Should Toyota Bring Back the FJ40?
There’s no two ways about it. Retro is cool right now. From Ford reviving the iconic Bronco to rumours of VW bringing an all electric Scout to market. It’s an…
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Vehicles
639 posts
King of Carnage – 4×4 racing fun
Love your 4×4 adventures but just wish they involved more crashing into each other and full throttle racing? King of Carnage might just be exactly what you’re looking for. Held…
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Mystery Shrouds the Patrol Warrior
Nissan’s Warrior program is one of the greatest initiatives we’ve seen for a long time. A home grown factory backed packaged developed for Aussie conditions. Better handling. Higher GVM. More…
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Project Maybach – $500,000 of off-road luxury
What’s as long as a Ram 3500. Costs over half a million dollars. And comes with a chrome plated axe? If you answered Project Maybach you probably read the tittle.…
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Ranger Raptor Leaked Walkthrough
Ford blew the doors off the competition a few years back when it released the Ranger Raptor. The first dual cab 4×4 ute with actual performance and not just another…
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70 SERIES ‘CRUISER TO SIDESTEP SAFETY UPGRADES
In an ironic twist, the ‘famous for no working handbrake’ 70 Series ‘Cruiser is set to receive autonomous emergency braking (AEB) later this year. It’s part of minor update Toyota…
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Why I’m Not Buying a 300 Series
The 300 Series Toyota LandCruiser would have to be the most anticipated new vehicle release in decades but is it a worthy replacement for the venerable 200 Series? Our resident not-so-grey nomad, Marty Ledwich, reckons it’s not for him just yet and here’s why. Toyota’s all-new 300 Series LandCruiser has been with us for a little over 3 months and much has been written about it since it first hit the streets. As the owner of a 200 Series LandCruiser, I’ve been following the commentary with great interest, particularly the feedback from those who have made the transition and those who have decided not to. I have to say, opinions sway both ways. If you’re considering making the switch, the decision is going to be a difficult one, to say the least. The arguments for upgrading to a 300 Series are quite compelling. The new Cruiser is a more modern vehicle sporting the latest technology. It is lighter, more powerful and supposedly more fuel-efficient. It arguably addresses many of the shortcomings of the vehicle it replaces which was looking pretty outdated five years ago. And while the prices for a new 300 Series are a little eye-watering (not to mention the wait times), the prices people are paying for second hand 200’s are positively atmospheric. You’re not likely to find…
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Touring 4X4: 80 Series
Some things just get better with age WORDS BY DAN EVERETT IMAGES BY WARREN PILTON Do enough laps around the sun and it starts becoming painfully obvious our slow descent into a throwaway society. The march for more is never-ending. Each year new models of everything vie for our attention. More bells. More whistles. More finance. The ad campaigns trying to convince us we couldn’t possibly do something without the latest and greatest technology, even if we’ve been doing just fine without it for the last 20 years. Some things don’t need to be updated though. Some things are built to stand the test of time. Some things are worth keeping for life. For West Australian native Warren Pilton, his 80 Series LandCruiser is a forever kind of deal. He’s owned it most of his life, and no amount of gadgets or gizmos could ever catch his attention. Three decades ago, Warren was learning his trade down in Perth. An apprentice Master Tech and Auto Electrician in a Toyota dealership he spent his days doing pre-delivery inspections for lucky new 80 Series LandCruiser owners. Daydreaming on his smoko breaks with the other apprentices, promising them one day he’d own one. A few years later, working in the Kalgoorlie mines he’d saved his pennies and bought himself a 3-year-old 1994 LandCruiser.…
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Bollinger Electric 4x4s dead in the water
With a huge influx of up-start companies like Tesla, Rivian, Nikola, and Lucid dominating the news there’s never been a more exciting time for new vehicle development. The wild shift…
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Ford Bronco: Pony up
Ford didn’t invent the 4WD but they certainly took it to a new level with the introduction of the Bronco. Its history is facinating. Over 100 years ago Henry Ford revolutionised the automobile, forever changing the world as we know it. While some may argue it wasn’t exactly a positive thing, it’s hard to argue his introduction of the production line directly led to affordable cars for the masses but there’s one quote from the man who revolutionized the world that we can’t help but find ironic so many years later. “If I had asked the public what they wanted, they’d have told me faster horses.” A century later and two of the blue oval’s most successful cars of all time are directly named after horses. The Mustang, and more interestingly for four-wheel-drivers, the Bronco. Of course, there was the Pinto as well, but we did say only two were successful. With the Bronco recently re-released after a huge 25-year hiatus we thought it was high time to have a look at where the bucking bronco originated, and how it got to where it is today. The Path to Glory While Jeep has built a brand around the WW2 Willy’s GPs the reality is far more complicated. Willys-Overland and the American Bantam Car Company were first to tender for the…
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Ford’s 5 Off-Road Features that have us drooling
We’re just going to come right out and say it. Ford are absolutely dominating off-road at the moment. While other manufacturers are competing on price or heritage, Ford are throwing…
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Ranger Raptor Finally Unveiled
It’s here! It’s finally here! Just moments ago Ford Australia finally gave us our first official look at the 2021 Ranger Raptor, and we’ve gotta say, it was worth the…
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BRONCO RAPTOR UNVEILED
We’d be lying if we said we weren’t just a little jealous of our Seppo cousins at the moment. Sure, the full-size pickups are a bit of fun, but their…
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7 Ford Tow Features we’re hoping to see in the Ranger
The internet is going wild over the new Ranger. From the bold new styling, to the powerhouse F150 driveline fitted underneath it, it’s a huge leap forward for the…
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What to expect from the new Ranger
The internet is erupting with excitement over the new Ranger. From the Jetski memes to people planning their ultimate tourer you’d be hard pressed to find people not talking about…
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Foton Full-Size(ish) Spotted
Chinese based manufacturer Foton have recently unveiled their new pickup. The Foton Big General. Despite being sized similarly to the current Ford Ranger, the Big General has borrowed more than…
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The craziest off-roaders ever built
History is full of weird and wonderful knowledge. Some of it is largely irrelevant, like who built the pyramids in Egypt. But some of it should be taught in classrooms…
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5 Classic 4×4 ads
You often hear that things aren’t like the good old days. Normally it’s people complaining about something political, or that they don’t like the latest smart phone. But occasionally, we…
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What modified 2022 Rangers will look like
The internet is currently exploding with anticipation of the upcoming Ranger release. For months now the rumour mills have been churning out renderings with discussion on important topics. How many…
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2021 Guide to Expedition Vehicles
So a ute won’t cut it, and you need something bigger. Maybe an Expedition Vehicle is the go but what are your options? These days we’re taking more gear and heavier…
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5 Resto-mod 4x4s that’ll make you drool
There’s something romantic about an old 4×4. Something the modern rigs just don’t quiet capture. It’s almost tragic in a way, but the nicer new 4x4s get, the more charm…
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Why are EVs so bloody ugly?
Why are EVs so bloody ugly? It’s a questioned that’s baffled mankind for thousands of years. Or at least since that beige sweater Prius first hit the market. We’d hoped…
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Ford to invest $15,000,000,000 on EV tech
U.S. auto giant Ford have recently announced a significant investment in EV tech. The $11.4 Billion USD investment will be split between three battery factories and a fourth factory dedicated…
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5 Classic 4x4s climbing in value
Spend enough time perusing marketplace or eBay and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve lost your mind. Or maybe everyone else has. Or maybe we’ve changed currency to the Thai…
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7000km from a hybrid-diesel
As the battle for future proof engines rages on between fuel efficient internal combustion engines and battery powered electronic vehicles one contender is often overlook. Hybrid electric. And for good…
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The most capable IFS ute you can buy is now built in China
In its all-out assault on the big manufacturers, Chinese juggernaut GWM have just unveiled what is arguably the most off-road capable IFS ute on the market. The new ‘Everest Edition’…
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2023 Amarok spotted
With the current generation Amarok ageing out in the next few years Volkswagen have been eager to find a platform to reduce costs while keeping a ute in the Aussie…
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2022 Ford Ranger – First Look
With one of the most anticipated new 4x4s on the horizon, Ford have finally shown us a sneak peek and what can be expected to his showroom floors next year.…
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Toyota shifts focus from Hydrogen
When you realise you’re flogging a dead horse you’ve got two options. Either decide you’re in too deep and hope the flogging starts working, or find a better horse. Toyota…
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GMC Hummer EV to have 1000km range
General Motors have recently announced a partnership with a start up lithium metal battery manufacturer to help boost the U.S. manufacturers electric vehicle battery capacity. Ultimately providing extended driving range,…
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Crossing Rivers in an Electric Rivian
Like it or not EVs are the way of the future. There’s only so much dino-juice in the ground so eventually we’ll need to use it more efficiently than burning…
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Ford’s Pint Sized Pickup
It doesn’t take an expert to see 4x4s are getting larger. Each generation dwarfs the previous. Even mid-size dual cabs like the current generation Ranger dwarf the previous full-size wagons…
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Will the 4×4 of the future be a subscription?
Subscriptions are everywhere these days. It’s hard to escape them. $5 here and there for an app. $10 for a streaming service. In fact we’ve seen subscription services for everything…
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Toyota LC300 Landcruiser 2022 – First Drive
We’ve driven the LC300..back-to-back against the LC200! Back in late May, six Australian journalists arrived at a location well hidden from prying eyes. We surrendered our phones and everything else…
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5 Bronco Features We Can’t Live Without
Manufacturers go through lows and highs. Some decades they’re on fire and can’t be touched. Other times they just can’t quite make things line up how they’d hope. It’s something…
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EV Converted Land Rover Defender defies convention
If you haven’t noticed lately we’re on a bit of an EV kick right now and for good reason. They’re powerful. Simple. Efficient. And deliver insane amounts of torque…
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GWM Tank 300: should GWM bring a budget twin-locked wagon to Australia?
You had me at “twin-locked” I hear you say… Great Wall Motors are serious about Australia and they also look to be serious about offroading. The Tank 300 is a…
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GWM Ute Refresh for 2022 – quick drive
We take a look at Great Wall Motors and their Ute update. Back in 2017 the Great Wall Motors ute was called a Steed, and I drove one, stock-standard, over…
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Rivian Goes Overland
US based EV manufacturer Rivian has gone all in one the overland/touring market with their soon to be released R1T. Combined with their optional Adventure Gear range they’re aiming at…
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Toyota LC300 Revealed!
Toyota has officially revealed the successor to the LC200, the LC300. Details are a bit thin, but there’s a few things we do, and don’t know. The engine is a…
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Gaz Trackmaster – a Russian truck comes to Australia
What’s got 42″ tyres, CTI, twin lockers and Bluetooth? Meet the Gaz Trackmaster, the newest entrant to the 4×4 touring market and one with a difference. Gaz is one of…
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Volkswagen’s Tiguan has had a Major Update
Volkswagen Australia’s best-selling model – the multi-award-winning Tiguan SUV – has received a major update that enters showrooms from next month. With a range of equipment shared with the Mark…
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THE ALL-NEW ISUZU MU-X: Sneak peek..!
The All-New Isuzu MU-X is coming, with a first look detailing new levels of technology and bold and dynamic design. Ahead of the full Australian reveal in the coming months,…
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Haval announce new Jolion SUV
GWM Haval is proud to announce the full line-up and pricing for the All-New Haval Jolion range. Starting from just $25,490 Driveaway, the new range-opening Jolion Premium offers an extensive…
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Club 4X4 clarifies policy wording
Four-wheel drive insurance specialist Club 4X4 has announced some updates to its Policy Wording effective for policies purchased or renewed on or after 5 April 2021. According to General Manager…
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Amarok recalled over spare concerns
A Volkswagen Amarok recall has been issued due to the potential for a weakened spare wheel winch cable. Product Safety Australia has issued a Volkswagen Amarok recall to rectify a…
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Why Electric Vehicle (EV) 4X4s are and are not our future
The electric vehicle revolution is well and truly upon us…or is it? The statistics don’t lie. The electric vehicle share of the market in 2020 was around 0.78%, and in 2021, 1.57%. There are another 30 or so EVs being launched into our market, including specialist Polestar. Overseas, Norway is above 75% EV new-car sales, and Rivian has delivered the world’s first EV 4X4 to customers in the USA. So EVs are inevitable, right? Yes, and no. Today, EVs can easily replace the vast majority of road cars and SUVs, which are mostly used in our capital cities for short trips, or excursions into the country of maybe 150km or so. Yes, I know that’s not you, but you’re not the average Australian motorist. With a range of 400-500km, the average Aussie driving 14,000km a year – which is 38km per day – can easily have their car needs met by an EV, especially as both range and charging options are improving. My experience of running an EV is that you can drive around town all day, charge off a 10A plug overnight at 10km of range per hour, and be good to go at 100% the next day which is why EV owners rarely use public chargers in their home city. I towed a Tvan with a Tesla! Worked…
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Is facelifted D23 Navara a better 4X4 ute?
The facelifted D23 Navara has been launched in Australia and we get behind the wheel to see how it drives… on the road and off it. There’s no doubt the…
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Toyota and Ford take out top spots in February 2021 sales figures
2021 new 4X4 sales continue their growth trajectory in February with Toyota HiLux once again on top followed by Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota Prado and Toyota LC200. The Federal…
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Ineos Grenadier prototypes started production
Ineos has released a new video showing factory production of more than 80 Grenadier prototype vehicles destined for laboratory and real-world testing. The Ineos Grenadier 4X4 continues its march towards…
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