Table of contents for September 2015 in SA4x4

It’s finally arrived: and, if your heart is set on a stylish alternative to the premium German contenders in the large SUV market, and you’re happy with a price point between R827000 and R1 066m, then the new XC90 makes a great case for itself. It’s no Grade-4-trail tackler, nor does it pretend to be. But, as an up-to-the-minute family conveyance on tar, gravel and icy roads, few do the business better. These are some of the things to like: • Stunning exterior design, with classic Swedish touches – including LED headlights with the Thor’s Hammer theme. It’s compact, yet spacious, with some bling touches and none of that ugly plastic side-cladding. • Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA). The XC90 is the first Volvo to be built on a new platform…

It’s a fact of life: there’s precious little traction between rubber and snow, especially compacted snow. Which is why they invented snow chains. We don’t have snow chains. Rewind, a few days back. “Drive a 4x4 in the snow? Ja, I can do that.” Hell, I’ve driven on practically every other surface, in all sorts of places, all over the world. But what do I really know about snow? So, I ask Google. The omnipotent hive-mind throws up lists that advise: “Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Don’t power up hills.” One unsettling last point catches my eye: “Stay home, even if you are experienced. Don’t tempt fate. Unless you have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.” I think I may have bitten off more than I can…

The icy Atlantic air which flows into the Richtersveld, and condenses to soupy fog, is what sustains life in this arid wilderness which joins Namibia and South Africa. The locals call the fog “Malmokkies”, though the word sure as hell resonates as a description for the 100 or so riders on the mountain bikes strung out on the region’s sandy tracks. It’s a classic 4x4 destination, but I’m among the riders, thinking that a bike is (undoubtedly) one of the best ways of passing through a landscape. Fresh air, no noise, your blood pumping, gasping for breath, your calves starting to spasm… The reason I’m up here at Hobas in Namibia is to cover the Desert Knights event: a six-day mountain-biking tour with a solid white-water paddle thrown in for…

I realise it’s the wrong attitude, but I can’t help but view the Johannesburg to Cape Town drive on the N1 as a test of endurance – a task to see how many kilometres I can kill before having to stop for a Red Bull break. Recently, it’s become worse; I now see it as a 15-hour life-or-death concentration game in which I need to overtake as many trucks as possible. I drove the N1 a few weeks back and was shocked by how few cars were on the road. At times, 20 minutes would pass before I saw a fellow vehicle approach from the opposite direction. In contrast, every 90 seconds (or less) a heavily burdened truck would blast by. (A glaring sign that our country’s railway system has…

HELP SAVE THE RHINO Why not donate your second-hand camping gear to the guys on the front line of the anti-rhino poaching initiatives. Rangers on the Mozambique side of Kruger are desperately in need of working camp gear. All things from gas bottles to sleeping bags, tents, cookers, chairs, tables, blankets, water bottles and even old cell phones will be extremely useful. Visit www.stoprhinopoaching.com to donate. JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE As a send off to the Defender, philanthropist and adventurer Kingsley Holgate will soon embark on his most dangerous trip yet to the unexplored areas of Africa – all in search of its beating heart. Driving one of the very last Defenders to roll out of Solihull, he will endeavour to reach Africa’s geographical centre, which is west of the…

There’s no point in driving around with your roofrack/rooftop tent if you’re not on holiday. Save fuel (and wear & tear) by installing a Fredlin hoist. This proudly South African product solves the problem of where to store your roofrack/ rooftop tent, canopy, or even a sports car hardtop: up and out of the way! The Fredlin hoist fastens securely to your garage roof or carport, is easily installed and can be operated by one person. TO ENTER One Fredlin hoist will be given away every month to the lucky reader featured in Me & My 4x4. Simply send a photograph – 1 MB or larger – and the answers to the categories shown above, to editor@sa4x4.co.za. Vehicle and driver must be featured together in an off-road setting. (No driveway…

FREEDOM BY 4X4 My wife and I recently bought a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2.5 diesel 4x4 as our last vehicle before retirement. We did the Mitsubishi-sponsored 4x4 course with Jannie at Protea 4x4, at the Cradle of Humankind, and it was informative and quite fun. Since the course, we have been to Zambia and Botswana, which was more of a road trip than anything else. Then my wife decided that we needed a break, and made a reservation at Plato Lodge in Boesmanland, about 40km north-east of Augrabies. We planned to overnight in either Vryburg or Kimberley, but, after leaving the West Rand at 05:00, we ended up having “brunch” in Vryburg, and I suggested we push through until it got dark. We went via Kakamas, where we bought wine…

The news is well known by now: SA’s best-selling SUV has been extensively updated and lands on dealer floors in the 2016 second quarter when local pricing and more details will be revealed. It’s come a long way from the first model which went on sale in 2005, as these images show, but it retains its tough ladder-frame chassis and 4WD abilities. “Solid Fluidity” is how Japan’s designers describe the new looks. ‘A bit like Rav4,’ is what the rest of us might be tempted to say about the grinning chrome grille, squinting headlights and sharply etched rear aspect. The interior, which is not yet being revealed, ups the premium stakes. Features include upholstered sides to the vertical centre stack, a tablet-like multimedia interface, a smart entry/start system, a switch…

The DesertKnights MTB Tour is presented twice a year, usually during the first week of May and the last week of September. The field is relatively small – around 120 people or fewer – and the focus is on riding enjoyment rather than racing. You can expect a lot of corrugations and a generous dollop of sand along the route, and you need to be of above-average fitness in order to conquer the 300km-or-so distance. The first three days of riding traverse the Namibian side of the Transfrontier Park, and this is followed by a day of white-water kayaking before the final two days of mountain-biking in South Africa, in the Richtersveld section. Daily distances range from 45km to 65km, but conditions and terrain may see you spending anything from…

Situated in an old police recreation camp at Lauberville, about 30km outside Walvis Bay, the accommodation is fully catered - three extremely generous meals per day. Lauberville is just 300m from the dunes; you won’t be left wanting any more sand. The concession on which vehicles are free to roam is an area approximately 80km by 80km, and can be explored only with a guide. Within the harsh dune landscape, ostrich roam free, eating whatever they can find, which includes roots and even the odd snake. Jackals are also a common sight, eating the mice that scurry between the bushes.…

FANCY NAME Crithagra albogularis AFRIKAANS Witkeelkanarie What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘canary’? Most of us would probably think of birds, and charming bird song. Others may be fortunate enough to have visited the Canary Islands, and would no doubt think about the wonderful attractions of that destination. As I haven’t been there, I had to resort to a little research on Wikipedia, which reveals that the Canary Islands are a volcanic island group (also called an archipelago) off the southern coast of Morocco. They are among Spain’s farthest outlying territories. These rugged islands are famous for their black and white sand beaches, popular holiday resorts and pleasant climate. Tenerife, the largest island, is dominated by the sometimes snowy peaks of Mount Teide, the third-tallest volcano in…

The internet is littered with videos of trail-ride challenges gone wrong: here a double-cab rolling down a hill, there a Jeep tipping backwards onto its spare wheel. No matter how competent your daily-driver off-roader is, there’s always a risk of damage under extreme conditions – usually with your insurance company taking the traditional hands-off approach. It’s partly why many of us hang back a bit when it comes to climbing some legendary rock or fording a genuine river. Until now, the cautious, the financially over-committed, and those with shiny new 4x4s (and sometimes a combination of all three) had no outlet for their pent-up thirst for thrills. That problem has been addressed. It’s why we’re heading to Moegatle, which is about 20km from Brits, and the home base of a…

THIS MONTH’S WINNER JOEL LEAT AGE: 12 PRIZES TO BE W0N! SEND US YOUR ENTRIES: Post: Send to Junior Explorers’ Club, PO Box 31062, Tokai, 7966 Email: Scan an original drawing, or send us digital artwork via email to angus@sa4x4.co.za. Please make sure you include a photo of yourself together with your name, age and your mom’s or dad’s contact details (including their email address). Entries featured on this page will win a mini LA Sport Jeep or another prize of equivalent value. Entries are restricted to children between the ages of three and 12. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.…

Marooned in this desert, with mountains of sand rolling in waves to every horizon, you wouldn’t last very long; a fierce midday sun blisters exposed skin and no-one escapes the bone-chilling cold at night. This is true of the sandy landscape near the Kuiseb River. It’s a harsh environment that isn’t to be played with, but that’s exactly what we’re here to do, as part of the Battle of the Dunes tour. Though large prizes are up for grabs, this is not really a contest between people. Rather, it’s a test of man and machine in harmony, pitted against some of the highest dunes on the planet. And, in this contest, there are no prisoners. The brainchild of 4x4 guru Werner Schaap (owner of Weca Off-Road Centre in Centurion), this…

The current rhino-poaching crisis has taken the lion’s share of publicity and funding. Although it is very important, we need to be aware of other species that also need attention before it is too late – and one species that could do with some of the rhino’s share is the African lion. In the 1940s, the wild lion population in Africa was estimated at 450 000 animals. By the 1980s, this had dropped to 100 000 animals. In 2015, there are approximately 30 000 lions – some say as few as 20 000 – left in Africa. This dramatic population decrease can be attributed to loss of habitat, conflict with cattle herders and subsequent persecution (mostly by poisoning), the bush meat trade depleting the natural prey base of lions, indiscriminate…

Off-roading is a wildly popular pastime in America, so it stands to reason that some of the nicest accessories for the Jeep Wrangler, that most American of four-wheel-drives, are designed and produced in the Land of the Free. Fortunately for local Jeep enthusiasts, their customising options have now been expanded, courtesy of Onca 4x4, with the local release of a wide array of highly regarded Smittybilt accessories for the current-generation (JK) Wrangler. We paid a visit to Onca 4x4’s fitment centre and factory in Bredell to give you a preview of the new arrivals. Their show vehicle has been kitted out with an almost complete range of Smittybilt parts, to the value of almost R300 000, with very little left unaltered from the standard Wrangler Unlimited that they began with.…

I have a total fascination with Toyota vehicles, mainly Hiluxes and the SUVs, but things really got going about five years ago when I was working part-time for a mining equipment company in Middelburg. At this time, I was waiting for my renewed work permit allowing me to go back to Angola, where I had been working for Caterpillar as an expatriate. One morning, one of the “old toppies” rocked up in his old farm Hilux, a wonderfully abused 1994 SFA with the 2.2 petrol engine. It looked like something only a mother could love. I immediately offered the man R35 000 for it, and paid him the same day. He had to phone his wife to come and pick him up from work as I’d insisted that the Hilux…

WINNER CHRIS (BILLY) BOTHA There are some sights that stay with you forever, and this is one of them, says Chris Botha: his Land Rover Defender under a starlit sky at Deception Pan in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. He was parked up at Kori campsite during a trip in March this year. JAYSON HILL Vicky Roux sent in this pic of Jayson Hill throwing a few rooster tails in the Atlantis Dunes near Cape Town, in his Suzuki Grand Vitara. MORRIS DU TOIT It’s a little-known scientific fact that, when viewed in the side mirror of another Cruiser, the standard 2007 Land Cruiser 4.5 EFI actually shrinks, and its track narrows. This is indicated by a photo taken by Morris du Toit’s father while in the Tuli Block in…

The 17th of July 2015 was a big day for GPS, marking its 20th birthday. Also known by its official name, NAVSTARGPS (Navigation Satellite with Timing and Ranging), the system was up and running (but not complete) as far back as 1991 during the first Gulf War, but was declared fully operational only on 17 July 1995. In 20 years, this international system has grown by leaps and bounds. In the beginning, all a GPS receiver did was to give latitude and longitude, with a few waypoints. Today, the system has a wide range of applications. GPS grew out of the Transit System of 1960. In the mid-Sixties, the concept of what we know today as GPS was born. The first satellite was launched in 1978, and, as far as…

JOHANNES VAN DIE SEE (Johannes van der Merwe) 2002 TOYOTA HILUX 2.7I DC 4X4 RAIDER Age: 38 Occupation: Offshore electronics engineer Modifications: (Shortened list) • Kumho KL71 33/12.5 R15 mud terrains. • Full OME suspension, Mikem extended rear leaf brackets, sway bar disconnects, rear air-suspension. • Upgraded 4.88 front-and-rear crown wheel and pinion gear sets, Detroit Truetrac Auto front differential locker, F/R diff breather extensions. • SAC Unichip, snorkel, stainless steel Powerflow exhaust. • 50mm body lift, wheel arch modification to fit 33-inch tyres, DIY rock sliders and rear bumper/wheel carrier, Nudge-M front bumper, Rock Shock bash plate, recovery points and tow hitches front and rear. • 2x50w Hella driving lights, 2x55w LED flood lights, 1x180w LED bar spotlight. • Custom RK aluminium canopy, 65-litre long-range fuel and 60-litre fresh…