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Monthly Archives: February 2012

MarNewsToyotaToyota’s flagship 4×4, the mighty Land Cruiser V8, enters the 61st year of the model range with an even higher level of luxury and claimed improvements to its off-road performance. The most obvious changes will be seen in the new exterior design at the front of the vehicle, with its over-sized bumper and fog lights and new grille.

Toyota comment, however, that the lower section of the front bumper has been sharply trimmed to ensure that the front overhang does not compromise the approach angle when driving off-road. There are new headlamp units, which now include daytime LED running lights. At the rear, the light clusters have been changed to match the new look at the front and the turn indicators on the vehicle are said to be far more evident both front and rear.

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CrossoverSubaru has announced pricing and specification levels for its new All-Wheel Drive crossover vehicle, the XV. Priced from £21,295 for entry level 1.6i S models, the Subaru XV has officially been certified as the safest vehicle in its class.

Every XV is equipped with two core Subaru technologies – Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and a Boxer engine. Three Euro V-compliant Boxer engines are offered with the new XV: 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel.  

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steed-tracker-1

The UK pick-up market is becoming even more interesting with news that from March, sales of the Chinese pick-up from Great Wall will begin in the UK.

Called the Wingle in China, the new model will – thankfully – be known as the Steed in the UK and as this was being written, vehicles were arriving at UK dealers for the March on sale date. The vehicle is being imported into the UK by the IM Group (Isuzu and Subaru) and at present there are around 32 Great Wall dealers, with the intention of this rising to about 40 this year.

The Great Wall Steed has been on sale in Italy, the only other European market, and so the UK will be a very important test for the Chinese manufacturer and the UK importer. We went to press before full details were announced, but it can be seen from the picture that this is an interesting looking machine – reminiscent of the Isuzu Rodeo. The price will be all-important, but it is likely to be competitive and that the Great Wall Steed will aim to achieve the moniker that it’s a ‘great workhorse’.

There may be questions on the build quality of the vehicle, especially in areas of plastic and interior trim, and how it compares to the Amarok and Ranger, top dogs at the moment from VW and Ford, but that will be balanced by the expectedly aggressive price. Prices as low as £16,000 have been mentioned. What is perhaps more important is that while this is the first Great Wall to enter the UK, it’s not likely to be the last – at least, if the Chinese manufacturer has its way. On this year’s Dakar, a Great Wall Haval achieved a very commendable seventh place overall. The Havel is a BMW X5-sized 4×4. So, what price that model being the next brick in the wall…?

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