Next Patrol's still bogged

Had a chat with Nissan NZ boss John Manley today. There's still no diesel in sight for the new Patrol. Apparently, 75 per cent of production is earmarked for the Middle East where petrol rules and costs pennies. It's not just a NZ problem, the rest of the world would rather like a diesel, too, but so far Nissan's search has been fruitless. Anecdotally, they've even talked to Cummins.

Oops, there goes the low box

Originally a very competent if expensive off-roader, Volkswagen finally came to the conclusion that Touareg buyers don't want to go off road* and has eliminated low-range gearing from the latest model. However, hedging its corporate bets, an off-road pack incorporating the gearing is available as an option on the two V6 turbo diesel models – but not on the top air suspended V8 turbo diesel that replaces the V10.

* If I'd just spent between $92,000 and $139,000 on a new 4WD I probably wouldn't want to go off road in it, either.

Say again, I can't hear you ...

The other week I drove on the motorway for a short time alongside a Nissan Patrol shod with a set of Simex Extreme Trekkers, aka the Centipede. Man, what a noise they made. They sounded like a squadron of Zero fighters coming in low during the fall of Singapore in 1942 (not that I was there to actually know this, of course). Not crticising the Centipedes here, they're not supposed to be an on-road tyre and there have been many times off-road I've wished I'd had them. Ever since buying a set of asymmetric Goodyear Wrangler MT/Rs earlier this year, I've become interested in tyre noise, as they're claimed to be fairly quiet on-road. While you'd expect them to be whisper quiet compared to the Centipedes, I was in for another surprise:

Recently, I had an opportunity to drive a bunch of Skoda models on a 12km road circuit south of Auckland. The route included long patches of our infamous coarse-chip pavement and I noticed how noisy the Skodas' tyres were on this surface. They were running a variety of good brands including Dunlop, Continentals and Bridgestone (lots of Europeans now come with Japanese-brand tyres). Later, out of curiosity, I drove the Jeep with the MT/Rs over the same coarse chip at the same speeds and, despite the Rubicon's lack of soundproofing, they were quieter than the low-profile street rubber. This was a measure-by-ear evaluation but the difference was easily discernible. I'm not suggesting for a moment the Skodas' soundproofing wasn't up to scratch either, as the VW-owned company makes beautifully engineered cars. I'm just reporting an unusual and interesting quirk of tyre design and compounding that may be more pure luck on this particular surface than a stroke of brilliance by Goodyear engineers but, hey guys, feel free to take the credit!

Challenger joins the 3-tonne tow club

Mitsubishi's Challenger, a wagon I rather like, has had its braked tow rating increased by 500kg to 3000kg, but its unbraked rating remains at 750kg. The company says engine and chassis upgrades allowed towing capability to be improved. For those who keep track of such things, 11 versions of the Challenger, Triton and Pajero are now rated for 3000kg or better (the Pajero can do 3300kg).

Challenger rocks – well, its new improved braked tow rating does.

Driving Volkswagen's Amarok

 Update: The German ute is being introduced to the media here Feb 14-15. 4wdNewz will be there.

Volkswagen has a few early-production Amarok utes in the country and I've just been backroading in one of the double cab 4WDs. This is the first 4WD utility to seriously challenge the dominance of Japan's products – the SsangYong was a fizzer and Land Rover has only been able to carve a mini-niche with its utes. Volkswagen is gearing up to make the most of its opportunity, adding a bunch of service outlets and new dealers so that customers can have an Amarok, no matter where their paddock. The company's talking 400-450 in the first year and has taken deposits on 130 of them. (Update: one has posted an interesting comment, below.) Built in Argentina – and soon, also, in Germany – the Amarok is competent, slightly larger than most Japanese rivals, and has a good load area. There's an earlier posting here. Its cab is well designed and roomy, with rubber floormats on the base model.

It's powered by a two litre Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) common rail diesel developed from the unit in Golf, Jetta and Tiguan. The 4WDs use a bi-turbo version that produces 120kW and 400Nm of torque from 1500rpm. An entry-level 2WD will have a lower powered version with 340Nm. The twin turbos eliminate lag and provide possibly the smoothest-performing diesel ute on the market. The 400Nm of torque is more than enough, despite what some rivals will claim, but I'm wondering whether it has quite enough kWs? The ute will first be available only with a six speed manual, but an auto is expected late next year. The ratios are well chosen and the ’box a pleasure to use.

Volkswagen has worked out indicative pricing that puts the leather-upholstered Highline 4WD double cab at $62,000 compared to $60,390 for the equivalent Hilux. The lower-line model is $56,800 compared to Toyota's $55,690. These  numbers may change by the time the trucks arrive, but were it my money, I'd gladly pay the extra for the Amarok at those prices, but the reality is that when the respective brands' salesmen have finished playing their discounting game, the Japanese product is likely to be significantly cheaper and, despite VW's efforts to extend its network, has a far deeper sales and service network. However, the Amarok deserves a place in our market and 2011 will be one of the most interesting years ever to watch how the ute market evolves.

Presence of Amaroks provided a surprise at the launch of the new Touareg. No, it's not crazy styling you're looking at, just the effect of a very w-i-d-e angle lens.

Three takes on the tray, from left, a hard tonneau; New Zealand-made sports bar; and Plain Jane (the far one's a 2WD)

Nissan's cheque is not in the mail

I've recently been driving a bunch of compact-to-medium soft off roaders and the one that stands above the rest is Nissan's X-Trail diesel. I know I said in an earlier post that I wouldn't write about soft off-roaders any more – the ones without low gearing, with no ground clearance to speak of, and dangerously shallow approach and departure angles. However, if you're in the position of needing a machine of this type in your family, do try the X-Trail diesel. It's not a good looker, but drivers of "proper" off-roaders will like its general "feel" and the stoic nature of the Renault-Nissan motor. It's also roomy for its size and well built. Look for more in the January issue of Top Gear NZ.

A few tweaks for the NZ-spec Grand Vitara

Suzuki has upgraded its Grand Vitara. Funny, I was just thinking the other day that it was about time the popular small-medium SUV had a bit of a freshen-up. The accompanying photos show the current model on its Australasian launch in the Aussie Outback, but the exterior's hardly changed. An electronic stability program and cruise control become standard across the range, which begins with the three-door 2.4 litre JLX. Also now standard are disc brakes on all wheels. The flagship  2.4 LTD gets as standard the previously optional seven-spoke 18 inch alloys and 225/65 tyres. All the Grand Vitaras are competent off roaders, so long as their modest ground clearance isn't challenged.

The vehicles are still reasonable value in today's marketplace. The base three-door 2.4 model with five-speed manual costs $31,690; the five-door 2.4 LTD $41,990; and the top 3.2 litre V6 LTD, $46,990.

The littlest Pajero

You don't see many of these Mitsubishi Pajero Juniors any more – and you certainly don't see this one, which was written off in December 2004. At the time the picture was taken, this Junior was Mitsubishi's media demonstrator and what a capable little machine it was. The 'Jr' was much more comfortable than its obvious rival, the Suzuki Samurai, and still had more performance to offer at 100km/h, compared to the Suzuki which at that speed had pretty well given its all. Off-road, the Junior performed as well as the Suzuki. It used a sweet 1094cc engine producing just 59kW, but then the vehicle's weight was only 960kg! Wikipedia has some stuff on the Junior here. And there's a good spec sheet at this site.

Four great days in the middle of nowhere

One of the top off-road trips, the Motu School East Cape Safari, is on again from January 30 to February 2. Here's a selection of photos from previous events. The trip follows a circuitous route in, around and across farms, forests, and rivers in the East Cape region, The group camps each night in a different area. To check if there are still vacancies, and to reserve as spot, call Paul or Shelly at 0-6-863 5804. The Kauri Coast, in Northland, is also on again in 2011. There's an earlier post on it here.

Where in the world … a readership update

4wdNewz has commented before on its readership, first on the number of visits from Russia, then the American 'invasion'. As of today, the top 10 nations from which readers have come are: New Zealand, Panama, the US, the Ukraine, Australia, Germany, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Russia and Hungary. New Zealand, of course, is way ahead of the others but Panama's edging out the US is a surprise. Not sure why that should be. Anyway, as always, a warm welcome to overseas visitors – whatever your reason for taking a peek at our muddy little world!

Alloy underprinnings for 2012 Range Rover

Spy pictures are now appearing on the Internet (and in today's AutoMotive News in the New Zealand Herald) of the 2012 Range Rover, which will have an aluminium chassis, saving some 400kg over the current model. Well, yes, it’s a monocoque body, but the engineers say so much work has been done to reinforce the underpinnings that it’s as close as dammit to a separate platform. The ‘chassis’ will also underpin the next Range Rover Sport, which now rides on the Discovery's platform.

The spypix don’t give away a lot, although there are hints of the promised roomier interior, a rounder nose and lower roof.

Producing lighter bodies is a major crusade at Land Rover, so don’t be surprised to see alloy underpinnings also appearing on the Discovery and all-new Defender.

Underneath a well shielded Range Rover Sport today;
one day soon it'll be shiny alloy.

Nirvana for lovers of old Land Rovers

Here's something from YouTube for lovers of old Land Rovers. If you're not an enthusiast don't even bother; you'll have dozed off before you have time to push the 'stop' button.

Beyond the Waikumete incident

Whenever boy racers are asked why they act as they do on our roads, one reason usually given is "because there's nowhere else to go". Other reasons are that it's fun and it pisses-off "authorities" which range from the police, to parents, to anyone over 30. Last night, viewers of TV One's Close Up programme were probably appalled, and rightly so, that a 21 year old had taken his father's elderly Toyota Surf and done some urban off-roading in the huge and obviously inviting Waikumete Cemetery, driving over graves and leaving some fairly serious ruts. He was caught by hidden cameras.

I suspect that there's some of the boy racer reasoning behind this awful transgression – of all places to try urban off-roading! – in that there are few opportunities to go four-wheel-driving in this SUV-laden newly-combined city of 1.4 million, and it's getting worse all the time. One by one, local authorities took away access to paper roads that provided some opportunities if you knew where they were. Beach access has been restricted, or threatened. Access to the local forests has for the most part been curtailed. The Jeep Woodhill 4WD Park has opened, but the Extreme 4WD Park has closed. Even clubs are often found scratching their heads over locations for trips.

Over the years, the organised 4WD movement has made sensible approaches to local bodies, including the Auckland Regional Council, for permission to use some "rubbish" land that's good for little else but off-roading. These approaches came to nothing. Perhaps recreational 4WD enthusiasts need to get in the public's face a bit more because lack of off-roading opportunities will only lead to further incidents like the one at Waikumete.

Hmm, well I got that wrong ...

Grrr...

Having come from 12 years with a highly modified 4WD, I vowed to leave my new Wrangler Rubicon 2-door pretty much alone. Decent tyres just one size bigger than stock, decent shocks, strong rocksliders on the sides, a good nose skidplate, some recovery points and no messing around with suspension lifts, fancy bumpers (despite the Wrangler's being godawful) or any of that sort of thing. Careful, thoughtful driving, along with the standard diff locks and swaybar disconnect would see me everywhere I needed to go.

If you're thinking along similar lines, whatever your make and model, I'm here to say right now that we're both wrong. You won't have enough ground clearance. Your plastic-coated factory bumpers will be the rubbish you thought they might be, but hoped they wouldn't. I'm not having trouble (so far) with clearance at the diff heads, but with general body clearance. Careful observation has told me I'm about 50mm shy, and fortunately good suspension kits offering this sort of lift are plentiful. I'll probably go back to ARB, having had a good run with that company's kit on the Defender 90. For sure, even more air between me and the track might be nice, but 50 mils should lift me over the silly little snags I'm encountering.

Apart from being flimsy, the Wrangler's front bumper compromises the approach angle and the rear is a most stupid design into which the number plate holder is integrated. This holder sticks below the bumper proper and it's only going to take one or two more strikes to damage or even rip the thing off. ARB products and a liberal application of money will solve these problems, but they'll add weight and one of my aims was to keep extra weight low.

Oh well, my original plans seemed sound at the time. I'll report back as the project progresses.