ONE MILLION MODELS LATER…
Introducing the new luxury Discovery
As we follow the Discovery story this month, with Mike Gould’s memories of the very first Discovery and the latest one millionth version (see page 52), it has been announced that there will now be a ‘Luxury Special Edition’ model. Available exclusively in Santorini Black, the new Discovery 4 HSE Luxury Special Edition looks the business, although whether it will ever find itself wandering down any overgrown, thorn-bush occupied, greenlanes we doubt! Bright silver finishing picks out the full-length roof rails and is said to complement the Noble plated door mirror caps and Titan Silver bonnet script and tailgate badge. The grille treatment is the opposite of the existing style; the grille surround and fender vents finished in Indus Silver and the grille vanes in body colour. The interior of the HSE Luxury Edition has the option of Ebony or Ivory leather upholstery, with Windsor leather covering the facia top, instrument panel binnacle, door top rolls, arm rests and pull. The interior detailing is complete with a new Dark Zebrano veneer and twist pile luxury carpet mats with contrasting edging. Take your boots off before you get in ‘ere mate… This model will be available from July with prices starting at £56,995 on the road.
KELSEYAdmin
JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY ENDS IN BEIJING
Land Rover’s biggest modern-day overland expedition, the Journey of Discovery, has reached the finish line with the one millionth Discovery arriving in perfect time to appear at the Beijing Motor Show.
The Journey, which saw four vehicles travel more than 10,000 miles from Birmingham to Beijing, aims to raise £1million for the company’s Global Humanitarian Partner, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
It began on February 29, at the Solihull manufacturing plant where the one millionth Discovery was built, and since its ceremonial send-off at the Geneva Motor Show it has passed through 13 countries over challenging terrain ranging from snow in the Alps to sun-baked sand dunes in the Taklimakan Desert.
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AUTO STYLING TRUCKMAN
Good news from the West Midlands this month from Auto Styling Truckman. The company produces and distributes hard tops for pick-up trucks, and sales (both in the UK and export) has seen turnover increase from £3.5m to £5m in the last 12 months, an increase of 40 per cent.
Auto Styling UK was founded in 2002 by Mike Wheeler, and has grown to be one of the UK’s major distributor of accessories for 4x4s. The company now manufacturers the Truckman hard tops after rescuing the company from administration back in 2008 – at the time, Truckman had a 25 year heritage, but found itself in difficulty during the ‘credit crunch’.
10 MILLION INDIAN SUZUKIS
Back in the mid-1980s, the Editor of this magazine had an interesting experience driving a Maruti Gypsy in India. The Maruti was an Indian-built Suzuki SJ jeep and something of a liability if truth be told. Intriguing, therefore, to discover nearly 30 years later, that Suzuki is celebrating no less than 10 million domestic car sales across India – giving the Japanese company a massive 50 per cent of the entire passenger and light commercial market. The numbers are equally impressive when you consider that means 1000 new car dealerships and just under 3000 service workshops, serving 1406 cities… It is a safe bet that the Jimny, which is built and sold in India as the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy is somewhat better constructed these days!
GOOD START FOR SUBARU
It seems the new Subaru XV has made a good start in the UK. This new crossover 4×4 is vital for the UK importer to re-establish its financial fortune in the UK, after a dreadful 2011 (see First Drive, page 22). First signs are good with February 2012 registrations up a staggering 86 per cent – but then last year was so bad, percentages can be a little misleading. However, the new XV was only available in the 60-strong Subaru dealer network at the beginning of February, and interest has proved very strong. As we discovered when testing the vehicle, the XV should prove to be a strong contender in the crossover market, especially when linked with the company’s highly comprehensive aftercare package being offered to all new owners. It is thought a new Forrester is on the way to the UK to further restore Subaru’s position in the UK.
LAND ROVER CYCLE RESPONSE UNITS
Four new Land Rover cycle response units (that’s bikes to you and I) have been donated to the British Red Cross. This brings the total number of Land Rover bikes donated to 30. They work in tandem (that’s two bikes together, not a tandem…) with a Land Rover vehicle and aim to have more potential accessibility to get to vulnerable people in difficult locations. Each bike is equipped with a defibrillator, advanced First Aid kit and resuscitation equipment. The benefit of the bikes is they can navigate through urban and crowded areas and have already worked at events like the Great North Run and the Burghley Horse Trials. The programme is part of a collaboration between Land Rover and the British Red Cross in a global partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and currently covers some 15 countries.
Hils at Large – Secure The Future
Vehicle theft is rife, especially in rural areas, and we must protect our 4x4s, just as much as our right to drive on legitimate greenlanes by doing it properly
This month’s issue contains some hot topics that are particularly important to any 4×4 owner who wants to ensure the security of their 4×4 and use it as god intended in the right and proper way.
Theft of our beloved vehicles is currently at its highest ever level. Land Rovers, and Defenders in particular, are especially sought-after by thieves, and rural areas are being systematically targeted. One of our colleagues who lives high up in the Pennines has friends who have lost several Defenders and are now considering changing to other marques because it has become an epidemic. We really can’t emphasis enough the importance of protecting your 4×4.
West Yorkshire police did apprehend a gang last year and were stunned by the slickness of the operation. Vehicles were being stolen and stripped for parts within hours or ‘shipped’ off to various places around the UK and overseas. Many entire vehicles end up abroad, particularly in North America, apparently, as demand is so high. Spot checks on the road here in the UK are being carried out and everyone is on high alert, but the police can only do so much. So it’s up to us to do our bit in trying to protect our own vehicles. Anything that makes them more difficult for the criminal to steal will mean they move on elsewhere.
JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
Hils Everitt – Editor at Large
After two severe winters, the South East escaped relatively unscathed this time. Here on my Greensand ridge we had a light dusting one day, which didn’t last and we thought that we may have escaped after all the warnings. The weather was mild, and then we hit a really cold snap, but still no precipitation.
Temperatures dropped to well below freezing and I was glad that I had my General Grabber ATs holding up the silver machine’s four corners. The feeling of reassurance you get with a decent set of tyres in poor conditions is priceless. When the heavy snow did finally arrive on Saturday night – as predicted – in early February while I was having dinner at a friend’s house in the countryside I was very glad of my ‘GGs’.
HOTCHKISS – EUGENE
Bob Cooke – contributor
The ground was soft, calling for careful progress to prevent the bar grip tyres from sinking deep into the boggy earth below; something big had passed by this way, probably during the previous summer, churning the ground into a ripple of humps and hollows among the closely-packed trees, so the effect was almost like fighting a Hobie cat through the waves on the way to the beach, attempting not to run down any of the mass of swimmers in the process. Eugene made steady progress, avoiding the deeper ruts, steering gently among the trees… until suddenly and inexplicably the Hotchkiss came to a dead stop. There seemed to be no obvious reason – the Hotchkiss hadn’t bellied down in the soft stuff, it hadn’t become cross-axled… and then someone called out: “Oy – you’ve caught it on a tree!”
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