Off road

And you need a cowboy hat, of course. No HiLux worth its salt would be seen being driven by someone not in a cowboy hat.OK, that part's not true. You don't have to be a cowboy but it is fun to play dress-ups. But it's not as though you're roughing it in a HiLux – they are built with comfort and looks in mind.This is no clapped-out ute. This is a sleek, classy vehicle that just happens to have a tray on the back and be much bigger than the other cars on the road.The chrome trim looks awesome and the inside could not be more comfortable. All the mod cons are at your disposal. And there's another benefit to the HiLux ... it's a boy magnet.Fellas find out you're driving one and everyone wants to come to check out your car.Sadly, next to this beast, you pale into insignificance.You can preen and pose all you like but the guys are only interested in torque, pull and acceleration.Funny thing about having a ute. All of a sudden you're everyone's best friend ... then it hits you – they want you for your car and its ability to fit stuff in it. I only had the car for a few days, yet I still found myself helping a friend move house.Like the perfect accessory, the HiLux goes with everything. You can dress it up or down. Chuck a kelpie in the back (chained up, of course) and its the perfect knock-around machine.But put on your little black number and the HiLux steps up a notch.The HiLux ads show cars getting out of its way and while the shower head at Semaphore didn't bend Uri Geller-style at my passing, traffic certainly does clear out for you. It may have something to do with the sheer size of you. It's a big car. My little Ford Fiesta looked hilarious beside it in the driveway ... talk about a size complex.But, I have to admit, I did find the massiveness of the HiLux a bit of a pain at times.Finding a car park at Marion shopping centre on a Thursday night is hard enough without having to find one HiLux-sized.But, like all fashion accessories, sacrifices have to be made.And the extra time in the car park does give you more of a chance to make eyes at that cute boy checking you out ... no, it's the car he's looking at, isn't it? Well, I'll take whatever looks come my way.LOVE IT LEAVE ITToyota Hilux 4x2 V6 Extra Cab SR5Price: $37,420LOVE ITRIDE 'em, cowboy. This not-so-little baby is just plain fun. It takes you back to your dress-ups days, running around the back yard on your hobby horseLEAVE ITSIZE isn't everything but it does matter ... finding parks long and wide enough can be a problem as can getting into tight parking spots.

You can enjoy driving it almost anywhere, from the smoothest freeways to the toughest off-road tracks, even if most Discovery owners will never give it a sterner challenge than the after-school pick-up.If you can live with the Judge Dredd styling work, it is good value and can be delivered with a relatively efficient turbo-diesel V6 engine.So why are we saying "could be" and not "should be" or "is" about the Discovery's ranking? We are not really sure ourselves, because the Disco 3 ticks most of the boxes.But our test car came with a fault. We have had problems in the past with Land Rover vehicles, and we cannot believe a Discovery would match a Mitsubishi or a Nissan or – yes – a Toyota four-wheel-drive over the long run.There are some things we cannot measure during a week-long test (even though we covered more than 1000km during our time with the Discovery), so we hold back from a gushing endorsement of the vehicle.Land Rover designed the latest Discovery to be a premium four-wheel-drive, and it has done a good job. It helps that it is the first all-new vehicle to emerge from Land Rover since Ford bought the company from BMW. This injected enough cash and commitment to do the job properly.You can see it in everything from the six-speed automatic gearbox, to more space in the cabin and a V6 turbo-diesel engine that was also developed for use by Jaguar.Matthew Taylor, the Land Rover chief who once served as marketing boss at Ford Australia in Broadmeadows, has described the Discovery as "a vehicle of great conviction that points the way forward for the company".It is the anchor for the company's operations in Australia, with 191 Discovery sales in August and 1349 since the start of the year, according to Vfacts.But it is significant that Discovery sales are actually down against 2004, 1387 to 1349, which points to supply problems or slow acceptance of the newcomer.Or, perhaps, it reflects questions from potential owners, who are still buying Japanese or the BMW X5.The Discovery drops into a sales segment called "Medium SUV" in Australia, where the runaway class leader is the Ford Territory with 14,975, followed by the Toyota Prado with 10,520 sales to the end of August.The BMW X5, which competes on class even if it is not in the same class, has 1997.The Discovery has a lot to like from the big, chunky body to a choice of five or seven seats, three engines – V6, V6 turbo-diesel and V8 – a top-class four-wheel-drive and suspension package, and prices that run from $56,650 to $91,650 for the V8 HSE model.We jumped into the Discovery after a week with a Grand Cherokee from Jeep, which gave us an instant benchmark. And a win for the Discovery.It was much quieter and more refined on the road, had the advantage of the turbo-diesel V6, and was unstoppable in the bush.We love the ride, which ironed out any surface and still gave good grip through bitumen corners without the usual tippy feeling that comes with other Land Rover products. It shows considerable commitment to customers who won't be regulars off the road, without compromising the essential grip for tough going.Our test machine was a basic 2.7 TD V6 S automatic, which meant it was nowhere near as impressive as the Jeep in the cabin.It had all the equipment you expect for $65,000, but the quality was down and that is a problem when you compare it with the Japanese vehicles in its class.It is down to the stuff like the seat fabrics, and the look and feel of the plastics and switches, as well as an overall dashboard design that looks like something from Fisher Price. It is different, but we didn't like it.There is plenty of space in the cabin. The seats are good, but not great. We were surprised by the quietness of a vehicle that is pushing a lot of wind at highway speeds.The performance was good, with the combination of turbo-diesel torque – 440Nm is more than Land Rover's V8 – and the six-speed automatic transmission. It also returned 10.8 litres/100km at the pumps, went for more than 700km without a refill and had more than enough hit for easy overtaking, despite a body mass in the 2.5-tonne class.The gearbox was particularly welcome, with a touch-change manual and a well-chosen set of ratios with a smooth shift.One problem was an electrical fault that denied access to the low-range gears. It didn't matter on the go, because it still conquered our benchmark hill climb with no trouble. Land Rover blamed a pre-production control unit.And we also had a couple of experiences when the car's hill descent system, which is a great way to tackle downhill runs without using your feet on the pedals, kicked in on flat ground at more than 80km/h.The biggest problem for the Discovery is its competition. The medium four-wheel-drive class has more than a dozen rivals and there are plenty of people who will compare it with all-paw contenders with Audi, BMW, Honda, Jeep and Mercedes badges.What they will find is a vehicle that is absolutely brilliant as an off-roader, and impressive for runabout work, and a reasonable price and with reasonable equipment.But we still have some doubts.

And space is what you notice when stepping into the Land Rover Discovery 3. It's much roomier than the previous model.Drive it on and off road, and it's hard to argue with the judges who have named it as winner of a stack of 4WD awards.My frequent passenger is not fully into the pleasures of four-wheel driving and her usual comments are "Do we have to go up there?" or "Careful, I don't want us to get bogged."This time, however, when circumstances forced me to stop and take off with front wheels in soft sand and back wheels in wet sand even I had fingers mentally crossed.There was an uncanny silence from the passenger seat.Unfussed, the Disco simply drove away.I remarked on the escape and Frequent Passenger bestowed a great compliment on the Discovery 3: "I don't think this would get bogged anywhere; I wasn't a bit worried."We'd also driven it over some bumps and ridges. Bracing for the jarring through the cabin proved unnecessary.The Disco 3 glides over such offroad challenges.On test was the Discovery SE with the four-litre V6 petrol engine ($65,650).It comes standard with air suspension which is cross-connected.Air displaced by the upward movement of an air spring is transferred to the spring on the opposite side forcing it down, to help level the vehicle.A V6 turbocharged diesel engine gets the rave reviews and the Disco can also be ordered with a V8 petrol motor.The V6 petrol as tested drank premium unleaded at 15.9 litres/100km during a week of driving, which included suburban and 4WD use.The twin seats of the third row can be used by most adults and fold neatly away for a flat floor, there are plenty of bottle holders and stowage compartments, dual-zone climate control, excellent traction control and stability control systems and rear parking sensors.LAND Rover's air suspension is adjusted by a centre console control. It lowers the vehicle for passengers to get in and out or to negotiate low-roofed car parks. Or it can raise the body up to 240mm for off-road work.A ROTARY knob allows the driver to set the Discovery for five conditions: normal road use, grass/snow/gravel, rutted muddy tracks, sand and finally rock-crawling. It delivers the most suitable mapping of the engine management system, gear changes, ride height, dynamic stability control, traction control, hill descent control and differential locks. High and low range also can be selected from a centre console control and the electric "handbrake" is a fingertip lever, too.The four-litre V6 petrol engine generates 160kW of power at 4500rpm plus 360Nm torque at 3000rpm. It can tow up to 3500kg and wade through 700mm of water.

Most importantly, at last there's now an optional turbo-diesel engine and it is not too thirsty. Nissan's timing in finally giving the Pathfinder a fuel-frugal turbo-diesel is perfect.An 80-litre tank gives the oil-burner Pathfinder a range of well over 750km around the city, something that might even impress Federal Treasurer Peter Costello, who last week, wearing his Einstein hat, predicted rising fuel prices would see families turn to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. Sorry, Mr Treasurer, this "gas guzzler" is lighter on fuel than many family cars.The company says the 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel will return 9 litres/100km (manual) and 10.1 litres/100km (auto). This seems easily achievable after a week driving the entry-level manual version around southern Queensland.Pathfinders hadn't changed much since their introduction in 1995 and had fallen behind the medium-size 4x4 pack mostly because of the uninspiring 3.3-litre petrol engine. The original Pathfinder was based on a ute, and, although a comfortable family wagon, lost ground to Prado, Pajero and Discovery, which were designed as passenger vehicles. Its off-road ability was OK but nothing to write home about.Not any more. It's wider, longer, taller and has a longer wheelbase (2850mm, up 150mm) than the model it replaces. Both engines are new. Instead of five people, it can carry seven, preferably for short distances only. It also has the muscle to tow a decent sized boat or horse float (3000kg braked).It's priced from $44,990 for the manual ST diesel, neck-and-neck with Toyota's Prado GX diesel, about $5000 less than the comparable Pajero and a whopping $7500 more than Hyundai's Terracan CRDi. Automatic is a $3000 option on all Pathfinder diesels. The ST 4-litre petrol V6 starts at $47,990, the higher specified ST-L diesel at $48,990 and the V6 ST-L petrol $51,990. The flagship Ti V6 petrol is priced from $58,990.The diesel engine puts out 128kW @ 4000 rpm and a handy 403Nm @ 2000 rpm and is available with a new six-speed manual transmission or the five-speed automatic. It's a willing performer at all speeds, although we found the manual gear change a little vague at times, accidentally choosing fifth instead of third. So flexible is the engine that this error caused no fuss; it simply pulled away smoothly.The engine is related to the 2.2-litre engine found in European variants of the X-Trail compact 4x4 and is almost all new. It has twin overhead camshafts with 16 valves, common-rail direct fuel injection and displaces 2488cc. Turbocharged and intercooled, it develops 128kW and 403Nm of torque, which peaks at 2000 rpm.At idle, you are aware it is a not a petrol engine, but at highway speeds the muffled rattle up front becomes a reassuring hum.This Pathfinder has a full ladder chassis, which some see as the mark of a "true" 4x4. The cost may be a less refined ride on rough surfaces but generally the Pathfinder handled ruts and corrugations without fuss. There was very little kickback through the precise (rack and pinion) steering.A brief off-road trip left no doubt that this is a much more competent Pathfinder. Low-range first is a true crawling gear and throttle response is good for careful manoeuvring. Overall ground clearance is up 11mm to 211mm. Approach and departure angles are also better at 33 and 26 degrees.Purists may sneer at "all-mode" 4x4 systems operated by rotary switches but for the average driver, the latest version of Nissan's system takes all the hard work (read "fun"?) out of choosing how to cross difficult terrain. Electronics take care of all traction needs and low range gears for off-road work, offering Auto, 2WD, 4WD (Hi) and 4WD (Lo). All modes can be accessed on the move, except 4WD (Lo) , for which you have to stop.For everyday use, the switch is left in either Auto or 2WD mode. When locked in 2WD or when the roads are dry and the system is in Auto, the vehicle operates in rear-wheel-drive only, saving fuel.The temptation is to leave it in Auto mode, in which electronic sensors constantly monitor wheel slippage and automatically send signals to the hydraulically activated multi-plate clutch, mounted ahead of the rear axle, to apportion torque correctly. When no slippage is detected, the system distributes the torque 0:100 front to rear, but this can change in any proportion up to 50:50 if the going gets too slippery.We tried, unsuccessfully, to fool the system and spin one or two wheels, which, on sand, means you can go down to your axles. It does the job well.Standard on the entry ST diesel are 16-inch alloys, air-conditioning, ABS, dual airbags, remote central locking, electric mirrors and windows, cruise control and a reasonably good CD stereo.Finish on the Spanish-built Pathfinder was very good and the clear instruments were welcomed by one driver who needs spectacles to read but drives without them. He wondered why vehicle makers don't offer an optional stick-on lens that magnifies instrumentation, like those available for some camera viewfinders.The front seats were supportive, if a little firm for some passengers. One middle-row passenger also got squirmy after an hour on the road. Back row is for kids only, and light ones at that.As in the previous Pathfinder, seating and luggage space options are very flexible. Nissan claims 64 seat/cargo variations and we believe them. Any handyman who has tried to fit timber in the family car will appreciate a fold-flat front passenger seat, which allows a load length of 2.8m.Despite its apparent size, the Pathfinder is easy to drive around the city and suburbs.Rear visibility is better than in most 4x4s.The turning circle of 11.9m (up 0.5m on the previous model and the biggest in the class) is not a problem if you remember.In summary, the diesel Pathfinder was worth the wait.It is a nimbler, more economical option to a big 4x4, yet has most of the appeal of the big boys.Around town it's easy to handle and park; on the highway you set the excellent cruise control, sit back and enjoy the fuel economy.And Pathfinder owners no longer have to suffer the sneers off-road

At the wheel of the big, big, big seven-seater Honda MDX sports utility behemoth, I feel like lighting up a big, fat cigar as I gun the big V6 engine and guzzle more of the planet's precious natural resources.I am surrounded by plush black leather, forests of walnut trim and an old-style cockpit.It doesn't need to be this way. Honda makes modern and attractive cabins. Just look at the impressive Accord Euro.But perhaps the MDX is directed to an older, more successful professional buyer who would be inclined to buy the comparable BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen or Volvo, more than a tricked-up Ford Territory.And the Honda fits neatly in the middle, price-wise, performance-wise and handling-wise.And now Honda has "up-specced" the MDX to give it an edge in this competitive category.Most important for the long trips with kids is the addition of a rear ceiling-mounted DVD player with two wireless headphones.For safety's sake, there are now SRS curtain airbags for all three rows. A lot of so-called family cars forget about passengers.If it does go all pear-shaped, you can rest assured that this vehicle has a host of secondary safety devices which have earned it a full five stars in the latest US NCAP frontal crash tests.Standard safety features also include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), and roll-over sensors designed to trigger the side curtain airbags in a roll over.Other new features are automatic headlights, security alarm, rain sensor wipers that actually work and ambient interior light.Under the bonnet there is an extra 4kW that no one will really notice.Outside, there are flash new bumpers and twin exhausts with square finishers and a chrome grille.And you can have it in three new colours: Desert Rock Metallic, Billet Silver Metallic and Steel Blue Metallic. There is also a new ivory interior available with Nighthawk Black and Desert Rock paint.Best news is the price has been kept to $69,990.That places it well under the 3-litre BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML350 and on par with the less powerful VW Touareg 3.2-litre and 2.5-litre Volvo XC90.Around town the MDX feels as nimble as the X5.Despite its size, the refined high-revving 3.5-litre Honda power plant hurtles the almost two-tonne mass into holes in the traffic with relative ease.Some of the pot-holed roads around town can make the sophisticated suspension a little nervous, despite the expensive set-up of independent strut front and multilink rear.Yet this doesn't translate to the country road where the bumps are harder. In fact, it tears along slippery slopes and gravel roads quite well.It now comes with a full-size alloy spare wheel, so you don't need to cross your fingers on trips outside the metropolis.

All because I'd spent some time getting dirty on construction sites.I admit that was years ago. I know that because it suddenly dawned on me that the type of person who is driving a ute today is definitely not the same type of person, and in some cases, not remotely of the same species, as in the 1970s.A ute was driven by a toughie. Now, it could be a petite mother, a grandad on his way to the hardware store, a student travelling to school or, on the odd occasions, a clean-cut tradesman.Utes have also gone the way of their owners.No longer rough and ready, they're smooth, car-like and, well, a bit soft.Toyota has made utes since 1967 and has certainly gone from the tough to the functional look.The inside of the latest Hilux is all Camry. It is a car with a tray in the back. But it's not quite soft.I'm not 100 per cent sold on the look of the new Hilux, and the ute has had a price rise that appears out of step with its hungry rivals.Externally, the styling is subjectively brash. It boasts high side sheet metal which dwarfs the wheels, and a front borrowed from a monstrous Dodge Ram 4WD out of a Midwest US town.But all that hides a more sophisticated chassis than its predecessor.A new front suspension has done wonders for the car's, er, that should read ute's, handling and straight-line stability.My error came from driving the latest Hilux SR5 4WD dual-cab out of town. Forget what you're driving and you'd swear this was a car.It holds its line smoothly through the corners, brakes solidly and sits on the road with very little need for the driver to constantly correct the steering.It is just as responsive in the dirt. The 4WD system is a Plain Jane part-time arrangement, though it has manual freewheeling hubs.Engagement is from a second floor-mounted lever, which isbecoming passe compared with some other companies that use a dashboard-mounted switch to electronically engage 4WD Low.However, it could be argued that the Hilux's manual system is more reliable and just as quick.The four-litre V6 is an awfully strong mill with heaps of power.Combined with a leaf-sprung rear suspension and live axle, the off-road ability is excellent.Toyota is renowned for quality engineering at a premium price. By comparison with its rivals, it doesn't offer the same level of features, so you pay more for less, but get it back again when you sell.The dual-cab is versatile and perfect for the weekly worker and weekend family man.Heavens, this could almost be good as a tradie's car. All you need is a dog and a can of Passiona.

Other cars are getting out of my way and the second glances and nods of approval are unbelievable, even embarrassing.I think the girls like the bright blue paint job – very similar to Ford's XR6. But the boys, too, give it the thumbs up.Yes, unabashed approval. Even the guys on the SeaLink ferry to Kangaroo Island had to ask "What's she like?" as we manoeuvred the Hilux with ease into a tight spot.I had to admit that "she" wasn't mine but that didn't stop the questions and admiring glances.And I learned a lot that I hadn't yet discovered such as the longer wheelbase and deeper tray that this model boasts. That was according to two more blokes standing by my window unashamedly sizing up the SR5 and discussing "her" assets.But what's with the female tag? Toyota's SR5 4x4 extra cab is all beefy bloke – and it's not just another ute. It's a big, chunky, weekday workhorse that transforms very nicely into weekend playboy packed with a four-litre, V6 petrol engine, five-speed manual transmission and 4WD options.Dirt roads, puddles and potholes? No probs. Sandy slopes weaving around bushes to secluded beach houses? Easy. Winding roads in pelting rain? Bring 'em on.How about long stretches of highway with hundreds of kangaroos and wallabies? Not even a big red could dent our enthusiasm – or the Hilux. And it tried very hard, leaping out from the bushes and slamming into the passenger door.Thankfully, he jumped off leaving only a bit of fur.Although this big boy is tough on the outside, inside he's soft, comfortable (in the front seats) and stylishly simple – perfect for no-nonsense drivers and techno-phobes alike who enjoy such gadgets as flashy-looking instrumentation with CD stackers, but who just want to turn them on and then not worry about the details.Space-wise, there's room to party in the front with plenty of head and leg room. The back "extra cab" section though, is minimalist to say the least. It's really meant for expensive tools and the odd person – you need to be odd to be comfortable. The seat is unforgivingly upright and there's not a great deal of padding or room to move.Unfortunately, with no loads to move, I didn't need to use the ute part of the Hilux and without weight in the back, the ride is quite bumpy.LOVE IT LEAVE ITToyota Hilux 4x4 SR5$45,290LOVE ITThe attention and RESPECT. Flash dash that lets you keep an eye on average fuel consumption. Very sensible handles inside the front doors, good for height-challenged drivers and passengers.LEAVE ITCould do with two more doors (and they are available) – shifting seats to load and unload gear from the back seats is awkward. Cup holder blocks air vent.

Although 4WDs have come under a lot of scrutiny in recent times for their use around the city and suburbs, the only way to appreciate a vehicle of this class is to get it out on – and off – the open road.As a novice four-wheel driver it took no time at all to familiarise myself with the controls from the comfort of the heated-leather seats.The four-speed automatic transmission was smooth and the ride even smoother as the outside noise was almost completely non-existent with the windows up and the automatic climate control set on a comfortable 22C.And with the windscreen wipers also set on automatic I was assured of complete clear vision in any rain.A rainfall sensor is located in the windscreen behind the rear-view mirror and turns on the wipers, varying their speed in line with the intensity of the rain. It was a real bonus as we struck some heavy falls heading out of Sydney.When the speed limit lifted to 100km/h you could almost hear the Honda purr in anticipation of giving its 3.5-litre V6 engine a workout.As we neared Goulburn the outside temperature dropped to about 9C but we were cocooned in a warm comfort zone courtesy of the automatic climate control system, which can be adjusted on the Honda's dashboard trip computer.Aside from the temperature, the computer also records fuel consumption, the range you can travel on what's in the tank, total distance travelled and the elapsed time the ignition has been on. There's also a digital clock and a compass.It was time to stop and revive at Goulburn and after putting some petrol in our engines in the form of a big breakfast, we were back on the road heading to Cooma.But this time there was another driver behind the wheel – my wife Margaret.Reluctantly I had handed over the keys in a moment of weakness, not knowing what to expect from a driver with no experience in a motor vehicle of this size.But once she worked out the automatic seat adjustment, my wife took to the road like a veteran and I could see from the glee in her eye I would have a hard time wrestling the keys back.By the time we reached Cooma Margaret was completely at ease in the driver's seat. "I didn't feel intimidated driving a four-wheel drive for the first time," she says. "It only took me a couple of kilometres to feel at ease and after that I felt completely comfortable and more than impressed with car's performance and ease of handling."When we picked up our ski gear it was no problem fitting it in the back with our luggage.It was a simple exercise of folding down the back seats and we had more than ample room.I was hoping the mountain road through the Kosciuszko National Park to Guthega was going to be icy so I could try my hand at a bit of four-wheel driving.But the road was open all the way through to the Guthega car park and not even chains for the family sedan were needed.When it came time to leave the snow I was still itching to put the four-wheel-drive switch on and my chance came halfway back down the mountain.I spotted a small trail leading into the scrub and after carefully summing up the situation decided to go for it.The incline was not too steep as the Honda went through a personality change in automatic four-wheel-drive mode and attacked the trail with gusto.With the 4WD adventure over it was time to drop our gear back in Cooma and head for Narooma on the far south coast.This was another adventure as we travelled through some amazing country and the next challenge was the winding decline of Brown Mountain (1241m), which leads from the high country to the beautiful Bega Valley.The Snowy Mountain Highway leading to the mountain was easily driven with speed limits varying between 60km/h, 80km/h and 100km/h. But the mountain was different altogether with some hairpin corners restricting speed to 25km/h. Dropping the Honda's transmission back to D3 allowed for perfect control and the brakes didn't need much pressure to safely negotiate the bends.When we reached the bottom it was an easy drive to Narooma and from then on it was back to cruising on the highway.After a few days in Narooma it was back to the big smoke and when we arrived back in Sydney it didn't seem like we'd been driving for more than five hours.I'm sure I saw the hint of a tear in my wife's eye as we had to put the Honda to bed in its garage.It was truly a first-class holiday in a first-class vehicle.

It's good, very good, especially the V6 diesel, the subject of our review. Some people aren't too keen on the chunky, slab-sided urban assault vehicle look (my sisterin- law, one-time Disco owner among them), but then some people will always have a different opinion ? otherwise we'd all be driving the same car. Truly functional design does not date, Land Rover reckons.2.7-litre TDV6 replaces the old TD5 straight five-cylinder diesel. Develops 140kW of power at 4000rpm and 445Nm of torque at a low 1900rpm, more torque in fact than the hero 4.4-litre V8 at 427Nm and arriving lower down the rev range too. Apart from the extra performance, most surprising about the new engine is how smooth and quiet it is. The back room boys have done a brilliant job of insulating passengers from the traditionally harsh diesel rattle.You can chose between a sixspeed manual or automatic. Our test vehicle was the six-speed sequential auto which means you can change gears like a manual anyway. We noted some initial lag off the line before the engine responded. Manual accelerates from 0-100km/h in 11.7 seconds (11.2 for the manual). It feels faster than this though, however, with a top speed of 180km/h. Full-time four-wheel drive, traction control and dynamic stability control deliver maximum traction in all conditions.Claimed fuel economy from the 82-litre tank is not stated. But we got about 12.4L/100km out of ours which gives the diesel a range of about 660km. Still a tinsy winsy bit of body roll evident in corners around town, but nothing we couldn't forgive, given its off-road credentials.Our test vehicle was fitted with air suspension which gives it 240mm of impressive ground clearance when jacked up. With low range, hill descent control and a variety of settings for different terrains, it makes short work of even arduous rock descents. In fact, it's so confident there's a danger that drivers could become a little too cocky.Safety is aided by six airbags (blows out to eight if you chose the seven-seat option). Seats five with an optional seven seats, but the extra two are kiddie-sized. This time they fold snugly into the floor, instead of taking up valuable luggage space ? and separately if desired. Seven seats and air suspension are standard on all but the base S models which get coil springs.Maximum tow rating is 3500kg.Interestingly, this is the diesel that is reportedly destined for Ford's best selling Territory. From there, we may even see it flow down to other models, maybe even the Falcon eventually. Now that's something to think about!Verdict: We want one. It's big, smooth and powerful and it won't cost an arm and a leg to run. Smooth around town and a force to be reckoned with when the going gets tough. Prices for the diesel start from $64,650.

This is the first time a six cylinder Hilux 2WD has been offered and the new 4.0-litre petrol V6 ( from Prado) is an absolute cracker.It's offered in a variety of models in five speed manual or five speed auto and puts down startling performance for what is essentially a tough-as-teak workhorse.The 2WD, single cab, SR manual is, for want of a better term, the performance front runner offering incredible acceleration for a Hilux backed up with super strong torque. Though not in the same league as something from HSV or FPV, this long bed tonne-toter won't be found lacking in the legs department.That's because there's a hearty 175kW of power and about 350Nm of torque percolating out of the high tech engine. It's a noisy beast but what's that matter when you're hauling a big load.The manual stick shift is long but the mechanism is typically Toyota "rifle bolt" in action. Gearing is bang on for the weight and size of the truck, its intended purpose and how the engine delivers power. But getting all that grunt to the ground is at times problematic, especially in wet weather.Fuel consumption is commendably low given what's provided and the tank holds a handy 76 litres.As you'd expect the ride is firm even with coils at the front and the brakes are strong.That's because this little worker can carry a whopping 1320kg payload.We never came close to that (despite trying) and 500kg in the long tray barely dents performance, smooths the ride though.At this level, there are the necessities inside the cabin but aircon is extra and the middle seat has a lap only seat belt.The cab is comfy and driving the beast is not onerous.Just a last word about the styling: big head, slab sided, enough said.