Discovery 3's suddenly looking better as an enthusiast vehicle

Wow, high mileage Discovery 3s are now selling in the mid-$20,000 range, putting them at or close to the point when you'd consider one as an off-road tourer, when the odd scratch and scuff won't matter so much. True, it's packed with electronics just waiting to go wrong on a cold and damp trip, but the model's overall reliability has turned out to be way better than the original Disco or Disco 2. The lower-priced ones will almost always be 4.4 litre V8s; the desirable TDV6 diesel attracts a premium. 4wdNewz drove the diesel shown here back in 2005 and it's alive and well today with almost 140,000km on the clock.

No Wrangler ute; Jeep to go for a proper one-tonner

You can get this as a kitset, but forget about a production version

Visitors to 4wdNewz have always shown interest when the subject of a Jeep Wrangler ute has come up. Mopar makes an (expensive) JK-8 conversion kit, as do a couple of American aftermarket specialists. The utes look really cool and are fairly practical, so there's been lots of speculation that Chrysler might put one into production. But now that seems unlikely. Instead, Jeep's more likely to introduce a "proper" one-tonne rival for the Japanese utes.This would probably be based on a new-generation commercial vehicle platform, shared with the Ram truck and Fiat Professional brands. So not a Jeep at all, apart from the badge.

This update came from Fiat Chrysler Group Australia managing director Clyde Campbell. “I think the clear decision is that if you are going to have a pick-up it has got to be a metric-tonne pick-up … it’s got to be a beast that ticks a few boxes.” The JK-8 conversion can only take about 800kg and a motorcycle won't fit on its tray. “It’s a funny sort of configuration, but it looks fantastic,” said Campbell.

More than meets the eye in double cab Land Cruiser 70

4wdNewz got the story, but not the whole story, when we broke the news of the double cab Toyota Land Cruiser 70, back in August. What we didn't know then was that ABS braking has been added and to accommodate this, rear brakes change from drum-type to disc. The 70 Series' ABS works in high range only, unless the optional diff locks are engaged. And it's fitted to all models. Other changes to the 70 include new seats and a revised dashboard. Meanwhile, fuel capacity in all wagon models has increased to 130 litres, up from 90 litres. The Troop Carrier betters that with a second tank taking capacity to 180 litres! Pricing: $73,390 for the 70 double cab and $79,580 for the LX model.

What's that, an earth temor? Nope, it's Crumpy turning in his grave

Toyota has announced an FJ40 "off-road package" option for "hard core Kiwi adventurers" to be available later in the year. Hey, great: super low gearing, maybe; a front diff lock; detachable swaybars; a snorkel; 35-inch mud tyres? Sorry, none of those. The package comprises Crawl Control, an 87-litre auxilliary fuel tank, and some more underbody protection. Oh well. But wait, there's more barely interesting news: the rear view mirror-mounted reversing camera display has been enlarged from 2.4 inches to 3.3 inches.Additional 3.5mm AUX and USB input jacks have been added to the dash and there are new colours, orange Super Nova (above) and silver Cement.

Five stars are still five stars with a Holden Colorado bullbar

Holden has had good news from the The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). The Colorado crew cab keeps its top five-star safety rating when fitted with the genuine accessory bullbar. Holden underlines that this is for the crew cab only, but is not commenting on what happens with the other models.

These are the 4WDs most favoured by NZ thieves

Detractors of Jeeps and Land Rovers have been heard to say that you can't give them away, but it gets worse; it seems that hardly anyone wants to steal them, either. According to the Police's national car theft figures for the last six months, only 10 thieves wanted a Jeep, six helped themselves to a Land Rover and three to a Range Rover. On the other hand, 4wdNewz wouldn't want to park a Patrol-Safari in a dark alleyway. At 32, it was the most-stolen 4WD in the period. Members of the Land Cruiser family, including the Prado, were next at 25, followed by versions of the Isuzu Trooper-Bighorn-Jackaroo, etc at 17. Only seven considered a Vitara-Escudo worth flogging and nobody took a Jimny or Samurai.

Responsible four-wheel-driving? … oh, you must want the other site

To be honest, there's absolutely no reason to post this photo, except it's one of 4wdNewz's favourite Jeep hooning shots. And yes, it really was taken on private property and no species were endangered. It's surprising that more TJ Wranglers like this aren't being used as club trucks. Trademe is awash with them, there's a big aftermarket infrastructure and, petrol aside, they don't cost a lot to run.

Why you should run a Samurai rather than a Jeep

This has been on YouTube for a while. It's really funny, whether you own either type of vehicle. Caution: includes language that you'll never have heard on a 4wd trip.

You read it here first: Nissan confirms new Patrol for NZ

After a couple of years of dithering in the hope that a suitable diesel would be dropped into the expensive and luxurious new Y62 Patrol, Nissan New Zealand today confirmed to 4wdNewz that it has decided to introduce it with the 5.6 litre petrol V8. This follows Nissan Australia's decision to offer the vehicle, which has been a big hit in the cost-no-object Gulf states of the Middle East. Pricing hasn't been announced, but don't expect it to be cheap.

The 298kW V8 produces 560Nm of torque, 90 per cent of it available at 2500rpm, and drives through a seven-speed auto and Nissan's electronically controlled, All Mode 4X4 system. The V8 engine is rated at 14.5 litres per 100km. Suspension is independent all round, a major departure from the rigid axles of previous generations. The body is larger than before "by some measure", offering luxurious accommodation for up to eight. Nissan says that even with the third row of seats occupied there remains ample space to stow a full-size cooler box in the cargo bay. With the second and third rows of seats folded, more than 3100 litres of cargo space are released.

Here's an earlier post.

Daihatsu Feroza: not a bad little truck

The Daihatsu Feroza's problem was that it came along just before the Suzuki Vitara, a similar light 4WD but with styling that caught the public's eye. So, from 1989, the Feroza was eclipsed by the sexy Suzuki and went out of production with a bit of a whimper in 1998. Mechanically, it was similar to the Vitara, with a 1600cc SOHC engine (carb. but later EFI) and a manual gearbox. Although Ferozas were made with an automatic, 4wdNewz isn't aware of any coming to New Zealand unless perhaps as a used import. Suspension was independent in the front, solid in the rear, supported by coil springs. Such companies as ARB made a reasonable range of accessories but Feroza was never supported by anything like the Vitara's vast aftermarket. Today, a huge range of good gear is available for early Vitaras from such companies as Calmini in the USA, but Feroza owners are largely on their own.

There wasn't much difference between the ability of the two off-road, although the Daihatsu seemed to be slightly more rugged. Because the roof could be removed, with some effort, the Feroza had an integral roll bar at the B-pillar – a comforting feature if something went horribly wrong on a sidling. A wide-track version was introduced for the last few years of production, giving it an extra measure of sure-footedness. It's the version to look for.

Ferozas are not often seen nowadays. Those that survive are generally "well used" and have high mileage. They sell in the $2500-$3500 range.

This shot clearly shows the impressively broad stance of the widetrack model.

This special edition with various dressup items was added to the New Zealand lineup near the end of Feroza's production life. It was replaced by the awful Terios.

The meaty stuff on the next Range Rover

Yeah, another posting on the fifth generation Range Rover. Sure, it'll cost more than some of our holiday homes, but consider this as a heads-up on a good club truck for 2030. Autocar in the UK has just posted lots of good technical info, including the engine lineup.

These Coopers are super, at least on the road

I'm a bit of a BFGoodrich devotee when it comes to non-extreme mud tyres, although I succumbed to the new asymmetric Goodyear Wrangler M/Ts a couple of years ago and have been perfectly satisfied with them. I've recently put 500km on a set of Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx mud tyres, The off-roading was so mild that mud treads weren't needed so I can't comment on their abilities when used in anger. However, I was hugely impressed by how little they gave away to street rubber on the road; they're fantastic. Ride, grip and handling are notable and they're quite quiet.

Suzuki's Jimny goes up against a Defender 90, sort of

Autocar in the UK has posted a video of a test pitting the Defender 90 against the Suzuki Jimny. It's here and worth watching, if you have an interest in either vehicle. The conclusion was that the Suzuki can follow the Land Rover pretty much anywhere. But hang on, the test track was anything but challenging. In the few places the clay track did look a bit interesting the Jimny didn't have a chance.

Nissan Navara RX – an ST-X in gumboots

I've enjoyed driving the Nissan Navara RX King Cab ute, a reasonably basic model that slots between the evergreen D22 and the upmarket ST-X. The 2.5 litre turbodiesel, a detuned version of the ST-X 450's (and the Pathfinder) produces 126kW and 403Nm of torque, sufficient to provide decent performance that falls off a little only when asked to haul a full load. The RX has a limited slip differential in the back; electronic aids are limited to ABS and ESP. On-road ride and handling are way better than the D22, loaded or light. That deck's a new lightweight laminate wood design from Best Bars. It retails at about $2000 and looks to be really well built.