Off road

A lockable canopy made of a durable material, such as fibreglass, adds a much-needed layer of security and protection to your ute and the equipment or tools you carry in the tub or tray.

The SsangYong Musso XLV has arrived to offer buyers even more value for their money. The new, longer version of the Musso ute adds not only an extra foot of tray space, but sees the choice of a leaf-spring rear suspension or the existing coil spring setup. Prices are up for the XLV version - but is it still a bargain buy? Read on to find out.

Who would have thought that the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton would at times be battling for the top spot on the sales charts?But that's the case, and dual cab four-wheel drives are the flavour of choice for buyers. So we assembled the HiLux Rogue, Ranger XLT and Triton GLS Premium in order to see how they compare to help you find out where you should be spending your money.

The Range Rover Evoque HSE is the top-spec Evoque coming in at before on-road costs of either $89,850 for the P300 petrol or $90,420 for the D240 diesel.

The Range Rover Evoque SE is the mid-spec Evoque, priced from $68,610 before on-road costs.

The Range Rover Evoque S is the entry level Evoque, priced from $62,670 before on-road costs.

Land Rover has let details relating to its upcoming Defender slip, a vehicle it says is particularly suited to Australia’s “adventure-oriented” buyer.

A fast-setting sun, the temperature poised to plunge from 10 degrees, zero phone reception, we were halfway up the remote west coast of Tasmania at least an hour away from our destination and there was a Jeep Wrangler bogged up to the axles halting us in our tracks.If we were in a LandCruiser, Patrol or Defender, this would signal an opportunity to score some brand brownie points by saving the day with a snatch strap. But given this was our first taste of the new JL Wrangler on Australian soil and we were among almost a dozen other Wranglers queued up behind the bogged lead car, you’d forgive our hosting Jeep executives for feeling a tad nervous at this point. This sort of thing seldom happens on media events thanks to impeccable planning of every possible contingency.But reality couldn’t have been more contrary, with smiles all round as snatch straps, Maxtrax and a shovel were mobilised and all hands hit the deck to get us out of there.This is the thrill of off-roading and Jeeping at its very core, adhering to the popular mantra that you’re not going properly off-road until you get stuck.It probably sounds mad to 95 per cent of the car-buying public, but the anxiety of apparent failure followed by the elation of extrication can be one hell of a buzz.The longer this recovery takes, the greater the thrill, and this one took the best part of an hour, in professional hands, so we’d been pretty damn stuck.Given the new Wrangler had proven itself as arguably the most capable off-road vehicle straight out of the box at it’s international launch on the infamous Rubicon Trail in the US last year, we should also take pride in the fact that it took Aussie soil to halt it.But how does it go on Aussie bitumen, in local spec? Read on.

I am having problems with the Range Rover Sport I purchased in May 2014. It's a HSE 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel with the off-road kit fitted from new. I also purchased the extended warranty package through the dealer dated 29/4/2014, which is covered by Allianz. The vehicle is always serviced by the dealer and I have the engine oil changed at 13,000 km interval rather than the 26,000 km suggested, although not all of the intermediate services are performed by the dealer. The second last service was at 160,000 km where I raised concerns regarding the automatic transmission. They checked it and updated the software. As it is covered by Allianz they also notified Allianz of the transmission work. Whilst driving in Victoria a transmission fault appeared on the screen and no gears could be selected. I disconnected the battery to try to reset the computer. This apparently worked as I was able to select gears and it drove normally and was presented back to the dealer for its 175,000 km service and with several concerns including the transmission faults. They have serviced the vehicle and reset the computer and drove it around, but the faults have reappeared, so I was told that the transmission needed replacement. I was also informed that Allianz would not cover these repairs because it was five days out of the terms of the warranty agreement. I asked for the dealer to download the computer faults, which would show that these occurred during the warranty period. The dealer did present the September 2018 invoice, which showed the transmission concerns that I had raised. They asked JLR to intervene and pay for the transmission replacement, but I was told that they said no as Allianz should be paying. So seven weeks later the dealer still has my vehicle and I am no closer to getting a resolution regarding the repairs. 
What should I do?

 

I want to buy a 4x4, but don’t want a ute. There are a lot of AWD cars out there, but what would you recommend for a comfortable 4x4?