Articles by Marcus Craft

Marcus Craft

Contributing Journalist

Raised by dingoes and, later, nuns, Marcus (aka ‘Crafty’) had his first taste of adventure as a cheeky toddler on family 4WD trips to secret fishing spots near Bundaberg, Queensland. He has since worked as a journalist for more than 20 years in Australia, London and Cape Town and has been an automotive journalist for 18 years.

This bloke has driven and camped throughout much of Australia – for work and play – and has written yarns for pretty much every mag you can think of.

The former editor of 4X4 Australia magazine, Marcus is one of the country’s most respected vehicle reviewers and off-road adventure travel writers.

Mitsubishi Outlander 2025 review: Plug-in Hybrid EV GSR

By Marcus Craft · 10 Nov 2024

Drive a comfortable, family-friendly car while helping to save the planet? It couldn't be easier...Hybrid vehicles are currently a great choice as they offer a happy compromise between driving a car with an internal combustion engine (ICE) or driving a full EV.The Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV (PHEV) in GSR spec is packed with features and offers fuel cost-savings over an ICE vehicle.

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Who gets the fine if a passenger's not wearing a seatbelt?

By Marcus Craft · 04 Nov 2024

Q: Who gets the fine if a passenger is not wearing a seatbelt? A: the driver, and usually the offending passenger as well, if they’re over the age of 16.

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The best All Terrain tyre options for your 4WD

By Marcus Craft · 31 Oct 2024

All-terrain (AT) tyres are tyres designed to cope with everyday driving in the city and suburbs while also able to be used for trips on gravel roads and dirt tracks with some medium-duty 4WDing in the mix.

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Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2025 review: GSR - Off-road test

By Marcus Craft · 12 Oct 2024

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport has a rock-solid reputation as a 4WD wagon. But with the performance-enhanced next generation not expected here until 2025, the current-gen line-up has undergone a refresh including the introduction of 18-inch alloys, design tweaks to the front and rear, as well as new styling inside and new exterior paint choices. So is the top-spec GSR worth your consideration?

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Ford Ranger 2025 review: Tremor - Off-road test

By Marcus Craft · 06 Oct 2024

Ford has added another limited-edition Ranger - the Tremor - to its already comprehensive line-up. The Tremor is only available as a 4WD dual-cab with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, with only 1150 to be sold in Australia. The Tremor has the line-up's more advanced full-time 4WD system, heavy-duty off-road suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, all-terrain tyres and more.

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Can you avoid paying stamp duty on a car?

By Marcus Craft · 03 Oct 2024

So, what is stamp duty on a car? Vehicle stamp duty goes by a few different names but it is essentially a tax levied by a state or territory government on the sale and ownership transferral of a vehicle.

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Jeep Wrangler 2025 review: Rubicon - off-road test

By Marcus Craft · 18 Sep 2024

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is a purpose-built body-on-frame 4WD with few concessions to comfort, safety or common sense.It's a fun off-roader capable of tackling terrain few other standard 4WDs are even able to get near.But with its latest update - including a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine replacing the previous Pentastar V6 - is it now even better?

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Who is allowed to use a T3 lane without restriction?

By Marcus Craft · 05 Sep 2024

Have you ever been cruising along the road, minding your own business, and wondered: Who is allowed to use T3 lane without restriction? No? Me either, but let’s crash-tackle this tricky subject anyway…

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Nissan Patrol 2025 review: Ti-L - Off-road test

By Marcus Craft · 01 Sep 2024

The next-generation Nissan Patrol, the Y63, is due in Australia before the end of 2025, but in the meantime Nissan has upgraded the current-generation Patrol in an attempt to address criticisms of the multimedia system and old-style interior.Otherwise there have been no performance upgrades, and so, this much-loved 4WD wagon remains largely unchanged for now, which is exactly what some fans want.

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Car trailer dimensions in Australia explained

By Marcus Craft · 16 Aug 2024

If you’ve ever had to transport a car – either yours or someone else’s – via a trailer you’ll know the importance of getting the car trailer dimensions spot-on. You really don’t want the combination to be illegal or unsafe.

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