Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i NZ4WD

Ahead of its arrival in late 2018, the all-new Jeep Wrangler has completed its first Australian engineering assessment in some of the Lucky Country’s most unforgiving driving conditions. In an effort to better understand the way Australians use their vehicles, particularly in some of the country’s toughest terrains, Jeep Wrangler engineering programme manager, John Adams, and off-road development lead engineer, Bernie Trautmann – both from Jeep’s US headquarters – approved a testing program to take place in mid-January in the Australian Outback. The vehicles selected for the program were two JL Wrangler engineering prototypes; a two-door Rubicon variant powered by a new turbo-charged two-litre, four-cylinder engine that generates 201kW and 400Nm of torque, and a four-door Rubicon version powered by the 213kW/353Nm 3.6-litre Pentastar V6. These vehicles are the first…

Increased levels of safety and more charging power are features of the two latest emergency jump starters to join the market-leading Projecta range in New Zealand. Utilising the latest high rate discharge lithium iron phosphate (LIFePO) technology to provide maximum protection, safety and reliability, the new jump starters are available in two variants, a 950A 12V (LS950) unit and a more powerful 1250A (LS1250) 12V variant. The Llithium iron technology provides up to 1,800 battery cycles, representing around eight times more starting power than equivalent jump starters with lead acid components. Other benefits include a long storage life without the need for constant recharging. Both units can double as power banks, allowing the owner to charge mobile phones, tablets and other portable devices via their USB Ports, and can also…

While most High Country Journeys’ ‘Grand Slam’ tours leave from Blenheim and take in the Molesworth, convenient for North Islanders, I pick up this six-day/seven-night tour destined for Cardrona in Hanmer, and heave-ho into a group of 14 adventurers from three Islands (I include Waiheke, that’s me). There are five ‘civilian’ vehicles in the line-up; Isuzu Max, Mitsubishi Pajero, Nissan Pathfinder and two Toyota Hiluxes. In regard to body protection, most have Nudge bars and that’s it. High Country Journeys’ premise is to travel from ‘Station to Station’, through a network of private station and conservation land tracks. Travel is mostly via ‘lanes’ and tracks otherwise used to muster and move stock and service these huge South Island stations ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 hectares. Those ‘on tour’ communicate via…

Winter, and the inevitable question – where can we go four-wheeling? Sandy areas near the coasts seem an obvious answer with minimised mud issues and if it’s actually a beach area there are usually less people during winter months. The challenge is finding such sandy landscapes that have not yet been sold off as housing developments. The few areas left by developers are invariably then described as unique examples of coastal dune systems that are passionately defended by those who live nearby in their houses built on sand! The current government with their Green content is unlikely to show much interest in expanding the range of 4x4 recreation options, so we are possibly going to need to look to local authorities to help with securing land suitable for our recreation.…

June winner: Mike Sheppard  It’s congratulations to a regular contributor to our Your4s photo comp, Mike Sheppard. These pics were taken on a 4WD club trip to Reefton in January when, unusually for the West Coast, a state of drought had been declared. Mike tells us that the rivers and streams were far lower for this time of year than he had seen for many years. The upside of course was both good weather and good access to the areas we wished to travel to. Plus some great West Coast pics. Our monthly feature showcases 4WDs doing just about anything except rolling over or burning! We will award a grand prize of a set of four Kumho 4x4 tyres in the NZ4WD Annual issue. This contest is open to all readers…

New X-Class utes are now finally on sale here via Mercedes-Benz commercial dealerships around New Zealand. With pricing starting from $53,300 plus on-roads, Mercedes-Benz Australia and New Zealand have had more than 10,000 customers register their interest, with some leaving deposits at dealerships to secure early orders. Worldwide, it’s considered one of the biggest vehicle launches for the year. Managing Director Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia and New Zealand, Diane Tarr, said, “The high level of interest and anticipation in the lead up to revealing the new X-Class has been a reflection of just how ingrained dual cab utes are in both the Australian and New Zealand culture. “The fact is we love utes and we are showing a desire to incorporate this type of vehicle into our lives in more ways…

American Expedition Vehicles is best known for its limited edition Jeep builds. At last year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, however, it turned up with this official Chevrolet project, a Colorado ZR2 kitted out for what we would call tagalongs but they refer to as ‘overlanding.’ The Colorado has had a suspension upgrade front and rear and AEV has added new front and rear bumpers, new underbody skid plates, a bed rack, new fender flares and a snorkel for the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine. Wheels are beadlockequipped AEV alloys to which are mounted 35-inch BFGoodrich KM2 Mud-Terrain tyres. Both the front and rear get bright LED light bars while in the tray is an ARB fridge, aluminium storage cases and NATO-style fuel cans. For recovery, the truck comes with a Warn…

All-round excellence: Toyota Hilux SR5 Cruiser Stepping up to the top-level SR5 Cruiser spec just makes the Hilux ‘more Hilux’. It has long been a favourite on and off road and its popularity with tradies, families, business owners and public utilities is well known and well founded. On the road, the Hilux shone through as the most capable of the three, though the BT-50 gave it a close run. Hilux brakes consistently even when unsettled – by mistake – over a brow. It is the only one in the trio with four-pot front calipers, giving it superb brake feel and even braking performance in almost every situation. Big rear drums are well matched, though of course in water crossings they do tend to retain water. For me, too, the six-speed…

This company offers five different tag-a-long tours across the South Island. Owned since 2013 by Robbie and Connie Crickett NZ Adventures has been operating since 1999. The most popular and longest established tour continues to be the High Country Heritage which NZ Adventures offers in December, February, March and April each season. In each of those months except March the tour runs to a six-day format. In March it is run as a seven-day with day three slightly shorter and with Geraldine as the overnight accommodation and then day four has a slightly different content and Tekapo as the overnight. Generally the overnights along the route from the Blenheim start point are in Hanmer Springs, Methven, Fairlie, Omarama and Cromwell before the tour finishes in Cardrona. Best accommodation & food…

With so much choice out there it pays to do your homework before you decide on a set of new tyres for your 4WD. We asked Maxxis to come up with some tips for choosing tyres that will work for you. Highway, All Terrain, or Mud Traction? No one tyre fits every application, but with the huge variety on the market, you can be sure that you’ll find something that works for what you’re doing. If you’re doing a majority of highway driving with a bit of off-road here and there, you’ll be surprised how far a good All Terrain (A/T) tyre can take you. Look for tapered tread lugs and self-clearing tread grooves to expel mud and stones and keep you moving. On the road the best All Terrain…

It’s beaut and windless and I’m surrounded, encapsulated, gobsmacked (just a little bit) by Land Rovers! Lots of them, old ones, mostly. The oldest is 70 and as good as new. There are 160 of them, from 1948 to current and from all over New Zealand, with only a couple trailered unfinished projects. I’m at Methven Domain on Sunday March 25 for a celebration of Land Rover’s 70th anniversary. There’s tidy rows of Series Ones, Twos and Threes showcasing their various wheelbases – 80”, 86, 88, 107, 109, all the leaf-sprung models. Most are dressed in factory hues with a few personalised or in military drab. There’s also an original unpainted 107 Safari in naked, shiny, alloy bodywork. Plus four or five bright red Land Rover fire engines dressed with…

Mud tyres have traditionally been all about their off-road ability at the general expense of unnecessary things like on road refinement, noise and handling, particularly in the wet. But apparently it doesn’t have to be that way, at least according to highly-regarded off-road tyre manufacturer Maxxis. Maxxis is very well respected in both off-road vehicle and mountain bike tyre circles, as well as being THE tyre to have in a number of very serious off-road racing categories, so you would expect they know what they are talking about. Best of both The Taiwanese company’s latest offering, the Maxxis MT772 RAZR, is something that the company claims combines all the superior off-road ability of a traditional mud tyre, but brings a whole new level of on-road quietness, refinement and handling. Which…

Talk about mixing your messages, the oddity pictured here was built for use in the Fast & Furious Live arena shows in the UK with help from high profile entertainer (Boyzone and now Celebrity Big Brother) and pro drifter Shane Lynch. Built, according to Mitsubishi Motors UK, in the style of the most extreme off-road vehicles, the weird, polarising L200 (which is what they call the Triton there) has already spawned a limited special edition L200 SVP II which shares a similar colour scheme with wider wheel arches and bespoke orange and silver wheels and will be used by Mitsubishi Motors for its own shows, exhibition and driving events In keeping with the theme of the Fast & Furious movies and the live show, the Mitsubishi L200 has been radically…

Terrain Tamer has recently introduced a new range of Carbon Active cabin filters, utilising an innovative heat treated charcoal, or carbon layer capable of neutralising pollutants for cleaner air inside the vehicle cabin. Manufactured with the same premium filter paper as Terrain Tamer’s core range of particulate cabin filters, these new Carbon Active filters also include an activated carbon layer. The porosity of the charcoal used in creating this carbon layer acts to trap noxious and unpleasant odours and gases such as exhaust and ozone, that might otherwise find their way into the cabin via the vehicle’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Particularly useful in areas with slowmoving traffic, high pollution and strong odours, the properties of this Carbon Active layer also work to reduce potentially harmful and allergy…

As this was the final round we opted for an early start and things to run on time so we could enjoy a BBQ at the completion of the event and get a chance to get to know everybody better. So the day started at 7.30am – a bit of a stretch for some – with drivers’ briefing at 8.30am the competitors were led off up through the Mountain Bike Park by Daryl to where we had an area set aside. A field of 20 meant two groups and they were randomly pulled from a hat (actually a plastic container) and we attempted to keep the same person scoring on the same hazards to try to get a fairer marking, was a bit tricky as we needed people(markers) to spot…

In the long lead-in to the southern rounds of the 2018 ORANZ national offroad racing championship, we’ve been tidying the truck after the low flying bale-hopping Leadfoot at Millen’s place up north. Nelson’s published the course for their first round of the championship and it looks very fast. That places extra emphasis on qualifying because if it doesn’t dump rain up in those hills dust will be a nuisance. We’ve got the truck ready, and my head is as ready as it ever will be – so bring it on! I’m looking forward to tackling an enduro with this new Chev body on because the vision is different and the truck feels subtly changed as well. Competition hots up! Had a tiny fire to deal with at a club day…

The ultimate version of Ford’s top-selling turbo-diesel double cab ute, the Ranger Raptor is on its way here later this year with an RRP of $84,990+ORCs. The Ranger Raptor will lead the 2018 Ranger line-up and be offered in other markets around the world, just as Ranger is offered in more than 180 countries. Ranger Raptor will showcase Ford design and engineering expertise in conjunction with Ford Performance Raptor DNA that builds on Ford’s strong truck heritage. A force to be reckoned with… Leveraging Ford’s engineering experience in building tough trucks and global engineering expertise in performance vehicles, the Ranger Raptor is an extremely capable offroader built on customer feedback from Ford’s performance and truck products, both in New Zealand and around the globe. It is made for off-road enthusiasts…

Time was when the words ‘ute’ and ‘Hilux’ were virtually interchangeable. New Zealand was a simpler place back then of course. These days consumers have virtually unlimited choice and a ‘one size’ Toyota ‘no longer fits all.’ To that end all the key players in the local ute market have created comprehensive ranges which – in theory anyway – cater for every possible use. One ‘sub-set’ which, no doubt, would have Toyota’s original ‘brand ambassador’ Barry Crump lifting his battle-worn slouch hat and scratching his head, is the luxury-trimmed, large diameter alloy wheel-equipped top-of-the-liners. It’s these that are selling though so we resolved to test both on and off the road and come up with our own conclusions. 2018 Sample For want of as level a playing field as possible…

Wow! Three simple letters yet slung together they mean no much. When I first drove the then new NP300 Nissan Navara two years ago now I was nonplussed. Sure the new all-coil-sprung chassis and running gear package provided a better rear end ride, particularly on gravel, but overall I was left disappointed. That all-important, but absolutely subjective ‘feel at the (steering) wheel’ was still ponderous, the front end felt oversprung compared with the new rear end and, well, I was just generally underwhelmed. To which, all I can say now is, what a difference a couple of years can make. Obviously I wasn’t the only motor noter – or buyer for that matter – who voiced concerns about the original NP300, because pretty soon after the launch the Australian arm…

Trusted by 4WDers all over the world, ARB is Australia’s largest manufacturer and distributor of 4x4 accessories, with an export network that extends through more than 100 countries across the globe, including New Zealand. ARB stockists are spread across the North and South Island to help ensure that regardless of where 4WDers are, they still have access to the best products and services available. So, no matter if you’re in Christchurch or Kaitaia, or whether you use your 4x4 for work or play, you can count on ARB, your partner in adventure since 1975. ARB's range includes; Protection equipment – bullbars (Including airbag-compatible), siderails and steps, rear protection bars and towbars. Old Man Emu Suspension – Designed and developed specifically for 4x4s, OME products can be tailored to your requirements…

BOSS Air Suspension’s ‘purpose’ in business is to make available high quality, safe and affordable aftermarket air suspension products. “We believe that life is sacred and we want to do our bit to make sure vehicles that carry loads perform in the same safe way they did at the point of manufacture. When it comes to carrying loads and stabilising vehicles we have the ability to make it happen.” The airbag suspension kit pictured here gives your vehicle air adjustable rear suspension by using the BOSS airbag and six mm thick brackets, thus enabling vehicles to carry the load they were intended to. BOSS Load Assist kits are easy to fit and most simply bolt on using basic hand tools. Then when filled with air, they raise the rear end…

To celebrate the company’s tenth anniversary in 2018, US custom car specialist Icon 4x4 has created an ‘Old School’ Series. These builds split the difference between the company’s traditional TLC concours-level 4x4 restorations and full-blown, no-parts-left-unmodified full Icon builds. The first Old School Icon build (first shown at the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas) is a 1970 FJ40 Land Cruiser with a body hand-crafted in 5052-grade aluminum, then powder coated in a proprietary finish. In keeping with the strict Old School ethos Icon has colour-matched the custom alloy wheels and added hubcaps to mimic the originals as well as rendered the updated stainless steel badges in a manner reminiscent of the original Toyota 1960’s design. Under-the-skin components generally follow Icon’s tried/ true formula though this time motive power comes…

It was a very happy Wayne Peachey when NZ4WD ad manager Dan Prestige phoned with some very good news last month – Wayne had just won our latest e-newsletter subs competition and the prize – an Oztent Eyre E-1 + Panel system with an RRP of $1498 was waiting at the office for him to collect. Wayne, from Auckland, is a keen recreational four-wheeler who runs a nicely set up Toyota Hilux and has big plans for using ‘his’ new Oztent. So, next time you see an ad in the mag for a competition take Wayne’s advice and enter because, as he says, “you’ve got to be in to win!”…

Q) Ross, you seem to have been around forever. I remember you had a lot to do with motorcycles back in the day. A) That’s right, around 1963 I joined the Wairarapa Motorcycle club. I won an NZ title in Beach Racing at Castlepoint, three different NZ Hillclimb titles and a NZ Grasstrack sidecar title riding my 600cc Indian Sidecar, which I am currently restoring. I was also selected for the North vs South motocross team but didn’t go in it because my motor blew up. I have been heavily involved with motorcycles over the years and now I’m a life member of both the Wairarapa Motorcycle Club and the NZ Sidecar Association. Q) How long have you been four-wheeling, how did you start? A) I have been a member…

The Prado’s now 20-year-old lights are quite adequate for driving round cities, and even the darker suburbs, but I soon found their limits when off-road, and more especially on unlit backroads. I have tried a number of lighting options, but have now settled on the configuration of a LED lightbar and two standard halogen driving lights. With a very wide spread and spot centre beam, the lightbar is absolutely brilliant on off-road tracks, with its very wide beam giving almost daylight visibility regardless of which direction the track is heading in. On this trip I found that on the more remote section of SH2 between Napier and Wairoa and on the backroads of the Wairarapa the light bar was excellent for giving me a sense of the surroundings, a benefit…

He won all four heats for the unlimited-class trucks, racing to the win on a track that improved from moly-grease slimy in the morning to dusty in the afternoon. The Vertex Oils Pro-lite is only rear-wheel-drive where many of his rivals have four-wheel-drive, and its Chev LS1 produces less power than other class eight trucks. However Hall’s smooth driving style and  almost uncanny tactical acumen were enough to see him dominate every heat. In the ever more popular UTV (side by side) classes, defending champion Ben Thomasen of Tauranga was faced with vehicle issues in his Polaris and became embroiled in tough battles in his heats, trailing Wainui’s Joel Giddy home in the JG Civil S class. Hall, Jack Hellier (Karaka), and Tony McCall (Manukau) all maintained the in-class points…

We have all read and heard about incidents where drivers have been severely injured and even killed from objects going through the windscreen of their vehicle. A few years back on Auckland’s Southern Motorway a universal flange came off a truck and went over the barrier through the windscreen of a ute travelling in the opposite direction, killing the driver. More recently down Queenstown way, early one morning something went through the windscreen, again killing the driver. The police spent ages scouring the roadside looking for whatever it was. There was also a passenger on a bus, in Auckland again, who was killed when the wheel came off a truck, bounced across the road and into the front left windscreen of the bus, hitting the front seat passenger who died…

Hot on the heels of the introduction of the all-new Colorado SportsCat, HSV has released full specifications and pricing for its Chevrolet Silverado heavy-duty truck range. Power, payload and towing capability are what Silverado is famous for and all these attributes will be reflected in the five-model 4x4 Crew Cab line-up that HSV will offer in Australia and here: • 2500HD WT. • 2500HD LTZ. • 2500HD LTZ “Midnight” Edition. • 2500HD LTZ “Custom Sport” Edition. • 3500HD LTZ. All five vehicles share the same heavy-duty running gear including: • Duramax 6.6L Turbo Diesel V8 engine producing 332kW of power and 1,234Nm of torque. • Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission. • four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes. • Heavy duty locking rear differential. The line-up starts with the 2500HD WT – simply…

Bivouac Campers are New Zealand’s largest importer of Off-Road Campers with their signature Kakapo Forward-Fold camper model. From its high ground clearance to the independent suspension (with coils and two shocks either side), the Kakapo camper has the ability to go seriously off-road wherever your 4WD will take it. The clever design allows a stop for lunch without opening the camper top as fridge drawer, food drawer and your stainless steel cooker and sink all pull out from the side of your trailer! When the time comes to stop overnight you can put up the roof tent (a five minute job) and your queen size bed is available (made-up) together with the six-seater lounge area (which goes down to another bed for two kids) Or, if you are planning to…

Whatever the weather, you won’t need to stress about finding extra shelter with Rhino-Rack’s brand new Batwing awning – an amazing 270 degrees of refuge! With plenty of exciting and innovative features, it’ll have all diehard adventurers turn their heads. Included with all Batwing Awnings are top quality brackets that have a high and low fitting position, so there’s no more need for any U-bolts or having to drill into your racks. Rhino-Rack awnings have always been a one person job, and the Batwing is definitely no different, with fully integrated legs that simply unclip from the storage position and drop into place, making setting up and packing down an absolute breeze. Rare earth magnets, that click to hold the arms in place, provide you with quick and easy storage,…