Innehållsförteckning för March 2023 från NZ4WD

NEWS Great news for those who already own an electric vehicle, not so great for those pondering a change: the Government is considering ‘adjusting’ levels of rebates and penalties after only gathering $105.1m in fees. The government has paid out nearly twice as much in rebates as it has received in fees since the clean car discount scheme became fully operational last year. The feebate scheme was implemented at the start of April 2022 and offers discounts of up to $8,625 on certain low and zero-emissions vehicles when they are first registered in New Zealand. High emitters attract penalties of up to $5,175, with those levies designed to help cover the costs of paying for rebates. The system seems to have become a victim of its own success, at least…

NEWS Syncro – the under-rated four-wheel drive system from Volkswagen – is remembered by those who follow the German brand as one of the better drive systems produced by the company. Many would also agree that it is a transmission in search of a decent engine, VW having long abandoned flat-four air cooled power. But wait – a four-wheel drive, flat four engined VW van from last century? A reliable Japanese power plant? Interesting. This 1987 Volkswagen Vanagon has been through a restoration that included new paint, new interior upholstery, new suspension, and perhaps most interestingly, a new Subaru 2.5 litre flat-four engine. Set up as a minimalist camper, it has a fold-flat seat in the rear that makes a double bed and a small portable refrigerator. With its lifted…

When 4WD enthusiasts are thinking about braking systems, hoses are likely to be well down the list in terms of the components that immediately come to mind. Although brake hoses may not have the same prominence as other components such as brake pads, disc brake rotors, calipers or even the brake master cylinder, the humble brake hose is actually one of the most strictlyregulated components on a vehicle. This gives an indication of how critically important brake hoses are to the overall performance of a braking system. In a nutshell, brake hoses are responsible for carrying brake fluid from a vehicle's brake lines – which are fixed to the car or truck's underbody – on the last part of the fluid's journey to the brake calipers which of course are…

With years of experience overlanding across dozens of countries all over the world on 4WD journeys taking months to complete, I've learned a thing or two about which 4wd brands are mainly for show vs those genuinely offering superior durability. When it comes to roof racks, South African EEZI-AWN K9 systems are all we will now fit on any serious 4WD. Want to know how tough any roof rack brand really is? Ignore the advertising… flip them over to see how they're really made. Gone are the plastic/nylon corner inserts and rivets/ screws that hold other brand roof racks together. These platform racks have thick alloy corners and the most robust support structure you've ever seen, all welded together. No user assembly required and nothing to rattle loose over time.…

Ironman 4x4 offers a full range of automotive accessories including bull bars, suspension upgrades, side steps and rails, rear bars, underbody protection, lights, winches, snorkels and camping gear. See us for helpful advice and more than 60 years of 4WD industry experience. Bull bars made to suit Ironman 4x4's replacement winch bull bars are designed, engineered and tested in Australia. Every Ironman 4x4 bull bar is carefully crafted from premium grade materials and components to deliver the most comprehensive frontal protection and styling available Ironman 4x4 bull bars are carefully modelled using 3D vehicle scanning techniques to achieve optimal cosmetic design whilst providing maximum vehicle collision protection. All bars are made from the highest quality SPHC oil and pickled steel (not mild steel) to give maximum strength and rust resistance.…

Adventure NZ On the recent day trip to Cromwell (early December), to deliver a load of camping gear, we decided to have a look at the old Lindis Pass Historic Hotel on the way back to Geraldine. I had seen reference to it in several travel articles in other magazines but could not remember seeing it as we travelled through Lindis Pass on prior occasions so did a bit of research (googled it) to find out where it actually was. This old derelict hotel used to be on the old coach road through Lindis Pass from Tarras to Omarama but when the new highway SH8 got put through, it ended up on a no exit road and with no passing traffic. It is now a DOC camp, though a very…

4WD Sport Sam Thomsen and Mitchell Caldow built on their firstround success by winning Round two of the Lucas Oil NZ 4×4 Trials series. Wairarapa 4×4 Club hosted the second round on a property off Lake Ferry Road near Martinborough. Nathan Fogden/Mike Gibbons followed up their impressive result at Round 1 with an identical result at Round two, finishing first in C Class and third overall. Brinn Fogden/Sean Bydeley in the Zook-Sport Suzuki SJ413 were the sole entrants in A Class. The D Class team of Reuben Mason/Shane Mason were leading at midday, followed by Neal Turner/Wade Alexander. Neville Mather/Richard Verner also enjoyed a strong recovery in the afternoon to take third in class, just ahead of Turner/Alexander. Ryan Bold/Shaun Nicholson had a strong day to finish sixth in class/eighth…

New Zealanders do it differently. That old thing about ‘Number 8 wire’ really still defines the character of the nation. Luckily. So we are more hands-on than most when it comes to mechanical tinkering and tweaking. It's true of old school 4WDers and their beloved vehicles too. We are the world's most avid 4WDers. New vehicle sales reports are consistently headed by 4WDs – double-cab utes, SUVs of all descriptions, cult vehicles like the Suzuki Jimny. And out in the backblocks there's a huge army of us enjoying old-school 4WDs – Patrol, Prado, Land Rover, Land Cruiser and more. Classic 4WDs draw crowds. They're charming. Rustic. Nostalgic. They're the kind of vehicle that'll make you friends everywhere you go, and put an endless smile on your face every time you…

Ford's F150, the best-selling pickup in the world, is headed to our part of the world. So far, it's only in Australia; Ford New Zealand not yet confirming supply into this market. While the F150 is eagerly awaited in Australia, the absence of the F150 leaves Ford as the only brand not selling big pickups in New Zealand. It is a small but valuable niche in the market, and both Chevy and Ram have been logging strong sales. Complicating matters for these big brands is New Zealand's clean car legislation, which will hit importers of such vehicles harder this year. In preparation for the Australian arrival of the officially imported Ford F-150 ute – tipped to be in the second half of this year – Ford Australia has begun subjecting…

NEWS Land Rover's new Defender will drop fossil-fuel engines completely in the next few years as the company continues to reposition itself. The latest version of the popular 4x4 was introduced in 2020, but fully electric versions of the 90, 110 and 130 are expected as part of a refreshed Defender line-up in 2025, with cars reaching customers in 2026. The move is likely to mean a switch in platform tech, from the current D7 Premium Lightweight Architecture to the company's new MLA Flex platform which readily supports fully electric powertrains as well as internal combustion engines, and already underpins the firm's new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models, with all-electric versions of those cars due from 2024. The switch in platform will come at a time when the…

NEWS Those looks. That squared-off steering wheel. That grille. Pure electric drive to all four wheels. And an M version. BMW has boosted the performance of its iX electric SUV with this new iX M60 model. With 453kW (611bhp) and a chassis tweaked by BMW's M division, the iX M60 takes aim at Tesla's Model X. Sitting above the iX xDrive50 as the most powerful variant of BMW's technological flagship, the iX M60 develops a monstrous 1100Nm of torque thanks to a dual-motor four-wheel drive set-up, and will sprint from 0-100kph in 3.9 seconds. It powers on to a limited top speed of almost 250km/h. The vehicle's range is a claimed 574km. M-specific settings for the car's air suspension system should sharpen up the iX M60's handling, and as with…

Ford New Zealand will launch a new luxury-spec Ranger, the limited-edition Platinum, in mid-2023. “Ford listened hard to our customers throughout the design and development of the Next-Generation Ranger, and in doing so we've set a new bar for the segment,” said Ford New Zealand Managing Director Simon Rutherford, “We've seen growth in high-end variants in this segment over recent years, so we challenged ourselves to create a vehicle that provides all of our customers’ wants and needs.” “Ranger Platinum gives customers the chance to have their cake and eat it too; they get the Next-Gen Ranger's inherent capability with a serious dose of class and sophistication,” said Rutherford. Ranger Platinum is available in five-seat, double cab specification, and is powered by Ford's 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine, producing 184kW and…

TESTED Sure, the Ranger and Hilux dominate the ‘commercial’ market, and the new Ranger is still New Zealand's most popular passenger vehicle. But Nissan's Navara really stands comparison with any of its rivals. The Government's clean air law (aka ute tax) doesn't seem to have dampened enthusiasm for four-wheel drives. Dual-cab utes are the gift that keeps on giving to manufacturers in this country. Release a new one, regardless of price, and you've got an immediate waiting list. Launched in the days pre-pandemic, the current Navara quickly claimed its place among the other big, tough ‘proper’ utes. In fact, the truck can trace its lineage all the way back to 2015. Manufacturing, supply and demand were a little more closely aligned than they are now in 2023. Global supply networks…

PRODUCT Utemaster's Revolutionary New TrailCore Service Body shows that service bodies for utes are not just for tradies and contractors. Utemaster says the innovative design of the new TrailCore Service Body means it is the most spacious, practical, and modern service body ever to hit the market. Traditional service bodies tend to look very commercial which limits their dual-purpose capability for work and adventure. Kiwi 4WDers then find they need a separate weekend vehicle. Utes have become taller over time and the traditional design of a flat deck with a box on top is no longer ergonomic to work from, often resulting in strain injuries, a lot of wasted space in the body as well as disorganisation. The TrailCore features a unique drop-down floor which sits between the wheel arches.…

TESTED Mahindra has added a six-speed auto to its funky Pik Up. Sean Willmot takes a close look at Mahindra's new offering. The Pik Up has however, had one significant stumbling block, which has probably done quite a bit to hamper its success. That stumbling block is the lack of an automatic transmission until now. Lack of a self-shifter is not a problem Mahindra has had in isolation – there have been other manufacturers in the past who have fallen into this pit, including Volkswagen's gen 1 Amarok, a vehicle which arrived late and didn't have an auto for almost two years, costing the German ute more sales than it anticipated. Mahindra obviously felt the need for a self-shifter was a luxury its little truck-lette didn't need, and perhaps in…

Weekend Drive This year we decided to take advantage of the Christmas break to explore the region around New Plymouth – an area that is not really far enough away to be a big holiday destination but too far for a quick weekend trip. We booked five days camping at Oakura as a starting point, with further plans to be decided later. While Ashley and Gillian were well settled into sleeping in their converted 4WD people mover, this was the first major shakedown trip in the K-Pod – the teardrop-style minicaravan replacement for our very well used 2-person tent. The trip up from Wellington showed the K-Pod to be easy to tow, had much less impact on our fuel usage than it did when I first brought it back from…

Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel have won the car class in the 2023 Dakar Rally, once again winning in a Toyota Hilux. It is the fifth win for the pairing, the third for the Toyota Hilux Dakar, and the second consecutive win for all three. Al-Attiyah has been in control of this year's Dakar Rally for over a week, benefitting from both his own speed and misfortune striking most other contenders early. His lead was too big to overcome, but in the second week Sebastian Loeb made his presence known by winning six straight stages. That was enough for Loeb, co-driver Fabian Lurquin, and their Prodrive car to climb into second in the final classification, but Al-Attiyah still finished the rally more than an hour and 20 minutes ahead…

Well here we are, a new year and some new ideas. The truck is ready-ish, and there are some events I am keen to try this year. Some of them are new races too. For the first time, the national championship runs up against a 1000 km enduro. Otago club has built in the mega distance event at the final round – so racers do a day of short course, then two days of enduro – racing 250 for the nationals, adding a further 750 if doing the full 1000km distance. Opportunity: there are a lot of trucks and race cars for sale at the moment. TradeMe has race trucks including a Pro 2 (rolling chassis, fresh from the States. Just add your preferred engine and trans) and a Ford…

Choosing a bull bar for a 4WD comes down to price, styling and strength. There are hundreds of manufacturers out there making bull bars and replacement bumpers for vehicles it's hard to know where to start. But first up what is a bull bar? It comes from the Aussies, where in the outback they put big bars on vehicles for rounding up the cattle in the remote stations, hence the name “bull bars”. These days they are more than protection from animal strikes, offering styling, somewhere to mount a winch, spot lights and aerials as well offering protection in regards to off-road incidents with trees. Therefore a bull bar has an important role in how you use your 4WD. How you use your 4WD is an important question to ask…

NEWS Big news for fans of electric vehicles: the whole world seems to like pure EVs. Bad news for fans of real 4WDs: nobody is selling these vehicles with electric power in New Zealand. The closest we get right now is a cluster of road-oriented SUVs and LDV's twowheel drive T60, a creditable start but not the first choice for overlanding adventures. Toyota is showing a concept EV Hilux overseas, but details are sketchy and there's no date for RHD versions. Ford has its F150 Lightning, but again there's no news of an RHD version. The GMSV operation has its hands busy with a new version of the Silverado, and Chevrolet has an EV version in development. Again, no firm information about RHD production. Tesla? Its strange-looking ‘Cyber’ ute has…

The final ANCAP safety rating for 2022 was a five-star award for the GWM Tank 300. Hybrid variants of the large SUV scored full points in the critical body regions of both the driver and front seat passenger in the frontal offset test. This high score was however offset by the maximum 4.00 point penalty for vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility as the front structure of the Tank 300 was shown to pose a high risk to the occupants of an oncoming vehicle, if struck. The 300 also scored for its ability to protect the driver and front seat occupants in the range of side impact crash test scenarios. Whiplash protection for front and rear seat passengers was Good, as was protection offered to both the 10 year and six year child dummies…

It's been a while since New Zealand's defence forces used Land Rovers. These days it's more about Mercedes’ Unimog or specialist stuff like the big armoured LAV. Traditional Land Rover fans might spit feathers at the idea of a unibody (monocoque construction) vehicle with comfortable seating and no propensity to leave an oil trail or let in the elements, but there was the same fuss a few decades back when the Land Rover updated to coil spring suspension and – gasp – disc brakes! Land Rover has been showing slightly militarised New Defenders at defence expo events since late 2021. Will the British military be making a bulk purchase of the New Defender model, built in Slovakia to replace the roughly 6,400-strong current military Truck Utility Medium or Wolf 110…

Nissan's Navara ute rewrote Nissan's market profile and also gave birth to the Pathfinder SUV. The Navara is the nameplate used for D21, D22, D23 and D40 Nissan pickup trucks for almost 40 years. The nameplate has been used in Australia, New Zealand, Central America, South America, Asia, Europe, and South Africa. In North, Central and South America and other selected markets, it is marketed as the Nissan Frontier or Nissan NP300. The Navara gets its name from the Navarre region of northern Spain. The European version is built at the Nissan factory in Barcelona. The Navara D21 started it all. It was the successor to the Datsun 720, sold as the Nissan Datsun Truck in Japan. After the lightweight 720, which offered only a few 4WD models, the D21…

Tricky stuff: while many reckon a 4WD doesn't look right without a good coating of mud and some scratches, protecting that investment from damage makes sense, especially when so many Kiwis are using a 4WD as their daily transport. It's not so bad if the truck's a $3000 Lada Niva, but a late model Ranger or Hilux? Ouch. Fit a bullbar. Fit side steps. Rear bars. A bash plate. A bonnet shield. The best thing about protection gear these days is it looks great. Individualise and protect that truck at the same time? Perfect. Protect the paint with a ‘wrap’ or an application of Raptor? Yes please. Fit some headlight shields. Yep. Wanting to customise and upgrade a 4x4 with off-road accessories can be a deeply personal thing. It's often…

Adventure NZ Part 1 of the Journey appeared in NZ4WD February issue. Our plan for the following day was to head out of camp and travel north up the Hurunui River to Lake Sumner. Cameron asked if we minded if a few of the crew tagged along with us – naturally we welcomed the company – but as the sun dropped bang, bang, bang the doors went – engines fired up and the entire group left en-masse heading for the pub in Culverden. Fortunately, Kev had the foresight to put a couple of extra sausages in his pocket for later, so dinner sorted our six members of the Fellowship - sat on the porch sampling fine ales and spotting deer grazing on the hillside opposite the shearers’ quarters as again…

4WD Sport Former V8 Supercar champion Craig Lowndes says he is pushing General Motors to compete in Australia's Finke Desert Race in 2023. “I've always wanted to do the Finke – there's no question about that,” said Lowndes, who is a GMSV ambassador. Lowndes has his eye on a production class off-road racing version of Chevrolet's new Silverado ZR2. “I'm not sure where we are at the moment with the classification – I think this would fit into a Finke race. Hopefully a production class in Australian Off-Road racing. There are a lot of things we've seen; the Ford Raptor, what we've seen Luffy do with the Amarok; hopefully we can go into that going forward.” In what would take the traditional GM versus Ford duel off-road, the Silverado would…

4WD Sport It seems like a no-brainer: fast agile Can-Am UTVs sprint away from hulking great 4WD trucks. But when the unexpected happens? The Dakar Rally is on its third continent since the 2000s, but the hallmark of the rally raid event remains running through untamed deserts at very high speeds. That comes with all sorts of risks, but none more dramatic than what happens when a desert suddenly sees a torrential downpour. For two Red Bull UTVs the floodwaters from one such storm were a worst-case scenario. By the time the clip from Red Bull Rally starts, both the No. 300 and No. 302 teams of drivers Francisco Lopez Contardo and Cristina Gutierrez Herrero were stuck in the middle of what had already become a raging river. The lightweight…

Been feeling a bit low lately. Y'know, poor concentration, dozy, don't want to scramble out of bed some days. Thought it may be Covid but am always negative, which is a positive of course. Perhaps I'm a ± character? But my cup usually runnethover, unless it's coffee, which will be empty. Is it an engineering hangover where that ± symbol describes manufacturing tolerances? Doesn't seem so. Have been out of town 4WDing the hols in the Otago hills – felt primo the whole time! Head was blue, clear and thin, just like the sky there. Back in town the malady returned. Just had it diagnosed – Priusitis! Its the new trendy sickness, rapidly becoming a Prangdemic! They tell me the panelbeater's yards are full of Priuses with their rears stove…