Articles by Marcus Craft

Toyotas are ubiquitous in Australia, with everything from Camrys and Corollas through to the legendary 4WD LandCruisers near-omnipresent on our roads and bush tracks.But there are some Toyotas that are sold – and popular – overseas but aren’t offered in the Australian market, and if they are offered here they haven’t achieved the sales success Toyota has hoped for. Case in point: the Tundra, while it’s much loved in the good ol’ US of A, it has achieved only middling success here.The Tundra’s sales struggle here have somewhat discouraged Toyota from bringing any other overseas models here and that’s a real shame because there are some appealing vehicles in that mix.Read on.Much respected in off-roading circles, the 4Runner – think a Surf/Fortuner mash-up on HGH (Hard-core Growth Hormone) – has been around in various iterations since 1984. Now in its sixth generation, the 4Runner comes with a 2.4L turbocharged inline four-cylinder petrol engine (204kW and 430Nm), or a 2.4L turbocharged inline four-cylinder hybrid powertrain (240kW and 630Nm), both matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.It’s a Toyota off-roader – with part-time or full-time 4WD, drive modes and diff locks – so it’s handy in the dirty stuff, of course.Australia doesn’t need another 4WD, but the 4Runner wouldn’t go astray here.Prices in the US start from MSRP $42,270 (approx. AUD $58,700).Not as well known here, the Sequoia is a well established large SUV in the US market.This large SUV – top-spec versions tip the scales at 2790kg – is more open-road cruiser than hard-core 4WD but, having said that, it still has the mechanicals and tech onboard to traverse difficult terrain. The 2026 Sequoia is equipped with a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 hybrid (321kW and 790Nm), matched to a 10-speed auto, and is rated to legally tow up to 4309kg.Mid-range variants and upwards have part-time 4WD (with high- and low-range 4WD) and an automatic limited-slip differential.The Sequoia may struggle to find a niche here as stablemate Cruiser has that part of the market sewn up.Feeling posh? Go for the Trailhunter package, replete with an Old Man Emu upgraded suspension, Michelin LTX Trail 265/70R18 tyres, bronze-finished wheels, front recovery hooks and extra underbody protection.Prices in the US start from MSRP $68,725 for an SR5 4WD (approx. AUD $95,456).Like a baby 300 Series, only better – or at least that’s what Toyota wants you to believe.Launched in May this year, this diminutive five-seater FJ – with a 270mm shorter wheelbase than the 250 Series – has a 2.7-litre inline four-cylinder petrol engine (producing 120kW and 246Nm), a six-speed auto, part-time 4WD and an electric rear differential lock.It’s boxy and compact – it has a turning circle of 5.5m – and looks set to take on the likes of Suzuki’s Jimny in the cute-but-capable off-road stakes.A Cruiser-based but shrunken ladder-frame structure is the platform for this tough-seeming little nugget of an off-roader.Off-road angles are up there with the 250 Series and, on paper, this FJ has plenty of off-road potential.Sure, this mini Cruiser exists in a niche within a niche but we reckon it’d sell here.Prices in Japan start from 4,500,100 yen (about $40,100).Massive in America and well suited to outdoorsy life in Australia, the Tacoma is a big ute made for rough-and-tumble work and play, so why it hasn’t landed here yet its beyond us.Now available with a 2.4-litre turbocharged inline-four engine (producing up to 204kW and 430Nm) or a 2.4-litre turbocharged inline-four hybrid powertrain (producing up to 239kW and 630Nm) that’s matched to either a six-speed manual gearbox or eight-speed automatic transmission.It’s built on the same chassis as the full-size Tundra and Sequoia, and gains bolstering from a Toyota New Global Architecture-F (TNGA-F) platform of high-strength steel, lightweight aluminium and laser welds. So, robust.And, of course, it’s all packed into a ute with Toyota’s reliable baked-in off-road effectiveness.TRD variants and upwards get Multi-Terrain Select, Crawl Control, Downhill Assist Control, and an electronically controlled locking rear differential as standard.Go for a Trailhunter and you get Old Man Emu 2.5-inch forged monotube position-sensitive shocks with rear piggyback reservoirs, high-clearance front bumper, rock rails and ARB steel rear bumper with recovery hooks, and 33-inch rugged-terrain tires with 18-inch wheels.We know lots of people in Australia who jump at the chance to own one of these big utes.Prices in the US start from MSRP $32,545 (approx. AUD $45,203).A ute actually designed and engineered to do ute stuff? No way.The HiLux Champ – a Thailand-only vehicle – is an intriguing oddity that’s sure to fire the imagination of many a quirky car fan there and abroad.It’s a 2WD two-seater ute with a choice of three engine types – 2.0L petrol, 2.7L petrol, or a 2.4L four-cylinder diesel – and it has either a five-speed manual gearbox or six-speed automatic transmission. Depending on your Champ’s spec level it may have a one-tonne payload and a minimum 5.4m turning circle.Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) offers eight grades of the Champ, including short- and long-wheelbase versions, and an unequipped variant with a flat deck is available. With customisation in mind, TMT has made sure the deck has bolt holes at various locations so that custom accessories can be attached.It’s built for purpose and, on paper, certainly has a lot of appeal as a work ute and a mod-friendly vehicle.The Champ would fit right in here.Prices range from 459,000 to 577,000 baht (approx. $19,354 to $24,329).

Toyota's LandCruiser has gone electric! Not quite. But it has joined the ranks of the new wave of hybrid vehicles with a powertrain that combines a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine and an electric motor. The 'i-Force Max' set-up, from the Tundra, produces substantial increases in power (up 114kW) and torque (up 90Nm), but is this Cruiser better off-road than its turbo-diesel stablemate?

The Subaru Outback holds a special place in the hearts of adventurers everywhere. It’s long been regarded by its fans as a genuine mix of decent on-road manners, family-friendly practicality and sound off-road capability. Just right for light-duty off-roading.Now, Subaru claims, it has made the Outback even better and a new off-road-focussed variant called the all-wheel-drive Wilderness now sits near the top of the line-up.The Wilderness is equipped with a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol, four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed 'boxer' engine, 240mm of ground clearance, improved approach/departure angles and electronically controlled dampers.But is this new Outback all it’s cracked up to be? Read on.

The Ineos Grenadier range has undergone some substantial changes. The steering has been tweaked and the driver-assist tech upgraded as has the air-con system. This body-on-frame 4WD has live axles, a dual-range transfer case and a stack of other features aimed at turning any driver into an off-road expert. The Grenadier in Trialmaster spec even has front, centre and rear diff locks.

Once a common sight on our roads, wagons have fallen out of favour somewhat as a result of the ever-growing popularity of SUVs and utes. But is a wagon a better and more family-friendly vehicle than a bigger, taller SUV or ute? And what if that vehicle has a mild-hybrid system onboard? That's where Skoda’s Octavia new mild hybrid comes in.

Modern-day off-roaders are impressive, no doubt about that: they’re generally quite comfortable on-road and often quite capable off-road.But are they so good at doing 4WD things that they effectively rob any off-roading challenge of, well, the challenge part? Are they such a great blend of driver-assist tech and 4WD mechanicals that the driver is merely along for the ride?Read on.Off-roading in a contemporary off-roader (AWD or 4WD) can be such smooth sailing that you’d be forgiven for thinking “What’s all the fuss about?”Driver-assist tech with direct off-road applications – such as the 360-degree camera or vehicle-info read-out (displaying driveline/diff lock indicators, steering, pitch and roll angles etc) – is taking on ever more significant roles as it all improves.But invasive technology, finely-tuned off-road traction control and even overbearing drive modes can turn what might have been a technically difficult section of 4WDing into almost a point-and-enjoy-the-ride kind of driving experience because new off-roaders are simply that good.Don’t get me wrong, driver-assist tech is great, especially when it works as it should: being consistently effective when it really counts.Off-road traction control, hill-descent control, track cameras, transparent bonnet functions and more are welcome additions to any off-road vehicle.The Kia Tasman is a good example of a 4WD with an off-road traction control system that is so smoothly well calibrated the driver is nigh-on redundant.But if a vehicle’s off-road traction control system is patchy in its application, safe controlled momentum from a reliable base of traction is difficult to accomplish or sustain – and that can be annoying at best and dangerous at worst.The flip-side of that issue is that if the off-road traction control system is so finely tuned the only danger may be that the driver is rendered near-obsolete. The onboard tech does all the thinking for the driver, as well as adjusting engine output, transmission settings and traction control to best suit the terrain. So if you’re the driver you have an existential crisis on your hands in the form of “Why am I even here?”The same goes for hill-descent control; if you’re not in charge of modulating the vehicle’s speed and direction down a hill then shouldn’t you be in a passenger seat enjoying the view?Can you even call yourself a 4WDer if your vehicle does all the work for you?And what if your off-road vehicle has its own eyes watching the track ahead?A track camera (aka 360-degree view camera, or surround-view camera) has the potential to greatly enhance driver vision while you’re 4WDing on bush tracks, cresting steep hills, or traversing sand dunes on beach adventures.What started as more of a novelty for me, the track camera has taken on an increasingly important role. Sure, I still prefer to get out of the vehicle and check the track ahead myself or get a human spotter to do the work for me, but the view afforded by a track camera / 360-degree view camera will usually help the driver to maintain vision, especially if forward visibility is compromised, say for instance up and over the crest of a steep rocky hill, or if your vehicle is edging towards a steep rocky drop into a creek bed and you can’t discern your driving line.Helpful, but still robbing the 4WDer of another bit of responsibility, purpose and challenge.The same can be said for the transparent bonnet function. Can’t figure out what that is even though the tech’s function is literally in its name? (Literally.)Let me explain.This driver-assist tech is designed to help the driver see the correct driving line to take through challenging terrain or over an obstacle without being able to see with their naked eyes what’s under them.Being able to see the track in front of your vehicle is a definite advantage and visibility in some off-roaders is impacted due to the forward-view-restricting design of the cabin or the size of the vehicle’s bonnet, but the transparent chassis function is designed to address that issue.As with onboard cameras, I still prefer to stick my head out the window and have a look at the track, or actually stop the vehicle, get out and have a decent look at the track ahead before I proceed.If your off-road vehicle is working the gears for you, adjusting the speed for you and even looking for you, then how dare you have the audacity to sit in the driver’s seat.The problem with all of this tech – beyond its annoying over-effectiveness – lay in the fact that it’s all more difficult to address failures or damage in the great outdoors than it is to bush-repair an older traditional 4WD.Modern 4WDs are a mass of electronics, sensors, wiring, motherboards etc and those components may be vulnerable to damage, especially in harsh Australian conditions.And the efficacy of driver-assist tech may be impacted by the ingress of bulldust, mud or water. If onboard sensors are compromised or damaged in some way, then you’re at the mercy of nature.Imagine this: You and your family are on a weekend trip away in the bush and you’re currently 80km from the nearest town. You drive through an innocuous-looking creek crossing – the water seems to be about shin-deep. However, some of that muddy water splashes onto one of the vehicle’s onboard sensors and your 4WD automatically goes into the equivalent of ‘limp home’ mode.Bloody uh-oh.Old-school 4WDs can be more easily fixed in remote areas as opposed to trying to get a new vehicle running again which may require someone in your touring group to have a computer engineering degree or have a team of specialists choppered in from Germany.And that’s why old-school 4WDs – or even new old-school 4WDs (like the Suzuki Jimny or Jeep Wrangler) – continue to enjoy such enduring popularity and still fetch sky-high prices on the second-hand market.A real purpose-built 4WD with a full ladder-frame chassis, rigid (live) axles front and rear, and diff locks has always been admired by those in the know; basic and solidly reliable powertrain and mechanical components are the way to go.Any serious 4WDer has a soft spot for something like a Toyota LandCruisers (70, 80,100 Series, anyone?), Nissan Patrol, Land Rover Defender (the old ladder frame kind), Mitsubishi Pajero, even Jeep Gladiator. The old way of doing things is even sought after by some newer examples on the market like the Ineos Grenadier, Jimny and Wrangler.Resolving issues on those old-school 4WDs can be completed with a little bit of common sense, some ingenuity and a bit of hard work. A stack of spares, duct tape, cable ties and some welding skills will help you get a whole lot further than nothing at all and you’ll likely be able to patch up your 4WD, continue your trip and reach civilisation or at least the nearest town.The good news is no matter how clever your off-roader’s software, cameras and sensors are, it’ll still need you to press the ‘Start’ button.Or will it?

Ford's new base-spec Everest Active has replaced the Ambiente and Trend variants. The Active has a newly offered 2.0-litre four-cylinder single-turbo diesel engine, which produces less power and torque than the twin-turbo engine it replaces, but has been promised to improve fuel economy. So, has the new engine made the Everest any better or worse on- and off-road?

The Ford F-150 Platinum is the new top-grade variant in the company’s F Series truck range. This full-sized dual-cab ute has a refreshed exterior, a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, and 4500kg towing capacity and is taking on the likes of the Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado, and Toyota Tundra.  But at $164,000 (excluding on-road costs) does this big rig justify its price-tag?

Caravans and camper trailers take the adventure out of adventure travel.There I’ve said it.What is supposed to be an activity that takes you away from the comforts of home, offers up some wild challenges and ultimately brings you closer to nature has merely become a temperature-regulated and coddled process of transporting all of the comforts of your home – or at least approximations of them – to another, supposedly more nature-based location.Some caravans are equipped with everything you could ever want – including the kitchen sink – as do some camper-trailers.Camper-trailers are similar to caravans in that they have to be towed, but they do generally have fewer amenities than a caravan, such as a toilet and shower.A caravan is essentially a self-contained house on wheels, with kitchen facilities, beds, seating, storage and some, depending on their size, even have toilets and showers. It has to be towed behind another vehicle.A campervan is a vehicle-and-accommodation package that you drive, but it generally has fewer amenities than a caravan or motorhome – for example, no toilet and shower (unless it’s an outdoors one) – and it is not as big as a caravan or motorhome.It may have a basic kitchen and counter-top, as well as seats that can be moved and folded to become a bed of sorts.There are myriad problems with caravans and camper-trailers and those problems start long before these behemoths turn up at your camp ground to ruin your weekend.The problems start with the drivers.Think about it.Some of these vehicle-and-caravan combinations cost upwards of $200,000 and may weigh in excess of 7000kg. And many of the people who are towing these massive car-and-caravan set-ups actually don’t know how to tow. You don’t need a special licence to tow, or even training or any experience. And people who tow should have to accumulate all of those things before they’re allowed to even think about towing.It takes skill to tow and a lot of these people don’t have any.Best-case scenario, people who tow are annoying; worst-case scenario, they’re downright dangerous. Check out any towing fail videos online and you’ll soon get the idea.Then those same people roll into your camp ground and set up their monstrosity, replete with beds, bathrooms, awnings, chairs, satellite dish, camp kitchen, entertainment area, outdoor shower cubicle, solar panels, dirt-bike trailer, and watercraft storage facility. Not to mention any generators or stereos at full volume.So, what’s the point of travelling away from your home to rough it and have some adventure when you actually take the equivalent of all of your home comforts with you?That’s right, there is no point to it.These recreational road-trains also have a monumental negative impact on natural locations as well because they’re big, heavy and ill-suited to any terrain beyond sealed surfaces, no matter how outlandishly positive the marketing of your “off-road” caravan, camper-trailer or motorhome is.The weight alone is responsible for severe damage to unsealed roads, bush or sandy tracks and combine that with incorrect tyre pressures and the trundling terror behind your 4WD is ripping up the track and ruining it for everyone else.That’s one of the core problems with caravanning: there’s too much stuff. Now you can stay fed and hydrated, heated or cooled, entertained and mollycoddled to your preferred comfortable state of being in the great outdoors. If you have slide-out drawers, a TV, a microwave, a bushy bed and, yes, even the ubiquitous kitchen sink with a stove-top, why should you even bother leaving your house?There's too much technology. How can you enjoy the serenity of the great outdoors when the people in the caravan next door are watching an NRL game at maximum volume on a big-screen TV or blasting Slim Dusty’s greatest hits over their stereo at 9pm?Really, camping should be about small-scale logistics and large-scale fun.Camping in swags, tents, camper-trailers or even caravans should be about enjoying the outdoors in as minimalist a way as you can and without making a fuss.The simpler the better, I reckon. The key is not to overthink, over-plan or over-budget it.One of the great things about camping and caravanning is that you can scale your trip to suit you. The degree of difficulty and discomfort is entirely up to you.Start out small in terms of duration, go on a day trip or an overnighter, and not too far from home to see if you even enjoy camping. Some people simply don’t like it.Start out small in terms of logistics. Just take what you can pack in your car, or if you insist on towing, tow a smallish camper-trailer, just to get a feel for how much skill towing requires. I recommended that you get proper training before you do anything: head to www.tow-ed.edu.au and https://www.getabout.edu.au/Develop your skills, get some experience but, most of all, have fun.

If you have your heart set on a ute but can’t decide what to buy, the range of choices available nowadays is mind-boggling.But a lot of the utes on offer cost more than $60,000.So, what’s available with a sub-$60,000 price-tag and may actually be a good buy for you?Here’s our guide to budget-friendly workhorses.Warning: you don’t get champagne on a beer budget and that’s fine because lots of people (including me) prefer beer anyway. The point is: when you’re shopping in the cheaper part of the market you have to be prepared to make some compromises on quality, ride and handling and overall drivability, and ultimately accept that there’ll always be trade-offs – sometimes minor and sometimes not so minor.(Note: For the purpose of this yarn we’ll focus on dual-cab 4WD utes as they offer the most flexibility in terms of passenger- and gear-carrying functionality ... and because I want to focus on them.)Read on.This top-spec Tunland has plenty of standard features for the price, is adequately capable off-road and offers a reasonable driving experience all-round.It has a 2.0L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (120kW/450Nm), a 48V mild-hybrid system, a reasonably calibrated off-road traction control system, and front and rear diff locks.The engine and eight-speed auto transmission produce a sluggish driving experience on sealed surfaces, and it feels underpowered, but the set-up works better at low-speed 4WDing more than anything else.If you plan to do anything beyond formed trails in dry weather than think about swapping out the showroom-standard Giti 4x4 AT71 tyres (265/70R18 116T) for some more-aggressive all-terrain tyres.Towing capacity? 3500kg.Foton Australia offers a limited range of accessories for the Tunland (including tonneau covers, roof platforms and towbar kits) but the Australian aftermarket industry is more than capable of kitting you out with everything you’ll need for your Tunland and there’s gear across all price points to suit every budget.The Musso has an impressive features list, is a capable 4WD, and yields a decent driving experience on sealed and unsealed surfaces.And with the optional XLV pack, it gets a longer wheelbase (110mm extra), a 300mm longer tub and 90kg of extra payload over the standard Musso (880kg rather than 790kg).It has a 2.2L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (133kW/420Nm), a six-speed automatic transmission, part-time 4x4 and an auto-locking rear differential.This is a rather sluggish ute and the powertrain is not particularly efficient, but the Aisin auto is a reliable, well-proven transmission and the Musso does well with what it has.Towing capacity? 3500kg.KGM Australia offers a range of accessories for the Musso (including hard lids, ladder rack kits and “premium” underbody protection) and if you can’t find what you want in KGM genuine accessories, then you can always tap into the lively Aussie aftermarket sector.The top-shelf Cannon XSR is the most capable 4WD of this bunch and – coming in at a little more than $50,000 drive-away (nationwide, at time of writing) – you get a lot for your money.This ute has a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (135kW/480Nm), twin lockers, a snorkel, underbody protection and Cooper Discoverer AT3 all-terrain tyres – so it is set up for off-road adventure straight off the showroom floor.And it does perform well off-road.The engine and nine-speed auto is a tractable pairing and well suited to the demands of 4WDing, easily able to muster and harness more than enough power and torque on- and off-road when needed – although it does exhibit pronounced lag at times and that auto can be patchy during daily driving duties.Towing capacity? 3000kg.GWM Australia and New Zealand has a variety of accessories (including bull bars, tow bars, and canopies) and if GWM doesn’t have what you want, Australia’s well-stocked aftermarket sector will likely be able to sort you out as soon as humanly possible.More a lifestyle ute than a 4WD ute, the BYD Shark 6 has rattled the market’s cage with its blend of premium features, refinement and all-round driveability. At $57,990 (excluding on-road costs), this ute offers a lot in an appealing package.The Shark has a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder plug-in hybrid system* (321kW/650Nm), a 30kWh battery and, in basic terms, the petrol engine — and regen braking — feed power into that battery during general driving. It has a single-speed reduction gear/dedicated hybrid transmission, which enables electric-only driving and hybrid operation, switching between modes based on throttle demand and battery level.(* Note: The new Shark 6 Performance will have a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and dual electric motors, claimed to deliver total outputs of 350kW and 700Nm.)Worth noting here is that the Shark does not have 4WD, it has an all-wheel drive system split between the front and rear, and Drive modes include Eco, Normal and Sport and Terrain modes include Sand, Snow, Mud and Mountain.But this Shark 6 is actually impressive off-road, as long as it’s driven within its scope of capability: light to moderate off-road conditions — that is, if possible, stick to well-maintained dirt tracks in dry weather; do not take on any ‘4WD/high ground clearance only' tracks, prolonged sand-driving or rock-crawling.Towing capacity? 2500kg.BYD Australia offers a range of accessories (including “deluxe” bull bars, roof racks, and suspension upgrade kits) and if they don’t stock what you want/need, feel free to buy through the Aussie aftermarket.The other brands on this list are still in their relative infancy in this country – compared to established car-makers in Australia, such as Toyota et al – and there are lingering concerns about after-sales service (or lack thereof), availability of parts, and long-term reliability with these newer brands that have to be taken into account.There are no such concerns with Mitsubishi or its well-proven Triton.While a Premcar-developed Raider ($74,990 drive-away) would be the pick of the Tritons, a less expensive GLX-R Is on the cards here.This ute has 2.4-litre four-cylinder bi-turbo diesel engine (150kW/470Nm), a six-speed automatic transmission and, while it is comfortably mid-range in terms of price, it gets the higher-spec variants’ Super Select II 4WD, an impressive legacy set-up, which enables this ute to be driven in all-wheel drive mode (and centre-diff unlocked), so it’s safe to use on high-traction sealed surfaces.This engine, auto and Super Select II 4WD is an impressive combination – smooth, nimble and torquey – and offers a decent all-round driving experience on- and off-road.Towing capacity is 3500kg.Out of this five-strong mob of utes, the Triton is the best in terms of value for money, baked-in brand trust, parts availability, and ultimately resale value.Bonus: there are plenty of aftermarket accessories (OEM or otherwise) available for the Triton.