Off road

WHEN I found my new Toyota LandCruiser wouldn't select top gear until 115-120km/h I asked my dealer if it could be fixed and was told they could "flash'' the gearbox and make it change into sixth gear at low to mid-90km/h. The car is now great to drive, changing into sixth at a realistic speed of about 95km/h. The problem is that it works only in manual mode. Why couldn't it be programmed to change in drive mode at the same speed? Toyota's customer service people told me the car will change into sixth gear in drive. All you have to do is reach 100km/h, then take your foot off the accelerator and, when sixth gear is engaged lightly, put your foot back on the accelerator. But to do that you have to take your eyes off the road to focus on the speed. I bought an auto so it would all be done for me. Can you please help with a resolution to this problem?

Little separates the Subaru twins, except for some extra body cladding and the Outback's high-riding look. As it is based on the Liberty the Outback gains all the equipment and safety improvements of its urban sibling.Like the Liberty, the Outback is more spacious in every key dimension. It is 65mm longer, 50mm wider, 70mm higher and the wheelbase is up 75mm compared to the previous model. The flowing headlight design integrates with the indicators, while fog lights are standard across the range.Highlighting Outback's road presence are flared wheel arches and projector-style low-beam headlights.PricingOutback 2.5i manual $37,990Outback 2.5i Lineartronic CVT automatic $40,490Outback 2.5i Premium manual $41,490Outback 2.5i Premium Lineartronic CVT automatic $43,990Outback 2.5i Premium with SatNav manual $43,990Outback 2.5i Premium with SatNav Lineartronic CVT automatic $46,490Outback 3.6R automatic $48,490Outback 3.6R with SatNav automatic $55,990 

…and we don’t encourage anybody to try this sort of stunt          

Unlike the magazine's 4WD Of The Year award, which only looks at vehicles that are new or significantly revised in that year, these annual accolades look at all the 4WDs on the market. In fact long-time champions dominate these awards but sometimes even long-time champs are forced to step aside. Best Value for Money

Renault takes their range out into the desert to see how many panels they can damage.           

MY 1999 100 series Toyota LandCruiser V8 must be the most uneconomical vehicle on the road. It cruises at 24 litres/100km and tows at 32 litres/100km. It has been to a few workshops without much improvement, and selling it is not viable because of market value. Should I convert it to LPG?

Land Rover Australia spokesman Guido Schenken said they had offered some courses in NSW last year as a "prospecting tool for new and existing owners to get to know their vehicles"."The Land Rover Experience is a franchise and we're not up to that level yet," he said."The current plan is to relocate and develop this trial in other states throughout 2009.""Our aim is to expand the program over the next couple of years and our ultimate goal is to get a franchise running.""Potentially it would be a roaming centre so we could move to the different states depending on demand.""If you look at the model of other driving programs, they have struggled when they are in one place."An example is BMW which owned Norwell on the Gold Coast hinterland, but now operates a roaming course in several states.Land Rover Experience has been operating for 25 years and now has 35 franchises around the world.Veteran Land Rover tester and the company's longest-serving staff member Roger Crathorne, 62, spends 100 days a year training drivers at Eastnor Castle."It means I don't have to work too many weekends and can spend more time with my family," he said."My wife is very understanding. She has always thought I was married to Land Rover anyhow."Crathorne has trained journalists, rally drivers and even members of the British Royal family in off-road driving."The Royals have always been very attentive, but the SAS has been the most interesting to work with," he said."They have a totally different focus. For them it's probably a life and death matter and they don't relax; they are focussed on the training."Crathorne is an enthusiastic advocate of Land Rover's Terrain Response system, which he claims can get anyone out of just about any sticky situation."Even though you think you have it going, the traction aids can ride it better than you can," he said."You just won't spin the wheels."As soon as the system recognises you have momentum it will start to pull the vehicle."

Now a three-door Suzuki Vitara is not for all. It is a smallish four-seater with limited luggage space if all seats are used.It may not be the first choice for covering long distances week in, week out.But at $25,000 the short Vitara is worth a long look as a daily commuter _ inexpensive to run, easy to park and still capable of a beach or bush weekend.For the Suzuki has a long and honourable four-wheel drive pedigree. It is built by a company with a long and honourable history in bolting together reliable machines.Exterior Current Vitaras are quite handsome vehicles. There are hints of a family heritage dating back to Suzuki's first Vitara in 1988.So the three-door is familiar yet manages to look fresh (even while this latest crop of Vitaras are largely style and mechanical updates to the 2005 versions).It is a no-nonsense, practical shape with just a polite hint of muscle that won’t scare the grannies. It is a sensible style _ if a little sexier than the five-door version _ that's practical in the scrub, tidy enough for town.Interior That line follows through to the cabin with decent ergonomics, sound system and air conditioning; instruments and controls are easily followed and there's good room for two up front, reasonable room (and access) for two behind.With the back seats up there's not a deal of space left in this short wheelbase machine, plenty for a day at the beach but maybe not for a week away for four. It is a compact compact.These rear seats do fold up and toward the front with ease, leaving a deal of cargo space. The spare wheel sits pretty on the tailgate.DrivetrainWhile there are some minor style change, including a flash new grille, it is the addition of a 2.4 litre, four-cylinder engine to the range that makes the biggest impact with the latest three-door Vitara.Allied to the five-speed manual gearbox, the 122kW motor is much handier than previous offerings. It is helped by variable valve timing and forever keen to have a go.All the while fuel consumption is averaging out around 9 litres per 100km. This will climb a little with sustained hard slogging _ up a soft sand track or through a boggy bush byway _ but this engine is generally quite thrifty.And the Vitara package is quite handy when road turns to track. The transmission runs all day in four-wheel drive but there is a four-high lock with centre differential locked, then a four-low range lock for more serious work.DrivingSuzukis are always willing little off-roaders, made handier here with the three-doors smaller body, shorter wheelbase plus better ramp-over and departure angles compared with bigger wagons.It is a nimble machine, whether dodging boulders or bollards; the three-doors advantage runs from tight parking spots to narrow bush tracks.It steers, rides and handles quite well. It is quieter than previous Vitaras, a little less edgy in the ride quality although for regular long trips the longer wheelbase five-door version would be a more comfortable option.It may not turn in, corner or hang on as deftly as a Suzuki Swift but the Vitara does not disgrace itself in the traffic. It is, with that 2.4 litre engine stirred, quite a decent point-to-point vehicle on a back road.So as a weekday run-around and weekend adventurer (for two) it is hard to ignore the three-door Vitara at this price. It is a value proposition with a good mix of on-road cred and off-road ability.Score: 71/100

I AM curious to know how you would rate my 2008 Range Rover TDV8 roughing it with the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol. I take mine off-road and, having had a Patrol, I would not hesitate to take the Range Rover anywhere I would have taken the Nissan.

Subaru admits the Broadmeadows hero is one of the targets for its all- new Outback wagon, which has just been unveiled in the USA as the sidekick to the new Liberty.The Outback will look a little different by the time it gets to Australia, but the basics and particularly a bigger new cabin and an enlarged 3.6-litre engine will be just the same.Subaru Australia is promising to push hard on prices, after boosting the value of its all-new Impreza last year, but is not talking details yet."The Outback displayed at the New York show is obviously for the US.There are some styling cues that we won't see here - the overt SUV stuff," says the managing director of Subaru Australia, Nick Senior."Ours is probably a little more . . . restrained."The Outback will join the Liberty in Australia in September and both, according to Senior, are crucial."They are both important. I think, from a brand point of view, Subaru has been defined by the Liberty."This is 20 years. It's two decades of Liberty and in that time it's had strong customer advocacy and a lot of awards."We are going to play in an important segment of the market. It's a new car and it addresses some of the issues raised in customer feedback. One of those is interior room, so it's a lot roomier and it's a lot more fuel efficient."Early details of the Outback point to a car with a longer wheelbase, a bigger cabin, improved ground clearance, power of 190kW from the 3.6-litre six, and a six-speed manual on both the four and six.The basic body is stiffer, just like the Liberty, which should mean improved safety and less noise inside."The Outback, again, has significantly more interior space.Particularly rear legroom," says Senior, before pointing to a Ford challenge with the car."That opens the opportunity for us, particularly in Australia, to look at conquest sales. And not just from our traditional competitors but potentially from some of the local manufacturers."We'll have a 3.6-litre engine fed by normal unleaded and, particularly in rural areas, that is where I see an opportunity."