Hils Everitt – Editor at Large
So, while the saga about what 4×4 to buy to replace my beloved WJ continues, in the meantime it needed some cosmetic surgery to spruce it up for selling. While I was away on hols in Corsica enjoying two-wheel fun with the Tour de France and the Italian Lakes, I left it with Diamond Styling at the Vestry Industrial Estate in Sevenoaks to sort out the rather tarnished alloys. The last two snowy winters have played havoc and they needed a good clean up. When I first took the Jeep to see Paul, another road cycling fan so I was there for rather too long, he took a look and sucked his teeth, as expected, then said yep fine, there are a few dodgy spots but we can sort them out. I had a new set of wheel centres that the lovely guys at Jeep sourced for me, so Paul offered me £60 per wheel, and I said “Done!” I was quoted anything from £55 to £80 per wheel; the lowest was just too far away and inconvenient. Paul’s price included removing and refitting the wheels and tyres.
Louise Limb – contributor
Recently, a 4×4 mate who hadn’t seen me in a while exclaimed as I drew up at his garage after a sedate blast down the M1; ‘blimey, you’ve had that Grand Vitara forever!’ It hasn’t seemed quite that long but as October fast approaches and I near the five-year mark in my caretakership I realise I’ve driven nearly 60,000 miles in the old girl. Now by comparison, the chap I was talking to had put 375,000 miles on his petrol (yes, petrol!) engined Land Rover Series III in the 30 years he’s been taking care of it, so my 60K over five years seem a little paltry, but even diesel Suzukis with heavy duty gearboxes can wear, and this plucky short wheelbase truck is still my daily driver, one tyre change, one cam and timing belt change and lots of servicing later.
Ok, so not technically my 4×4, but I’ve been lucky to pilot a Range Rover Evoque recently for a trip to the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace and then down to Goodwood for the Festival of Speed. By sheer coincidence, it was the exact same example that I borrowed at Christmas – a 2012 Prestige model in Fuji White. Nothing informs you more about how good a car is than living with it day in, day out: and the good news is the Evoque in this 188bhp 2.2-litre diesel manual guise is really rather good. It feels reassuring on the road, yet we also know from past experience that it’s excellent off-road. The interior is well appointed, stylish and in this spec well equipped. With its Grey Oak Wood and brushed aluminium trim, the Evoque’s interior has a contemporary flair. The dark leather interior and narrow side window graphic could have meant a gloomy cabin, but the panoramic sunroof soon alleviates that (optional as part of a £4425 Lux Pack). The dials have a jewel like quality that read well and look good.
Bob Cooke – contributor
Our Suzuki went off-road with some lions this month. No, honestly, it did! As you can read elsewhere in the issue, we visited the West Midland Safari Park to check out their fleet of ‘rhino-nudging’ Land Rovers. The Park has introduced an ‘off-road’ drive through in the Lion enclosure. To be fair, ‘off-tarmac and on to loose gravel’ is more accurate, but it does at least mean that there is an alternative route to go lion spotting. Talking some pictures for the feature (safely enclosed in Safari Park boss Bob Lawrence’s Discovery, I might add) it was amusing to watch the lion take an interest in our Mighty Mouse Grand Vitara. The park is a great place to visit, don’t expect a great off-road challenge, just enjoy the animals – always great from inside a 4×4 somehow. You can also buy some food to feed some of the animals on the drive – no, stupid, not the lions! Which makes for a good laugh – as long as you don’t mind a touch of antelope slobber inside the vehicle (sorry, Suzuki, we will clean it up).
Nigel Fryatt – editor
From the thumping macho behemoth that was my Hilux, to the nimble, buzzy, almost hot-hatch like three-door Suzuki Grand Vitara. Madness. Actually, it doesn’t quite work like that. My personal Toyota Hilux has now gone – after a hugely successful trip to Scotland for my recent sailing holiday. We had four adults and more clothes, sleeping bags, wet weather sailing gear, booze and food than you can imagine, completing an 800 mile round trip, effortlessly. Am I sad to see it go? Certainly, and I still haven’t decided what to buy next. In the meantime, I’m going to have a few months of long term testing with our new Mighty Mouse off-roading Suzuki!
So now it is time to say goodbye to the VW. We’ve had a Tiguan of some description on the fleet for a long time and have got to know them well. The Escape model was a decent upgrade to the standard auto-engaging SE that we ran for six months previously. In the most recent winter snow it was comforting to have the additional off-road switch, which meant a smoother journey in the deep snow that Kent enjoyed, and the increased approach angle that the redesigned nose of the Escape offers.
Bob Cooke – contributor
It’s that time of year again, when my daughter Kerrie presents a play at an annual drama festival in Rochester. And since that play involves a variety of bulky items of scenery, which has to be transported from workshop to theatre, she requires a vehicle to do the transporting, which inevitably means the Cherokee on account of the ease with which it converts into a van-like cargo carrier. The play this year involves four metre-and-a-half box-like frames that open to reveal a garden – don’t ask – along with a matching garden bench and – again don’t ask – a ventriloquist’s dummy called Benny. Since the garden frames pretty much stretched the Cherokee’s internal cargo space to the limit, the bench had to go on the roof, leaving Benny to share the remaining passenger space with me… and yes, I know, it was hard to tell which of us was the dummy as we carted the scenery down to the theatre.
Well, after an eventful first few months to the year, there were thankfully no surprises in Discovery ownership throughout April and May. After finishing the multiple jobs that had reared their head I was looking forward to some peaceful driving. The only expense I have had to fork out for was a pair of light guards courtesy of John Craddock Limited. After fitting some rear light guards over two years ago I finally decided to bite the bullet and go the full way and guard-up the headlights. The easy to install kit was in my opinion a bargain at £61.75 delivered, however these were for the replacement items at half the price of genuine Land Rover parts. However I have been informed they may no longer be available in the future, so the genuine article will be the only option – good timing!
You may recall in the March 2013 issue of 4×4 that I waved goodbye to my Ford Maverick. I challenged myself to run a capable 4×4 on a shoestring budget, and I pretty much managed it for an enjoyable eight months. The Maverick was surprisingly good off-road, but didn’t quite deliver what I wanted. The main problem is that I really wanted a Land Rover Discovery. I paid £500 for the Maverick and thought there was no way I could get a Discovery for that.
The only thing I generally tow behind the Cherokee is the Hotchkiss, and since last year’s summer wasn’t much better than this year, the poor old thing – which really needs a dry and sunny day to provide the necessary driving enjoyment – hasn’t been out of the garage for at least 10 months. However, since we have experienced a few sunny days and there’s the prospect of a few more to come, it looks as if we may be able to take the Hotchkiss out one weekend soon, so I decided it was time to do something about the dodgy trailer lighting socket on the Jeep’s tow bar. Off-roading mud and water splashes had taken their toll on the socket’s contacts, which hadn’t been in the best state when I’d acquired the car. I figured it was time to clean the socket out with a wire brush and a strong blast of cleaning air from my compressor. However, when I saw the state of the contacts after a year’s negligence I realised there was no alternative but to replace the socket.
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