Nigel Fryatt – editor

When you get quizzed by those ‘other’ motorists who don’t just ‘get’ why we own 4x4s, one word usually ends the argument. Even for those who don’t want to go off-road, or don’t have the ability to understand how good a 4×4 is during inclement weather conditions, one thing they can never argue against is – versatility. If you own a 4×4, then you have the ability to do just about anything.

Our little three door Grand Vitara is a perfect example of this. Provided you are happy to use just a little more fuel than absolutely necessary, then the thing is like a hot hatch and can be hustled about with aplomb. Great fun, and it does surprise people at times with its ability to launch itself down the road. When off-road, we have found that once ground clearance and that vulnerable-looking (and massive) rear exhaust silencer box are accounted for, the little truck’s ability to be slotted into Low range does make it a surprisingly competent mud-plugger. The light steering and a good all round visibility helps here as well, but it performs better than many think.

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

Long journeys in pursuit of features was never a problem in the good old days when fuel cost a few pence per gallon. We didn’t bat an eyelid at driving big old petrol 4.0-litre engines for several hundred miles in more traditional 4x4s that ate up the miles and, therefore, the gallons. Returning less than 20mpg, and in some cases 10-15mpg didn’t really figure on the radar.

Oh how times have changed. Now, we hardly ever drive big petrol engines. ‘Big’ diesels, like in Discovery 4s and its rivals, now return over 30-plus and we are pleased with that. The big luxury 4×4 manufacturers still strive to bring those figures into the more palatable zone towards the 40mpg mark, but it is in the mid-sized SUV market where you’ll find the most impressive mileage returns for your hard-earned cash.

Bob Cooke – contributor

I wouldn’t have known there was a problem until I drove the Cherokee over one of those ridiculous speed bumps on the way to the supermarket. The noise from the back wasn’t the usual thump caused by the tool box bouncing in the boot, it was a definitely sharper bang, and it happened again as I drove over the next speed bump. My initial suspicion was a failed damper, though even that was surprising since the dampers are little more than a year and a half old, having been fitted at the same time as the heavy duty springs went on, and although I do use the truck off-road I don’t treat it harshly enough to ruin a set of dampers that quickly. So, once the rain had stopped I got underneath and had a look, to find that the dampers all seemed secure. The spring, however, wasn’t. The bolt holding the rear of the nearside leaf spring to the hanger had fallen out, allowing the rear of the spring to crash upwards directly against the chassis rail, hence the loud bang every time I bounced it over a hump.

Nigel Fryatt – editor

EVEN the most cautious and careful driver can have an ‘incident’ when driving off-road. It’s one of those activities that you shouldn’t do, if you are not prepared for the consequences that might involve some damaged metal (or plastic), since it’s not always just your pride that gets dented.

That would be a good way of introducing, or indeed excusing, the dent that now appears on the Suzuki’s front bumper. I could regale you with stories of derring-do, on how the little Suzuki had been ploughing through the rough stuff, embarrassing vehicles more suited to serious mud-plugging, when one of those nasty mobile rocks ‘jumped out’ in front of me and caught the valance. I could say that, if it was true. Sadly, I have to admit that the damage was done… in a car park. Now it was the muddy, slippery car park at a small wildlife nature reserve somewhere in Surrey, and not a tarmac covered Tesco’s car park, but that still doesn’t quite excuse it.

Stupid thing was, when I drove in and parked I noticed the small wooden fence, less than a foot high, low down on the passenger’s side. It would be easy to miss that I thought to myself. Of course, some time later when I came to reverse out of the space, putting the wheel to full lock and looking over my shoulder to see all was clear behind and easing back, the resulting graunching noise told me that, basically, I was an idiot.

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

Having now put a few hundred miles on the clock of our latest edition to the 4×4 fleet, I am getting a feel for its temperament, idiosyncrasies and excellent features. First of all, I will say the biggest thing I don’t like about it is the silver bodywork – shallow, I know, but there you are. All the latest SUVs are looking very like each other, although this fourth generation Forester does have a more muscular stance perhaps and therefore more presence than most, but I think silver just doesn’t suit this genre of 4x4s. I’d rather have it in the VW Touareg blue or Discovery 4 metallic bronze, or even brilliant white would be better; bigger 4x4s look really cool, in all senses of the word, in white.

As we are on the slightly negative side, I will say that I have driven smoother manual gearboxes: this one is not bad by any means, just not the smoothest. Admittedly, it’s been a while since I have handled a manual 4×4 on a regular basis; my last three 4x4s have been auto. (NB: Have to confess I nearly stalled it a few times, just because on coming to a halt, on a constantly jammed up M25, I forgot I was driving a manual – not proud…)

Robert Pepper

This is the last instalment of Our 4X4s from me about our Discovery 3, because it’s presently for sale. We’re replacing it with something quite different to the Discovery and why we’ve done that will be the subject of a forthcoming feature article. But with the Discovery passing from our lives it’s time to summarise the overall experience, which began back in 2005 when I first tested a D3. And I was hugely impressed, describing the car as a “traction bloodhound” while on-road capability was likened to a “skilled but obese ballerina”.  I also did a 10-vehicle seven-seater comparison test and the D3 won that too. Even today a 2005 Discovery 3 can hold its head up high with 2014-spec competitors, let alone the very latest D4 which is improved in many, and significant ways from the headline-grabbing engine down to the front suspension design. The beauty of the D3/D4 is that it does so much, so well – towcar, towncar, off-roader, tourer, driver’s car, overlander.  That’s why we bought it, as we needed a car that could do the school run on Friday and go across Australia on Saturday.

The Discovery is also one of the very few premium vehicles that you can accessories for overlanding. There are bullbars, cargo systems, roofracks, long-range tanks, spare wheel carries and everything else available off the shelf. Try getting that gear for a BMW X, a Touraeg or even a Range Rover.

Bob Cooke – contributor

If anyone thinks it’s silly that I should own and run two gas-guzzling Cherokees, I’d like to explain that there is some reason for this apparent madness, and it does go further than to point out that the fuel consumption isn’t a problem because I can only drive one of them at a time. When I acquired my ’95 model in July 2011, I’d actually been on the lookout for one of the facelifted Cherokees from 1997 on; I bought the N-reg one because it came up unexpectedly and looked like a good deal at the time – £700 for a car with just 73,000 miles on it. Regular readers will remember the concerns I had about this car from the start – for instance there was no immobiliser reset key, the air con didn’t work because the reason for the car’s low mileage is that it sat in a field for years and the air con pipework had simply rotted away. Nevertheless, the old truck has given me excellent and trouble-free service for nearly two years, the only significant cost having been the few hundred I spent on fitting heavy-duty springs to give it a little lift.

However, I’ve always had in the back of my mind the thought that I’d really wanted one of the later, theoretically more refined, Cherokees. And even though the green ’95 model is still going strong (apart from a clonking from the rear which I suspect is a failed damper, not a serious problem to fix) when I saw the black ’98 model being wheeled on to the auction floor I couldn’t resist it.

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

This month we have taken delivery of a new long-termer. Having won our Mid Range SUV category in our 2014 4×4 of the Year, we wanted to give the latest Subaru Forester a real-life long-term test, as opposed to the week that our big test allows us.

The latest, fourth generation, version was launched early last year and was available from May, so now it is approaching its first birthday on the road. Sales figures before launch of the fourth incarnation had reached 170,000 globally (15,000 Europe) and since May, Subaru has shifted 1300 units in the UK of the new version. We completely fell for the original Forester, launched way back in 1997, which sold around 8000 units until it was updated in 2002. It looked like a conventional, bland estate car, which many didn’t like, but it offered low-range gearing and was a very good competent off-roader, which afforded a remarkably pleasant on-road drive. (This month’s – June 2014 – Buyers Guide includes the Forester, see page 96).

Nigel Fryatt, Editor

It’s big, bold and brassy. Sitting on my suburban drive, it dominates. Now it’s a long while since I drove my first ever Toyota Land Cruiser back in the mid-1980s – that was a 90 series diesel, very practical but with little passenger comforts. Since then we’ve both put on a lot of weight, and one of us has become rather clever at what it does; the other remains a motoring magazine journalist.

This latest Land Cruiser is in Invincible spec (surely the best moniker for any 4×4?). This means it is the five-door version, complete with additional third row of seats and is powered by the 188bhp 3.0-litre D-4D engine (delivering a thumping 420Nm of torque at only 3000rpm), coupled to a five speed automatic transmission and a very clever Multi-Terrain Select off-road system. The third row of seats are particularly well designed in the way that they fold flat, and do not seem to restrict rear luggage space, which in a vehicle of this bulk you would expect to be quite cavernous. The result means you can carry seven people and a little luggage, or five people and a great deal of extra stuff.

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

Cosmetics all sorted and the shiny side steps duly removed, it was time for my Grand to have its MOT. Time has flown by since I bought it six months ago and I expected it to pass with flying colours. As it was first registered in April 2009, this was only its second test.

So as usual at MOT time for whatever vehicle I have, I took it to my mate’s garage Central Auto Centre in Green Street Green rather than make a round trip to the nearest Jeep dealer near Ashford in Kent, which is way too far away.

It did indeed pass with flying colours, after I was reminded to remove the large ‘Media’ sticker that I had left in the windscreen after covering a couple of features on the Wales Rally GB in November. I rather liked that sticker, but it had to go as any MOT inspector would require its removal, it didn’t impede vision at all, but them’s the rules!