Ian Seabrook

Somehow, I’ve managed to own the Maverick for over six months now, which as anyone who knows me is all too aware, is rare for me. Cars come and go like the seasons. There’s a reason the Mav is still here. It’s really quite good.

More remarkable is that despite only living a handful of miles away; I’d not yet tested the Mav on the fabled Strata Florida greenlane. In late July, I finally got to remedy this, thanks as ever to the West Wales Laning group (www.westwaleslaning.co.uk). Unusually, we were Land Rover-free for this trip, as friends Franz in his modified Maverick and Lewis in his Suzuki Grand Vitara came along one pleasant evening. I was a little anxious about this lane, as once I’d reached the end of it in my Range Rover last year, the side steps were as straight as a Snowdonia skyline. They took a right beating!

Sue Loy

Another RAV4? Some might accuse me of a lack of imagination, but in truth, the finances wouldn’t stretch to a Range Rover Evoque. The Editor had one on test recently; a manual (which I had not driven) in Dynamic spec. I have to say that I really fell for it, somehow the fact you had to physically change gear got you a lot more involved with the car, and if I could, there would be one parked on our drive…

It’s somewhat ironic, therefore, that we were actually driving the Evoque when we first went to see my new RAV4. Regular readers may know that I had a 2002 model, then completed 105,000 trouble free miles – not all of them with me, but certainly most of them were. I really like the RAV4, it suits me, is nice and light and easy to drive and since if I need anything ‘tough’ to off-road, then I can always borrow the Editor’s Hilux.

Nigel Fryatt – editor

Has it got something to do with when we were kids and liked to splash around in puddles, that when we get bigger, there’s still an attraction but where we once had brightly coloured wellies, we now have a 4×4 pick-up?

Taking my now Cooper tyre-shod Hilux down to John Morgan’s excellent Slindon Safari site, saw me splashing about in the puddles, a lot! Now, we all know what the rules are about water and 4x4s, although there wasn’t enough deep water to need to check the depth before ploughing through, trust us we were being sensible – even when encouraged to show a little more vigour by the photographer. Despite care, an annoying minor problem was to occur, however.

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

The long-term VW Tiguan has stolen a fair chunk of my heart, but I have to say there are a few little things about it that do irk me somewhat. Here’s one of them.

First of all, I will say that the Auto Hold function is brilliant, although I have to mention that I am one of those drivers who take great pains to set off from the lights or at a junction on a hill without rolling backwards anyway. I apply my handbrake and use clutch/throttle control as I was taught in my driving lessons! I really loathe those in front of me who use the footbrake and always roll backwards before setting off. You would fail your driving test if you did that, so why do people do it when they’ve passed? It’s appalling!

Bob Cooke – contributor

I really couldn’t understand why ‘er indoors didn’t like driving the Cherokee. It may be getting on a bit, and I can quite understand that she doesn’t like getting dirt on her tights as she steps in over the mud-caked sidesteps (they’re useless as sidesteps, but serve well enough as sill protectors) but once she’s inside she has all the creature comforts of any modern SUV, especially the supportive electrically-adjustable seats giving her that commanding view of the road ahead. I’d also assumed that, being a somewhat pushy driver, she’d approve of the Cherokee’s traffic-dominating size, not to mention the availability of tar-scorching acceleration. Her main dislike, however, seemed to be that “the steering’s too vague,” which adds up to a feeling of success when I eventually persuaded her to join me on a day’s off-roading at the Slindon Safari site near Arundel.

Ian Seabrook

The summer has proved a quiet season for the Maverick. For two whole weeks, the Maverick didn’t turn a wheel. I’ve been very busy with work and events and when there’s a long trip to go on, my 45mpg Citroens are a lot more tempting. Still, it gave me time to sort out a few issues. The towing electrics took a mighty pounding at a Pay and Play site a few months ago and it was time to do something about it. I’ve actually opted to keep the electrics inside and will thread them out via the door seal on the rare occasion that I’m towing. A family friend has been doing this for decades as he was fed up at how quickly the electric socket can deteriorate when its out in all weathers. I’ve also finally repaired the heater blower resistor, so I finally have four working speed settings. Bliss!

Nigel Fryatt – editor

Couple of firsts this month; a fully loaded load bed, and serious tyres fitted at last. The new Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx tyres arrived and so it was time to load them up with the ‘pepper pot’ wheels to get them fitted.

The Cooper Maxx tyres are M+S rated and available in sizes from 16 to 18inch, which was a problem in that the OE wheels for the Hilux are 15inch – and small and weedy they look too. After some investigation it seems that I can use a 16x8inch steel wheel with a -7mm offset, which is said to give a better fit than a zero offset. That then means that Cooper 245/75R16 tyres would fit, so everything was going to be OK, wasn’t it?

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

The latest revamp to VW’s Tiguan has created a more stylish and luxury feel to the baby brother to the mighty Touareg. And it certainly feels it when you’re cosily cosseted in the supportive and satisfying leather driver’s seat propelled by the effortless 2.0-litre 138bhp engine.

There are two engine options, and we have the lower powered of the two, but, quite frankly, I am more than happy with our lot. This 138bhp version is a schmooze of a cruise even from the lowly depths of third gear when it really starts to enjoy itself. As I mentioned in my intro report on our new long-termer last month, I clocked up 800 miles in a week and have to say that I have rarely enjoyed such a comfortable, sporty and relaxing experience in any other compact SUV.