SA4x4 March 2018

Land Rover owners are an insiders’ club that famously shares a “wave”. It’s a way to say that you have a common enthusiasm for a brand, and to share the highs and (perhaps) a few niggles that come with owning a ‘do it all’ off-roader. So, it’s understandable that many owners have responded to a letter in our January issue that accused Land Rover of abandoning its roots as the builder of “The Best 4x4xFar” in favour of high-tech shopping trolleys... or words to that effect. The Forum pages in this issue carry more letters of nostalgia for those tough but crude Series Landys, and their Defender and Discovery successors. The main thread is that SA4x4 readers still want a back-to-basics vehicle. The Defender II, they say, must be strong,…

As an overlander and 4x4 owner covering quite a few years and several hundred thousand kilometres, I, like many others who fall into this category, have spent many long hours considering the possible benefits of changing the standard suspension in my 4x4 and installing one of the many upgrades available here. The ads invariably claim improvements in ride as well as load-carrying ability, especially in off-road conditions and with heavy loads. I have been down this route and am still trying to find a suspension setup that suits my needs, without having to shell out large chunks of money needlessly while trying to find the right answer. My issue is this. How does a 4x4 owner make an intelligent decision about which suspension upgrade to choose and from which manufacturer?…

#1 I agree completely with Johan Wessels’ January letter… Land Rover has lost its way. First, in 2016, they discontinue production of the Defender before a replacement model is available; then, in 2017, they unveil a new Discovery which is more Range Rover than Land Rover. I say this because Range Rovers exude fashion, while Land Rovers exude adventure. And, let’s be honest, the new Discovery 5 looks more like a fashion statement than a rugged, expedition-style 4x4. It’s hard to imagine the Discovery 5 in Camel Trophy livery, wading through knee-deep mud on its way from Kinshasa to Kisangani. And what about Kingsley Holgate? If Land Rover offers him a Discovery 5 to distribute mosquito nets across Africa, he’d have to shave, tie his hair up in a man-bun…

AIRBAG OUT OF ACTION We were unlucky enough to be in a head-on collision with a vehicle on the wrong side of the road on the Zuurberg Mountain pass on 31 December 2017. We were lucky and came out with no apparent injuries. We were almost at a stop when the other vehicle collided with us at between 30 to 60km/h. We were in a 1999 Toyota Prado which had a reinforced nudge bar (10mm stainless steel plate) which reduced the damage to the vehicle considerably. The other vehicle – a Ford Kuga – was worse for wear and its airbags deployed. Ours did not. Why is this? A few questions: Would that be due to the nudge bar, because the speed was too low for deployment, because our vehicle…

In response to a growing number of complaints about how we conduct ourselves in the wilderness, we decided to draw up and promote a code of conduct for overlanders. We’d like to include your input, comments and debate, so please send your suggestions to editor@sa4x4.co.za. FIREWOOD In Take your firewood in with you; don’t chop down trees or gather dead wood within parks or wilderness areas. KEEP QUIET We go to the bush to appreciate the sights and sounds of the bush. No music, and nothing louder than a spoken conversation. RESPECT LOCALS – LAWS AND PEOPLE Obey the rules of the place you’re travelling through. Respect locals and their traditions; if they don’t like having their photos taken, don’t take photos. SUPPORT LOCAL TRADE Your spending money at the…

SA4x4’s Giant All-Terrain Tyre Test Nelus Bantjes (Sweeper at Safari 4x4, Bloemfontein): Interesting that in 2014 the older Grabber also came out tops. Different pattern, test crew and vehicle. It says something about the manufacturer and tyre quality. Johann Groenewald (Co-owner at Tracks4Africa): The article does not mention what vehicles and load conditions were used in the test, but from the pictures it seems to be unloaded pickups. (The website at this stage carries a short summary. The February 2018 print version carries this detail in FULL. We used Ford Ranger FX4 double cabs, unloaded for some tests, with a trailer for the traction tests. – Ed) These are hardly the type of conditions I expose tyres to when travelling. On the contrary my vehicle is always fully loaded and…