Trend spotting: the shape of things to come

Writing in the Auckland 4WD Club's magazine, 42 Traverse cleanup organiser Peter Vahry notes: "There was a steady flow of mountain bikers … and more than 25 quad bikes passed through the work areas during the day. An interesting point was the use of the route by a group of side by side vehicles. These are now the size of 4WDs like the Suzuki Jimny and have steering wheels, so blur the line a bit, since they’re using the route when 4WDs are barred by the seasonal closure from 1 May to 1 December."

Side-by-sides have proliferated and are suddenly serious alternatives to 4WDs for some activities – plus they can go places our vehicles can't, although the reverse is also true. 4wdNewz is aware of a number of off-road racers and 4WDers who have moved to side-by-sides, or have one as an additional toy. Will be interesting to see how this all plays out.