Table of contents for April 2023 in NZ4WD

Electric? Perhaps not for everyone. Fossil-fuel diehards might well look to the USA, where South Carolina-based tuning company Himalaya is widely respected as one of the finest Land Rover Defender modifiers. Just bring a healthy bank balance. The company is showing its ultimate Defender, all 484kW/650bhp of it. The Land Rover Defender 130 Summit Series in all-black proves that “off-roading can still be performed in style and luxury”. It has a black leather-clad interior that's accented with red stitching all around. Modern amenities such as heated seats, 3D printed bezels to surround the digital gauges, various BlackVue 4K HD cameras with 360° viewing and remote viewing and recording capabilities, a 7” touchscreen with Apple CarPlay functionality, and a 1000-watt JL Audio DSP amplifier and eight JL Audio speakers positioned inside…

Many Kiwi 4WD enthusiasts are familiar with Ultra4 off-road events. We even have our own series. They are faster (at times) and much more extreme than other 4WD trials events. Extreme 4WD event fans will also be familiar with the American King of the Hammers event that pretty much spawned the category. The ‘KoH’ is an annual event that combines desert racing and rock crawling. This race is held in February on Means Dry Lake at Johnson Valley, California, USA. The race is broadcast live on Ultra 4 Racing's website. The King of The Hammers race week has expanded from one race. It is now a series of five races that run throughout the week. The races include a Can AM UTV event on Sunday, the ULTRA4 vs. Rock Bouncer…

NEWS Volkswagen will launch a comprehensive technical and visual update of its premium Touareg SUV. The rear and front of the luxury SUV have been redesigned, the chassis has been further developed and impresses with its combination of comfort and performance. The camouflaged new Touareg has been completing its final test miles in Swedish Lapland. Although the body design modifications are still hidden under an oversized QR code wrap, images do provide a preview of the first technical details. At the front it is possible to see the newly developed IQ.LIGHT HD matrix headlights and the elements of a new LED light strip integrated between them. The lights provide significantly more brightness on the road without dazzling oncoming traffic. 19,200 micro-LEDs are distributed over the new headlights on each side…

Kiwis love motor homes. Kiwis love overlanding. How to combine the two? With a cult 4WD towed behind a nice big motor home. Retired Kiwis were probably the ones that kicked this off. The ‘grey nomads’ found towing a runabout handy when touring, enabling them to lock and leave the motor home in a prime location and use the wee car for supply runs or short local trips. Before long, the low cost cars were largely replaced by more practical, more capable 4WDs. Because - let's be honest zooming about in a Jimny or old-model RAV4 or Pajero iO is simply more fun than hoping that $2000 Japanese import will start and then keep running. Now, motor homes towing 4WDs are everywhere, and the pandemic has encouraged a massive boom…

TESTED This was an early test – NZ4WD got to drive this Pathfinder Ti-L in early February, in between the large storm that lashed Auckland and the worst of Cyclone Gabrielle. That was while the company's online resource described the Pathfinder as ‘coming soon'. Outside, it's sleek and stylish, with an aggressive new family-style grille treatment, striking headlamp design and a ‘hanging’ c-pillar that follows recent design trends in Europe and Japan. Inside, our test Ti-L is comfortable and well-planned, packed full of technology serving driver and passengers. This is a proper seven-seater that doesn't skimp on comfort for those in rows two and three. Throughout the interior, we counted a total of 16 cup-holders. There's also a serious sunroof with sunscreen. Under the bonnet is a familiar sight: Nissan's…

The globally renowned RSI SmartCap canopies are now available in New Zealand. There's a reason why the brand is developing a cult following around the world. Tradies and outdoor enthusiasts know how important it is to have a reliable and versatile canopy that can protect gear from the elements. RSI Evo Sport SmartCaps are the perfect solution for people who want to make the most out of their outdoor adventures while remaining functional for day-to-day use. With their unique features and highquality materials, they provide a safe and secure shelter for all equipment. One of the standout features of the RSI SmartCap Canopy is their durability. Made of high-quality powder-coated stainless steel, these canopies can withstand even the toughest outdoor conditions, rain or shine. They are designed to be lightweight…

New Zealand has had a bit of weather this year. The lucky 4WD owners among us have managed to have some fun too. Our ‘summer’ has taken its toll on roads, houses, livelihoods. It's also had an effect on vehicles. At home or at the workshop, it's time to take a close look at – or under – the vehicle. Step 1: clean thoroughly. Get down on both knees and clean everything under the vehicle. If using a pressure washer, avoid suspension joints, steering knuckles and steering and brake components – they're protected by rubber boots for a reason, and a fast jet of water will get inside the boot, sitting there and rusting the important metal parts. Brakes need close attention. They suffer abuse without complaining, but going into…

Terrain Tamer has released a second modified fifth gear set suitable for Hilux, Prado and an expanded range of 70 series Land Cruiser models. The original modified fifth gear set was released in 2017 and designed to fit 70 Series V8 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles. A commonly raised issue for these models is that the engines run at unnecessarily high RPMs when travelling at highway or cruising speeds. A speed of 100km/hr in fifth gear can equate to approximately 2400rpm, causing loud engine noise, high fluid temperatures and poor fuel consumption, with a detrimental long-term effect on engine durability. A second gear set has now been developed for a further range of vehicles that have been reported to experience the same problems. Terrain Tamer have developed their modified gear sets…

Adventure NZ If you read my last article “the Great Escape”, you will recall that I was spending the New Zealand winter in Europe, initially exploring with my son, who lives in Finland. We recovered the 4x4 Explorer Adventures Europe truck in the UK and headed down, through France, and then on to the Pyrenees. I dropped him off at Nice airport, mid-July, and drove to a friends house, just to the west of Marseilles. On this trip, you pass Toulon and Marseilles, both of which are ferry ports with links to Corsica. I didn't really have a plan, not having to be back in New Zealand until the beginning of the guiding season in October, and seeing the ferries gave me an idea. Why not spend a few weeks…

4WD Sport Despite a rule change that robbed the event of top South Island teams, there was plenty of off-road racing action at Colin Dale Park in February. Counties Manukau Offroad Club hosted the opening round of the 2023 New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship at its purpose-built stadium track and drew more than 50 entries including multiple champion Carl Ruiterman in his all-new Yamaha YZX Turbo. The event took place as Cyclone Gabrielle made landfall in Northland, and the weather deteriorated progressively as the day progressed. Long-time racer Daynom ‘Slim’ Templeman won class 1 for unlimited race cars ahead of Justin Davies and Paul Eayrs. The class drew eight entries. Bard Harvey crashed into Alan Hilliam in one heat, ending up parked across the bonnet of Hilliam's Porsche-powered car. Class…

4WD Sport The Tatts Finke Desert Race is an off road, multi terrain two-day race for bikes, off-road race cars and trucks through desert country from Alice Springs to the small Aputula (Finke) community. Often contested by Kiwi race crews, the race is held each year on the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June. “The Finke” as it is commonly known, is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the Northern Territory and has the reputation of being one of the most difficult off-road courses in one of the most remote places in the world. Talented racer Raana Horan has contested the Finke in recent years, and most recently, Wainui driver Richard Crabb has also represented the Kiwi race fraternity. Watch Raana Horan's video from 2016: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1100564153365979 Richard Crabb's…

The past decade's trend toward evermore-flash utes is continuing to accelerate. Volkswagen NZ has confirmed the model lineup and pricing of the all-new Amarok ute, with four models ranging from entry-level at $65,000 right through to a top end model at $90,000. The new model is thus almost level-pegging with the outgoing Amarok. There are four models in the coming range: the entry-level $65,000 Life, the $75,000 Style, the $88,000 PanAmericana, and the $90,000 Aventura. The quoted prices do not include any Clean Car fees, which extend up to $3,910 in flagship models. The Life and Style will both feature a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine. The Life's single-turbo unit is rated at 125kW/405Nm while the Style's twinturbo produces 154kW/500Nm. The PanAmericana and Aventura, meanwhile, make use of Volkswagen's 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6…

NEWS It's that time of year. A special-edition ‘King of the Hammers’ Ford Bronco has been shown off as a new take on the latest version of the Ranger-based Bronco to provide weekend warriors with the ability to go into extreme environments – and be back in time for dinner. Fox has teamed up with Dave Cole, co-founder of the annual King of the Hammers race in Johnson Valley, California, and Ultra4 racer Jason Scherer to design an extreme version of the Ford Bronco inspired by the gruelling off-road event. The vehicle has been customized by Fox Factory and features a suspension system developed and tuned exclusively by Scherer, which includes a four-inch BDS PE coil-over system and a set of FOX Performance Elite 2.5 Series shocks. The latter are…

NEWS The Brits are well and truly on the electric vehicle bandwagon these days, even though home-charging an EV is now more expensive than running a fossil-fuelled vehicle. The European world can thank the Russians for that. But this might be interesting. It's the greenest Defender ever and it's actually Corris grey. Built by conversion company Twisted, the all-electric T90 is rated as ‘the ultimate go-anywhere vehicle'. The switch works for any post-2012 Defender, and there are two tune levels along with a stated range of around 390km. The company says owners can “drive through the centre of London or out in the Yorkshire dales green-laning and know you are leaving a carbon footprint that a Toyota Prius could only dream of”. The Defender 90 TVE Conversion costs £75,000 ($144,400…

Richard Mulholland kicked off NZ4WD's My 4WD series this time last year. Not content with making his Isuzu D-Max and dad's Land Cruiser into outdoor adventure machines, he's also got busy with some more cargo capacity. Richard takes up the story: Five days before COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown my ute was involved in an incident on the road where the fitting of the rear MCC bull bar prevented it being written off with chassis damage. The crash wrote off the other car involved in the incident, smashing the engine off its mounts. With lockdown in full swing, my 4WD South Island holiday now cancelled and my ute looking worse for wear, I had plenty of time between shifts at work to come up with a concept for a 4×4 camping…

With a history that spans nearly four decades, it's no surprise that inspiration for the latest Pathfinder can be traced all the way back to the original boxy style version which launched in 1985 and first landed ‘down-under’ in 1987. Back then it was two-door, body-on-frame SUV primarily designed for the United States market in answer to rivals’ makes and models like the Chevy Blazer, Ford Bronco, Jeep Cherokee, Toyota 4Runner and Isuzu MU. It shook up the massive American auto market and resulted in what has become known as the ‘chicken tax’ – the domestic automakers lobbied for hefty duties laid on imported three door SUVs. In New Zealand, the story was similar. Many 4WDers will have fond memories of the two door and four-door originals, and of course…

These days, a bull bar has three key missions: protect the 4WD, protect other motorists and still look awesome. It is required to comply with strict safety standards. Vital for rural and remote area travel, bull bars provide substantially improved protection for vulnerable mechanical components against animal or brush strikes while providing a solid base for mounting other accessories like driving lights, winches and CB antennas. Ironman bull bars are engineered and manufactured to not only maintain maximum functionality, but also to ensure they complement the look of the vehicle. The company's latest bars feature triple loop A-frame design, are designed to be compatible with winches, feature mount points for hi-lift jacks, dual radio aerials and spotlights or light bars. Importantly, they are also designed to allow for parking sensors…

4WD PARTS AND SERVICE “Where do I mount my BCDC?” Is a question faced by the Redarc Technical Support Team every day. While there is not technically a right answer, there are multiple things that need to be considered when not only choosing where to install your BCDC, but also which BCDC model is the right one. As a starting point, Redarc recommends looking at where the auxiliary battery is going to be located. For the best charging performance, the BCDC should be installed as close as possible to the auxiliary battery. Less than a metre between the BCDC and battery is best practice. Keeping the BCDC and battery close together means voltage drop between the battery and charger is minimised, but often this is not the most practical solution.…

Adventure NZ When I was looking to escape the rat race of running IT services in government departments in Wellington I looked briefly at the “Grand Designs” notion of buying and restoring the old Cape Broom Hotel in Fruitlands, Alexandra (built 1873, burnt down in 1910, now a derelict stone walled grain store – Google it). Fortunately, common sense told me my little sack of gold coins would not cover a fraction of the costs involved so we looked elsewhere, moving to Geraldine instead. We did have a long weekend staying in the Fruitlands Hotel just up the road from Cape Broom Hotel though to check out the area. Both of these look back up the hill to Mitchells Cottage (1876) and further up to the top of the Old…

The Rainforest Challenge may have sparked the whole tropical jungle event phenomena, but it's hardly the only such series. Indonesian Julian Johan is a long-time fan of the sport, and regularly posts images on his Facebook page of local offroad action. From mild to wild, the Indonesian 4WDers have a massive range of vehicles and a huge passion for their challenging land. They start with older Suzuki Jimnys, almost standard, and go all the way to full tube-framed RFC-style trucks. American 4WDs are readily available and are modified to cope with the extreme local conditions. Likewise, the Nissan Patrol, Mitsubishi Triton and other Japanese 4WDs have a strong following. There's even a national organisation, the Indonesian Offroad Federation, helping network Indonesian 4WD enthusiasts, a separate sub-group for remote-controlled offroad cars…

In a terrible start to the year, many Kiwis have suffered from extreme weather events. It has been great to see 4WD clubs and individuals out there helping people. Ralph and Georgie Dobson from Cross Country Vehicle Club (CCVC) headed to Napier and volunteered their labour to whoever needed it, while Brent Ward loaned his digger to the people of Tinui for the flood clean-up with help from Scott Donald who delivered the digger to the town. CCVC had an emergency callout of club vehicles to the South Coast when it looked like the Interislander might run ashore. They were stood down after two hours of waiting when the Kaitaki got running again. The Auckland Anniversary weekend storm cancelled round two of the Club Truck Challenge (CTC) in Wairarapa when…

When I wrote about the wet summer in last month's column, things definitely didn't improve for the North Island through February. It's been very sad seeing lives and livelihoods destroyed by water and mud. How the damage to back country access by road will affect our recreational four wheeling is difficult to determine, although there may be some roads that just won't be fully reinstated or maintained. Within many local bodies there is already a distinct lack of enthusiasm to be concerned about the desires of four wheelers for access to public lands including unformed and old legal roads. It is going to need a much more unified 4WD community than has been in evidence in recent times. Joining a 4WD club is a valuable thing to do, as most…

Mazda's new in-line six cylinder engine is now powering the company's CX-60 SUV, and the company has announced impressive fuel figures for the engine. Official fuel consumption figures for the 48V mild-hybrid petrol variant of the CX-60 set a new benchmark within the Mazda range. The new CX-60 3.3-litre turbo-petrol six is cleaner than the current CX-5 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four - despite boasting two more cylinders, 50 per cent more power and twice as much torque. Capable of returning 7.4 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, the Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv G 3.3-litre turbo petrol offers an identical fuel efficiency rating to that of the frugal four-cylinder 2.5-litre petrol Mazda CX-5. Its CO2 rating is also one gram lower at 171g/km, and a full 10 per cent lower than…

Who loves Toyota's 40-series cruiser? Lots of people. A restored 40? Mint. But wait, there's more: a Chevy heart of steel lurks under the bonnet. That old saying ‘less is more’ does not apply. Often, updating the power plant of an older 4WD also brings tweaks, tell-tale signs that all is not as it was. Until it fires up, Legacy Overland's Toyota Land Cruiser appears to be simply a nicely restored classic ‘Cruiser. Decent tyres, stock-looking rims (with hubcaps), aftermarket shock absorbers. But this classic Japanese 4x4 has had a heart transplant Lurking beneath this ‘82 FJ40's period-correct bodywork is a brand-new General Motors 5.7L V8 ‘crate’ engine and 700R4 four-speed automatic gearbox. Other mechanical upgrades include disc brakes all-round, power steering, Old Man Emu leaf springs and suspension components,…

It wasn't that hard to predict. Ford will bring the world's best-selling pickup to New Zealand. More of a surprise: it seems Toyota will follow suit. Demand for ‘full size’ trucks in New Zealand has driven GMSV and Ram a healthy head start on their rivals. Ram in particular recently celebrated the production of its 20,000th right-hand-drive pickup. Respected motoring journalist Alastair Sloane broke the story on his website, autonews.nz: “Truck market leaders Ford and Toyota are in the midst of signing off on right-hand-drive versions of their bigger North American market pickups for sale in Australia and New Zealand. Both companies are working towards the end of research and development – Ford with right-hook F-150 models engineered by Thailand's RMA Group, and Toyota with the Tundra converted by Melbourne's…

NEWS Jeeps – the original 4X4. They have a formidable off-roading heritage, but are not often lavished with the same six-figure, super-outlandish resto-mod treatment as other vintage off-roaders like the Land Rover Defender. Texas-based company Vigilante wants to change that — with the most luxed-out, uber-powerful vintage Grand Wagoneer builds you could imagine. This is classic ‘restomod’ upgrading. Vigilante maintains the classic appearance of the Grand Wagoneer, but carries out a comprehensive frame-off restoration with every part either new (old) stock, manufactured from scratch or completely restored. From there, though, things get crazy. Vigilante opts for modern performance with new Hemi V8 engines. The lowest output is the 485-horsepower SRT-8 plant used in the Wrangler 392. The mid-range engine is the 528kW (707bhp) Hellcat V8 from the Ram 1500 TRX.…

19 MARCH Windwhistle 4WD High Country Tour Hosted by Windwhistle School. Experience a unique guided 4WD tour behind the gates of private high country stations in the Windwhistle and Lake Coleridge area. This is a full eight hour tour with speakers, information packs and all-day catering, not your traditional 4WD trip. The tour crosses into five high country stations – Quartz Hill, High Peak, Snowdon, Dry Acheron and Big Ben. Self-drive or a chauffeured option is available (limited numbers). A high-clearance 4WD is necessary for the tour. Vehicles need low range sufficient to cope with steeper climbs on some of the track. No low profile tyres. Vehicles need to be weed free and clean. Limited to just 60 vehicles. $500.00 per vehicle (self-drive) limited to 5 people (including driver, adults…

TESTED Sean Willmot has questions – and finds answers – during his drive of Toyota's wide track Hilux. Question: When is an SR5 Cruiser Hilux not an SR5 Cruiser Hilux? Answer: When it is a wide track SR5 Cruiser. This may seem a strange start to an article on Toyota's commercial flagship, but then when the idea of the wide track variant was first announced, other questions came to mind, the first of which was; “why?” The SR5 Cruiser is the coolest of all the Hilux's, so did it need to be anything more than it already…was? Toyota seems to think so, which gives rise to another starter for 10: is the wide track SR5 Cruiser the solution to a question only Toyota asked? Well, that one's a little outside of…

Aaron Rich runs through his decision to fit a Bushtech Aluminium Canopy - a canopy that's next-level dust proof and stays clean inside. With years of global 4WD overland experience across dozens of countries and whole continents, I learned that many serious overlanders around the world are using much better gear than has been offered in New Zealand, until now. There's only one canopy I would fit to this ultimate NZ Hilux build, and that's a Bushtech Aluminium Canopy. These things are handmade in Johannesburg to a standard, strength, and capability that's unmatched on the NZ market. There are now thousands of Bushtech Aluminium Canopies in service around the world, including on permanently off-road fleets operating in some of the most arduous conditions on Earth. Bushtech canopies are highly evolved…

4WD PARTS AND SERVICE Few model releases generate as much excitement in the automotive world as a new Toyota Land Cruiser. The 300 Series continues the tradition, both here and in Australia. After a long wait for prospective owners, the great news is that the first of these vehicles are now available locally, and Bendix is well underway developing braking products specifically to suit the new Cruiser. While the Bendix aftermarket component range for the LC300 will grow in coming months, as of February initial products have become available. On offer are front and rear disc brake pads from Bendix's 4X4-focused 4WD/SUV range. The 4WD/SUV range is specifically developed for four-wheel-drives and SUVs for use in both on and off-road applications and provides low noise and dust operation and reduced…

4WD Sport The pairing of Neville Mather and Richard Verner are shaping up as a title prospect after winning the fourth round of the Lucas Oil NZ 4×4 Trials at Te Puke. They were followed by Sam Thomsen and Mitchell Caldow, putting them in serious contention for top honours this season. Storm dodgers: like the opening round of the New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship, the Bay of Plenty round of the trials series managed to dodge Cyclone Gabrielle by a matter of hours. The BOP 4WD Club hosted the fourth round of the Lucas Oil NZ 4×4 Trials Series with money raised for the Waipuna Hospice, attracting 48 entries. The event needed some track changes as the weather closed in. With the course surfaces becoming rougher, the “luck of the…

Competition transmissions place huge demands on mechanical components, none more so than the drivetrain. While some stick with manual shifters, across the ultimate truck classes of offroad racing and in the wilder extremes of 4WD competition, the auto is king. Manual shifting is preferred in the race car classes of off-road racing, where transaxle units are preferred, but manual-shift builders like Albins in Australia are now expanding into 4WD units like the company's sequential shift ST6 and STX units. They make model-specific units for the LandCruiser 200 and GU Patrol. It makes transmissions rated for up to 1100Nm. The STX-P 6-speed sequential is perfect for sand dune racing Nissan Patrols making in excess of 1800hp. This transmission is especially popular with the company's Middle Eastern customers. German companies such as…

The 2023 championship is under way, though the season is looking odd up north. With the opening round at Manukau done and dusted just before the cyclone roared through, the second northern round at Whangarei is cancelled. That means unless an event like Woodhill steps up, the next championship racing will be at the TECT Park near Tauranga in September. February to September? That would be a long quiet season. Big talk floated around at Manukau that the Woodhill would indeed step up. Down south, the regional rounds are intact, meaning we get three championship events before Labour Weekend national finals. It's a double edged sword – the northern racers get less seat time at championship level, but also do less damage. Southerners get more seat time, and the final…