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).
Veteran tow car tester, Clive White, gives an expert insight into The Caravan Club’s Tow car of the Year competition and offers advice on choosing the right 4×4 for towing
Once you’ve bought your 4×4, the time will come when you need to decide about replacement tyres. And how do you make the correct decision? Our advice is to ask the experts, that’s exactly what we did…
After establishing a well-earned reputation in the world of off-road competition, KAP Motorsport has moved in an intriguing direction. Check out these excellent Suzuki Jimny specials. Admit it, you want one… 
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!
Hils Everitt – Editor at Large
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!
It is officially summer, so that means it must be time for a camping feature. Good accommodation for your individual needs is very important. With the help of Nene Overland we look at some varied tent options, which include some new options 
Iceland’s interior is off-road adventure not to be missed, and if you can experience its magnificent and mind-blowing scenery under the expert guiding and driving of our good friends at Arctic Trucks you are in for the treat of a lifetime
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