With its front end inspired by the M715 of old, Jeep’s Convoy concept was perhaps the most distinctive new offering to come from this year’s Easter Safari. But nine years previously, another concept with similar styling had alerted the world to the imminent arrival of a new Jeep like no other before it.

Of all the seven concept vehicles Jeep built for this year’s Easter Safari, the Convoy is possibly most eye-catching. That’s saying something, because it was in spectacular company – but while every one of the others looked like a Wrangler, this military-themed take on the Gladiator pick-up stands out thanks to the ‘J-nose’ front end reminiscent of the 1962 SJ and military M715 Kaiser.

The original SJ Gladiator was sold in various guises until 1988, making it one of the few vehicles to last more than a quarter of a century on the same basic platform. It was the basis for the M715, which appeared in 1967 and saw service in Vietnam with some 33,000 units going on to be built.

The civilian SJ was available with a wide range of engines and gearboxes during its time, as well as options including two and four-wheel drive, dually rear wheels and, on early examples, independent front suspension. It was also the first truck in America to feature an OHC engine, the 3.8-litre, 140bhp Tornado straight six.

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The Kodiaq is our reigning 4×4 of the Year, a title it won on the strength of its all-round abilities as a family SUV. It’s practical, comfortable, well equipped and very well put together. But aside from some fun and games on the reassuringly firm sand of an Irish beach during the vehicle’s launch last summer, we’ve never really taken it off-road.

There’s a good reason for that, of course. Most Kodiaqs are two-wheel drive only – and although traction technology
has improved over time to the point where that’s more than enough to get you places on the sort of rough tracks and loose terrain that make up 99% of the off-roading people actually do in the real world, knowing you’ve got all four looking after you definitely adds a layer of reassurance when you’re out there having adventures.

Skoda does give you the choice of having your Kodiaq with four-wheel drive, though. The engine has to be diesel (there are still many people to whom this is no problem) and, as with every Kodiaq now, you get a DSG auto box as standard, so the choices are much more limited than they used to be in the days when we had a fi rst-gen Scout model on long-term test, but they’re playing the percentages and that’s what your typical SUV buyer wants. And, as evidenced by its monumental popularity, a Kodiaq is what a whole lot of them want too.

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Inverted is one of the many companies specialising in converting classic vehicles to run on electricity. It already
offers a kit for the Range Rover, which has recently also become available to suit the Defender – and on top of that, it has just announced the addition of the Series I, II and III to its portfolio.

These use a 62kWh waterproof battery pack and an electric motor which delivers approximately 160bhp and 665lbf.ft directly to the vehicle’s transfer box. This is retained, along with high and low range gearing and four-wheel drive. There’s a choice of Eco, Traffic and Off-Road drive modes, offering tailored performance and regenerative braking profiles to suit the prevailing conditions.

Other features include electric power steering and servo-assisted brakes, helping transform the old classics into vehicles whose more refined driving experience doesn’t come at the expense of their original character. ‘Inverted Series Land Rovers retain the timeless charm of the originals while being reimagined as fully electric, modernised machines with cutting-edge engineering,’ the company says. ‘These vehicles are now ideal for everything from countryside adventures and beach trips with the family to emissions-free city driving.’

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Question: How do you win the Dakar Rally in two easy steps? Answer: 1) Get Stéphane
Peterhansel to drive for you. 2) Er, that’s it. It’s not quite that simple, obviously. But experience is everything in the Dakar – and the much-decorated Frenchman is a winner for hire.

During a career stretching back to 1988, Peterhansel has won the Dakar 14 times. He started on two wheels, winning
six bike titles for Yamaha in ten attempts before switching to cars – since when he has raced for Nissan, Aixam, Mitsubishi, BMW, Mini, Peugeot and Audi. He scored an exceptional second place overall in 2000 aboard the unfancied Aixam Mega before winning three out of the last five Dakars to be held in Africa during Mitsubishi’s half-decade stranglehold on the event. Since then he’s won three times for Mini and twice for Peugeot, with two other podiums and three fourth places thrown in.

The maestro’s figures have not been so successful in the last few years, however, with three frustrating events aboard Audi’s revolutionary electric racecar followed by a year off in 2025. But the big news is that Peterhansel will be back for 2026 – and he’ll be returning behind the wheel of a Land Rover Defender.

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The most desirable classic Defender variant returns,’ announces Land Rover Classic. Oooh, they’re bringing back the
300Tdi! ‘As a bespoke 5.0‑litre V8.’ Oh. They’re talking about the Defender 90 Soft-Top, which they’ve brought back as the latest in the line of rebuilt-from-notquite- new 90s and 110s retailing for the sort of money most people would like to be able to spend on a house one day.

Built to order, the vehicle ‘pays homage to previous generations of Defender Soft Top, including the sought‑after NAS 90 from the 1990s.’ Its contemporary the 90SV was even more sought-after in Britain, on account of you could get one, but the NAS 90 was a V8 so we can see where they’re going with this. Though whereas that model only had a 3.9 Rover lump (originally mated to an LT77 box), the newcomer puts its 405bhp and 380lbf.ft to the ground through an 8-speed auto.

We’ve experienced a number of Defenders with high-powered V8 conversions which were frankly horrible to drive (horrible and completely unlike a Defender, even a fast one). To try and avoid this, Land Rover uses revised-rate
coil springs, Eibach anti‑roll bars and Bilstein dampers which ‘have undergone comprehensive testing and development to ensure they meet OEM standards’ and create a suspension set‑up which is ‘specifically tailored to the unique characteristics of the 90 Soft Top and combines traditional Defender capability with superior comfort in all environments.’

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It’s universally understood among people who know off-roading that the biggest adventures don’t normally include the most extreme terrain. In fact, it could be argued that the most extreme off-road challenges don’t even need a winch – they need imagination, ground reading skills and a whole lot of bottle.

So it is that earlier this year, a 1974 Mini became the highest vehicle on the planet. Driven by Ben Coombs and supported by a 1990 Range Rover, the vehicle scaled the Ojos del Salado mountain in the Andes – site of many previous attempts on the motorised altitude record.

Since 2023, this has stood at 6721 metres. The current record, achieved by three-times Le Mans winner Romain Dumas
in a heavily modified Porsche 911, was set with the backing of a large team supported by an array of blue-chip sponsors – not to mention the support of Porsche itself. But amid the various big manufacturers with their corporate money and global PR operations, in 2007 a couple of local lads called Gonzalo Bravo and Eduardo Canales braved hostile weather and an engine fi re before finally making it to 6688 metres in their Suzuki Samurai.

This was very much the spirit of Ben’s attempt on the mountain, which is a huge stratovolcano straddling the border between Chile and Argentina.

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There’s something of a heritage theme to the seven-strong collection of concept Jeeps the company created for this year’s Easter Safari at Moab. The annual event, which brings Jeep owners and enthusiasts flocking to eastern Utah from
around America and beyond, has for many years been highlighted by the now traditional display of modified, restified and accessorised vehicle – and after a quiet year in 2024, when it only brought four vehicles, the original 4×4 maker came back firing on all cylinders for the latest running of the event.

In the company’s own words, the seven vehicles ‘pay homage to the Jeep brand’s roots while defining the future of offroading.’ They do this by showcasing the huge range of accessories available through Mopar’s Jeep Performance Parts range – ‘accessories’ in this case including items like suspension systems, body armour and heavy-duty axles, not just the stickers and floor mats we’re used to the word describing here in Britain.

Moab is globally famous for the slickrock trails in the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, whose red rock mountains rise to dominate the view in all directions from the town. It attracts walkers and mountain bikers as well as four-wheelers – and whereas in Britain this would be enough for all motor vehicles to be summarily banned, Moab is also the gold standard in managing multi-use land access.

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Land Rover has announced the Defender Awards – a new initiative which will see a £100,000 bursary, a Defender vehicle and expert mentorship donated to a chosen small conservation or humanitarian organisation in each of seven countries around the world – the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan and South Africa.

The chosen charities will be those which can make good use of their Defender’s ability to ‘support vital, frontline work in hard-to-reach locations.’ Entries are currently being invited from programmes whose work falls into one of
four categories:

• Defenders of the Wild: For projects committed to helping protect endangered and at-risk species, whatever their size.
The mission is to help protect indigenous species of all kinds.

• Defenders of Humanity: For projects which support people and communities in their time of need. The mission is to
help vulnerable communities thrive – and to help them prepare for, respond to and recover from crises, whenever and
wherever they strike.

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You know what you are getting with Khan Design. The latest creation from the Bradford styling house, which is now available through its Chelsea Truck Company operation, is a ‘bold fusion of heritage and innovation’ named the Defender 90 Concept 001.

This is a one-off prototype designed to act as a showcase for the company’s designs. Kahn describes it as ‘a visionary reinterpretation of the legendary Defender, blending British tradition with avant-garde styling and technical mastery.’ It previews various accessories which the company will offer for sale in the future.These include Kahn’s newly announced 20” Hammerhead RSForged wheels, around which is a set of 33×12.50R20 Yokohama Geolandar X-AT all-terrains. Flared wheelarches keep them covered, giving the vehicle a wide-boy stance that’s somewhat reminiscent of Suzuki Vitaras in the early 1990s.

Further features include carbon fibre rear diffuser spats, facelifted headlamps and a Kahn branded rigid spare wheel cover. The grille surround, arches and lower body are finished in 3D-textured protective paint, ‘combining resilience with a rugged yet refined finish’ – we don’t know if this is actual Raptor, but that’s the word everyone uses for this kind of paint and the rough-textured look and feel of it will be instantly recognisable.

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The KGM’s Rexton won our 4×4 of the Year title back when it was first launched in Britain, and went on to take the Best Value award every subsequent year until its stablemate, the new KGM Torres, finally upstaged it. But the Korean company (still known to many people as ‘KGM… used to be SsangYong’) is keeping the fire lit under its biggest SUV with a new model – the Rexton Commercial.

This is, quite simply, a Rexton converted into a two-seat van. It keeps all the equipment that makes the passenger carrying version such good value, aside obviously from the second and third rows of seats – which are replaced with a secure load area offering more than 2200 litres of cargo space.

This has a carpeted floor, with an optional rubber mat available as an accessory. The rear windows are opaque and reinforced for security, and there’s an ISO 27956:2009 full-height fixed mesh bulkhead behind the seats to keep the crew separate from their cargo.

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