When 4×4 manufacturers send us vehicles to test drive, nine times out of times they’re either top-spec models,
stacked up with options, or both. This is nice for us, in a larging-it-in-someone-else’s motor sense, but it makes it very hard to review what their vehicles are like for people buying at the other end of the range.

So, respect to Skoda. When we asked if we could get our hands on a new Kodiaq, they offered us the very cheapest model in the range.

The SE 1.5 TSI e-TEC 150PS DSG, to give it the name on its birth certifi cate, is powered by a petrol engine mated to a 7-speed auto box (there’s no such thing as a manual Kodiaq any more). It costs £36,645 OTR, and it comes with equipment including cruise, tri-zone climate, a 10.25” digital dash and 13” media screen, DAB, smartphone
mirroring, sat-nav, reversing camera, LEDs, heated front seats, 18” alloys, wireless charging and all the safety kit that matters.

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

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202412

The all-new Ranger is our reigning Pick-Up of the Year, having won the overall title last year at the first time of asking. This was despite a hefty set of prices, which didn’t stop Ford from carrying on where it left off and grabbing a hefty chunk of the one-tonne market for itself.

This year, those prices have climbed yet again. There’s been a £1000 bump on models powered by the 2.0 diesel engine and £2050 on those with the 3.0 diesel. The Raptor, which remains the halo model, is hiked by £1500 for
the 2.0 diesel and £2000 for the 3.0 petrol.

Below that elevated level, the everyday range remains as comprehensive as ever. The base-spec XL, which is available in Chassis, Single and Double-Cab form, comes with a 2.0-litre, 170bhp diesel and a manual box, and gives you cruise control, DAB, Ford’s Sync4 media system and plenty of safety kit, while the XLT (Double-Cab only) has the same
power train and adds alloys, air-con, better media and a damped tailgate.

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

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202412

This year, Land Rover has been celebrating the 70th anniversary of its association with the British Red Cross. There’s a lot of history there – and the company has come up with an ingenious way of putting it in the public eye.

Working together with the Red Cross, Land Rover has commissioned the creation of what is believed to be Britain’s smallest museum. This is housed in a specially converted Defender 110 plug-in hybrid containing a variety of artefacts,
photographs and audio guides, which ‘brings to life the humanitarian work delivered from 1954 to the present day.’

Land Rover estimates that during the history to date of its partnership with the Red Cross, 500-plus vehicles have played a role in assisting some two million people in more than fifty nations. The mobile museum, which is free to visit,
‘tells the story of 70 years of supporting communities in crisis around the world.’

Up to five visitors at a time can fit inside the vehicle, while many more view a timeline of pictures on its side panels
– as well as examples of equipment used by the Red Cross mounted on its roof rack. This all covers the history of
the partnership over the course of its 70 years, which includes multiple locations, conflicts and disasters.

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

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202412

It won’t be coming anywhere near Britain, but Nissan has just unveiled the seventh-generation version of the Patrol. The simple 4×4 workhorse we knew and loved has become a high-tech luxury wagon – but behind the 22” alloys and eyeball-searing red leather interior it’s still an off-roader at heart.

Creel Maritime, which specialises in developing solutions for sustainable transport, has introduced ForestBiodrive
– a project designed to demonstrate the potential of methanol-powered vehicles. As part of this, the company has been testing a Land Rover Defender 90 Tdi converted to run on methanol – something which it says demonstrates the technology’s viability for use on a larger scale.

The vehicle, which is undergoing rigorous testing in the forests of northern Scotland, promises a number of benefits.
As well as producing much lower levels of CO2 and particulates compared to diesel, methanol delivers performance that is comparable if not actually superior. Creel Maritime points out that this gives it the potential to be used in the marine, forestry, heavy plant and haulage sectors. In addition, methanol can be produced from recycled waste and forestry by-products, making it especially attractive as an automotive or industrial fuel in areas where local manufacture is possible.

Read the full Article in the December issue of Overlander 4×4 –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202412

We’ll be bringing you a first UK drive of the all-new Dacia Duster in next month’s issue of Overlander 4×4. But even as initial supplies are starting to arrive in the company’s showrooms, Dacia will be turning its attention to another all-new SUV. And if you thought Duster was kind of a peculiar name for a car, get yourself ready for the Bigster.

It may sound like a porn star from a Borat movie, but the Bigster is Dacia making a bold move into the C-SUV segment with a vehicle based on the altogether brilliant Nissan X-Trail. A size up from its high-selling stablemate, it leads with bold styling, interior space and ‘real off-road capability.’

The power train options include three different petrol hybrids. Among these, the Hybrid 155 can operate in all-electric mode in up to 80% of city driving, while the TCe 140 combines a Miller cycle three-pot with a 48V mild hybrid system and manual box to improve efficiency by around 10%.

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

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202412