If you’re going to buy a 4×4 with its guts removed, you’d better know what you’re doing. Which was exactly the case with Richard Alder when he took on this Jeep Wrangler YJ and resolved to revive it with the engine from an Isuzu Trooper – and a gearbox that’s an engineering work of art

When Richard Alder went out and bought a Jeep Wrangler with no engine or gearbox, things could have gone badly wrong very easily. In fact, but for a simple twist of fate this tidy little YJ could have been lost altogether to the world of off-roading.

A 1990 left-hooker, which came to the UK in 1992, the Jeep now sits proudly on a businesslike suspension lift, with some of the best bumpers in the world looking after its vital interests. But it could so easily have been so different.

‘I started off by looking for chrome stuff bumpers and so on,’ admits Richard. ‘That was the way I meant to take it. But then I saw these new heavy-duty bumpers on Smittybilt’s website, and I thought they looked the business. So I decided to do it that way instead.’

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In the early days of competitive winching, Lee Bond was renowned for his use of Mercedes G-wagen axles to create manoeuvrable and super-strong vehicles. And unlike some builders, each of his creations was unique.

There was a time, and what a happy, innocent time it was, when building hybrid Land Rovers was all the rage. People who couldn’t afford a 90, which was more or less all of them, would take a Range Rover chassis (because back then you could afford that), cut it down to whatever wheelbase they wanted (normally 88” or, for trialling, 80”), replace the rear overhang with a Series crossmember and cobble together a body out of whatever panels they could get their hands on.

Those were the halcyon days before the SVA test came along to turn hybrid building into yet another Thing You’re Not Allowed To Do In Britain Any More. Mainly, though, the hybrid era came to its own natural end simply because 90s and 110s came down in price to the point where building your own was no longer necessary.

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Two years have passed since the Ranger was launched in the UK. It has won our Pick Up of the Year award at each time of asking and become a common sight on the road, even though it’s priced as a more premium level than the last model and has stronger competition than ever from the Isuzu D-Max.

Ford’s sheer size means it can cast its net far and wide with the range of models you can choose from. Hence the Wildtrak X, a version of the mid-range Wildtrak with a spec that’s tailored a little more towards off-road use. It’s available only with the fourcylinder 2.0 TDCi engine, tuned for 205bhp and mated to a 10-speed auto box, and priced from £42,350 plus VAT (£50,820 with it included).

Though the Wildtrak is only a mid-range trim level in the model line-up, it’s still a very well equipped one with things like all-round parking sensors, leather, heated seats and steering wheel, wireless phone pairing, LED headlamps and 360-degree approach lighting. It also includes Soft-Ride Suspension, however in the Wildtrak X this is replaced with Off-Road Suspension.

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Land Rover Classic has announced that it is to open up its collection of historic vehicles for the public to drive on a series of exclusive events.

Defender Classic: Icons Off-Road will take place at the original Land Rover Experience centre in Solihull, where clients will get behind the wheel of ‘some of the finest examples of historic Land Rover vehicles from over the years.’

For the price of £595, you’ll also learn about the Land Rovers you’re driving. ‘Each experience will also include the history of the subject vehicles, with every JLR instructor on hand to make sure that guests get to know the car they will be driving in the finest detail, down to the last rivet.’ In addition, the day starts with a tour of the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works facility, demonstrating the specialised work done there as part of its restoration and customisation programmes.

Solihull is particularly appropriate as the location for the driving experience as it was here that the company’s original test and demo track was created back in 1949. This was later replaced by the famous Jungle Track, which remains largely intact today and which will host the driving element of the experience. ‘Using JLR’s finest and most knowledgeable instructors, Land Rover Classic has carefully curated itineraries that display the most incredible selection of cars and the extent of their capabilities. On off-road dirt tracks, guests will have the opportunity to drive each vehicle exactly how they were designed to be driven, all on specialist courses.

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It’s been on the way forever but the Jeep Avenger is about to hit the road in plugin hybrid 4xe form. The latest version of the high-selling B-SUV promises to bridge the gap between the full EV, in which form it was first launched in the UK, and the petrol and hybrid models which have come since.

While there’s not yet any sign of a Trailhawk version to take advantage of the 4xe drivetrain, which drives all four wheels, Jeep has not ruled this out. For now, the 4xe will be available in three trims, all of them powered by the same combination of 1.2-litre turbocharged engine, and dual 21kW, 48V electric motors. This delivers 145bhp to all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch auto box.

Jeep says the drivetrain allows the Avenger to tackle ‘even the most adventurous off-road terrains’. It boasts 210mm of ground clearance (an additional 10mm compared to the rest of the Avenger range), meaning 22° approach, 21° breakover and 35° departure angles, and can ford up to 400mm of water.

In addition, a 22.7:1 reduction gear in the rear axle makes for an extraordinary 1400lbf.ft of torque at the wheels. This promises enormous tractability – Jeep says the vehicle can scale gradients of up to 40% on unpaved surfaces, with 20% achievable even if the front wheels have no grip at all. Although the Avenger doesn’t have low range as such, its drive modes offer the option of a virtual centre diff lock – as well of course as programs tailored to driving in mud, sand and snow.

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