Hils Everitt – editor

Our Jimny continues to clock up the miles and has been enjoying lots of smiles and generally positive comments from all who come across our cute little silver machine. It has only ventured off-road once or twice and we hope to get out and about a bit more before Suzuki demands it back, but, in the meantime, on the road it has provided good consumption figures for lots of motorway miles and been a life saver when my Grand Cherokee has been off the road.

I was sitting in the hairdressers recently been tousled by Dan who, on my recommendation, bought a VW Tiguan for transporting his new young family, and he is always interested in what 4×4 I have sitting on my driveway.

Bob Cooke – contributor

The Muddy Bottom site in the New Forest is well named, so much so that we dared not take the Rodeo directly up the main access road to the camping area further up the hill – it was a grim, grey and drizzly day, the muddy road up was slippery, rutted and steep, too steep, we decided, to trust the Rodeo’s road tyres considering the load the truck was carrying. Hence we took a zig-zag detour across open ground which, although covered in wet grass and scrubby undergrowth, allowed us to approach our goal on less of an incline. In fact, the Rodeo managed the terrain with very little trouble, even though our chosen route included a few unexpected humps and hollows – these at least had not been polished slippery smooth by the passage of many whirling mud terrains, as had the access track.

Garry Stuart – freelance photographer

On the last weekend of September the De-Cider Trophy was held near Saltash, Cornwall. This is one of the highlights of the year’s challenge circuit and always attracts many of the UK’s top challenge teams. The two-day and one-night event means that camping is essential if the cider and hog roast are to be enjoyed.

In my case, this means sleeping in the Terrano passenger seat, which is surprisingly comfortable. I was not, however, expecting sub-zero temperatures in Cornwall, and I nearly froze on the Friday and Saturday nights. Both mornings of Saturday and Sunday were frosty, leaving the Terrano with an impressive covering of ice. They may have to re-name this event the De-Icer Trophy…

Ann Lockley – contributor

With the new transmission only a week old and an upcoming trip of 5000 miles around the corner, I decided another test run was in order. Our somewhat unofficial Vancouver Island Land Rover Club had a day trip planned and it seemed the perfect opportunity. Greg Sutfin led the group of five Rovers in his Series IIa 109in along the backside of Lake Cowichan on easy, gravel, logging roads. The day was sold as a ‘no scratch’ trail so when we came across a series of washouts, we turned around and headed home before reaching our destination. It did what I needed, however, in finding any last-minute problems with ‘Kelsey’.

Louise Limb – contributor

So, two years and 30,000 miles into ownership and my second encounter with the man at the MoT test centre came and went without the slightest hitch. A hint of a slapped wrist over the tyres, and even then it was only an ‘advisory’, but there appeared to be nothing more dreadfully amiss than a few bodywork scuffs, an increasingly tatty-looking interior and a completely clean bill of health from the steering wheel down. Of course, I was sceptical and eyed the document carefully, thinking that I, or more worryingly, they, had missed something. The noises, the vibration, the oddness on turning corners; where were these cataclysmic faults in the drivetrain and steering?

Bob Cooke – contributor

I did say, didn’t I, that I wasn’t going to let Ivor loose in the Hotchkiss again, on account of his somewhat over-enthusiastic manner with the gearstick and the accelerator? Still, I’m a soft touch, so when he turned up at Boxgrove Pit again looking apologetic and promising not to do anything daft I relented, especially as he’d brought his nine-year old son Hayden along.

Nigel Fryatt – contributor

Bring it on, we’re ready! That was the (slightly exaggerated) thought that crossed my mind driving away from Kwik Fit in Caterham with our new Continental ContiCrossContact winter tyres fitted. As you can read in the Winter Driving feature on p74, we have decided to test out ‘winter tyres’ on our RAV4 and so went along to our nearest Kwik Fit to get the job done.

The reason for deciding to fit winter tyres to your 4×4 is covered in detail in the feature, but you only have to compare the tread patterns on the tyres to see that there is a significant difference; the grooves are significantly wider and the sipes (the tread on the edges of the tyres) are more numerous. It all bodes well for a winter of getting the maximum benefit from owning a 4×4.

Shion Scudamore – contributor

The autumn house restoration work, a fine trip down to Portugal to do a week’s Enduro riding, and unprecedented surf conditions here on Anglesey have done little to move the TM project for the fast approaching MoT.

The light welding on my Discovery also proved to be a bit more than anticipated as once the needle gun was wielded increasingly larger holes appeared. Getting on with the long overdue rot treatment revealed most brake pipes were beyond saving, not great on an ABS Discovery, and the rear callipers were due an overhaul. The bottom line was I got a few lower cab panels welded on the Bedford, but have hardly started the cab floor where most of the tin worm damage resides. The pressure water system is slowly coming together; I have fitted an accumulator to give a nice even flow as the main use will be on an external shower head for post-surf trip washdowns. The Propex heater should keep the shivers at bay while changing as well. The lack of recent use has taken its toll on the alternator – the warning light is glowing so that will need a fix before too long. I have a 140amp replacement in the wings but it depends if I can physically fit it in the chassis.