Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i NZ4WD

IS IT SAFE? SO MANY QUESTIONS Welcome to the real 2022. We’re all back into the year, and drawing ever-closer to the imposition of the Government’s ute tax. As has been widely reported elsewhere, the (new) tax will add up to $8,000 to the sticker price of a new ute or SUV to fund a rebate for those opting to switch to an electric vehicle. This creates a new tension between price and safety for many buyers. In January the new Land Cruiser received a five-star ANCAP safety rating, and was the first to do so with a 2022 date stamp. It now has five stars from Euro NCAP and the ANCAP programme. Laudable stuff indeed. At the same time, the American IIHS safety outfit released offset-crash stats for the…

In these strange times, when late model pre-loved 4WDs sell for more than new but unobtainable ones, many are investing in new vehicles. But someone who buys a new 4WD intending to sell it in three years has more motivation than ever to want to invest wisely. Shockingly, the colour of the vehicle can affect its value – upward or downward. Research in the USA reveals that the vehicle least likely to shed value over that first term of ownership is a yellow one. For years we have been told that yellow is the safest hue for a vehicle, because they were less likely to pop up in crash statistics. Now it turns out these eye-searing colours also preserve value. The research points out that yellow may not be for…

Anyone who owns a vehicle with leaf springs knows what happens as they age. Eventually the springs ‘relax’ and ride height is lost. The constant immersion in road slime, mud, dirt, grit and more grinds away at the spring surfaces and they start to squeak. The eye bushes wear and become sloppy. Terrain Tamer now offers GVM upgrade kits with parabolic leaf springs for the rear end of the Ford Ranger, adding to the existing range of GVM kits for popular Toyota Hilux and Land Cruiser models. The gross vehicle mass, or GVM, is a rating set by the original manufacturer, and refers to the legal maximum weight of the vehicle. This rating incorporates the wheels and the vehicle itself, as well as everything sitting atop. Built into the GVM…

A wide range of 4WD events are still being impacted by the Government’s Covid response. Though some are able to continue, and others managed to slot in their outings before the ‘traffic lights’ turned red, there are now a number that are being postponed or even cancelled. Safari and tag-along events are hit hard, because of the 100-person limit imposed under the red light; some sport events can go ahead; others can only go ahead without spectators. Check the calendar here, and if in doubt make direct contact with the event organisers. FEBRUARY 19 – 20  Manawatu 4WD Club Charity Safari Postponed from earlier in month due to weather conditions. Now 19-20 February. This is a tag-along trip suitable for all 4WD vehicles with a transfer box. The Safari will…

Toyota Prado specification › OME 2inch suspension lift kit and two-inch body lift › ARB Commercial bar › Kingone Orca 11000lb winch with synthetic rope › ARB twin compressor with 4.0 litre ARB air tank under bonnet › ARB front air-locker diff › Safari snorkel › ARB front seat covers › ARB Intensity nine-inch spot/flood lights › ARB Iintensity combo light bar › Full-body U-Pol Raptor liner in olive drab green and black by Monster 4WD › Toyota roof rack › ARB touring awning › Six-inch LED reversing light ›33’ - 15R Maxxis Bighorn 764 M/T tyres › Custom made ‘MadMax’ seat fitted to the front of the bulbar for hunting Isuzu D-Max specification › ARB Deluxe combo bar › Kingone Orca 11000lb winch with synthetic rope › ARB under-vehicle…

Sick of worrying about your seats? Muddy 4WD trips, dirty dog paws and spilt drinks can seriously damage your seat upholstery. Rugged Valley knows the way Kiwis live and have specifically designed their custom fitted seat covers for the Kiwi lifestyle. Heading out adventuring can be rough on the seats, dragging mud and dirt into the cab and damaging the interior. Rugged Valley seat covers are manufactured using an extremely heavy-duty 12oz canvas. This durable, waterproof fabric protects your seats from mud, dirt, oil, and grease. They reduce daily wear and tear from jumping into your vehicle. This increases your resale value and saves you money replacing your damaged seats. Unlike other brands, Rugged Valley’s seat covers are carefully designed and tailor-made for specific vehicles. The custom-fitted design prevents the…

Old school 4WDs take in the scenery North vs south – where are the best tracks and trails? Jonathan Goodson of Wellington has contributed to NZ4WD before, but this pic caught our eye. Not everyone gets to drive in the Waiouru area due to the extensive Defence landholdings there, which makes the opportunity extra special. Jonathan’s image sums up the nature of the volcanic plateau landforms, with the mountains of the national park always on the horizon. Proof positive the North Island does have some very scenic and quite amazing places; not all the amazing scenery got dumped in the Mainland! But then Christchurch’s Aaron White, a member of the Facebook Pajero owners’ group, weighs in with a great image from ‘down there’. Okay, okay, we get the message! The…

We all have our personal preferences when it comes to vehicle make, and for me it has always been a Land Rover, because as a child growing up that was the only family vehicle and what I learnt to drive in. The green oval got into my system and has never really left. It is the same for many other Land Rover owners and not just those who lust after the Series 1, but all models of Land Rovers through the marque’s 74 year history. Land Rover ownership puts you into a good community where fellow owners are willing to share experiences and help out when required. With various Forums and now social media groups that community is stronger than it ever was. If you needed assistance then there are…

Buoyed by a windfall 5,000 vehicle Triton shipment in the final quarter of 2021, Mitsubishi has surged forward in the New Zealand sales stakes. The company sold a total of 1,185 units in January, leaping up from 389 sales for the same period in 2021. Mitsubishi overturned recent sales performances by its rivals, becoming the top-selling marque for new cars and commercials overall. The Triton flooded into New Zealand in late 2021, with an unexpected 5,000 – unit shipment just as the market spiked into full-on FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) mode. Perhaps surprisingly, Mitsubishi’s best seller in January was not the Triton. It was the brand’s medium SUV, the Outlander, that took a 13.3 per cent share of all new passenger vehicles sold in January. The Outlander is available…

The Ralliart sub-brand has been Mitsubishi’s tag for high performance for decades. In rallying, racing and epic off-road endurance events like Dakar, the Ralliart name has massive credibility. In New Zealand Ralliart has been synonymous with rallying since the 1990s and all through the years when the Evo Lancers were dominant. There is still a Ralliart New Zealand, based in Pukekohe, which is the sole importer of Ralliart components. Now the name is getting a re-boot as Mitsubishi hints at a new focus on performance. The Vision Ralliart Concept shown at the Tokyo Auto Show in mid-January embodies Mitsubishi Motors’ vision for the new Ralliart. The official media release says it brings together the company’s engineering and passion for Monozukuri (craftsmanship). It is not a rally car. Mitsubishi says the…

Rooftop tents – soft or hardtop – are this year’s ‘it’ accessory. Rooftop tents are the perfect accessory for 4WD adventures. But how many people know they can have the ultimate rooftop tent right here in New Zealand? Dometic rooftop tents can be set-up in a matter of minutes and accessed easily from the included lightweight, telescopic aluminium ladder. Choose between a manual or electric rooftop tent, operated from a remote that looks much like a car unit. Imagine rocking up to that favourite campsite and being able to set-up camp in a matter of minutes. Even better, at the end of the weekend, unclip the ties and simply fold the tent away. The company’s newest offering sleeps two adults on its own foam mattress, the windows all have insect…

The new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 series has received a 5-star safety rating from ANCAP, Australasia’s independent voice on vehicle safety. The first vehicle to hold a 2022 date stamp, the Toyota Land Cruiser performed well across all areas of assessment. The Toyota Land Cruiser received the second highest score to date for Vulnerable Road User protection under ANCAP’s 2020 – 2022 protocols, with a score of 81 per cent. The Land Cruiser is able to avoid collisions with pedestrians when turning across their path, and showed good performance in all forward pedestrian autonomous emergency braking (AEB) tests, with collisions avoided or mitigated across all scenarios. “The protection the Toyota Land Cruiser offers to vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, is impressive for a large SUV,” said ANCAP Chief…

The wee man at BJ’s Takeaways in Waiuku was beside himself. “Your truck?” he asked me. “New Land Cruiser?” Answer no, and answer yes. He’d been pestering his nearest Toyota dealer for weeks, it turned out, and to no avail. There’s a waiting list on these things of up to 14 months thanks to Covid, materials shortages and the fragmented global supply chain. We had called in to grab cold drinks and a parcel of chips after photographing the new truck out at Karioitahi where the parasailers were doing their graceful dance on the onshore winds. We had a classic Kiwi summer afternoon at our disposal and some rural dirt and tarmac to cover, so – to our new friend’s obvious dismay – we had to push on. New heart,…

From a start producing plexiglass weather shields for Kiwi motorists, to creating a huge range of protection and enhancement gear for 4WDs – and other vehicles – Airplex has been proudly Kiwi for four decades. Airplex has been the ‘goto’ name for stylish acrylic weather shields and bonnet guards for all that time, and now supplies OEM-branded units for several big name auto brands plus aftermarket product for almost all brands available in the Kiwi market. Airplex founder Robert Judd started the company in 1982 after working in pneumatic forming. A qualified engineering tradesman, he started as a sole trader under the name Pneumatic Engineering designing and building automated equipment for various customers. These days, Airplex is a market leader here and overseas and employs a large number of Kiwi…

It’s well known that New Zealand offers an enormous range of places to go offroading or roughroading. Whether owners go adventuring for the scenery or to get a bit mud-spattered, sweaty and dusty, it makes sense to do whatever is possible and practical to preserve the vehicle with protection gear. It might be fitting some quality ‘hard’ improvements like bash guards, bull bars and stone guards or softer gear like robust protection for seats and interior surfaces. These days it’s even possible to move beyond polished aluminium and black-painted accessories into other finishes and even – for example – powder-coating in the same colour as the vehicle. The hardest thing about adding protection gear these days is deciding what to add, and working out how it all fits together. There’s…

We 4WD enthusiasts are clear about how our vehicles work, aren’t we? After all, we were raised on the bicep-building pullback required to get a Land Rover into ‘low range four’, the build-from-factory sloppy ‘three on the tree’ manual shift of the old(est) Nissan Patrol, the massive effort required to loosen the equally massive wheel-nuts of a Land Cruiser ‘40’. We’d dive under the front of a Nissan Pathfinder to pull the half shafts and replace CVs in the back yard or split a finger pulling the transfer case off the back of a Turbo 400 trans all while balancing the thing on a trolley jack and one of our knees, and never bat an eyelid. Fingernails in those days didn’t look right without a semi-circle of ‘Essence de Grime’…

After a hectic and social Christmas, it was time for an escape, and a good opportunity to scope out Tora, near the southern end of the North Island’s East Coast, as a possible future one-night camping destination. Things got off to a slightly unexpected start when Ashley advised that access to our normal meeting place in Featherston was blocked by police and fire trucks dealing with a vehicle that had run off the road and taken out a shop veranda. However, a quick detour got us together and on our way. We took a direct route out to Martinborough then south to White Rock Rd, noting a sign for fresh apricots just out of town – something to remember on the way home. White Rock Road leads to the coast…

In the half-light or the tail end of the Omicron phase of the pandemic, it’s still a bit hard to see into the future. Great to see the Nelson club getting on with planning for its Enduro Championship in May. The key to all this is a bit of crystal ball gazing – with vax numbers up, are we going to be able to run our events with – or without – spectators? Up north, Counties club managed to kick off their series before we got slammed into the red traffic light environment. But the short course championship, which drew the Giti team north last year – was red-lighted out of existence because it couldn’t run without spectators. That also shut down the first northern round of the championship, which…

Last month NZ4WD took a deep-dive into the full-on Chevyfest that is opening up the big pickup sector for New Zealand 4WD buyers. We drove the Silverado Trail Boss and the Silverado LTZ Premium, and noted the impending arrival of the mighty diesel Silverado HD. Only weeks later, General Motors in the USA announced an electric version, and almost immediately banked 100,000 pre-orders for the big truck. The Silverado EV will be GM’s second EV pickup (the first is the Hummer EV). It will be based on the company’s Ultium battery and drivetrain and built in a 400,000 square metre assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan. Following a massive investment of USD$300 million and an addition of 400 workers in 2019, the plant re-opened to build the Chevy Bolt EV…

A completely new 4WD that started life – so the tale goes – as a sketch on a napkin in a British pub. Ineos has revealed more detail on its Grenadier as it shows the vehicle to media in the USA, South Africa and Australia ahead of a proposed mid-year launch. Remember the heart of the project: it’s the brainchild of British multibillionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of INEOS, a company founded in the fuel/ energy industry that now encompasses 36 separate companies and has 26,000 employees worldwide. Frustrated at the loss of the old-school Land Rover Defender, and further frustrated when his effort to buy the jigs and formers to build the Defender were rebuffed, Sir Jim formed an offshoot company, Ineos Automotive, and tasked it to…

In the February edition of NZ4WD, we took a close look at the new Ford Ranger, due here in July. One of the big messages from Ford has been the Australasian interaction and feedback used to develop the new ute. As a result, customers will be able to personalise their next-gen Ranger with a range of as many as 600 factory-backed work, urban and adventure accessories. The spec sheet will include accessories developed in collaboration with true-blue Aussie off-road icon ARB. For owners keen to make their Ranger offroad camping ready, the design team made sure to create a space in the engine bay for a dual battery set-up. Ford is highlighting the development of the ute’s tray as a ‘Cargo Box’ that can be configured to suit specific roles…

The great monthly response to the NZ4WD ‘Kumho Your 4s, Our Places’ photo competition – and the ever-growing number of enhanced 4WDs on our roads – have convinced us: it’s time we got a bit more interactive with our readers. Specifically, we’re keen to see exactly what you are all driving, and what you want to do to (and with) your 4WDs. Introducing ‘My 4WD’, a feature giving readers the chance to get their vehicles into the magazine. We are looking specifically for the cool, the unusual, the vehicle builds that take things to extremes. Our first contributor for the year is Richard Mulholland, who sent us images of not one, but two awesome builds. First came the ‘legacy’ Prado. Richard Mulholland had spent many years touring the country with…

Ironman 4x4 offers a full range of automotive accessories including bull bars, suspension upgrades, side steps and rails, rear bars, underbody protection, lights, winches, snorkels and camping gear. The company’s range of replacement winch bull bars are designed, engineered and tested in Australia. Every Ironman bull bar is made from premium grade materials and components to deliver comprehensive frontal protection. Along with winch and air bag compatibility, Ironman bull bars offer affordable protection for a ute or wagon. Ironman uses 3D vehicle scanning to design its bull bars, focussing both on creating an eye-pleasing design and maximum vehicle collision protection. All bars are made from the highest quality SPHC oil and pickled steel (not mild steel) to give maximum strength and rust resistance. The finish on Ironman bull bars is…

I believe it was only last month when I wrote about our rejuvenating Otago-Southland trip, after lamenting about drive after drive cancelled due to rain. And I find myself now, staring down the barrel of a long Waitangi weekend, totally rained out again. There’s nowhere in the South Island escaping this weather bomb. The silver linings are these: our editor will be pleased I’ve had the time to write this piece instead of go adventuring, and we have had one 4WD trip to ring in 2022, so therefore I have something to write about! (Sounds about perfect to me – but maybe you’re going to need to buy some kind of amphibian for future trips? – Editor) But seriously, what’s with all this rain? We started our New Year’s trip…

Mark Baker: big breaths We’re a handy bunch, and most of us enjoy doing basic maintenance work on a DIY basis. So when it’s possible to save a wee bit of the planet, protect the engine of a vehicle from wear and tear, save fuel and get a smidge more power – at a reasonable price – would anyone say no? I started using K&N air filters more than 20 years ago, and have usually upgraded whatever vehicle I own to these reusable and affordable performance filters. The K&N story is a classic one of rev-head entrepreneurs but it’s not for this page. Suffice to say these oiled, cotton weave filters offer more air flow clogged than an equivalent paper filter does when new. I got this one from Warren…

Four-wheeling was once a recreation enjoyed by relatively few people in mainly low powered vehicles by today’s standards. That usually meant that activities were largely out of sight of the general public and sensitivities about the environmental effects were not at the levels they are today. Not many four wheelers seem to have realised that there is growing discomfort with the environmental effects of our recreation. The New Zealand Four Wheel Drive Association (NZFWDA) as the ‘national body’ has certainly been made aware of the concerns that many local authorities, environmental organisations and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have about four-wheeling. In an effort to raise awareness among its members and the wider four-wheeling community. the NZFWDA have created a logo depicting the unique Tuatara encircled by the words “There…

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 who are not professional photographers. IMPORTANT: Photographs must have been taken by the person entering them, or have the photographer’s written permission. Email your digital images and a detailed caption to: editor@NZ4WD.co.nz Send your prints and detailed captions to: Your4s with Kumho, PO Box 65-092, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0754. Be sure to include your postal address! Submitting photos The basics: as with any photo, there’s no substitute for an image that’s sharp – in focus and free of camera shake. It should be well-exposed. Size and type The mimimum requriement…