YOU see it more often than not on the holiday trail. Dual cabs with overloaded canopies, or swaying wagons loaded to the gunwales, stressing the chassis and suspension well past any reasonable GVM limit. We all know there's only so much four wheels can take, given all that extra load needs to be supported by the often overlooked axle bearings doing their best not to explode on some remote track between paradise and the parts store.
In the case of the 2021 D-MAX you see here, Callum and Nicole McDevitt have plans to do some serious extended touring, but with daughter Mackenzie also in tow they wanted to make it a little more comfortable than a swag, fridge and gas stove. This, of course, was going to level up their tonnage, so they chose to acknowledge the elephant in the room by realising a simple spring and shock upgrade wasn't going to achieve what they had in store, especially when towing a fully loaded caravan nudging nearly four tonnes. Not only that, but it was all going to require a little more mumbo to shift it too.
After punting around in a 2015 D-MAX LS-U both Callum and Nicole were pretty happy with the Isuzu product, but weren't completely set on just grabbing the newest model again. They spent time looking through the usual long-haul options, which included LandCruisers, American trucks, and even a bigger upscale to a light truck, but in the end the features and looks of the newer D-MAX in X-Terrain trim had them frothing for one in a Volcanic Amber hue. They just needed to make a few adjustments before they set off on tour.
"We wanted it to be capable of touring around Aus, taking on the odd track or two, beach four-wheel driving and being able to sustain a couple of weeks off-grid," said Callum. "To be able to unhook the van and go more remote with the car but still be comfortable and self-sufficient if needed."
HUSTLE AND GO
Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra February 2023-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