An odd choice of photos

It's a bit rich for AMI to be showing a Defender with snorkel in its current print advertising. I've twice been told by them, when reviewing my insurance options, that they will not cover any off-road use – no ifs, ands or buts. They're not alone, of course, but the others don't put "proper" off-roaders in their ads.

Whew, only another year to wait

A replacement for the Jeep Cherokee (above), one of the strangest looking and most underwhelming "proper" 4WDs on the market, is expected to be unveiled at January's Detroit Auto Show. I've no idea what it will look like, but almost anything would be better than the current model. You can bet, though, that it will have the Chrysler Pentastar V6 under the bonnet, possibly the new 3.2 litre version (Wrangler uses a 3.6) and possibly mated to a nine-speed ZF automatic transmission. 

Why SsangYong will probably succeed

Customer service is the key to a successful car company. The greatest deal and the greatest car ever can quickly sour if the after sales service is crap. SsangYong's New Zealand importer, Greatlake Motor Distributors of Taupo, seems to understand this. Earlier this week, after the Actyon Sports launch, I was in the boardroom working away on my computer, waiting to be taken to the airport, when a woman came in complaining politely but firmly about an unresolved problem with her Rexton. I didn't hear exactly what the problem was, but within minutes a senior person was downstairs checking it. The SsangYong people were impressive in the way they dealt with the customer; apprently genuinely concerned about solving the issue and they had no idea I was being a fly on the wall. I wish I'd been treated like this whenever I complained about the cars I have owned. The woman went away happy. She'll probably tell others and I'll certainly relate the tale whenever people ask about SsangYong.

What to do with your next spare 200 grand

Yours for only $196,400, the facelifted Lexus LX570 has been given exterior styling changes at the front and rear, new 20 inch alloys, and various internal refinements. Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters now control the six speed automatic. Crawl Control, an off-road cruise control, now has five rather than three pre-set speeds and the new Turn Assist tightens the turning circle by adding more brake force to the inside rear wheel. Unchanged is the 5.7 litre V8 producing 270kW and 530Nm of torque at 3200rpm. Some 90 per cent of the torque is available at just 2200rpm. And unchanged is its enormous 138 litre tank which, at today's prices, costs more than $300 to fill. Thank heavens it'll work okay on 91. On the other hand, you can't blame the Lexus for having a big tank!

Potential yet to be realised

The new Actyon Sport at the Kitenui Deer Farm, prior to off-roading. The animal, by the way, is a sculpture.

So near, yet so far. I've been down Taupo way off-roading in the new SsangYong Actyon Sports ute. This one is totally revised compared to the previous model, which I always thought was pretty useless and ugly to boot. Not so the new model whose 4WD range starts at $39,990 for the six-speed manual and two thou more for the six-speed auto. Its two litre turbodiesel provides 114kW of power and 360Nm of torque from 1500rpm, but has almost 200Nm just a toe's quiver off idle. The SsangYong-developed engine is smooth, quiet, has one of the best CO2 emissions of any 4WD and is frugal on fuel. Both the six-speed manual and the six-speed auto are excellent. The manual has overall low gearing of 50.66:1, a creditable figure. The automatic, with its higher gear and higher final drive, manages an average 34.23:1.

All of this suggests the Actyon Sports might be an excellent off-roader, but it fails in some key areas. Approach and departure angles are a mean 25deg; ground clearance according to SsangYong is just 203mm. The front bumper will be gone the first time it gets in some serious terrain. On the other hand, the underbody bits and pieces are well tucked away in and around its ladder chassis. Suspension travel doesn't seem all that good and its electronic traction control will have to work hard. Unusual for a ute, it's on coil springs all around (but still has a reasonable 750kg payload rating) and has disc brakes at all corners.

What's wrong with the Jimny

Back in the posting 'Questions to ponder' I asked why people keep saying the Suzuki Jimny is a good 4WD off-road? This has brought an agitated email from an outraged Suzuki enthusiast demanding that I justify the criticism. Actually, it wasn't a criticism at all, just a question that I thought someone might have been able to answer. And no, it's not a question about Suzukis in general. I seriously respect the Jimny's predecessor, the Samurai, especially those that have been thoughtfully modified.

First, I'll tell you what's good about the Jimny. It's small, light, nimble, reliable, cheap to run, has a sweet 1.3 litre engine and looks kind of cute. It's also relatively cheap, although prices are creeping up. What's wrong? Well, you'll smash the front bumper the first time you hit some serious off-road tracks. But don't be too concerned because Suzuki has made the Jimny fail-safe in this regard; you'll be stuck long before reaching any tough tracks. Unfortunately, it has no more ground clearance than a Subaru Outback, 190mm according to the factory. 

The 1355/1365mm track is too narrow for its 1670mm height and the high centre of gravity means it'll probably tip on its side before getting to the real rough stuff. Its 205/70 15-inch tyres are too small but the wheelwells won't allow any meaningful increase without getting a body lift and/or suspension kit. Forget about the manual for off-roading, its clutch engages so suddenly that you have to ride it all the time. The auto is okay but holds the wee wagon back too much on the highway; its performance is marginal enough with the manual. A Jimny is relatively light at just over 1000kg, but once you've added the bulbar, lift kit, big tyres and other essentials some of that advantage has gone. It also has open diffs in its beam axles, not even a limited-slip at the back. Whatever you think about electronic traction control, Jimny's at a huge disadvantage compared to its contemporaries that have it, such as Defender and Wrangler. 

You can fix these shortcomings, but why bother? If you must have a Suzuki, find the best Samurai you can and build it up. If you've got the dough, buy something like a 2-door Wrangler or a Td5-engined Defender 90.

New blue Jimny with a well modified one that could do the business. The good one was at the time the toy of 4WD trainer Colin Burden.