NZ4WD

2020 (ahoay) a hell of a year

Well that (as in year 2020) didn’t exactly end up like any normal person might have predicted, did it? One minute I was planning another hectic, though at the same time kinda’ loose, year of mags, trips away and generally taking care of ‘busy-ness,’ the next I was willingly joining NZ’s ‘team of five million’ in our first (and hopefully only) nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. Though the production of any type of magazine was not considered an ‘essential service’ by the Government, we managed to keep the titles I either manage or contribute to – namely NZ4WD, Motor Equipment News and Company Vehicle – going through the worst uncertainty of the first stay-at-home lockdown by the simple expedient of (POFIFOTO) ‘Putting One Foot In Front Of The Other.’ To be fair I also did…

the best 4x4s x far

It’s true! Turn up at any gathering of those inclined to what marketers call a ‘4WD lifestyle’ (that would be you and I) and there will be every size, shape, age, stage and style of off-road vehicles present from Suzuki’s original SJ410 Jimny to huge towering 80-Series Toyota Land Cruisers and similar but much later model Nissan Patrol ‘station wagons.’ Car of The Year awards, of course, are about celebrating new rather than the older modded ‘trucks’ most Kiwi ‘four-Wheelers’ are into. Still, the size issue raises its head. Last year, for instance, we awarded our Compact 4WD class win, as well as our top overall ‘gong’ for the Year to Suzuki for their all-new, fourth-generation Jimny, a vehicle for which the term ‘small but perfectly formed’ could well have been coined. In…

los tres amigos* (the three friends)

Three personalities, three ways of doing broadly similar duties. Three takes on that essentially Kiwi desire to have a vehicle that works hard, plays hard, washes up clean. To borrow from the blurb in the brochure for one of these three: “Gear up and get out there. Forget the weather, this is New Zealand. Any mud you encounter will be worn with pride.” Three different vehicles, three different market segments. Two are about benchmarking their latest versions, with new trim packages and styling, gentle upgrades everywhere. The third is a modern take on the origin of utes or pickups; a reminder of how these vehicles evolved. One of our trio has been an established leader in the double cab diesel ute arena for decades; it has been the ‘goto’ for tradies, recreational…

and the winner is?

It’s fair to say that around the (in this case ‘virtual) office there were some fairly long-ish silences, interrupted only by breath being sucked furiously over teeth, when I first mentioned that I was ‘thinking about’ nominating RAM’s big, brusque petrol-fuelled 5.7 litre V8-powered 1500 as my 2020 Ute of the Year. “Thinking about” then morphed into “I’m definitely going to” once I returned the Express Crew Cab press vehicle (compete with requisite, big stoopid grin on my face) to importer Ateco. Meaning that my mind was well and truly made up by the time I was reminded that I was due to test the latest version, the Warlock, in the middle of November. The 1500, you see, is like that. Obviously (duh!) it is big, making some observers ‘think’ it is…

adding fun(ction) and value

It has never been easier– or cheaper – to personalise your 4x4. Flick through the pages of this very magazine and you will be able to find inspiration plus an idea of the ‘look’ you are after. Depending on what you do with your ‘truck’ or the type of off-roading you either already do or you plan on doing, there will be a certain way a truck sits – high, low, with a lot of droop at the front, sag at the back, or absolutely flat – that you like or don’t like. Just as there will be an amount of lift some of you will think looks absolutely ‘right-on,’ while others will ask you when the next Monster Truck meeting is on in your neighbourhood? Not so long ago, of course, you had…

redarc is on the charge in nz

Trusted Australian specialist electronics company Redarc has over 40 years’ experience developing and manufacturing world-leading in-vehicle electronic solutions. Designed, tested, and manufactured in Australia, their products are proven in the toughest environments in the world. Whether it’s long-range touring or a weekend escape, Redarc has the solution to power your next adventure. Visit your nearest auto-electrician or 4WD specialty store to find out more. Tow-Pro Elite When you’re towing the boat, camper trailer or caravan, you’re going to want to be in complete control and for any trailer above 2.5 tonne it’s required by law to have its own brakes. Redarc’s Tow-Pro Elite is quickly becoming New Zealand’s favourite electric brake controller. It is the only one to offer two types of braking; Proportional mode (inertia sensing) for the highway and ‘User-Controlled’ mode for…