Salisbury Plain has a special place in 4×4 culture. On the surface, it’s a wilderness – yet there are few parts of the British countryside more overtly influenced by human activity. It’s distinctive yet poorly defined. It’s damaged but flourishing. And it’s one of the most restricted parts of the country – yet there’s a greater concentration of green lanes here than anywhere else.

Most of all, there’s nothing ‘plain’ about it at all. It covers around 200,000 acres in the southern half of Wiltshire and the western fringes of Hampshire, and a huge amount of it is empty and uninhabited. That’s because about half of it is owned by the Army – the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA). Much of the military land is leased for farming and grazing. So the ‘wilderness’ part of the Plain that’s used day-to-day for troop training only covers less than half of its total area. Nonetheless, by British standards it’s a strikingly vast and empty place. And with so many rights of way open to motor vehicles, it’s paradise in a 4×4.

There’s something wonderfully bleak about driving there in bad weather, too. In some parts of the Plain, the rights of way are subject to voluntary restraint during the winter, but the majority are usable all year round – and it’s as majestic beneath scudding grey clouds or, even better, pouring rain as it as glorious in the balmy, sunlit days of summer.

Read the full article in the October issue of Overlander 4×4 –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202410

Which came first? Sorento or Sorrento? That’s easy. The Italian city was founded in the 7th Century BC, while the
first Sorento rolled off the line in 2002 AD. Yeah, I’ll use BCE if you explain to me what happened in Year Zero of the Common Era.

Actually we’re not even certain if the Kia is named after the city, but it seems likely even if it’s spelt differently. But, since we’re on the biblical subject, ‘Kia’ in the Bible means ‘a follower of Christ’, although it probably leans more towards the Korean ‘The rise of Asia’. And not, as some might surmise ‘Killed in Action’. Glad we’ve cleared that up.

So we know it’s called the Kia Sorento, and we know it’s been around for over 20 years in one form or another. And if we’ve been reading this magazine long-term, we know that it’s a multiple class winner over several generations of 4×4 of the Year. And here it is yet again in yet another form. This is an updated version of the fourth generation, so not completely new.

And yet it looks it. The bodywork now follows the style set by the wildly successful EV9. A style which, depending on your state of mind, looks like a rugged off-roader or an armoured personnel carrier.

Read the full article in the October issue of Overlander 4×4 –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202410

Arcane. It means: ‘Known only by a few’. Although in this case it also means: ‘Bought only by a few’. The Ineos Grenadier continues its journey away from the original idea of a simpler, back-to-basics off-roader – what the Defender should have been. And now that journey is not only accelerating, it’s going on a detour.

Ineos has formed Arcane Works, to create short-run limited-edition versions of the off-roader. And the first version is called the Detour. Whether that name works depends on your state of mind. On the one hand: endless roadworks, being sent down small lanes only to find the detour signs disappear, getting lost. On the other: ‘let’s go down this lane, it looks interesting and we’ve got some time to go exploring, such fun.’

So you’re now off the beaten track and your satnav has shrugged and gone for a lie-down. What vehicle do you own to conquer this terra incognita? We start of course with a stock Grenadier, with the 3.0-litre straight-six engine, either diesel or petrol. The only change is, in the petrol version, an exhaust system that more loudly announces its presence. That’s an indication that the Detour is more about appearances, outside and in, rather than any uprated engine, suspension or chassis changes.

Read the full article in the October issue of Overlander 4×4 –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202410

The all-new Ariel Nomad 2 is, according to the makers, ‘the ultimate go-anywhere sports car’. Given it was launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, that seems a bit of a stretch, since you need to arrive with your linen suit uncreased and your panama at a jaunty angle on your head as you give your smoothest smile.

Turning up in a Nomad 2 means a suit crumpled by sweat and dust and an overtight harness, a panama possibly now being worn by a surprised cow two fields away and a grin that is only just this side of sane. But men of a certain age are certain to be attracted, helped in part by a video of it focusing on ‘65% stiffer, 50% more travel’. Frankly that’s a future many would pay handsomely for.

But, Viz-level humour aside, it’s actually pretty amazing just how different and improved this second version of the Nomad is. It’s like everything, every element, is now better than it was, and it was mighty good to start with.

Read the full article in the October issue of Overlander 4×4 –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202410

Three and a half decades of the Land Rover Discovery. Feeling old yet? That’s three and a half decades, five generations, a generous sprinkling of 4×4 of the Year awards and heaven only knows how many limited editions.
It’s heaven only knows how many plus one now, anyway. Because how does Land Rover celebrate an anniversary? Why, with a special edition, of course!

And not only is there a special edition on the cards. It’s going to premiere a new engine, too. This is the D350, a six-pot mild hybrid diesel with outputs of 350bhp and 516lbf. ft. The most powerful engine used in the Disco so far, it displaces 3.0 litres and launches the vehicle from 0-60 in 5.9 seconds while returning a best-case WLTP figure of 34.0mpg.

What else about the 35th Edition is going to make it stand out from the rest of the range? It’s based on the Metropolitan model (or ‘inspired by,’ to use Land Rover’s words) and features 22” black alloys, a sliding pan roof, four-zone climate, a cooled cubby box, head-up display, massage seats and the Cold Climate and Towing packs among the highlights.

Find the full article in the October issue of Overlander 4×4 –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202410