Ute torque hall of fame

There’s been a torque war going on among Japanese diesel utes and as of the end of September, Nissan’s Navara ST-X has been deposed after a long run as the champ, with 450Nm. The new leader is Ford's Ranger, with 470Nm between 1500rpm and 2750rpm, from its five cylinder turbodiesel. The Mazda BT-50 will almost certainly have the same. And then, it'll swing back to Nissan next year when the 550Nm Navara becomes available. What I'm wondering, though, is how much torque you really need in a one-tonne ute? The last Hilux I drove seemed perfectly adequate, both on- and off-road and even when well loaded. Figures below are for automatic-transmission versions; some of the manuals have a bit more.

Nm
470 Ford Ranger/Mazda BT-50
450 Nissan Navara ST-X
440 Holden Colorado/Isuzu D-Max (2012 models)
407 Mitsubishi Triton
400 VW Amarok (yes, 4wdNewz knows it's not Japanese)

360 SsangYong Actyon (yup, once more 4wdNewz knows it's not Japanese)
343 Toyota Hilux
333 Holden Colorado/Isuzu D-Max (outgoing models)

By the way, if you want to bury your head in the theory of torque, check out the all-knowing Wikipedia.

And here's the cat Nissan NZ isn't (yet) letting lose among the local pigeons – a 550Nm version of the Navara ST-X, introduced at the 2010 motor show in Sydney.

If the Series III is a bit slow ...

Not sure why any follower of 4wdNewz would want one but, just in case, the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 has made its debut at the 2011 New York Auto Show. It'll be here next year, Said to be the fastest Jeep ever built, it knocks off the 0-100 run in under five seconds and tops out at a governed 250km/h. It'll run the quarter mile in the mid-13-second range, pull .90g on the skid pad and stop from 100km/h in under 33m. All this and Jeep reckons the 6.4 litre 350kW Hemi gets 13 per cent better fuel economy than its predecessor thanks in part to an active exhaust system that lets the cylinder-deactivating technology work over a wider rev band.

Sorry officer, I just snapped

Every time I see one of these giant bumpers sticking out from the front of a used import I get an irrational urge to start smashing it with the nearest sledgehammer.* I just hate these things; they look ugly, waste space on the planet, destroy the approach angle and don't even look very strong. Why on earth would anyone design, let alone fit, something like this?

Disclaimer: But I really wouldn't do it. You're quite safe, RX7231

An even Grander Cherokee

Jeep has added a top Overland version to its Grand Cherokee lineup and you're reading it first in 4wdNewz. The version costs $90,990 with the V8 Hemi compared to $86,990 for the Limited. When the diesel arrives, the Overland will be $96,990. The newcomer picks up such goodies as a leather wrapped dashboard, premium door trims, blind spot cameras, radar cruise control and advance collision warning. 

So far the V8 is outselling the V6 Pentastar almost 10-to-1. The diesel is coming in a few months and of an initial order for 40, fifteen are sold. The 3.0 turbocharged VM engine is now rated to 177kW, 550Nm.

Some earlier Grand Cherokee postings:

• Things to like/not like
• The new model is released in New Zealand

No ifs, ands or butts

From 4wdNewz's how-to files:
changing a Suzuki Grand Vitara's wheel on the trail.