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Monthly Archives: October 2018

Volkswagen’s first small SUV, the T-Cross, has been launched around the world at ceremonies in Amsterdam, Shanghai and Sao Paolo.

The urban crossover aims to merge style, practicality and versatile functionality in a city-centric package. Front to back the T-Cross only measure 4.11-metres, and the wheelbase of 2.56-metres aids an interior than can reasonably seat five. Depending on the position of the rear seating, the boot will hold between 385 and 455-litres of cargo and 1,281-litres when the rear seats are dropped.

The power will come from a trio of petrol units and a singular diesel option – all turbocharged. Of the petrols, there are two sizes. The two 1.0-litre options offer up 95 or 115bhp, with the 1.5-litre gasoline option kicks out a full 150 horses. The solitary diesel option is a 1.4-litre TDI worth 95bhp.

The Polo-sized SUv will house a decent amount of standard tech, with a list that includes a host of driver aids. Front collision assist, pedestrian monitoring, city emergency braking, lane keep and hill start assist, blind spot detection and rear traffic alert all come as standard. Additionally, a driver alert system, park assist and adaptive cruise can be optioned.

At the time of launch there was no word on pricing or official release date for the T-Cross.

The Toyota Hilux is turning 50 and what better way to celebrate the occasion than with the unveiling of a new Hilux.

Okay, so this isn’t a new Hilux as such, instead it’s a special edition version designed specifically to celebrate 50 years of one of the most iconic vehicles ever made.

Christened as the Hilux Invincible 50, this joint venture between Toyota and Arctic Trucks builds upon a regular Invincible-spec double-cab Hilux and maximises the attitude you would expect from a rough-and-ready Hilux pick-up. And the result is one tasty truck.

Over the last 50 years, the Hilux has been put through some gruelling paces, having conquered both Poles, driven up the side of an erupting volcano, been submerged in the sea – funny, but all that links to the exploits of three guys on a TV programme called TOP GEAR.

Some epic moments then over the last 50 years, so naturally you would expect this new and exclusive special edition Hilux to be just as epic…

Well, just 50 people in the UK will be able to become the judge of that. Each Invincible 50 will have a numbered commemorative plaque and even the new 16 x 7.5 ET05 rims, complete with a satin black finish and machined lip, will let people know this is no ordinary Hilux.

While the Hilux may have been to every corner of the globe, on each corner of this limited-run vehicle, you’ll find 265/75R16 KO2 all-terrains from BFGoodrich and a performance suspension setup engineered by Arctic Trucks and Bilstein.

Those new boots and suspenders mean there’s more ground clearance to play with, in total the Invincible 50 sits 40mm higher at the front and the 20mm at the rear, improving articulation and those all-important approach and departure angles for when you find yourself in the rough.

The Invincible 50 mimics other offerings from Arctic Trucks with its inflated arches giving it the sort of presence only the Hulk can better. A sports bar – not the kind you get drunk in – sits on the rear overlooking the load bed, laying the perfect place in which to strap a set of powerful Vision X lights.

There’s other, less blindingly obvious tweaks here, too, like the Arctic Trucks mudflaps, a tailgate carrying the old-school Toyota decal and in front of it, a bed liner treated with Line-X for an extra durable workspace. Invincible 50 badging, crafted in chrome, has been machine-gunned about the vehicle and you can have your Invincible 50 in the choice of black.

It’s likely these special edition Invincible 50s will sell out quickly, and you can order yours now with deliveries taking place throughout December and into early 2019. There’s no word on the price just yet, but expect to pay a premium for the privilege of owning such a rare – and wonderful – truck.

BMW have announced the X7, a large SUV with three rows to seat seven adults in comfort.

At launch, the large SUV will be offered with three turbocharged six-cylinder powertrains – one petrol and two diesels. The petroleum variant (xDrive40i) poses 340bhp and 332lbf.ft, 32.5mpg on a combined cycle 198g/km. The xDrive30d offers 265bhp, 457lbf.ft and 43.5mpg and 171g/km compared to the M50d’s 400bhp, 560lbf.ft, 40.4mpg and 185g/km.

The all-wheel drive models feature the latest xDrive system, and the M50d is fitted with an M Sport differentia – which is also part of the off-road package.

A double wishbone setup at the front combines with a five-link rear axle and both feature air suspension with self-levelling as standard. When sport mode is engaged on the M50d or its speed exceeds 86mph – which it obviously won’t, ever… – the ride height is automatically lowered by 20mm. There is also room to raise the ride height in two stages by up to 40mm over the standard stance. The off-road package also adds the choice of four drive modes – xSnow, xSand, xGravel and xRocks – each time adjusting the setup to keep the X7 xSurefooted when xOff-Roading.

The rear doors are longer than the obverse pair, enhancing the ease with which occupants clamber into the second and third rows of seating. Once inside, the pair in the third row have full-size seats, with their leg room controlled by the positioning of those in the middle row. An option to have three rows of two-abreast is offered, and will equip the mid row the same armrests as those in the front. Both the second and third rows can be flattened, which would increase the boot capacity from 326 all the way up to 2,120-litres.

X7 drivers will be subject to a newly designed digital binnacle via a 12.3-inch screen, and a leather steering wheel comes as standard. The centre console plays home to a newly designed gear selector plus the iDrive controller, electronic parking brake, all drive mode buttons and the start/stop button.

Aids included for the driver are a rear-view camera, 360-degree birds-eye view. Safety features including stop-start adaptive cruise control, pedestrian warning, city braking, collision warning, crossing traffic warning and lane keep assist – but these are part of the optional Driving Assistant Professional pack.

The X7 goes on sale in April of next year, and prices will begin at £72,155 OTR.

Oh, and it’s big, with a length of just over five-metres, a wheelbase measuring a little more than three, is two-metres wide and stands at 1.8-metres tall. Shouldn’t be too hard to spot on the road, then…

Ford Edge 2.0 TDCi ST-Line Manual

The Kuga has done fine things for Ford, and the Ranger is our current double-cab of the year. Does the Edge have what it takes to work the same magic in its part of the SUV market?

To answer that, first you have to ask what part of the SUV market it’s in. It could be argued that the Edge is a value-for-money pop at pricier SUVs like the BMW X5, or that it’s a like-for-like competitor for the Kia Sorento. Given that the the Sorento and its ilk were conceived as a value-for-money pop at pricier SUVs like the BMW X5, it’s probably fair to say that even today, it’s all the same thing. Ford dealers are unlikely to mind where the punters come from, at any rate.

Will they? Well, the Edge is a handsome looking thing, and that’s half the battle with many people. It comes laden with kit, too; all models have big alloys, cruise, dual-zone climate, power seats, hands-free tailgate, DAB, sat-nav, phone pairing and all-round park assist including a rear-view camera. Pleasingly, all models have the same high level of safety kit, too.

So unless you want leather, the entry level Titanium model has got the lot. It costs from £35,195 at list price – though the model tested here is the sportier ST-Line, which retails at £38,345 in manual form.

The Edge’s sharp looks are mirrored inside, but while it does manage to convey a sense of quality the cabin feels rather dark and austere. In particular, the centre panel on the dash has loads of buttons on it, which are black with very thin lettering to explain what they’re for – making them extremely hard to read.This means taking your eyes off the road for longer than you should have to, and all the clever safety equipment in the world won’t make up for that. Few of these controls light up when the headlamps are on, either.

Once you’re over that hurdle (if you choose to take it at all, and we’re not sure we would), there’s a lot of disappointingly hard, cheap- feeling plastic on the lower dash and floor console. But the upper surfaces are much better, with a mixture of polished aluminium and faux-carbon highlights. Build quality is good, too, with little creaking from the dash and a particularly well tied-down floor console, and the switches are a lot more confidence inspiring to operate than they are to try and read.

The glovebox lid and door pockets feel cheap and flimsy, however, as does the coin bin in front of your right knee. Oddment stowage is above-average overall, though, with a huge centre cubby box and a useful dash-top tray as well as a deep phone slot.The glovebox and door pockets are more spacious than they are tactile, too, so you certainly won’t want for places to put your stuff.

The same goes for the other kind of stuff, which needs to go in the back.There’s plenty of boot space with the seats up, and for really major loads they fold acceptably close to flat with a 60:40 split to leave a long load bay.There are remote handles in the boot walls to let you do this, too.

Once they’re down, the floor is good and low, with just a slight lip at the tailgate and no step when you get to the dropped seat-backs.

And what about people? The Edge does itself proud here, with a high seating position and plenty of room up front.The optional panoramic sunroof does eat into the available headroom, however, but it’s still fine for a six-footer, though tall drivers do need to have the seat all the way back to be able to relax.

Happily, even with the seat in this position those behind you will have loads of knee room.The Edge will seat one six-footer behind another with no problem – though again here, it’s no thanks to the pan roof. The rear seats do recline, however, which helps if you need to carry a very tall passenger back there.

Further equipment to add to the list here includes heated rear seats and a 150-Watt power inverter on the back of the floor console.This has a 3-pin plug output, so you’ve got an in-car mains supply.

One thing you don’t get is a great view over your shoulder. Nothing much aft of the C-post is see- through, so you soon find yourself relying on the rear-view camera – whose display is extraordinarily poor, to the extent that we found ourselves checking to see if it was set to infra-red mode or something like that.The door mirrors on our vehicle seemed oddly good at collecting grime from the road, too.

Something else we found bizarre about the Edge was that its headlamps produced barely any more light on full beam than on dip.

Again, we ended up checking the handbook to see if we were doing something wrong, it was that bad – the lack of illumination actually slowed us down on a cross-country B-road session at night, because we just couldn’t judge the corners well enough in advance.

That’s a shame, because the Edge handles better than you might expect. Its steering is responsive enough and while there’s some unwelcome side-to-side jostling
on uneven surfaces, body control is tight enough for it not to loll around in corners. Under the right circumstances (like, when you can see), it can be hustled along perfectly well.

This would be improved if the manual gearbox was as slick as the best of its rivals’, however. It’s not bad, but we felt that smoother, snickier changes would have given us easier access to the best that the 2.0-litre engine has to give.

This is tuned for 180bhp in manual form and 210bhp when there’s an auto on the back of it, which seems like a big gap.The Edge doesn’t lack performance, however, and engine noise isn’t intrusive even when you’re working it hard, though our suspicion is that the auto set- up would perhaps be best suited to the vehicle’s overall character.

The same might be said of the 19” alloys which are standard on the entry-level Titanium model. Our ST-Line produced a fair bit of boomy road noise on the motorway; how much of this was down to its 20” rims is something we can’t know, but a little more rubber and a little less rim rarely hurts.There’s not much wrong with its ride quality around town, however, and it’s a composed cruiser – though we found that the driver’s seat got uncomfortable around the shoulders on journeys of several hours.

We also took our Edge off-road, on the sort of tracks that are highly likely to be the limit of what any customer would ever tackle in one – rm underneath, but sloppy, wet and muddy on top. These are the sort of conditions that can catch out a vehicle on low-profile road tyres, but the vehicle coped very well, maintaining traction without having to fall back on its various electronic helpers. It’s not intended to be an off-road vehicle in any kind of extreme sense, and we certainly wouldn’t expect it to be impressed by the sort of ground that starts pushing its suspension up and down, but in the real world it’s as sure- footed as the next SUV. Ground clearance is less than epic, but in these conditions it didn’t trip the Edge up either.

One unusual experience we did have was on the day our Edge was delivered. Hours after the man from Ford had parked it up, given us the keys and gone home, we left the office ready to jump aboard… and found several inches of snow waiting to meet us.

This should have been a cinch, but to start with the Edge seemed to be confounded by the conditions. After no more than a couple of hundred yards, a warning light came on to say four-wheel drive was no longer functioning, which the handbook advised us was the result of the centre diff being overworked. Not the best of introductions, and we don’t know why it happened, but after a restart it never came on again despite us putting the vehicle to much harder work.

In everyday driving, the Edge is a decent all-rounder which behaves itself around town and doesn’t get boring on the motorway. It rides and handles well enough to pass muster, it’s acceptably civilised and if life’s journey takes you via unsurfaced roads, it won’t flinch.

Lots to recommend it, but some baffling flaws trip it up.

Whether you’re after a cheaper alternative to an X5 or a benchmark against which to judge the Sorento, the Edge is worth thinking about.
It’s spacious, well equipped and practical, and it does most things well enough on and off the road. But it’s let down by small things that make a big difference: the dark, dingy facia, blurred rear-view camera display and hopeless main beam are so unnecessary, and hugely off-putting.

First featured in the March 2018 issue.

The new Jeep Wrangler is very good. We drove it not long back and were very impressed. And now, we have all-important details on pricing.

Entry level Sahara variants begin at £44,495 in two door variant, with the price rising by £1,500 for the additional two doors.

Two and four-door Overland variants cost from £46,495 £47,995 respectively – the same as the Rubicon variants.

All of the new Wranglers will be covered by Jeeps 5-3-5 pledge (five-years warranty, three-years servicing and five-years roadside assistance) and they go on sale on the 13th October. Initially only the 2.2-litre MultiJet II engine will be on offer, but the 2.0-litre petrol will join the line-up later in the year.

To recap all the details of the new Wrangler, click here.

It’s not often that a suspension lift catches your eye. They’re so commonplace in the world of off-roading that we’re no longer surprised. But then something like Sean Bloodworth’s Ford Ranger comes along and simply refuses to be overlooked.

 We all know the story of Doctor Frankenstein and his monster.Trying to create life, going where nobody has gone before and not knowing what will happen, the have-a-go creator succeeds in his experiment… but with dire consequences.

Happily, this story doesn’t have dire consequences. But it does have a cool truck, which is much better.The similarities to Victor and his monster are there, but there isn’t necessarily an antagonist or anti-hero involved. Despite its extreme finishing point – a pick-up lifted by 10” – the tale of Sean Bloodworth’s Ford Ranger started like any other rebuild.

‘I had no intention of modifying the Ranger when I bought it,’ says Sean. ‘I just wanted something more capable than my Navara, because I enjoy going off-road.’

And as you may be able to tell, there’s a story behind the Navara’s dismissal.

‘I took it to a pay and play centre, and a guy showed me around to start with, he actually said to me not to do the see-saw because it’s for modified vehicles.’ No prizes for guessing where this is going…

‘The first run I didn’t give it quite enough and I slid back down,’ continues Sean. ‘So, the second time I really gave it some, covering the wife in mud in the process, and smashed down the other side.’

Although he knew it had taken a hit, Sean drove home – and then even went out again – before returning to an oil slick on his drive which started the alarm bells.

‘It was then that I had a proper look and the front axle had gone through the sump. After that, I realised I needed something more capable if I was going to take it off-road.’ The guy who told him not to mess with the see-saw might take issue with the logic of this, as might the guy from Nissan, but Sean is the customer and you know what that means.

So, as is often the case in the current off-road market, Sean went for a Ranger. To be specific, a 2012 Ford Ranger, making it one of the early examples of the current model. Which, you may recall, he didn’t plan on modifying at all.

‘I saw a pick-up in 4×4, I think it was a Mitsubishi, and it had a decent lift on it. I remember thinking “why can’t I do that?” It was my first project that was a truck, but when I was younger I worked on Minis and modified them, turned them into racers. I’ve played about with Escorts and stuff, too.’

Even with his previous experience modifying vehicles, this was a starkly different challenge to anything Sean had encountered before. From reading the article on what may or may not have been an L200, the next year was spent researching what parts would be required and would work together.

‘Including the research, the process of getting the Ranger from standard to the full lift took about a year. Most of that was the research because the parts I used weren’t common, but the build itself, fitted around work, took about five days I’d say.

‘There was a degree of trial and error,’ adds Sean. ‘But now I’ve done it, I’d say that it would be three days’ work.’

Without jumping ahead too far, that raises a question that may well be best answered now.

Having got back into the mind-set that comes with the modification process, Sean got the taste for more. And, given that he’d built up a network of contacts during the research and acquisition of the specialist parts, has decided to start his own business doing so. Working as an aircraft fitter, paired with his newfound system, Sean knows what he’s doing and is ready to market this lift kit.

‘I’ve never had a business before so there’s not too much of a plan. I’m just thinking on my feet with it, really. I suppose it’s a bolt-on-lift- conversion-kit, service,’ he jokes.

As you’d expect, the process wasn’t simple and, understandably, Dr Frankenstein won’t be revealing exactly what he used to spark his monster into life. Commercial confidentiality, and all that.

With the axles dropped off and the shocks removed, Sean lifted the rear using blocks and shackles. The crossmember had to be removed, too, which was a daunting thing to have to do.

‘The point of no return was when I cut the bracket for the crossmember,’ Sean recalls. I was essentially cutting the chassis up. I fitted a new one – and a diff drop bracket – before fitting the new axle. It turned out to be the wrong way around, but I noticed and sorted it before moving on.’

From here, more trial and error ensued with the fitment of the front diff.Time was spent perfecting the angle, to ensure that the UJ and CV joints didn’t end up being overworked. After the angle of the diff was finalised, it was a case of bolting everything back on with the new shocks and springs.

‘It was a bit worrying when I put the wheels back on,’ admits Sean.‘When I put them on with the bigger tyres it made the vehicle too high to take off the axle stands using the trolley jack!’

After the suspension was complete, attention turned to the finer details of the lift, and bringing the monster truck to life.

‘After changing the suspension, the front and back brake hoses were lengthened, and I played around getting it to sit level,’ Sean explains.‘The shocks at the front are height adjustable, so that was fairly easy to complete.’

Another fairly easy change Sean made to the Ranger was also one of the most impressive to look at. Having got the final lift of 10” completed, new custom wheelarch extensions were added to compensate for the 35” BFGoodrich All-Terrains. Sean also added a Truckman Sports canopy and roll bar, and adjusted the lower drive ratios.

‘One of the hardest parts was adjusting the lower drive ratios so the speedo showed the speed correctly with the bigger wheels,’ Sean recalls.‘It did show 30 when you were doing 25, and it was a bit pessimistic when you were going faster – but it’s spot on now.’

With the Ranger lifted by 10” – five from the springs and shocks, two from the shackles and three of rubber for good measure – it was time for Sean to stretch the legs of his monster. The moment of truth. Had all of the work been worth it, or had the lift ruined the ride of a perfectly good Ranger?

‘The real revelation of the whole process was getting in it and driving it for the first time. You can actually throw it about and it corners really well. It’s well planted for something of its height. I’d say it handles better than when it was standard – there’s less roll and it’s smoother.’

Sean stopped and took stock once the job was done, and thought about what to do next.

This resulted in a trip to Ecotech Performance in Buckley, North Wales, where he had the beast chipped, upping the power of the 3.2 TDCi engine to 240bhp and 413lbf.ft. Now confident that the project was complete, Sean stopped to assess the situation once again. Having sourced the parts for the one-of-a-kind lift, making contacts in the process, he found his research had paid off as it resulted in a thoroughly kick-ass, road-going monster truck.

‘I’d taken the Ranger off-road a few times before the lift,’ says Sean.‘But afterwards, when I thought about selling it and making a business of it, I decided not to take it off-road again.’

Since completing the build, Sean’s Ranger caught the lustful eye of an onlooker and he has parted ways with his creation – thus making way for the next build.

‘I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, including the research for all of the parts. It took about a year, but that was only because it was the first time I had done it and I had to find out what to do. Now It’s just a case of getting the parts and then fitting them to a truck, so when I’ve got the parts it should be three days’ worth of work.’

With this experience under his belt, Sean has been able to figure out what to charge people who want him to build him a Ranger like the one in these pictures.

‘I’ve got my price list, which will vary from £5800 to about £6500, depending on exactly what the customer wants. It doesn’t have to
be a 10” lift like this Ranger – there’s scope for whatever the customer wants, and the price list accommodates that.’

Unlike Frankenstein’s monster, Sean’s creation isn’t a psychotic beast. Rather the opposite,
in fact. His work on the truck has laid the foundations for a new business – one which means that you, too, could be driving around in a Ranger like (almost) no other.

Like what you see? To enquire about a lift for your own vehicle, pay a visit to Sean’s website – it’s at www.hi-rise-trucks.co.uk

We photographed Sean’s Ranger at Parkwood Off- Road Centre’s legendary off-road site in Tong, on the outskirts of Bradford. It’s one of the best in the entire country, and it’s open every month for playdays; you’ll find the company at www.parkwood4x4.co.uk

There’s nothing quite like having peace of mind, and SsangYong clearly agrees after announcing its entire six-model range is now available with a seven-year and 150,000-mile warranty.

‘We want our customers to feel that by choosing a SsangYong, they will be looked after the best,’ said Nick Laird, managing director of SsangYong Motor UK. Well, offering vehicles with such an attractive warranty is surely a good place to start.

Earlier this year, SsangYong revealed the Musso pick-up and acclaimed Rexton would be sold with a seven-year warranty. But having been so popular with customers and SsangYong wanting to capitalise on its rapidly rising stock, the South Korean firm has expanded the offer to the entirety of its model range.

Mr Laird added, ‘No other vehicle on sale today comes with such comprehensive reassurance, and without the small print of so many other manufacturer warranties.

‘This outstanding industry-leading seven-year warranty now applies to all new SsangYong vehicles registered from October 1.’

Should you be one of the customers who bought a SsangYong prior to that date, don’t worry, because the company is allowing owners to apply the same level of warranty to their vehicles retrospectively.

To be exact, Rexton owners who purchased their vehicle between 1 October and its launch last year will be able to upgrade their warranty for free from their next service. Owners of other SsangYong vehicles can also take advantage of the seven-year warranty at a £500 fee, providing their vehicle was bought between 1 January and 30 September this year.

The warranty itself is covers all of the vehicle’s major components, such as the steering joints, shocks, suspension bushes and joints, plus the wheel bearings and even the stereo system.

Paintwork and the battery are covered for three years, whilst the more consumable elements that can be hampered by poor driving, i.e. the clutch and brakes, are covered for the first year or 12,500 miles.

If you weren’t tempted by a SsangYong before, you should be now.

It’s been a while coming, but the next generation of Land Rover Defender has finally been spotted out in the open, as development enters the latter stages.

With deliveries expected sometime in 2020, budding owners have now been given a snippet of what their new steed may look like once completed. Details will naturally be released with every step closer to the Defender’s launch, but there are some points we can note from this camouflaged pre-production machine.

It’s more rounded body comes as no surprise, with the old-school flat-sided exterior of the predecessor being one of the nails that eventually got hammered into the Defender’s coffin. And while the outside of the vehicle is more ‘pedestrian friendly’ and modern in style, the underpinnings will also be vastly different from Defenders of yesteryear.

Gone is the live axle setup with a traditional ladder frame chassis and instead in comes an all-independent suspension configuration, which will pave the way for a digital Defender utilising Terrain Response.

This test mule appears to be a prototype of the next 110, while a shorter wheelbase replacement for the 90 is also expected upon the Defender’s official return. For now, though, this 110 is running on a 2.0-litre diesel unit most likely of the Ingenium calibre, or at least that’s what the DVLA records state…

However, Jaguar Land Rover has made it clear that it sees electric power being the next step in automotive propulsion, so don’t be surprised if your next Defender is also available with some degree of hybrid power.

On approaching Land Rover with regards to these latest images, Land Rover declined to comment, purely releasing the following statement: ‘Jaguar Land Rover runs a wide range of engineering and technology development programmes. We can confirm that the Defender programme is progressing well and has reached an exciting stage of its development.’

However, when pressed further, a spokesperson revealed: ‘We can confirm customers around the world will be taking delivery of and enjoying Defender again from 2020.’

Since the pictures have gone viral, social media hasn’t been the kindest environment for the new Defender. It’s fair to say that many of the new Defenders will not be used in the same anger as their predecessors, but only time will tell as to whether this reimagining of a top British icon proves to be a success or failure for Land Rover.

Land Rover has unveiled a unique Discovery following an 18-month project involving the Austrian Red Cross.

The specially prepared Discovery is the handiwork of Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations branch, which was tasked with making sure the car is up to facing the challenges of being an Austrian emergency response vehicle.

In order to fill its duties as a mobile nerve centre for recovery operations, the 3.0-litre Td6-powered Disco has been fitted with the most cutting-edge communications equipment – and a state-of-the-art eight-rotor drone.

The drone itself is capable of pinpointing a person up to 440m away and a vehicle up to an impressive 1km away, with help from its thermal imaging technology. While the drone is flying high, Red Cross personnel can use the carbon fibre command centre where the main computer slides out from, before orchestrating the recovery on the scene.

Inside the Discovery, the usual infotainment screen has been replaced by a command panel, allowing for control of the drone and the ability to monitor the distance to selected targets.

The site of the emergency should be well lit, too, as the Discovery has been installed with full 360-degree lighting to help illuminate the intended area as much as possible.

Managing Director of SVO, Michael van der Sande, said: ‘Our partnership with the Red Cross isn’t just about our vehicles. Since we started collaborating in 1954, our aim has been to help the Red Cross improve its disaster response and ultimately to help save lives. Over the past 18 months our engineers have worked closely with the emergency response team at the Austrian Red Cross, deploying Land Rover’s technology and talent to create a unique solution to the requirements of the Red Cross in the region.’

International Federation of Red Crescent Societies’ Under Secretary General for Partnerships Dr Jemilah Mahmood added: ‘We are grateful for Land Rover’s generous support over the past six decades. The Discovery Emergency Response Vehicle is yet another result of our strong global partnership that brings together the best expertise of the Red Cross and Land Rove in one unique vehicle, which will make a difference in rescue operations in the harshest conditions.’

Since the beginning of the Land Rover and Red Cross collaboration over 64 years ago, Land Rover has donated in excess of 120 vehicles to the IFRC, with many of them helping to save lives in every corner of the globe.