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October 2013 Issue of 4×4 Magazine

october coverIt’s all the Range Rover’s fault. How ironic that the issue when we decide to look at budget 4x4s, with a target price of £2500, that Bentley should announce the company is to build the ‘most luxurious and most powerful SUV ever’. Now for many, £2500 is a reasonable amount for a 4×4, especially for those lucky enough to have it as a second ‘hobby’ vehicle that they can enjoy at the weekends but not have to use on a daily basis. We think we have made some good suggestions of where to spend your money (see page 26) but would like to hear from you if you have some better suggestions! Of course, as we were putting this ‘bargain budget’ issue to press, we then heard from Bentley that the company is going to invest £800m on the build of a brand new SUV.

Now, I appreciate that this is an ‘investment’ and is not actually a large pile of newly printed Jane Austen tenners in boxes and handed over to that Canadian chap at the Bank of England, but which ever way you look at it, Eight Hundred Million Pounds is a lot of dosh. Why would a marque, with absolutely zero history and heritage of 4×4, suddenly decide to build an SUV? Surely it can only be that the bigwigs at Bentley were getting a little concerned at all the glamorous motor shows around the world when those financially favoured Chinese, Indian and Russian businessmen were walking passed the Bentley stand and rushing to the JLR display to put their markers down on getting a new Range Rover, and perhaps a couple of Evoques while I’ve got my cheque book out…

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Hils BlogGreenlaning is getting more difficult to do thanks to all the restrictions. Perhaps organised drives are the answer and if that’s the case, why not get Porsches, Audis, BMWs and other ‘posh’ 4x4s to join us off-road?

Greenlaning in the Yorkshire Wolds was a real eye opener, see feature on page 62. As an ignorant southerner I had no idea that the area even existed; although, in my defence, my Yorkshire friends in the west of the county didn’t know exactly where they were supposed to be either!

Everyone talks about the Dales and the Moors and we have been on tours in those areas a few times over the years. So it was a very pleasant surprise to join Yorkshire 4×4 Tours for a day out in the Wolds. As you will read from the feature, it is picturesque and revealing; not as dramatic a landscape as the county’s other main areas, but offered up some entertaining off-roading nonetheless.

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September 2013 Issue of 4×4 Magazine

September coverWhy should selling a car be such a hassle? Finally, I have sold my Toyota Hilux. You would have thought that it would be easy. It is a great truck, well looked after, full Toyota service record and very low mileage. No commercial use – unless you include the collection of a recently felled tree that will be keeping Sue and I warm next winter. It has ARB underbody protection, and a recently fitted Mountain Top completed the extra’s list. Now, I wasn’t expecting to be swept away with the rush of potential buyers, but I thought I’d get a few sensible enquiries. What I wasn’t ready for was the numpties, ne’er-do-wells and the not-very-nice calls.

And what is it about ‘cash’? I ended having a 10-minute discussion with one potential buyer who made a ludicrously low offer, saying: ‘but it’s cash’. And when I said I wouldn’t sell for that low he still insisted in coming and having a look. ‘It’s cash, you know’. So blooming what, stupid? Finally got rid of him, only for his son to call a few moments later; same offer, same ‘it’s cash’ trump card. What a waste of time. Go away.

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Hils BlogEven as a traditionalist, the future of the ‘softer’ SUV from Jeep makes perfect sense to me. I’m even looking forward to the launch of the new Cherokee

Having brought you a review of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee last month, and extolled the virtues of my beloved, albeit ageing, WJ model, then read Bob Cooke’s less-than-enthusiastic comments about the new Cherokee due here later this year, I feel the need to draw a line under the ‘Jeepey’ theme with a few comments about what is going on in the minds of the Fiat Chrysler hierarchy.

Of course, at any press launch of a new/revamped vehicle, the guys in charge are abundantly enthusiastic about their new models and the future prospects for their brand. Here at 4×4 Magazine, we are all fans of the iconic Jeep and its heritage and so when we hear that the future is bright, the future is auto-engaging 4WD, city-slick luxury and Evoque-esque styling it’s bound to stick in our craw a little.

I really do sympathise with Bob’s view, as he has owned Cherokees for as long as I can remember and used them in the best way possible, both as a daily drive and on regular weekend off-road forays with his mates. But I really can’t say I dislike the new Cherokee or its lack of any obvious nod to previous off-road prowess.

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August 2013 Issue of 4×4 Magazine

August coverInteresting piece of news this month was to hear that Jeep had produced its one millionth Wrangler. The iconic 4×4 rolling off the Toledo production plant in Ohio looked great in shiny black paintwork, ‘loaded’ with extras and destined for a lucky owner in Florida. When it arrives at its new home. You suspect it will spend little time off-road, and much more with the top down, stereo up, cruising the beaches. Can you still drive on Daytona Beach? If so, that’s probably the most ‘off-road’ the vehicle will manage, but so what? It’s damp, grey and with a persistent drizzle outside as I write this, and so to be honest, I am somewhat jealous and would much rather be pottering about, getting a sun tan in a Jeep. Maybe that’s what most owners do with them, and explains why from that one million-vehicle pool, only a meagre 6987 Wranglers have made it to the UK. Seems a particularly small number for what is such a great enthusiast’s machine. And that got me thinking.

We had our first drive of the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee in the last issue. Already an impressive luxury off-roader, it seems to have got even better. What’s more amazing is the price. It’s a real value for money machine, and that’s a comment from someone who knows that – lucky lottery ticket apart – I will never be able to stump up the 35 grand needed for the new Jeep. But when you compare that to the cost of top end BMWs, Audis and Porsches the VFM quota seems to rise significantly. And that’s before you start comparing it with the latest Range Rover; spec that up, and it’ll cost you two and a half Grand Cherokees, maybe three! Add to that the fact that the Grand Cherokee will knock spots off the German Euro SUVs when it comes to off-road ability, and it’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Why so few Jeeps sold in the UK? The new Grand Cherokee deserves to be a big success in the UK and indeed in Europe, but will it get those deserved sales figures?  

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Hils BlogAs we rightly claim the Jeep Grand Cherokee to be the bargain of the off-road world, it’s only natural for a real life owner to offer her comments…

As you will see elsewhere in this issue, the subject of our Buyers’ Guide this month is the Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ model. Regular readers will know that, as an owner of an aged WJ myself, it would be impossible for me not to comment on the potential of this fine vehicle as a best–value bargain 4×4 available in the current market.

Born in 1999, the WJ replaced the ZJ classic model, with the boxy lines and fuel-gorging 4.0-litre six-cylinder Italian (VM Motori) petrol engine. That engine remained, and was joined by the even thirstier 4.7-litre V8. Well, they were times when we didn’t really worry too much about the price of fuel at ‘who cares’ pence a gallon/litre. In September 1999 came the real serious revolution that gave birth to the luxury 4×4 diesel engine concept for Jeep.

Jeep introduced the 3.1-litre CRD VM to the range and – the real ‘wow’ factor at the time – it was mated to an auto ‘box. The Grand was never available with manual transmission, and so it was a real revolution. Then, in October 2001, the 2.7 CRD was introduced after the joining of forces with Mercedes-Benz. This MB engine is what powers my WJ and has proved a huge seller, improving fuel economy, top speed and acceleration.

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July 2013 Issue of 4×4 Magazine

july coverClimbing aboard, I should have realised. The quality of the seats, the trim, the beautifully engineered switchgear is unsurpassed. The sheer luxurious opulence of the vehicle’s cabin is almost over-powering; especially for those of us humans on planet earth that need to regularly budget for their motoring. But even for millionaires, far eastern royalty or even guileless, super rich Premier League footballers, the cabin of the new Range Rover is a fantastic, dream-like place to sit. The model I was driving was trimmed in lush Bourneville chocolate leather, which I must admit, seemed to be a horrible colour to me, but that’s hair-splitting to a ridiculously high level. It’s a simply superb place to sit.

Press the ‘start’ button and the way the circular drive selector wheel rises from the centre console is surely something you could never tire of watching. It has a mechanical smoothness beyond even the futuristic gimmickry you might see on the latest Star Trek movie. Turn the engine off and watch it descend, then on again, and it rises. OK, maybe it’s just me…

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Hils BlogEncouraging times ahead perhaps – from both manufacturers and TV companies. Fingers crossed, that’s for sure

Some interesting stats from the AA have appeared in the motoring news pages recently regarding our recent UK fuel sales. As mainly diesel lovers here at 4×4 it doesn’t surprise us (and probably won’t surprise our readers and 4×4 owners who are predominantly diesel users) to learn that, in the last five years, forecourt sales of petrol have dropped by 20 per cent.

Last year 17 billion litres were sold, compared to 22 billion in 2007, which is a hefty decrease. On the other hand, sales of diesel increased from 14 billion to 16 billion litres, as prices have risen and the use of smaller and diesel-powered vehicles has increased. In Spring 2009, the price of a litre of petrol was £1, but if you spend £20 at the pumps today, you get less than 15 litres; not surprising that diesel is on the up and smaller vehicles are on the increase. Another interesting fact is that, in 2000 only 10 per cent of new cars were diesel; and last year, according to the Petrol Retailers Association, a whopping 50 per cent of new cars were diesel. And the outlook for fuel prices isn’t getting any better as, at some point, there will be economic recovery which means those City stockbrokers will be predicting greater oil and fuel demand, which only has the effect of pushing up prices even further, as commodity values increase. It’s a vicious circle.

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June 2013 Issue of 4×4 Magazine

june cover

When it comes to driving, I have to admit to having done rather a lot. Besides the off-road stuff, this has included a fair bit of motorsport, including a few circuit races, lots of timed sprints and hillclimbs, one odd (very odd) sporting trial, a little rally driving, numerous multi-wheel off-roaders and even a fantastic test drive of a mega-ton juggernaut lorry around a high speed test track; block changing gears, four at a time I seem to remember…

Now none of this means that I would dare to claim that I’m any good at any of it, and the breadth of experience is simply thanks to the fact that I’ve been lucky enough to have been a motoring magazine editor for quite a few years. Indeed, this is being written on my birthday, and my age has now reached a decent one-day cricket score for a middle order batsman, so you have to believe I’ve done a bit. All of which makes the fact that I’ve always found off-road driving a little baffling, something of a contradiction.

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Hils BlogWhat has happened to the small off-roader? Why is it that manufacturers, while admitting there’s a gap in the market, then refuse to fill it?

This month you will see my report on the new Toyota RAV4 on page 18. I was looking forward to the Spanish launch as have always had rather a fondness for the RAV. Well, actually, let’s clarify that. I have always had a fondness for the principle of the RAV. When it was first launched in 1994 it caused a real stir, bit like Mitsubishi’s whacky L200 did when it first dared to burst onto the 4×4 scene with its ‘out there’ design and styling. The RAV4, in three-door guise, caused even bigger ructions. It really broke the mould and effectively created the SUV genre.

That SUV genre has, as we all know, since exploded out of all recognition, and we have been lambasted with copious lookalike crossovers in the last few years, typically characterised by the intelligent 4WD system that drives these pseudo 4x4s. Don’t get me wrong; there is obviously a huge place for these vehicles and we will continue to test and evaluate and praise or criticise wherever necessary, as they form a huge part of the modern 4×4 world. And some of them are really quite good. But what is sad is that the likes of the RAV4 has totally lost their uniqueness and quirky nature.

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