Innehållsförteckning för May 2016 från NZ4WD

Obviously keen to generate a bit of hype – and hopefully demand – ahead of an official launch at some stage in the near future, Holden NZ was quick to pass on these pics of two concept vehicles, a new Colorado Xtreme double cab ute, and related Trailblazer SUV, shown for the first time at this year’s Bangkok International Motor Show at the end of March. Both were designed and built at Holden’s GM Australia Design Centre in Melbourne to, says Holden NZ MD Kristian Aquilina, “explore two very different directions for the popular truck and SUV, giv(ing) customers a strong hint at Chevrolet and Holden’s future design direction.” Special features of the Colorado Extreme include; • A custom colour. • Front safari bar with integrated LED bar and winch.…

Icon is a US company which has developed a reputation second-to-none for its cost-is-no-object classic-meets-modern Toyota Land Cruiser builds. The latest is the 100th FJ44, created in conjunction with the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles. Though it bears a passing resemblance to a traditional Toyota ‘Cruiser, the Petersen Special is effectively new from the tyres up, with every component part upgraded to suit the most discerning of off-road customers. The engine, for instance is now an aftermarket Chev-based V-8 that displaces 6.2 litres and pumps out 402kW (540hp) at 5,900 rpm and 570Nm (424 ft lb) of torque at 4,600 rpm thanks to assistance from a supercharger. Suspension is by Fox Racing, axles by Dana and brakes – by Brembo of course – feature six-piston front calipers, four-piston rear calipers,…

Old and rare Land Rovers are fetching higher and higher prices at auction in the UK, with Silverstone Auctions setting new benchmarks this year with two very special Series One examples at this year’s Practical Classics Restoration and Classic Car Show. One of the earliest Land Rovers produced, a 1948 Series One Chassis #149, sold for $97,937 (£47,250), more than $41,544 (£20,000) over its lower estimate, and the highest price for a Series One in recent years. Not only that but one of the last Defenders produced, a 2016 Land Rover 110 Heritage Edition, one of only 400 made and with just 108 miles on the odometer, sold for $87,445 (£42,188). A historically important and very rare car, a 1950 Land Rover Series I Station Wagon with coachwork by Tickford,…

Opposite Lock was formed in the mid 1970s by a keen Aussie rally driver and off-roader Ed Mulligan as a supplier of motorsport equipment, hence the name ‘Opposite Lock. In the early 1980s the company started supplying 4WD-vehicle equipment and accessories and this side of the business grew so quickly that by 1991 it was our total focus. Whilst many of our people are motorsport enthusiasts, our business is all about supplying accessories and equipment for 4WD and Light Commercial vehicles. Originally founded in Sydney, the company has grown under the stewardship of current Managing Director, Clive Finkelstein, from a network of stores in the high teens to 65 stores in Australia, the first one here in New Zealand, and a global network that is continuing to expand under the…

I always enjoy the biennial Urewera Safari, with its well-planned off-road sections and the interesting information each participant is given regarding the properties, their history and owners/managers. It’s fascinating stuff, with the information backed up each day by the advance team which posts notices/ signs of the property as you enter and other information as to views and other highlights. I’ve done every ‘Urewera’ for 12 years now and as far as I am concerned its success as an event comes down to the planning and route preparation by Mark Harris as the organiser, and brother Chris Harris who heads the lead team each day. Mark’s work with the Beef and Lamb NZ gives him the contacts for many of the properties the safari traverses through and it was with…

It’s an inevitable part of off-roading. But don’t let getting stuck put you off your adventure, make sure you pack the right recovery equipment for your vehicle and terrain. Off-road adventuring can take you across every type of terrain imaginable, from beach sand to soft mud, slick ice, powdery snow, sticky clay, loose rocks and gravel, creek and river crossing, ocean spray and dust. The world we choose to explore doesn’t let us do it with ease, or even with safety. Make no mistake there can be dangers when you choose to leave the bitumen, so when you do, you have to be armed with the gear proven to get you out and keep you safe. Snatch straps Snatch straps are purpose designed to stretch a small way under intense…

The fifth round of the NZ National 4x4 Trial Series was organised by the Windy City Club of Wellington but located just north of Masterton in the foothills at the end of Kiriwhakapapa Road. The area was dry and the expectation, initially, was of a day of dust… until everyone arrived at the venue and discovered a number of bogs and waterholes. With 52 entries an early end to the day was in prospect; albeit not as early as Neil Moratti and daughter Elle who holed a sump and couldn’t get a spare. Though a lot of obstacles were set out in a similar way to those at previous events at the venue it didn’t seem to help those entered this time around. Some very good thinking plus a number…

With this year’s Toyota Festival based at Highlands Motorsport Park in Central Otago between Friday 18 and Sunday 20 March, Toyota NZ took the opportunity to add a tagalong-style 4x4 Safari component through the surrounding hills. More than 400 Toyota enthusiasts and families alike arrived at the Highland’s Motorsport Park for the annual Festival which was held in the South Island for the first time. Festival-goers had six activities to choose from this year including track sessions, off-road skills courses and the 4x4 adventure. FJ Cruiser displays were popular as was Kiwi musical icon, Dave Dobbyn, who chatted to other like-minded Toyota 86 owners after some quick laps during Saturday’s track sessions and had a crack at the 4x4 adventure at the historic Bendigo Station on Sunday.…

Production of the Maserati Levante, the Italian company’s first ever SUV, started in Turin at the end of February and examples are expected to go on sale here in early 2017. The Levante’s chassis has been designed to combine excellent on and off-road performance and ride with a level of luxury the market has come to expect from the revitalised marque. Standard spec on all petrol and diesel versions, for instance, is an electronically-controlled air suspension system with multiple settings, intelligent Q4 all-wheel drive and eight-speed automatic transmission.…

Responding to the move, by the organisers of this year’s Best in the Desert off-road racing series, to create a new ‘factory stock’ class, Ford has created a race-ready F-150 Raptor you can buy off your local (if you live in the US of course!) dealer. The Raptor race truck will leverage Raptor’s production platform including its all-new high-output 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine and 10-speed transmission, along with torque-on-demand transfer case. Modifications for competition include: • Fitting of a set of three-inch diameter external-bypass front and rear Fox Racing Shox. • Race-optimized front and rear springs to raise the ride height to gain additional ground clearance and provide an increased compression rate to handle extreme terrain. • A custom-fabricated roll cage. • MasterCraft seats with five-point harness safety belts and window…

The new Projecta HDBM4000, eight-stage 6/12/24V 3-40A workshop battery charger caters to all vehicle, equipment and marine battery types in a clever, single unit that provides effective and worry-free testing, charging and maintenance. The Projecta unit is light and compact and, once connected to the battery automatically sets an ideal charge rate (3-40A) which can be manually adjusted if required. The HDBM4000 also analyses overall battery condition, tests charge level and starting capacity, and checks for alternator faults. Another excellent feature is the clever engine start mode for batteries that have gone flat. It delivers a short and powerful charge that can have a vehicle ready to start in five minutes, while a ‘showroom mode’ allows the unit to operate silently if charging at night or in a quiet environment.…

New vehicle test reports are, usually anyway, full of numbers. True. You get the odd gusher high on hyperbole and low on fact and substance. But most defer to numbers. To be fair, most of my test reports follow a similar vein. Despite the fact that when I’m sitting around with my car-mad mates after a mountain bike ride, the currency of comparison is more subjective than objective. Take Toyota’s new Gen 8 Hilux, and my job this month, to try and balance the two extremes. Yes I will quote some numbers, but no, I won’t base all my conclusions on them. Where to start? The Gen 7 model is as good a place as any. Taking its cue from customer feedback, Toyota made the Gen 7 ‘more car-like.’ In…

When your vehicle’s caught in a torrential downpour on a steep mountain track, stuck in knee deep mud or bogged in an isolated desert in sweltering temperatures, the reliability, performance and durability of your recovery gear is paramount. Don’t trust your vehicle to substandard recovery products that could jeopardise you and your vehicle’s safety. ARB’s vehicle recovery accessories are engineered and manufactured to the highest standards, making them ideal for recreational use as well as competition. Recovery straps When the only thing preventing your vehicle from imminent danger is a narrow strip of fabric, nothing but the best will do. ARB’s comprehensive range of recovery straps are woven and fabricated to strict quality specifications and tested by a NATA approved laboratory to ensure optimum performance.. Snatch strap Specifically designed to…

Has four-wheeling looked after our opportunities well enough? That’s a rhetorical question, since it seems that over recent years many places to enjoy four wheeling have come under pressure and a lot are now off-limits to our recreation. There have been social changes outside of our control, such as the clamping down on those commonly referred to as ‘boy racers’ and increasing environmental awareness around water quality. It seems that the policing of vehicle modifications and wheel spinning had encouraged quite a few ‘boy racers’ to move to the world of 4WD where they can still modify their vehicles and wheel spin, albeit not on sealed roads. Sadly, that scenario has meant a lot of generally young people, searching for places where they can let off steam and those places…

McCall destroyed his car’s Chev LS2 V8 in a fiery explosion at the pre-season Teng Tools rallycross at Mount Maunganui but bounced back with a bigger 403 cubic inch V8 with even more power and 745Nm of torque when the championship got under way with an ENZED-backed short course event at Mangawhai north-east of Auckland on Easter Saturday. He had one of the toughest drives of the day, too, racing against seven other leading unlimited-class racers including Mike Fraser in his immaculate V8 single-seater and Alan Hilliam in his Porsche-powered car. It was McCall who came out on top though, setting the class 1 lap record, a 48.532, in the heats then capping off the day with a popular win in the reverse grid ‘Big Bangers’ feature outright, ahead of…

We are still enjoying temperatures which are warmer than normal; which for those of us who want to be outdoors four wheeling, it is a good thing. Not so at the Dodgy Bros workshop though as I replace the broken CV and axle in LR90. With overalls on the sweat has been pouring off me. But with that job nearly done there are several more lined up as I have noticed that the steering drop arm ball joint rubber has split, and also the larger rear A-frame ball joint is the same, so there are even more maintenance jobs to attend to. Speaking of which, the other day a friend stopped in with his vehicle after work saying that the V8 was not running right and was using a lot…

Central Districts 4x4 Club of Feilding is holding their second 4x4 swap meet and show and shine event at the Manfeild Stadium on Sunday July 03. After the success of the first show last year there is strong interest in this year’s event with displays of winch trucks, national trials competition trucks, and a military vehicles restoration club display. There will be something for everyone who is interested in 4WD vehicles with new and old on display or for sale including winches, tyres, lights, accessories and much more. Club displays will be judged by the public with cash prizes plus there will be a large number of trade stands. The New Zealand Four Wheel Drive Association (NZFWDA) will also be represented with their own stand as well. Gates open at…

Blending the performance and handling of an RZR sports model with the rugged, go-anywhere attributes of its Ranger line, Polaris has created an all-new Side-by-Side model it has called the General. From the Ranger comes all-wheel-drive, engine braking, electric power steering, a 272kg rated dump tray and a towing rating of 680kg. While from the RZR comes 311mm front/335mm rear suspension travel for 305mm of ground clearance as well as anti-sway bars front and rear. Two versions of the General are destined for New Zealand shores by late-April, the Premium with an RRP of $26,495 inc GST and the Deluxe at $29,995 inc GST. Both versions include a 4500lb winch as standard, sport low profile front bumpers plus 14” alloy wheels with tough eight-ply Dirt Commander tyres. The Deluxe takes…

In spite of the recent popularity of the matt black finish, stainless steel has lost none of its shine with vehicle owners and may even be more popular than ever, according to local accessory manufacturer and supplier. Best Bars Limited. In fact, more utes and SUVs are going onto New Zealand roads sporting brightly polished bars and fittings made from stainless steel than at any time in the past 30 years. “It’s the perfect way to make your ute or SUV stand out and offer more protection at the same time,” says Best Bars CEO Stephen de Kriek. “Stainless steel keeps its shine and good looks for much longer than other materials and it’s very robust.” Best Bars, which is also well known for its quality towbars, has expanded the…

April 25th 2016 NZ Offroad Racing NZ Short Course Championships; short course champs hosted by CORC. www.oranz.co.nz April 23th 2016 Whangarei Four Wheel Drive Club Tagalong day; at Tangiteroria. meet at Tangiteroria Tavern for registration at 8.00am, leaving 9.00am. This is a tagalong across a farm under the Tangiteroria ranges. Suitable for all driver skill levels novice to experienced. Vehicles need to have low range and all terrain tyres as minimum. Cost is $30 per vehicle. Registration forms available www.facebook.com/ whangareifourwheeldriveclub.org/ For more information Contact Rodney 021539550. May 29th 2016 MudFest 2016; with a new venue at Meremere. Featuring: 4x4 track, obstacles, mud drags, mud drifting, Mudkhana, mud cruising, trade alley, family entertainment and so much more! Open to anyone and everyone! You don’t need a big 4x4 truck to…

I’m starting to get used to being a passenger on 4WD trips rather than driving. Since my daughter Claire got her licence I have been relegated to the passenger seat, while she tries her hand at this off-road driving stuff. This was her third safari so my input is needed less and less. She did let me have a brief drive in the play area at the end and I am allowed to drive home when she gets tired! This was the second running of the Cozzie 4x4 Glen Massey Safari. Glen Massey is a small town on the road between Ngaruawahia and Waingaro Hot Springs. It was originally a coal mining settlement but the mines closed in 1958. Nowadays it is regaining popularity as a quiet and peaceful village…

NZ Adventures operates self-drive tours throughout the South Island with up to 15 customer vehicles and 35 people on any one of the tours at a time. The tours – of which there are currently six different ones – are on offer are available from November through to the end of April. The business website is www.nzadventures.co.nz Our lead vehicle and the one which carries the majority of the equipment we carry with us on a tour is a 2012 Toyota Land Cruiser 75 Series Station Wagon. We also run on most tours a second tail end vehicle which is a 2015 Isuzu MUX. Ready for work The Land Cruiser is dedicated to the tours only while the Isuzu is the run around vehicle doing most of the landowner visits…

This was more than a fun 4WD trial, farmhouse accommodation was sourced and a spit roast meal for supporters of the series was put on. Consequently, the weekend was a great success with close and friendly competition. Seriously, if you don’t come out and see what it’s all about then you’re missing out! The executive summary says Jeeps took out five of the top six places and the normally reliable Toyotas had three mechanical failures. However let it be said that the first DNS was actually old mate Rob who left Taranaki in his Land Rover only to have a fuel pump fail on the highway. A search on Friday couldn’t find a replacement and he had to stay at home. This property we used (Orongorongo Station is due south…