Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i NZ4WD

In a fast-paced world where all too often we take ourselves way too seriously, some people just can’t help themselves going the other way. Take James Miller and Sid Akil here, sharing a laugh during the recent Clutha 4WD Club's Mud Plug event in the Deep South which we cover this month in the Competition section of the mag. If this fantastic shot by Te Anau-based photographer Chris Watson doesn’t sum up why we all enjoy getting down and getting dirty every so often I don’t know what would!…

Ford New Zealand is phasing in a new five-year Ford Express new vehicle warranty on all new passenger, SUV and Transit vehicles, and upon arrival in October this year, the new 2019 Ford Ranger. The extension to five years also includes an extension to 150,000 kilometres for Transit and MY2019 Ranger and unlimited on all other vehicles. The warranty extensions will replace Ford’s current three year 100,000 kilometre offering. Ford New Zealand has been building a new after-sales care package since 2012 and the new warranty complements the company’s existing after-sales care offering which now includes: • A Loan Car programme. • Service Price Estimate. • Vehicle Report Card. • Extended Roadside Assistance offering. • MapCare – SYNC 3 vehicles with Satellite Navigation. receive yearly map updates for up to…

It’s Hamilton-based towbar specialist Pro Bars 10th birthday this month but you get the presents. On Saturday 1st September the company set up 10 years ago, so Andrea and the team are having a party at its 28 King Street site, and everyone is welcome. “That’s right,” says Andrea, “it will be 10 years to the day on September the first since Trent and I took over the business and we think that’s a milestone worth celebrating.” To that end there will be fun for all the family with simulators and bouncy castles as well as giant Jenga and Connect Four-type games. All people who register on the day can go into a special Facebook photo competition, where you up load photos of the day onto Facebook and the best…

Simply placing an NZ4WD mag sticker on the right rear panel of their mighty Toyota FJ Land Cruiser has earned Superwinch Mainland Challenge series entrants Lance Goodman (driver) and Danny Richmond (co-driver) electronic e-subs to NZ4WD magazine. Series correspondent Vicky Newport tells us that Lance and Danny are from Wellington and have committed themselves to doing all five rounds in the Superwinch Mainland Challenge Series. They were placed ninth in the Outlaw Class at Round 2 where this shot was taken. If you would like a shot at a free digital sub, take a pic of a NZ4WD mag sticker (available from Vicky if you don’t already have one) on your (or any) truck from a round of the series and PM it to the Superwinch Challenge’s Facebook page. The…

Oztent has grown from a dream of one man into an outdoor company that now provides adventurers around the globe with products to help them get out and have awesome experiences. All Oztent products are crafted from experience, and whether the adventure involves 4 wheel driving, boating, fishing or just enjoying some relaxing time in the outdoors, Oztent have got you covered. Oztent was founded over 20 years ago by inventor Joe Viglione who was frustrated by tents that took so long to setup. He dreamed of a tent that could be literally setup in seconds – then set about inventing it and in doing so, he redefined pitching a tent. Since then more and more products have been designed and added to provide a comprehensive range of quick, durable,…

It was inevitable it seems, that with the arrival of the Kauri dieback disease, along with evidence indicating that it is spread in water and soils, that four-wheeling would also be a victim. While no identified infected areas can be attributed to 4WD recreation, in line with a general policy to keep people away from Kauri and associated risks of transferring the disease, public lands with Kauri have been largely closed to access. That of course meant the closure of the 4x4 area at Maratoto in the southern end of the Coromandel Ranges. An area that’s been designated for vehicle recreation since the early 1970’s when the NZ Forest Service managed the land. It is interesting that despite the high traffic use over all those years, there has not yet…

It was long overdue on two counts; firstly a Hawke’s Bay Winch Challenge and secondly a return to what could only be regarded as a proper winch challenge format with actual winching. Held on Whakama Rumaru station at Crownthorpe about 40 minutes from Hastings, the Twin City 4WD Club had done a tremendous effort for their very first attempt at organising a winch challenge event. Event director Wayne Lovejoy is a past competitor in the prime of winch challenges and still has the yellow Suzuki he competed in 10-12 years ago. Wayne drew on his experience in setting up an enthusiastic team to assist with the planning and execution of the weekend. The event was to be a full weekend event initially starting Friday evening with night stages but there…

It’s long been said you can learn more from losing than from winning. A good pummelling by a rival can teach you to observe their strengths and weaknesses so next time you run up against the latter, not the former. Some of the next crop of off-road racers have been learning recently, especially here in the south where our small pool of youngsters is now growing and getting faster and faster. Sometimes the only problem with getting faster and faster is you occasionally find yourself into a corner too fast and watching the horizon shift over 90 degrees or so. That happened to Kelan Keith, the south’s newest recruit to the Kiwitruck ranks, at the 2018 GT Radial NZ Endurance Championships, held at Golden Downs forest near Nelson. With the…

The old (or rather ‘retro’) mixed with the new at this year’s CRC Speedshow at the Auckland Showgrounds over the July 21/22 weekend. Though there was little there to attract hard-core off-road types, there was enough to inform and entertain the average ‘truck-owning’ Aucklander, from the first NZ appearance of HSV’s new RHD Silverado 4x4 ‘ute’ to the refurbished old-skool US 4x4 utes for sale by Magwarehosue.com which lined the main access way into the show and drew many approving ‘ohhhs’ and ‘ahhs’ from showgoers young, old and in-between. Add in a guest appearance by Top Gear’s original (black helmet and overalls) ‘The Stig,’ former British F1 driver Perry McCarthy, a stand-alone hall dedicated to local Hot Rod cars and culture, and it was another excellent way to stay warm…

007 Elements, a new James Bond experience built inside the summit of the Gaislachkogl mountain in Sölden, Austria, is now open to the public. The cinematic installation was opened just over a month ago now by actress Naomie Harris who plays Moneypenny (Spectre, Skyfall) and Jakob Falkner, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Sölden. Visitors can learn how the thrilling action sequences in Spectre were filmed in Sölden and see interactive displays with Jaguar Land Rover technology. The iconic Land Rover Defender driven by villain Hinx’s henchmen is situated on the cliff edge and the Range Rover Sport SVR driven by Hinx (Dave Bautista) is also on display. Jaguars and Land Rovers have appeared in nine Bond films since 1983, when Roger Moore’s Bond escaped in a Range Rover Classic convertible driven…

To celebrate the company’s tenth anniversary this year, bespoke US 4x4 (re) builder, Icon 4x4’s founder/ lead designer Jonathan Ward decided to launch a new breed of builds: the Old School Series. These vehicles are characterized by restored stock bodies with traditional gloss paint. All other components, however, follow the established Icon BR ethos: combining modern technology with classic design. Such as the stunning new/old Ford Bronco pictured here. The Old School Bronco’s overall appearance distinguishes it from the no-holds-barred “new school” Icon BRs and FJ Land Cruisers which the company is best known for in the ‘States. For Icon customers, one of the main advantages of the Old School BR is much shorter leads times compared to the existing BRs – as little as six months, pending scope of…

Subtle is hardly a word you would associate with any Commodore-based HSV product. Yet that’s the word that keeps popping into my mind when I think of the Melbourne-based tuner and bespoke manufacturer’s ground-breaking latest model. I recently enjoyed just over a week driving a pretty much’ top-of-the-line’ SportsCat+ model on or off-road; and ‘subtle’ is the best word I can come up with to describe it. For a start unless you know what you are looking for (the Lion ‘n helmet logo) you’d be hard pressed to actually tell it is a product of the renowned Holden tuner. Because grille, wheel centre and steering wheel badges aside there is literally no way of telling. If you know that Holden makes a ute called the Colorado, then you’re getting somewhere,…

Using my 2005 Range Rover, nicknamed by my mates the Drive-By, I wanted to explore the French and Italian Alps. Having followed various companies offering guided 4WD trips on Facebook, I knew that there were many old military roads and forts along, what used to be the border between France and Italy. Being the good sales people that they are, they posted tantalising photos of high altitude routes, idyllic freedom camping sites but never divulged the routes... I was living in Burgundy, about 200 kilometers west of Chamonix-Mont Blanc. At 4808m, Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe and on a good day, visible from my house. Chamonix is France’s Queenstown – a mecca for skiers in the winter and mountain climbers in the summer. It boasts the Vallée…

Holden has added a line-topping Xtreme version to its local Colorado line-up. With such an overwhelmingly positive response to the original one-off Holden Colorado Xtreme showcar when it appeared at Fieldays in 2016 it was obviously only a matter of time before GM’s local arm produced a version to sell. As befitting the name, that version is the most extreme Colorado yet: the $79,990 Holden Colorado Xtreme. A lot of money true, particularly for what many who will be attracted to it, will be a ‘work truck.’ The flipside of that argument, however, is that so comprehensively and well has the new range-topping Colorado been specced that you will be hard-pressed to find anything else to spend your hard-earned Kiwi pesos on. A snorkel, perhaps. But that pretty much is…

1984 - The Mockers – ‘Forever Tuesday Morning’... It’s an equinoxial Tuesday and I’ve had enough of wet, cold Canterbury. The Met. Service says it’s here to stay but the West Coast looks promising... Re-supply the Gypsy Rover – sleeping bag, tucker, camera, winter gear, fuel. By Sheffield a thin strip of white mountain gleams ahead from beneath the dismal ceiling, then expands to a perfect sky. Lunch at Springfield - there’s a choice – store, pub or Yellow Caf’ on the main street (SH73) of this once busy railway town, now a sleepy hamlet. The station too has a café, though it runs shorter hours and is, naturally, by the rail not the highway. To the station then; “A cheese scone and a long black please”. The scone is…

Despite his best efforts, John Morgan was only third for the weekend, with the ‘Mayor of Milford’ – Rosco Gaudin – second on points. As always, the Mainland Challenge was held over two days of racing, 15 and 16 June. And though the Saturday featured three short course heats for every class, it was the Sunday’s 250 km endurance race that proved pivotal in deciding the weekend. The first day’s action was held on the Can Am Speedway at West Melton on the club’s purpose-designed course; the second day used part of that course and then sent racers out on a fast and rocky chase through the tracks alongside the Waimakariri River. Northern driver Brendon Midgley had won the Class three heats (for cars with engines up to 1.6 litres)…

The new, fourth generation Suzuki Jimny four-wheel-drive which has just been unveiled in Japan will go on sale in New Zealand early in 2019. Officially launched on July 05, the highly anticipated Jimny has already attracted considerable interest with its retro design and retained separate chassis that stays true to the model’s long time off-road heritage. As one of the longest running models on the New Zealand market, the current series Jimny was first introduced here in 1999. Year-to-date local sales are up 3.5 percent on the same period in 2017 and despite the pending arrival of the all-new model the current one is selling at record levels, according to Gary Collins, General Manager of Automobile Marketing for Suzuki New Zealand Ltd. “We are delighted Suzuki has kept so many…

In the run-up to the official local launch of the new 2018/19 model, Jeep importer Ateco has landed a limited run of 20 Wrangler Unlimited Golden Eagle versions of the existing model priced from just $67,990 plus on-road costs. The original Golden Eagle model was a 70s version of the Jeep CJ7. The 2018 version gets the same distinctive Golden Eagle decals on the outside, Keep’s state-of-the-art uConnect telematic system inside and a wealth of model-specific details, such as the tyre tread floor mats and ‘short shorts’ logo hidden in the large bonnet decal. Exterior features include: • 18-inch bronze aluminium wheels. • Body colour three-piece hard top. • Body colour fender flares and black seven-slot Jeep grille. • Rock rails. • Golden Eagle decals and bronze accented Jeep badge.…

With the imminent arrival here of Jeep’s significantly upgraded new Wrangler 4x4 we thought it was only right to share some of the stunning press and media shots produced here late last year by the company’s PR agency for distribution throughout the world. At the official launch (at the Los Angeles Auto Show) in late November last year Jeep confirmed that the new two-door Wrangler will be available in three different trim configurations, Sport, Sport S and Rubicon, while the LWB four-door models will be available in four, Sport, Sport S, Sahara and Rubicon. For the first time in Wrangler’s history, a two-speed transfer case with full-time four-wheel drive and a 2.72:1 low-range gear ratio will be available on Sahara models. This new Selec-Trac full-time two-speed transfer case is intuitive…

Our recent NZ4WD magazine electronic newsletter promo elicited another excellent response, something to do, no doubt, with the prize – a set of Hankook Dynapro MT tyres with an RRP of $1700! We love our competitions because we get to experience the full gamut of emotions from our winners – from slack-jawed surprise (along the lines of, ‘it can’t be me, I never win anything!’) to an air-punching ‘YES’ shouted down the phone line from entrants who are happy to admit that they ‘ had a lucky feeling’ when they were filling in the form! Our latest, winner, Calvin Fourie from Auckland, had his new Hankooks fitted to his SWB Mitsi Pajero by his local Hankook dealer, Megatyre in Browns Bay. He reckons they look ‘mega’ on the Mitsi as…

Ashley had found a loop from SH3 up into the hills northwest of Whanganui and back to SH3. However, according to the NZ Topo maps the two roads from SH3 did not meet in the middle. The only way to be sure was to try it for ourselves and see how far we got. With a late start, travelling time to Whanganui, and the short days of midwinter, Saturday’s excursion was to visit the nearest end of Lake Rotorangi, a 20 minute drive inland from SH3 just north of Patea. This started off as a smooth, sealed and fairly straight road before we hit the hills, the seal ended, and we started following the Patea River up its valley and past signs warning of wandering stock. Roaming the gloaming With…

It was a cold build up to Round 2, particularly for the three teams traveling from Wellington and three from the ‘Top of the South.’ A storm swept up the South Island in the week leading up to the round with most of the passes from the top of the Island down closing due to snow. We had a lucky break midweek though and all was clear as the Wellington teams/crew left home at 4.00am on the Thursday, with a good sailing and straight drive through, to arrive in Alexandra at around 8.00pm that night. My own crew left Nelson on Thursday afternoon and headed for Ross on the West Coast, booking into the Empire Hotel for a traditional meal in the pub, a few beverages and an early night.…

Class 1 Race 1 was the slipperiest of the day, and John Morgan made the most of his Desert Dynamics Chev’s wide track and long wheelbase to take the lead on lap one and win as Jacob Brownlees spun out of contention. In the next heat Morgan won again, this time from pole with Nelson’s Greg Winn bringing The General, his Scorpion Chev two seaters, home second. Whangarei’s Jardyne Lammers was the big mover, up from P6 at the start to the third podium position at the finish. This time it was Mike Fraser’s turn to spin out of a promising finish to be eighth. The final heat saw Morgan complete his trifecta, Winn add another second place to his points tally, and Jacob Brownlees tamed the power of his…

Previously, the Clutha club has held Mug Plug events at a site near Cannibal Bay in the Catlins. The new site hear Clinton provided a different challenge and has now got the locals thinking that they could perhaps host a Winch Challenge in the not too distant future. Keen photographer Chris Watson made a special trip from Te Anau to shoot at the new venue and filed this amazing mix of shots.…