Traditional 4x4 Wagons Are On The Decline, But This Trio Keeps The Dream Alive Regardless Of Your Budget.
COMPETENT off-road wagons are becoming harder to find these days due to the dominance of one-tonne utes in the new car market. The Nissan Patrol changed focus with the demise of the GU, Land Rover’s Defender is no more, and there’s a big grey cloud over the future of the Land Cruiser 76 and 78 Series. Few companies are prepared to spend millions of dollars developing and engineering new 4x4s to meet ever-stricter emissions and safety regulations, which are dictating the style of vehicle we can drive now and into the future.
Three classic 4x4 nameplates that have seen recent development are the Suzuki Jimny, Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, all of which debuted new models in 2018. The new Jimny arrived Down Under early in 2019, the G-Wagen is here only in AMG G63 form, while the JL Wrangler only hit our shores back in June.
Our friends over in Europe got them earlier with a few more variants than we do, and they gathered this trio for a bit of fun in a sand pit. We take a look at the same models here.
SUZUKI JIMNY
IT’S FUNKY, MODERN AND FUN OFF-ROAD, BUT THERE ARE LIMITS TO THE JIMNY’S CREDENTIALS WHEN IT COMES TO SERIOUS 4X4 TOURING.
EVERYONE seems to love the diminutive Suzuki 4x4 and have a story about bumping along a beach in an old one, so it’s no surprise the new Jimny has been a hit with buyers. When it went on sale here early in 2019 the orders books were out to October/November, if you hadn’t ordered one last year.
The new Jimny stays true to the compact two-door body, ladder chassis and live axles the brand is known for, but there’s no longer a soft-top version or a long-wheelbase cab-chassis/ute offering. The leaf springs of the early LJ series are long gone and coil springs now support the body on the newer Jimny and Sierra, improving ride quality and wheel travel.
Denne historien er fra August 2019-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra August 2019-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CORRUGATIONS.SAND, AND SPINIFEX
WHEN TALKING LEGENDARY TRACKS, THE CANNING STOCK ROUTE HAS THE TITLE OF LONGEST HISTORICAL STOCK ROUTE IN THE WORLD, BUT TACKLING ITS 1850KM IN A 1970S LAND ROVER MAKES FOR ONE INTERESTING DRIVE FOR THE TV CREW FROM SERIOUSLY SERIES. YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF BY VIEWING ROAD TO RUIN
PURE WATER
THE GUZZLE H2O STREAM IS THE IDEAL WATER PURIFICATION SOLUTION FOR PROVIDING A RELIABLE SOURCE OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER OFF THE GRID
DOES IT GET ANY TOUGHER FOR THE AT52S?
HAVING TACKLED SOME OF THE ROUGHEST TRACKS IN THE COUNTRY, THESE ALL-TERRAINS HAVE PASSED THE TEST
TOP 5 4X4 SPOTS IN SA
HERE ARE FIVE OF THE BEST 4X4 DESTINATIONS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
PLUGGING IN
GWM IS STUDYING THE VIABILITY OF PLUG-IN HYBRID VERSIONS OF ITS POPULAR 4X4S FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET. WE GOT A CHANCE TO SAMPLE THEM ON TRACK
TOP TANK
WE HAVE COME AWAY IMPRESSED AFTER A WEEK IN GWM’S TANK 500 HYBRID 4X4.
HARD EARNED
HARD WORK AND THE RIGHT ADVICE HAVE HELPED JAMES ATKINSON BUILD THE PATROL OF HIS DREAMS
DYNAMIC DEBUT
OUR FIRST TASTE OF THE LC250 COMES IN THE FORM OF THE LEXUS GX550 OVERTRAIL, AND THIS LUXURY 4X4 WAGON IMPRESSES BOTH ON THE ROAD AND OFF IT
BLACK GROWLER
IF YOU’RE GOING TO SWAP FROM A DOUBLE-CAB UTE TO A 4X4 WAGON, YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO WITH THE BEST AVAILABLE. BRUCE HAS DONE JUST THAT AND EQUIPPED HIS GR SPORT 300 WITH THE BEST GEAR ON THE MARKET
2025 NISSAN PATROL MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT
CURTAINS DROP ON SEVENTH-GENERATION PATROL BUT NOT HERE UNTIL 2026
