Casual fun every other weekend or so can easily turn into something more expensive. We could be talking about affairs of the heart, but affairs of the metal are more expensive still. And dirtier…

You know how it goes. It’s just a bit of fun to start with. The occasional dirty weekend, no regrets, no harm done and forget about it ’til next time you fancy some action. But then you start wanting to go further, you want to get more dirty… and in return they start wanting more of your time and money.

No wonder so many car enthusiasts refer to their motors as ‘she.’ Projects are more like relationships than we care to think. But at least this one hasn’t ended in bitter acrimony and suits cut up with scissors. Like any relationship, it’s cost good money. But for that, Ben Halls gets what he calls comfort and enjoyment – which are not the qualities you’d first expect on seeing this tough-looking rig.

It’s the age-old tale of man meets Land Rover. It then progressed to ‘pay and play’ (or ‘affair’ to give it the human equivalent) and that then moved on to serious competition. Ben’s dirty weekends at least do not contain moral hazard, despite him spending time with a sidekick called Sizzle. Ben is an engineer, based in Kent, and most engineers are far from frivolous people. Sample question and answer from our chat together: ‘So, tell us, what got you into off-roading Ben?’ Answer: ‘A friend.’

Read the full feature in the August issue of Overlander 4×4 –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202508

There are things you think you know. The sun will come up in the morning. The tide will go in and out. An old Land Rover will get you almost anywhere and leave a trail of oil so you can find your way back. And a Lexus, any Lexus, is out of your class.

Toyota’s premium brand is known for its faultless build quality and brilliant dealers, and for having a level of customer
satisfaction at least one other premium car maker we could mention with an SUV or two in its line-up can only dream of. But it’s also known for making vehicles that cost a lot. You get what you pay for, but if you can’t afford it in the first place that’s a bit of a moot point.

Obviously, it remains so if you need, or want, a large SUV like the superb RX. And Lexus has never made an off-road vehicle as such, at least not for the UK market. But for the very many people who go about in smaller SUVs like the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage, the LBX promises to be a game changer. It’s a proper Lexus – yet it starts at less than £30,000.

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

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202508

A former winner of our 4×4 of the Year title, the X-Trail is a superb all-rounder whose blend of practicality, class, driving abilities and, in all-wheel drive form, off-road skills make it an outstanding family vehicle. It wanted for very little when it was first launched – but Nissan clearly did think there was something more it could do, because last year they added a further model to the range in the shape of the N-Trek.

This falls between Tekna and Tekna+ in terms of price, putting it second from the top in a five-strong model line-up. It has a specialised purpose, however, to set it apart from the rest of the range – it’s designed to appeal to ‘daring and adventurous families with a love of the great outdoors.’ To help it do this, the N-Trek gets a variety of adventure-focused equipment.

On the outside, there are protective lower bumper trims with a gunmetal finish and integrated LED fog lamps, which flow into the wheelarch extensions that were already in place from the rest of the X-Trail range. Beneath the latter, 235/50R18 Falken rubber is mounted on diamond-cut gloss black alloys that are unique to this model.

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

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202508

Land Rover heads into the Arctic circle to subject the forthcoming Range Rover Electric to extreme cold-weather testing.

Back in our February issue, we brought you the story of how the Range Rover Electric was coping with hot climate testing in the extreme environment of the Dubai Desert. Not only did it have to perform the way a Range Rover should in terms of off-road ability – it also had to do so by maintaining the optimum cabin climate even while its motors and batteries were being taxed to the hilt by the powersapping sand and roasting temperatures.

Now we’re at the other end of the scale. If you’ve driven many electric vehicles, you might have noticed how switching on the heater can make your range drop pretty alarmingly (and if you’ve not, you’ll certainly have seen the trumpeting nonsense shouted non-stop by hateeverythings on social media who’d have you believe that they can barely make it to the end of the road in cold weather).

Find out more in the August issue –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202508

Land Rover has introduced a facelifted version of the new Defender. You might need to look hard to spot them, but there are details updates around the exterior including new front and rear lights – as well as the inevitable wheel designs and paint colours.

Inside, the highlight of the cabin is a new 13.1” infotainment screen – though again, there are various other details waiting to be noticed if you’re sufficiently sharp-eyed. The gear selector has been repositioned higher up on the dash,
while down below the floor console now combines a large stowage area with a hidden section for smaller items.

Optional side pockets are also available, as is a cable management system so you can charge multiple devices without feeling like you’re driving a self-propelled bowl of spaghetti. Sorry, truffle-infused artisan maccheroncini; this is the new Defender, after all.

Read the full article here –

https://shop.assignmentmedia.co.uk/issue/4×4202508