BEFORE YOU turn away muttering, “idiots, why compare a ute with a wagon”, consider this: both of these 4x4s will set you back the high-side of $70K on road; both are super capable off-road yet are also loaded with luxury, convenience and safety kit, and both are conceived for recreational buyers. The only other showroom stock 4x4s this capable off-road, the LandCruiser 70 and the Mercedes G-Wagen, are significantly more commercial or service in origin and presentation.
Both Raptor and Rubicon also have hightech powertrains with small-capacity turbodiesel engines and automatic gearboxes with more ratios than you would have thought possible a few years back – 18, in fact, between the two of them.
Significantly, they are also factory ‘customs’, both a good deal removed from the bread-and-butter models in their respective model line-ups. And in both cases the factory ‘modifications’ are aimed at making a more capable off-road-focused 4x4, not necessarily a better on- and off-road vehicle.
The Raptor is also the reigning 4X4 Of The Year and this all-new Rubicon may well be the next 4X4OTY; although, that’s a contest that won’t be decided until the end of the year.
In the meantime, is it Raptor or Rubicon that wins this bout?
RAPTOR
SUSPENDED IN HEAVEN
Serious chassis re-engineering, not extra power, is the ford ranger raptor’s killer punch.
THE RANGER Raptor was conceived by Ford Australia off the back of the success in the USA of the F150 Raptor, a desert-racing-inspired factory custom version of Ford’s hugely popular F150 Pick-Up. With help from Ford Performance, Ford’s global high-performance division, the Ranger Raptor was then locally developed off the back of the Ranger ute, which just happens to be largely Australian designed and developed anyway.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2019 من 4x4 Magazine Australia.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2019 من 4x4 Magazine Australia.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
MAXXIS CUSTOM OF THE YEAR
MAXXIS CUSTOM 4X4 OF THE YEAR IS BACK, AND YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN BY VOTING FOR YOUR FAVE 4X4. GET ON IT!
ONE WITH THE LOT
THE VERSATILITY OF THE NINJA WOODFIRE ELECTRIC BBQ GRILL & SMOKER PUTS IT IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN FOR COOKING ON THE ROAD
LONELY HIGHWAY
A DRIVE ALONG THE NYANGUMARTA HIGHWAY IS AN ISOLATED AND SELF-SUFFICIENT JOURNEY THAT WILL TEST BOTH YOU AND YOUR 4X4 AS YOU CROSS THE GREAT SANDY DESERT
THE SOFT PARADE
BRIDGESTONE HAS LAUNCHED A NEW ALL-TERRAIN TYRE IT SAYS OFFERS BETTER RIDE AND HANDLING THAN TRADITIONAL HEAVY-DUTY A/T TYRES
WEIGHING HII IT UP
OUR FORD EVEREST HAS ITS TOUGH DOG SUSPENSION FITTED, INCLUDING A GVM UPGRADE. NOW WE CAN'T WAIT TO DRIVE IT!
BIG MIDDY
THE GWM CANNON ALPHA HYBRID OFFERS A STUNNING ALTERNATIVE IN THE 4X4 UTE MARKET
WORKING BEE
HOW DOES THE NEW MITSUBISHI TRITON COMPARE TO THE POPULAR ISUZU D-MAX? WE PAIRED UP THE NEW D-MAX X-RIDER WITH THE TRITON IN GLX+ GUISE TO FIND OUT
ROCK 'N' ROLL RANGER
LIMITED-EDITION TREMOR TAKES THE 4-CYLINDER RANGER UP THE RICHTER SCALE WITH MORE PURPOSE.
GMC YUKON HERE IN 2025
NEW YUKON REVEALED IN NORTH AMERICA AND IS COMING DOWN UNDER
2024 FORD EVEREST TREMOR REVEALED
FORD REVEALS ADVENTURE-BORN EVEREST TREMOR BOASTING OFF-ROAD-READY SUSPENSION SET-UP