting place of many less fortunate adventurers. Visibility was about 100 metres when the pilots climbed in and closed the door. I pulled my lap belt tight as we taxied into the fray. ‘Don’t worry,’ I said to myself. ’They do it all the time.’.

Four triumphant punters and their Hiluxes at the South Pole. Yes, there’s an actual pole February 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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TRAVEL

Magical mystery tour From within the depths of ancient earthworks to behind the gates of modern mock villages, Salisbury Plain hides a web of mysteries – and has an unrivalled rights of way network to let you explore them Words Gary Martin Pictures Alan Kidd and as credited

ll around us, the world’s landscape has been shaped by man. A true wilderness is an increasingly hard thing to ﬁnd (especially in Britain, where even the wildest and most remote places are comparatively well trodden) but there’s still a great deal of the world whose character, even in when it’s deﬁned by emptiness, is the result of human activity. You don’t have to go far to see examples of this. The Lake District may look natural in its beauty, but shorn of the trees that once blanketed it and mined out for copper and slate, it’s a post-industrial wasteland. The Scottish Highlands, too, have been shaped

over centuries by a gentry who came to control the estates where clanspeople once lived on the land. And at the other end of the country, Salisbury Plain is huge and, usually, empty – yet it’s crawling with mysteries laid down by humankind. This is the hinterland of the Ridgeway, the track along the Berkshire Downs which is commonly taken to have been Britain’s ﬁrst road. The route was ﬁrst established around 3000 years BC – but even before that, ancient civilisations were leaving their mark on the downs that are now part of the Plain. Much is known about the tumuli and long barrows that pock-mark the vast

military training area that Salisbury Plain has become. But much is still shrouded in mystery – as are elements of the landscape shaped in modern times. Bridging the gap between the two is an extensive network of public rights of way, Unusually, almost all of these are Byways Open to All Traﬃc (BOATS), making them perfect for exploring on four wheels – and even more unusually, those which were lost to the obscene 2006 NERC Act have been returned to their rightful form by the Defence Estate, which recognises and signposts them as Permissive Byways. Thus drivers can use them freely – though unlike the BOATS they join with to provide

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Green laning is a great way of exploring the UK, but many insurance companies don’t cover off-roading and green laning. That’s why our Isuzu – pictured here – is insured by Adrian Flux, a specialist insurance broker that covers offroading and green laning. Whether you’ve modiﬁed your 4x4 or you own a classic 4WD, they can help. Give them a call on 0800 085 5000 for a quote.

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miles of unsurfaced driving for off-tarmac explorers, they can be closed when in use by their military landlords. While rights of way can’t be closed for anyone’s convenience, however, their use can still be restricted. Some of the byways on the Plain are subject to the Army’s iconic red ﬂags, while others are under voluntary restraint – which typically asks drivers to avoid them during the winter half of the year. In the latter case, there’s no legal comeback for those who don’t – at least, not until the lanes are formally closed, which is the next step if common sense fails. Happily, the vast majority of 4x4 drivers take their responsibilities to the countryside very seriously. The western part of the Plain is centred around the ghost village of Imber, whose residents were evicted in 1943 as the area was turned into a mock theatre of urban warfare as troops were trained in advance of D-Day. A noble cause, and one which was met by little resistance – however despite the War Oﬃce’s promise that the mass eviction was only temporary, Imber

remains uninhabited and, except on a few days each year, out of bounds to civilians. Why the families of Imber were treated so shabbily, when the MOD is otherwise exemplary in its behaviour towards the Plain’s environment, its visitors and those who live in and around the area, is certainly a modern day mystery. So too, thanks in no small part to the lack of rights of way here, are the many ancient relics to the south and west of the village.

Good manners

It’s a very different state of affairs just a few miles to the east, where Tilshead is a thriving little place at the centre of a web of byways. It’s a good spot to start a day on the Plain, as it’s home to a ﬁlling station and village shop – and it’s always good manners to provision yourself locally when you’re visiting the countryside. There’s a pub in Tilshead, too. It’s called the Rose and Crown and here’s another of those modern mysteries: what on earth is going on with that pub sign? Having just brought up the subject of good manners,

it’s probably best if we leave you to decide for yourself… Anyway, if you head south from Tilshead you’ll quickly see a byway off to the right. Miss it and you’ll see another one even more quickly, but the first is the one to take as it runs right past White Barrow, a Neolithic edifice measuring some 250 feet in length and 150 wide which has been dated to 3500-4000 BC. So that’s what your 240-times-great grandparents might have been doing when they weren’t listening to Status Quo. In 1909, White Barrow gained the distinction of being the first ancient monument to be purchased by the National Trust. At the time, the War Office was buying up as much land as it could get its hands on to create what’s now the Salisbury Plain Training Area; protecting the barrow, along with 2.75 acres of surrounding land, cost the Trust a princely £60. Even at about £6000 in today’s money, that still sounds like a pretty tidy deal. So that’s what we know about it. What we don’t know is what it was for, or what

“That’s what your 240-times-great grandparents might have been doing, when they weren’t listening to Status Quo” 56

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was inside it. It was partially excavated in 1806 by archaeologist Colt Hoare, who found evidence of it having contained a wooden burial chamber; no full excavation has ever been undertaken, however in 1997 a geophysical survey by English Heritage backed up Hoare’s findings. In addition to revealing a burial chamber or mortuary cairn inside the barrow, as well as an arc of post pits at its eastern end, the study found an ancient trackway crossing the site; distinct from the rights of way running nearby, this continues east to run around the southern edge of Westdown Camp. In the wake of the English Heritage survey, in 1998 a family of badgers was lured away from a sett they had dug into the barrow – which was then excavated, yielding relics including struck flints and pottery from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. White Barrow is on your left as you climb the byway towards Copehill Down, and there’s another in the distance on your right. It’s not as big as its near neighbour and, not being protected by the National Trust, the far end of it as you approach

The real enemy would inevitably be in a Toyota pick-up, but in ‘100 uses for a knackered Freelander’ news… Richard Lewis @ flickr.com, CC BY 2.0 DEED

The rights of way around Copehill Down will remain open even if there’s training taking place. Do give way to military vehicles and columns of soldiers, however – and under no circumstances get the idea that it’s okay to venture in through the gates What? by Richard Lewis @ flickr.com, CC BY 2.0 DEED

The last person to try and drive a civvy vehicle into the German village, etc… You can look but you can’t touch – though the track on the other side of those gates is a right of way, so you really can look. Richard Lewis @ flickr.com, CC BY 2.0 DEED

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Copehill Down village, aka the German Village, was built by the MOD in 1987 as a training facility for preparing troops to fight at close quarters. At the time, Europe was seen as the most likely theatre of war; since then, the village has been extended to mimic conditions found in Iraq and Afghanistan. Richard Lewis @ flickr.com, CC BY 2.0 DEED

has been badly damaged by military activity. Once again, the barrow’s purpose is shrouded in mystery; it was partially excavated in the 19th Century but, with the passage of time, its secrets become ever less likely ever to be disclosed. If this is someone’s grave, they’re likely to remain forever undisturbed despite the sporadic scenes of chaos on the surface above. Continuing up on to Copehill Down, the byway reaches a major junction of statutory and permissive routes. On a day’s laning, you might come back here four or five times without ever travelling the same lane twice. To your left is Copehill Plantation, a small wood in which there might be a couple of hundred soldiers lurking without you ever knowing about it. There are three clear options ahead of you here, and it almost doesn’t matter which of them you take. All lead eventually to a major right of way which runs more or less east to west from near Shrewton to a little corner of Germany. Wot? It’s another mystery, this one from more modern times. Well, 1987, which almost takes us back to Status Quo again.

Fish and chips

That was when the Ministry of Defence decided to build a mock village in which to train troops in FIBUA. Fighting In Built Up Areas, since you asked. We’ve read that squaddies tend to call it FISH AND CHIPS (Fighting In Someone’s House and Causing Havoc In Public Streets). Either way, despite still having Imber on its books (evidence has been presented to subsequent parliamentry enquiries that the village never did get used for this purpose), the ministry decided that it needed a bespoke facility. The situation in Northern Ireland remained volatile, the Balkans were beginning to fragment and, though the era of glasnost

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had begun in the USSR, the Cold War was as bitter as ever. If Britain was to be drawn into a land war, the theory went, it would be in Europe. Hence the decision to build the urban training area in the style of a German village. It’s stoutly fenced off and gated, and parts of it (including a mock-Afghan shanty town made of shipping containers) can’t easily be seen from outside, but it’s tightly ringed by rights of way – meaning you can get interesting views of it from several different vantage points. You might well find yourself staring down the barrel of a gun, though (literally in some cases, and the gun in question might be attached to a tank) so it’s essential not to break the rules. They won’t shoot you, of course, but the range wardens aren’t exactly known for their sense of humour when it comes to trespassers. During its time, the village has had signs at its eastern gate giving it both German and Bosnian names. Its official name, if it

has one, if Copehill Down Village, but it’s universally known simply as the German Village – even though it was only ‘German’ for the first few years of its existence. There’s voluntary restraint on the route around the north side of the village (which can indeed get very wet), however the southern ‘bypass’ is a good all-weather track. This takes you past the main southern and western gates, too – before linking to more byways than you know what to do with. This is one of the very, very few places in Britain where you can drive for hours at a time without ever touching tarmac – or if you’re willing to cross it, or just include very short link sections, you can make that days and days. You can just about do that without seeing another human being, too. Not at the weekend, when there’ll always be a few other green laners out and about, but head here on a weekday when the troops are on leave and the red flags are down and it’s astonishing how empty it is.

Empty but not a wilderness. And humankind’s impact is still to be seen everywhere – even if it’s just in the lack of modern farming on the military land, which has allowed wild species to flourish. For this reason, huge tracts of the Plain is designated as SSSI – somewhat optimistically, you might think, considering what the land is used for, but it just goes to show that in the greater scheme of things, tanks and bombs are less of a threat to ecological diversity than things like pesticides and fertiliser. With endless miles of rights of way and views that seem to go on forever, Salisbury Plain is a wild, unique landscape which doesn’t need to be natural to put you at one with nature. Its ancient past and military present combine to make it a place of mystery, but also of freedom – to explore and to discover, and for you and your 4x4 to be at one with the world in a way that’s not possible anywhere else in Britain.

The landscape of Salisbury Plain is littered with neolithic long barrows – the majority of which have never been excavated and likely never will, meaning their purpose and contents will forever remain a mystery. Barrows near Stonehenge, by Rob Glover @ flickr.com, CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

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HILUXES ON HIGH Exploring the military trails and buildings of Napoleon’s Alps

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HOME FROM HOME Classic Discovery becomes a fully ﬁtted overlander

PLUS Dakar Rally – full report from Saudi

Into the Yukon on the Dempster Highway

Latest Wrangler and VW ID.4 on test

MARCH 2024 ISSUE: ON SALE 15 FEBRUARY 64

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08/01/2024 13:10

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