Ian Seabrook
After repeatedly scraping the underside of my Maverick during a rock-strewn day of greenlaning, I decided it was time to check the ride height. The gap between the front tyre and wheelarch should be around 20mm less than the same gap at the rear. Use of a tape measure revealed that not only was the front end about 30mm low, it was another 10mm lower on the passenger side.
Thankfully, raising the ride height couldn’t be easier, or cheaper. The torsion bar suspension includes an adjustment mechanism to allow for sag over the years. All you have to do is undo the locknut on the adjuster and then screw the adjuster down for more height. It means a certain amount of scrabbling around on the floor but as the ride height goes up, this gets easier!
Bob Cooke – contributor 
It’s just as well that I carry one of those head torch things in the Cherokee. Not just because we’ve entered the dark days of winter, though it’s useful on those odd occasions when you need to see if what you’ve just run over is edible. I don’t even need the torch to find my way up the driveway after parking because the Cherokee has a “sentinel” headlamp system, which leaves the lamps alight for about 45 seconds after switching off the ignition. I need the torch because the dashboard lamps have failed, so I need a means of checking my speed and finding the stereo and heater controls after dark. It’s an odd one – the dash illumination doesn’t work, nor does the stereo display, yet the digital clock still ticks away in the dark and the stereo still works, it just doesn’t show me what station I’m listening to. The handbook doesn’t assign a fuse to the dashboard illumination, so I’m somewhat bewildered.
Proving that perhaps you can keep slicing the cake smaller and smaller, and creating a niche of a niche, Volkswagen unveiled the new CrossBlue concept vehicle at this year’s North American Auto Show this January. This is a diesel-electric hybrid, which uses the company’s excellent TDI engine with two electric motors, DSG transmission to create an electric 4×4 system, which the boffins have dubbed ‘propshaft by wire’. Ignoring that for a moment, the six-seater vehicle is said to have a fuel consumption capacity of 134.5mpg.
Sue Loy 
As a Toyota RAV4 owner, driving the CR-V was an interesting experience. The two models must be an ‘either/or’ for a lot of people looking for a family-sized SUV. I’m on my second RAV4 and will admit to being very happy with my choice, so being able to spend a week with the new fourth generation Honda CR-V was an opportunity not to miss.
Ever thought that buying a car with a headline-grabbing price tag only made sense in the short term? Then think again.
It seems that this corrosion protection product was developed through the American space race! Based on the fact that space vehicles do take something of a battering when in use, and then end up unceremoniously splashing down in corrosive salt water (!) we now have Nyalic, which can help preserve your 4×4’s wheels! Basically it’s a polymeric resin that coats the wheel and will protect against corrosive chemicals – like road salt – as well as other nasty muck like brake dust. It’s a water clear ultra thin resin that you coat the wheels with and is claimed to then offer ‘many years’ protection, is UV resistant and will not flake or peel. Given the cost of alloy wheels on 4x4s these days, it seems a rather good idea. A Nyalic Automotive Kit gives 6.5sqm of coverage, enough for a vehicle, and costs £34.99 (inc VAT), plus postage and packing by mail order, online from 
Two models that we are pleased to see will continue into 2013 from Suzuki have been announced. The amazing little Jimny enters the New Year with a few exterior and interior design updates – at no extra costs. 2013 is Suzuki’s 43rd Anniversary of the very first SUV. We are glad to see it continue – but still wonder why other manufacturers seem to ignore this ‘bargain/proper off-roader’ segment. Too small, it seems. The Grand Vitara is an SUV that we also feel deserves to continue, It’s actually the 23rd year since the Vitara was launched, itself a development from the highly innovative and important SJ series of small off-roaders. We like the fact that while the Grand Vitara might be dismissed by some as ‘just another soft SUV’ the Suzuki still boasts a low range option of the transmission. We have recently driven both the Grand Vitara in conditions that were anywhere but ‘soft’. Our feature will appear in the next issue.
Auto Styling has a series of special winter offers for quality floor mats for most 4×4 vehicles. Well worth buying decent mats at this time of the year. The mats range from Truckman tailored mats from only £23.95, heavy-duty universal mats, to tailored fitted mats at £70.22. To learn which are the best mats for your vehicle, contact 0845 644 4704. Or to buy online, check out 
Bad snow in the UK makes a lot of people think more about how we can clear not only roads, but airports, schools, hospitals; anywhere that we need to get to! It seems the guys at Polaris have had similar thoughts and now are inviting The Boss to the UK. This doesn’t mean another Bruce Springsteen concert, as Boss snowploughs have been available for Polaris ATVs for some years. The equipment will be available in the UK through Farmquip. Teamed with a Polaris Ranger Diesel, Boss snowploughs offer a great combination for the most extreme terrain and conditions, all with in-cab control. Of course, once you have cleared a road, the next step is the gritter. The Boss TGS 800 tailgate spreader can easily be attached to the rear of a Polaris. The rotary ‘paddle action’ can spread rock salt, grit, sand and other de-icing materials. You would certainly think that the combination of Polaris and The Boss would offer cost-effective all-round winter maintenance, highly suitable to contractors, local authorities, small estates, hospitals, and airports. Polaris Britain can be contacted on 0800 915 6720, or check out: 
Place your order now for Ford’s all new super hi-tech Kuga; not only is it more stylish and more fuel-efficient than the model it replaces, it’s also priced at £1000 less. The Kuga, in dealerships during January, is also claimed to be the safest mid-sized SUV, after scoring a maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating. The new Kuga is leaner but longer than the current model so has better aerodynamics but more luggage space, with power provided by a refined 2.0-litre turbodiesel with up to 163bhp or the high-efficiency Ecoboost 1.6-litre petrol engine with up to 180bhp. Don’t miss our First Drive report on this excellent new SUV in next month’s issue.
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