The all-new GMC Hummer EV is described as a vehicle with “no limits, no emissions and no equals”, and the wraps are off what promises to be an impressive all-electric 4X4 ute with plenty of off-road capability.

Let’s get down and dirty first: the GMC Hummer EV comes standard with 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler tyres and fitment of 37s is not a problem; it has customisable drive modes including Extract Mode which activates the air-ride suspension to lift the vehicle by six inches for exceptional ground clearance; it has UltraVision which consists up to 18 cameras including underbody and forward cameras to aid visibility when driving off-road; it has Crabwalk which gives it the ability to drive diagonally, and it comes with full underbody armour and rock sliders.

When describing its off-road capability, GMC says of the Hummer EV, “Innovation engineered to ensure domination.”

Some of the other standout features of the GMC Hummer EV revolve around its on-road performance potential thanks to a more-than-handy 1000hp (750kW) peak power and a huuuge stump-pulling 11,500lb-ft (15,600Nm) of torque, capable of propelling the big pick-up truck from 0-100km/h in around three seconds. Importantly, GMC claims that thanks to its Ultium batteries and drive unit, the Hummer EV has a touring range of around 350 miles (560km) and that thanks to fast-charging it can be topped up with 100 miles (160km) of range in just 10 minutes (a full charge obviously takes longer).

For lazy highway touring, the GMC Hummer EV features Super Cruise, which enables hands-free driving with automatic lane changing on compatible roads, and for impressive cornering capability and manoeuvrability, it has four-wheel steering.

Oh, and then there’s the fun stuff, which includes an Infinity Roof consisting transparent sky panels that can be stowed under the bonnet (there’s no engine, remember) and rear drop glass for Jeep Gladiator and Ford Bronco-like open-air motoring.

The GMC Hummer EV is set to go on sale in the US next year but there are currently no plans for an Aussie launch.

Check out this link to the official GMC page or see the below video to watch the new electric ute in action:

The post GMC Hummer to become an EV appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

In case you missed it, the details and info on the all-new D-Max were released yesterday – click here if you haven’t seen it yet – and we’ve now managed to get our mitts on one to give you a real-world walkaround of the new D-Max.

Let us know what you think of the video but note, we’re sworn to secrecy on any driving impressions or a full-blown review until the embargo lifts on 28 August. What we can tell you at this stage is the new D-MAX scores a revised chassis, a retuned suspension package, all-new bodywork and a whole heap of active and passive safety features across the full line-up. It also retains a totally revamped and more powerful version of the proven 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which can be mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

We’ll be getting our hands on a couple of D-MAX models in coming weeks so if there’s anything you’d like to see us testing or looking at above and beyond this walkaround, drop us a comment below or on Facebook and we’ll see what we can muster up for you!

The post All-new D-Max walkaround appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

With news this last week that Mitsubishi will end production of the Pajero next year we thought we’d take a look back at the success the Japanese manufacturer had in the Dakar Rally over many years with its ‘family 4×4 wagon’.

First launched in 1982 as a three-door wagon, it wasn’t long before the Pajero made its debut in the Production and Marathon Class of the 1983 Paris Dakar Rally, an event that had been running since 1978 and was considered to be the world’s toughest off-road endurance competition. Both vehicles were close to standard, and they both finished the gruelling 10,000km event.

In its second run in 1984, Mitsubishi entered a vehicle in the Production-Modified Class and, piloted by Scottish rally driver Andrew Cowan, the Pajero went on to finish the 11,000km Paris-Alger-Dakar event in third place overall. Cowan went on to establish Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe.

On only its third attempt in 1985, the Pajero won the Paris-Dakar in the hands of Frenchman Patrick Zaniroli, with Andrew Cowan coming home in second place in another Pajero ahead of a Toyota 60 Series LandCruiser in third. This 1-2 finish earned the Pajero the title “King of the Desert”, and really proved the vehicle’s mettle in tough off-road conditions.

Porsche took out the Dakar in 1986, then Peugeot dominated the event for four years from 1987-1990, followed by Citroën in 1991.

Keen to take back its “King of the Desert” title, Mitsubishi got serious in 1992 and Hubert Auriol piloted his Pajero Evolution to the win. Pajeros also came home in second and third.

It was Bruno Saby’s turn in 1993, also in a Pajero Evolution.

Citroën fought back the next year and took out the event three times in a row in 1994, 1995 and 1996, before Mitsubishi Pajero Evolutions took out the event again in 1997 and 1998, first in the hands of Japanese driver Kenjiro Shinozuka (the first Japanese to win the race), and then in the hands of Frenchman Jean-Pierre Fontenay.

Schlesser Buggies won in 1999 and 2000 before Mitsubishi really stamped its dominance on the event, taking the win for the next seven consecutive years, from 2001 to 2007!

German driver Jutta Kleinschmidt became the only woman to ever win the Dakar when she crossed the line first in her Pajero Evolution in 2001. Hiroshi Masuoka’s Pajero Evolution won the next two events before six-time bike winner Stephan Peterhansel won the event in a Pajero Evolution in 2004, 2005 and 2007. Luc Alphand’s Pajero split Peterhansel’s run of successes in 2006.

There was no running of the Dakar in 2008 due to concerns over extremist activity in North Africa. The event was moved to South America for 2009 and Mitsubishi decided to participate under the Lancer nameplate rather than Pajero, without success.

In its 25 years of factory-backed participation in the Dakar, from 1983 to 2007, the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution won the event an astonishing 12 times, making it by far the most successful Dakar Rally vehicle of all time. With a record like that the Pajero really does deserve the title “King of the Desert”.

The Pajero also had many successes in other off-road rallies around the world, including the Australasian Safari and the Australian Offroad Racing Championship.

See the video below to hear Japanese Dakar competitor Hiroshi Masuoka explain why the Pajero was so successful in off-road competition.

The post Remembering the Dakar Pajero appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

Pat was in South Australia recently, and called into the REDARC factory to chat with Managing Director and Owner, Anthony Kittel, about the recall.

Watch the full interview above, and click here to find out more information.

The post WATCH: Pat interviews REDARC boss on Tow-Pro Elite V2 recall appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

And it happens to the best of us!

October last year saw Graham Cahill’s D-Max take a rest when he “zigged when (he) should have zagged” in an on-road accident. Luckily it wasn’t his precious Nissan ‘Shorty’ … although he rolled that a couple a years ago too!

Good ol’ Roothy, formerly of 4WD Action, then Roothy’s Lowrange and now a radio presenter. Bless his cotton socks, he seems to bugger every 4X4 he’s built, but that’s what you get off-road driving for a living.

These are stories that time tries to forget (and owners too!). Stories that make for learning experiences. Tales to be told late at night around the campfire.

Pat’s first 4X4 was a Series 2A Land Rover. While not a rollover as such, it didn’t last long in his hands, taking a pounding by the Pacific Ocean at Ngkala Rocks on Fraser Island. Live, learn and follow your dreams!

The more you drive off-road, the more likely you are to have an accident. It’s simple probability. Those who drive off-road for a living are going to have more chance of coming a cropper. Who would have the best coverage of such accidents? TV show hosts, naturally. Makes great footage even if none of it is planned!

The Offroad Adventure Show rolled a TJM HiLux on their fourth season; all the gory details are in the video below.

No strangers to misadventure, All 4 Adventure have had their share of tense moments. Heck, their show thrives on it. It’s the “Hey man, hold my beer!” of Aussie 4X4ing shows. There’s been a few  less smart moments like trying to ferry a quad bike around on a dinghy. But the biggest accidents, no matter who is driving and on or off TV, are usually caused by momentary lapses in concentration or fatigue-induced from the long hours that filming TV shows requires.

Now All 4 Adventure, through their Unleashed TV, have had a real spanker. Brand new ‘Boss 79’, giving it a test drive in Queensland’s Glasshouse Mountains, on an easy section by many accounts.

It’s a sickening feeling when a 4X4 takes a tumble. Not all end in laughable stories recalled around the campfire.

Allan Skinner’s Facebook comment sums it up:

“Every one that owns a four wheel drive, it doesn’t matter if it’s a late model or an early model, it doesn’t matter if it’s modified or unmodified the one thing we all have in common is that no one wants to put the vehicle on the side. This may have been driver error, or simply taken on too much, you must be (honest) any serious four wheel driver has had a moment or two but luckily pulled through on all four wheels or (without) damaging the vehicle, Four wheel driving is a challenge and that’s why we enjoy doing it. For what ever the reason this happened, you have to feel for these guys as there is a lot of repair work to be done.”

And as Pat says:

“Always keep the shiny side up”

The post Putting it on its side – rollover! appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

But good on them for shipping it from Australia to Europe and punting it around the ‘Ring!

How about a Euro family 4X4 wagon? This ‘New’ Discovery (what will they call the next one?) had a red hot go around the Nürburgring Nordschleife on a rainy day, blitzing the odd GTR and hot hatch in the process.

Did you know there’s also an off-road course, albeit private, not far from the Nurburgring road?

Not all of Rover’s products have been as quick and successful around the Nurburgring…

If your door handles aren’t scraping the ground, you’re not pushing hard enough!

The post Fast Fourbies appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

The post Jillaroo Jess kicks off LandCruiser BJ70 project: building the ultimate mustering buggy appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

The world’s most remote music festival will reverberate for the 7th time, with 2019 featuring the sonic awesomeness of…

Midnight Oil! The Living End! Kasey Chambers!

Three fantastic headliners. We know seeing Midnight Oil at Big Red has long been on the wishlist for organisers and adventurers alike.

More than just the music, there’s scenic helicopter flights, the Royal Flying Doctor Service Bashville “Drags” or if hilarious blokes in skirts hurtling down hills isn’t your thing you can don your best duds and compete in the Fashions in the Desert competition! Proceeds from the fashion comp and drags go to keeping the RFDS flying and servicing our remote communities.

Take part in some indigenous craft-making, stir up the dust in desert boot scooting. Are we going for another record in 2019? Wallop a volleyball in the Big Red Beach Volleyball games. Plenty of excitement for everyone.

It’s time to start planning your desert crossing now whether by 4X4 or flying in, or even catching the Rock’n’Roll Charter Bus if you don’t want to drive yourself! Camping is on site at ‘Bashville’ or in Birdsville itself.

The 2019 Birdsville Big Red Bash will be held again on the 16th to the 18th of July 2019.
Volunteer applications open today, while tickets go on sale on the 7th of December. Set a reminder as they’ll be selling fast!

Will you be belting out Blue Sky Mine with the Oils? Tell us your favourite songs from the headliners!

The post 2019 Birdsville Big Red Bash headline acts announced appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

Now, some of us like to have fun, some don’t have enough power to pop a single pegger on black ice.

…and then there’s this bloke. Drives into a National Park. Tears the crap out of the grass. Leaves a churned mess.

Isn’t it just a transmission easement?

Yes. At first glance, there’s a flat bit of cleared ground, a transmission easement, which had been bulldozed years ago and gets slashed every summer as a fire break. It’s not threatening the critically endangered Leadbeater’s Possum or destroying the last vestigial habitat of the recently extinct Lesser Bilby.

What it is though is hoon behaviour. The very thing that most 4X4 owners try and distance themselves from. We love our 4X4s, we love driving, modifying and spending excessive amounts of money to get from point A to point B the longest most impractical way we can. We don’t want our favourite activity curtailed by bureaucrats and tree huggers. Don’t give them ammunition by hooning!

The solution

Should you feel the desperate need to chuck doughies, there are places to go for this. We call it private property. There’s Landcruiser Mountain Park in QLD and TJ’s 4B Park near Sydney and most likely others that have mud flats exclusively for cutting sick in RWD. There are diesel drags at various drag strips around the country. There’s your own front yard, especially if you’re renting.

On public land? No. That means no hooning in National Parks, State Forests and Crown Land. That also means transmission easements are off limits for hooning.

UPDATE: Landcruiser Mountain Park don’t allow circlework. Probably because it is antisocial. Thanks to the comments left letting us know better!

While you’re at it

If you think you have mad driving skills, and this bloke sadly doesn’t display any here, don’t rely on National Parks to film you, find a properly difficult track and a mate with a GoPro and show us your actual talent on youtube!

The post Is this appropriate off road driving? appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

Take a stock AWD 2019 Sorento, bolt some off-road rubber on, a couple of bonus bash plates and disconnect the sway bars and you too could drive Hell’s Gate on Hell’s Revenge in Moab, Utah.

https://youtu.be/VYl42dcJeLM

Clearly a spotter is critical in technical driving especially with something as far from off-road oriented as a Sorento!

Not saying you should try it though… there’s plenty of not-so-successful attempts, keep watching for more action!

Hat’s off to Kia for taking their soccer-mum mobile somewhere amazing!

The post 2019 Kia Sorento is a hard-core off-roader! appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.