Off road

There have been few questions about the compact Honda's build, comfort or style since the CR-V first arrived in 1997. Some 70,000 have been sold around Australia and the CR-V has been a major element on Honda Australia's sales charts.But there have been questions about the Honda's ability compared with rivals when the bitumen disappeared.The heart of the problem was Honda's much-vaunted Real Time four-wheel-drive system. This relied on the front wheels losing traction and slipping, the hydraulics to warm up, locking up the centre and transferring drive to the idle back wheels.The issue was the time taken and the CR-V was often bogged in soft sand or stranded halfway up a hillside track before the back wheels offered any real help.Now, Honda Australia do not believe many CR-V customers take off for the scrub every other weekend. But with 19 competitors in this soft-road segment now (and more to come) Honda understands the prospective CR-V customer needs that peace of mind, those dirt track bragging rights to match the rivals.So the four-door wagon's four-wheel-drive system has been upgraded, claimed now to be 50 per cent quicker in reacting and locking power away to rear wheels.The revised Real Time system uses a one-way ball cam and pilot clutch for quicker torque transmission. If more is needed the hydraulics lock the system harder. There are no electronics, just the simple mechanics of the front-wheel slippage transferred back down the line and locking up the system for the back wheels to bite. For most driving, the front wheels take 100 per cent of the drive from the new five-speed automatic gearbox; the rear wheels can take up to 40 per cent of the drive if the front gets into trouble.Honda Australia boss Lindsay Smalley reckons "there's not a shadow of doubt, the new system clearly has balls".Out on the track there is a noticeable improvement in the CR-V's reaction times. It will now tackle small and scrabbling slopes which would have unglued the previous model.And it will fight its way through a patch of deeper sand without bogging down.The new system also allows for minimal scrabble off the line on loose surfaces and, in general, helps improve the wagon's traction and handling on slippery surfaces. There is less wheel spin and torque steer from the front.Some of that improvement in rough track ability, handling and road holding is also down to the new 16-inch wheels (up from the previous 15-inch and with alloys for Sport models), fewer turns lock-to-lock on the steering and thicker stabiliser bars up front.The Honda's five-speed automatic works smooth and easy with the 2.4-litre engine producing 118kW at 6000rpm and 220Nm of torque at 3600rpm.There remain situations – a long uphill scrabble for instance – where the CR-V runs out of sting. This is not unknown among soft roaders; fine for a 10-minute jaunt through the soft sand or over a washed-out bush track, these compact machines with smaller engines can find a long slog, particularly with a full load, a trifle daunting.Other upgrades include drive-by-wire throttle, a six-stack CD player for CR-V sport models and cruise control for manual CR-Vs. Outside, there are new headlights, a new bonnet and front bumper, plus revisions to the tail lights, adding up to a cleaner style all round.

Metres of water ran across and down the dirt, the track's dips filled with truckloads of brown slosh. The storm across the mountain tops arrived with a suddenness and ferocity that quietened radio chatter between the seven four-wheel drives.Drivers are busy and adrenalin levels are up; there is little better to quicken the blood than a downhill slip and slide in two-and-a-half tonnes of metal with a hard rain falling and nasty, hard-to-see drops off the track's edges.The day started fine: some touring, a little rock crawling and hill climbing to glorious scenes across Victoria's High Country.Now the thunder of the gods rolled in and the pleasantness was gone. But everyone and every vehicle made it to the bottom on to a hard-packed gravel road, and, like all good bush folk, headed for the nearest pub for beers and a dry camp.It was a small adventure best appreciated in one of Land Rover's all-singing, all-dancing Discovery machines for these latest wagons take away a deal of sweat and tears in rough country.At $73,650 for a V6 diesel SE wagon, there is much to admire and a deal to appreciate on good roads and wet tracks.Coming down this steep and sloppy track the machine takes over, the driver only needs to steer, maybe add some throttle: into low range, suspension raised and dial up the Mud and Ruts mode on Land Rover's All Terrain system. It works. Engine and transmission responses are tailored for the slip and slide, hill descent control braking the machine with surprising gentleness.Centre and rear differentials lock and unlock as required (watch all the traction action and the angles of the dangles on the dashboard display screen) and windscreen wipers switch on automatically when the rain first hits the screen. This is one autodidactic machine.There may remain questions as to how this sophisticated British vehicle's smart stuff will cope with the rigours of long days in the scrub, there may remain questions about reliability.But it is to be considered that this is the first Land Rover designed and produced under Ford's stewardship, there is much at stake (in particular the giant North American market) and the bosses reckon Ford has helped straighten out Land Rover's production line.This all-new Discovery is claimed to be easier, simpler to build than the previous model so build quality should be better.All this palaver is best left to the pub; for now all that's needed is to understand the cleverness of these machines in wombat-infested forests.The V8 Discovery, this one too in SE trim and arriving with a $81,650 price tag (about the asking price for a V8 Sahara LandCruiser) is also along for this mountain top trundle.It pumps out more power but less torque than the diesel. The beauty of the V8 is on the open tracks, exhaust tones bouncing off snow-bent gums and hillside tracks carved across the mountains. As a touring machine on a steady cruise it is also relatively economical.And some may appreciate the V8's extra willingness to get off the line.The diesel is quick enough, especially worked through the sequential-style, six-speed automatic, but the petrol engine does have the edge from the lights.Yet it is not just these Discoverys' smart drivetrains and electronics for tackling go-anywhere tracks with confidence that bolster the wagons' appeal. It is not just the excellent ride in the rough and the nimbleness of the chassis – here the Discovery's 11.45m turning circle and 3.3 turns lock-to-lock are much appreciated.The British wagon also looks right in most eyes.This bluff style says this is a serious four-wheel drive for serious business. There are few curves, few kowtows to the soft turns of passenger car style.It is a practical look for a practical seven-seater (entry models have five seats). There is just the one engine air intake grille on the right flank and an asymmetrical tailgate which allows for a standing platform on one side of the dropped tailgate and easier access to the cargo area on the other.Body overhangs are minimal and the headlights are round with less glass to be damaged. The underbody is clean and strong and with the air-suspended Discoverys there is up to 240mm of ground clearance.Inside, the Discovery has a good driving position, helped by a tilt and telescopic steering column, good visibility and ergonomics. The instruments are clear and legible but the centre dash console and the dials, knobs and buttons for air-conditioning and stuff is a bit cluttered.And with the cabins of the two SEs being tested finished in greys and blacks they can be a tad sombre. Some may want to consider a lighter interior trim.The interior, with each row of seats a little higher than those in front, offers decent accommodation for six average adults (leaving the middle of the middle row free) over a distance or seven (with shorter ones in the back) over shorter hauls. The rear seat offers decent accommodation for most. There also are 101 cubby holes and storage spots. In short, this is a cabin that's easily accessed with room to store bits and pieces.This is a wagon that shrinks around the driver, a product of cabin design and the Discovery's on and off-road dynamics.Down the highway or through the hills, the V8 and diesel Land Rover remain comfortable and secureThe wagons' bulk sometimes comes to the fore on tight and twisting stuff yet, in the main, these are highly competent machines for many reasons and all seasons.

I have finally shaken the guilt and justified the existence of the city-slicker beast in my driveway by learning some off-road ropes.The mystery of that extra stick near the coin tray in my car is revealed. And what fun it is to play with.It moves you to lumpy, bumpy highs and lows where its strangely bigger partner dare not go.My new-found experience is based upon a recent rough-road romp through the Grampians in a Nissan Ti Patrol.It was part of a "frill-seeking" adventure to these mountains, combining extreme nature and five-star luxury. You know, not quite the whole bush experience.The Nissan Ti was the perfect partner to this pursuit with the adventure and frills all rolled into one. It's the lavishly fitted top cocky of Nissan's substantial 4WD crop.Over hill, over dale, fearing my tyres might pop at any moment as I traversed loose rocks, through dusty ditches and through sections where the road was covered in water hiding who knows what, my trepidation turned to relief. It's not so scary. I can do this.And what's more, I can do it in comfort. Perfect.A bit like a tent with en-suite, hairdryer power point and all.Now, I will design holidays around more of this fun, honestly. I'll impress my kids (who were glad paranoid mum wasn't there to spoil the thrills on their last 4WD outing with dad). I'll show them, mum too can drive on the edge. In my dreams, I might one day do it in my very own $77,490 Ti.The new Patrol has some marked changes which will interest the blokes. Things like a revised front fender and bonnet, integrated rear bumper and new 17in alloy wheels.OK. Outside it is smart and tough – built to take a beating. But inside, the tackle gets interesting.A must-have, standard in the Ti, is a sophisticated satellite navigation system with a screen fully integrated into the centre dash. The thing that really impressed me is that this gadget doubles as a rear-facing camera. In reverse mode, you get a pretty picture of everything behind you. The city-slicker in me thinks of all the little people nipping behind me that are now completely safe, but it also was very handy when backing up between two trees Mother Nature had neatly placed just millimetres wider than my vehicle.I also enjoyed sinking into the all leather and woodgrain trim. Roughing it, doesn't mean going shabby! And there was plenty of room for all the paraphernalia an adventurous girl must keep at her fingertips.Now all I need for the days I just enjoy sitting high above city traffic is a sign saying: Damn the critics, I do take this beast off-road.LOVE IT LEAVE ITNissan Patrol Ti 4.8 LOVE ITTHE rear camera cures the problem of reversing blind. The blend of sheer comfort when "roughing it" and I just like being up high where nobody can argue with me.LEAVE ITTHE rear flip-down table could be more user-friendly. Seven seats is great, but eight would be even more useful.

And that, as you may have already discerned, is what the BMW X5 is all about – not serious offroading, but a versatile wagon built to carry heaps of gear and look macho enough to pretend to be a genuine off-roader.So successful is the X5 that its recently released smaller sister, the X3, barely gets a look in.The X5 is built around a basic concept of a passenger-car wagon that has greater ground clearance and all-wheel-drive underpinnings.In its range the X5 goes from mild – a three-litre petrol model – to a rorty 4.8-litre V8 that will set you back a cool $157,300.In between is the excellent diesel model, coded 3.0d, which is a six-cylinder version of the equally delightful four-pot diesel used throughout BMW's European range and picked up by the Rover 75 and Land Rover Freelander.Unlike a diesel in everything but sheer off-the-mark grunt, the 3.0d is quiet, smooth, flexible throughout the rev range, and amazingly frugal for a wagon that weighs a hefty 2.1-tonnes dry.Smaller than a Volkswagen Touareg, the X5 is close to perfectly proportioned so it not only looks great but is small enough to cope with city snarls while comfortably capacious for weekends away with the family.The interior is pretty basic in black – a legacy of the diesel's "entry-level" pricing in the X5 model ladder – but it is neat and functional.The X5 seats five adults and, though that's a bit of a hip squeeze for backseaters, there's sufficient head and legroom.Front passengers should be aware that the doors are exceptionally heavy and demand care when entering or exiting the vehicle on a slope.There's a single lift-up hatch for access to the rear and, typical of wagons, the rear seats split and fold.On the road the X5 diesel gets off the mark so abruptly it'll freak out first-time drivers – partly because of the locomotive 480Nm of torque that's powering through four wheels from a measley 2000rpm and also because there is a spread of six cogs in the automatic gearbox.More adventurous drivers can use the stubby floor-mounted gear lever to start selecting their own cogs but it doesn't make a dramatic difference when driving on bitumen.The sequential shift comes into its own by holding gears for off-road excursions – however mild they may be for a Land Cruiser owner.I'm being a tad harsh because the X5 is quite capable in the dirt despite its weight and the lack of a low-range transfer case.But though it'll follow firm beachside tracks, climb gravel hills and idle through tight bush trails, this is not the vehicle you want for serious off-roading.Part of the reason is the stupid spacesaver spare tyre that, in a puncture situation, just may get you from Claremont to Nedlands. The other is the fear of soiling the X5's beautiful looks.And at $84,500, you wouldn't want to do that.

The Cherokee has a bit of a name to live up to, having been crowned 4x4 of the Year 2005 by Britain's 4x4 magazine recently.The Cherokee underwent a week of trials by 4x4 experts, notching up high marks for performance, off and on-road ride quality, and interior and exterior appearance.With the Grand Cherokee named World's Best Off- roader 2005 by 4x4 magazine, the 3.7-litre V6 Cherokee automatic took out the mid-size category, scoring 39 points out of a possible 50.Land Rover's Range Rover came in second with 38, and Toyota's LandCruiser third with 37.While Aussie conditions are another thing, the petrol-driven 3.7L V6 automatic version proved itself a capable allrounder during our test over some 800km.The 12-valve SOHC Power Tech engine produces 150 kW of power and 307 Nm of torque which, when mated with a four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive and lockup torque converter, provides plenty of grunt in all situations.Style wise, the Cherokee wears its proud heritage in its front end treatment, where a six vertical bar grille and recessed round headlights give it an unmistakable look. That's got to be a nice thing in a world of cookie cutter vehicle production.The Limited edition test vehicle boasted 16 x 7 inch Mechanica cast aluminium wheels and seats trimmed in dark slate grey leather. Looks good, but these are seats you feel you're sitting on, rather than in. More lateral support would be nice, particularly when the going gets tough off road.The six speaker sound system is all quality with steering wheel mounted audio controls a practical touch. The six disc remote CD changer is located in the cargo area.Look beyond the creature comforts and Cherokee is a tough rooster, having been built on a high-strength steel UniFrame.Four-wheel antilock disc brakes are standard and work well pulling up the vehicle's 2540kg gross weight.Cherokee's solid-axle rear suspension makes for true off-road capability while the independent front suspension contributes to on-road flexibility.Running ground clearance is 221mm.Having a full-sized spare wheel hanging off the tailgate – unlike some more upmarket off-roaders, which opt for space-saver spares – is reassuring when you head bush.Fold away mirrors on both sides are an obvious plus when also going gung ho through the gums.The 3.7l V6 has a towing capacity of 750kg/ 2265kg (unbraked/braked).Chrysler Jeep claim a combined cycle of 13.3l/100km which proved pretty well spot on – our test vehicle returned 13.5/.100km.The 3.7L V6 Sport costs $39,990 and the Limited Edition $45,990 (both plus on road costs).

It's about 30 minutes off the road to York but could be a thousand kilometres away – such is the feeling of isolation.On the top of the hill, where authorities have set up a neat little picnic area with tables, chairs and toilets set in zones marked by stones, the view sweeps over an ocean of trees atop rolling hills.The track is actually quite rough, over rocks and water-eroded inclines, through a natural spring with a muddy base that clawed at the Patrol's tyres, and past small areas where bushfires had blackened the earth.It was a good test for Nissan's latest Patrol, the big 4WD that ostensibly competes with the Toyota Land Cruiser, even though you'd be hard pressed to pick this as much different from the outgoing model.Nissan can be quite explosive when it comes to styling, such as the latest Maxima and the 350Z, but designers on its workhorses use cereal boxes as templates.The new Patrol, identified primarily by the big chrome grille and giant red tail lights despite every body panel being changed, retains the simplicity of old but with a brighter interior.The cabin is prettier, the seats more comfortable, there's more space for personal gear and the dashboard has excellent ergonomics and welcome simplicity.But the oily bits are pretty much the same as before.That's good in the sense that they are well-sorted and reliable, poor because there's a certain crudeness to their delivery.The 3-litre turbo-diesel in the ST-L tested is a strong mill that also sees duty, without an intercooler, in the Nissan Navara ute.In the ute, the four-cylinder engine gives sterling performance. In the Patrol, it has confidence-sapping weakness at low revs – revs where diesel engines are supposed to thrive.The bulk of the reason is just that – bulk. At 2.4-tonnes without occupants, the Patrol is a porker.But get the engine to spin above 1500rpm, preferably above 2000rpm, and it sings. The fuel economy is brilliant – 11-litres/100km is damn good, especially from the oilfield-sized tank.The five-speed manual gearbox has slow changes but feels indestructible.On the gravel tracks the suspension is very compliant and takes a lot of beating.On smooth bitumen the ride is quiet and smooth but where the asphalt is rough, the ancient live axle front and rear suspension reacts by shaking the steering wheel and attempting to self-steer.This, as I indicated before, is the price of such strength.It is an admirable beast but I reckon the engine could do with more oomph for duties such as caravan towing.Here the petrol-engine 4.8 is a better, though thirstier, alternative.

The revamp of the venerable wagon sees a bigger, bolder grille and squared-off, add-on flares over the front and rear guards. The bonnet is new and the rear bumper's been revised.And there are new 17-inch alloy wheels for seven-seat Patrols.The rear barn doors are still split vertically into a one-third, two-thirds arrangement.This Patrol is now a little larger at 5050mm long, 1940mm wide and 1855mm high.Inside there's a new dashboard, revised trim and reworked seats. Rear seat passengers in some versions score a flip-down table fitted to the rear of the front seats.There is a five-speed automatic option for the 4.8-litre petrol engine and a host of safety, comfort and convenience extras as the models move upmarket.Yet while Nissan reckon every body panel apart from the roof is new on the seven-seaters, this is still one big and tough-styled machine.That shows around the town. Backing and filling around the suburban carpark needs some care. Jostling for lane space down Ipswich Rd needs some patience.There remain three engine choices – the six-cylinder 4.2-litre turbo diesel and 4.8-litre petrol, which remain as before, plus a reworked four-cylinder, 3-litre diesel.And while this revised 3-litre, turbocharged diesel is a sweet powerplant down the highway and through the scrub it does take some understanding.Minor changes to the injection pump, injector nozzles and exhaust system sees this motor score an extra 2kW. Peak torque of 354Nm still arrives at 2000rpm but is better spread between 1500 and 2500rpm.It still requires a little patience around town when moving 2420kg off the mark.The new instrument panel and dashboard is good, a bold look with a little less truckers' approach. But it looks like those cup holders in the centre console were designed for those thinner Japanese cans of drink. There is no room for a stubby of ginger beer. Or a can of coke!The ST-S is a new variant for the line-up, sitting at third in the range between the ST and the ST-L versions.It arrives with power windows, driver and passenger airbag, CD player, Alcantara seat trim, ABS braking plus the seat back table.Satellite navigation and a rear facing camera is available as an option on the ST-S.For all the changes, the Nissan Patrol is still a big and capable wagon in the rough.Heading up the highway, there is a bit of patter and chatter from the front wheels back through the steering wheel and the Patrol likes to understeer wide if allowed. The front end can be a bit of a wrestle when pushing on over broken bitumen and through the hills.The ride comfort is fine up front, back seat passengers often feel that rear beam axle tramping over the lumps.The Patrol retains all the gear and the platform that makes this a very capable machine in the rough.When the creek starts rising and the paddocks turn to slush, there is confidence and comfort in the wagon's part-time four-wheel drive system (high four-wheel drive can be grabbed on the move), big and strong chassis plus 210mm of ground clearance.Perhaps the Patrol is not always as elegant as others when clambering through the tough stuff but it is always capable and feels bulletproof. Nissan have long held a decent reputation for strong axles and drivetrains.Yet the world is turning.In the US, Nissan's efforts are concentrated on the larger Armada wagon and the smaller Pathfinder.With next year's Pathfinder offering seven seats and more cabin space than today's Pathfinder, plus promises of all-new levels of on-road refinement, the Patrol may be left out in the cold without a total remake.And machines such as next year's Land Rover Discovery will showcase new levels of both on-road comfort and off-road ability, with seven seats, in this class.The Patrol's strengths remain in the strength and durability stakes, especially in the real rough patches and over long, hard distances. It is starting to miss out in the on-road area – despite the cosmetics worked on this 2005 Patrol – yet with the 3-litre diesel turbo engine it remains a value package.

Sadly, it continued to concentrate on its role as basic transport for a few decades afterwards, and in doing so it opened the door to a tidal wave of Japanese copycats.It learnt quickly after that. First there was the 1970 Range Rover; more recently there's the mini-me off-roader called Freelander.Now in its third generation, the Freelander has changed marketing tack by arriving with only one engine – a turbocharged diesel made by BMW – and two body styles.That the power comes from BMW isn't weird considering the German was one of the former owners of Land Rover (it's now owned by Ford). But the use of a diesel in a soft-roader – a vehicle that doesn't have the off-road acumen of its bigger Land Rover siblings – in the Australian market is an unusual move.What will sway buyers is the fact that this is a damn good diesel.It's quiet, revvy, economical and pulls strongly from anything above idle. With that power plant mated to the five-speed auto, the rather portly Freelander SE gets up and dances.Dressed with a new body faced off by a tough-looking grille, the Freelander presents as a very likeable package with excellent street appeal and just about the perfect size for a young family or a couple on the move.It shares some features with the Discovery, notably the pocket headlights and the profile showing a raised roof line founded on the need to lift the rear seat to create a better vista for its occupants.The tailgate is a swing-away style, though the rear glass is electrically operated to serve as a portal for shopping and similar small items.The model tested was an automatic five-door SE which, despite the rather squat dimensions, easily accommodated four adults on leather-faced seats.From the driving seat the dashboard is simple and neat, with many storage nooks for personal gear. Partly because the seats are comfortable and the ride compliant, this is a machine that quickly endears itself to the driver with on-road confidence at highway speeds and nimble manners through bends.Forget the fact that this is a diesel. Aside from some muted grumbles at idle, the performance is excellent and the engine noise disappears at speed.Point it into the dirt and there are some limitations. The suspension travel is modest and a few times in the Hills near Mundaring the rear wheel spun uselessly in air. But the ground clearance appeared better than expected with no bangs and crashes from below.The engine is practically unstoppable and it's this – plus the option of using the gearbox manually – that makes the Freelander more confident in the bush than initially expected.Take it to the sand, however, and the low-profile tyres give little scope for deflating.The lack of a low-range transfer case is another bugbear, though the first-gear ratio is quite low – so much so that the vehicle generally accelerates from rest in second gear.I am aware that previous Freelanders had some awful quality problems and some petrol-engined versions succumbed expensively to the Australian heat. This diesel should be a lot better.

"Make it all the way into Palm Valley?" he asks.After years of pumping diesel into heavyweight Outback workhorses such as Toyota LandCruisers and Nissan Patrols, he doesn't want to believe the Subaru Outback has done the same job as the bush battlewagons in getting to Palm Valley in the Northern Territory.He's not convinced, even after we assure him we've made it right to the end of the rocky 21km track into the beautiful valley.Palm Valley is an oasis, the sort of attraction that lures tourists from all over the world. They come to marvel at the escarpments, the ghost gums that mark the dry riverbed, and the lushness of the palms themselves.It is also a destination for "grey nomads" – cashed-up baby boomers making a once-in-a-lifetime trip around Australia.It's estimated as many as 15,000 Australians are touring their wide brown land at any one time.These days, doing a lap of the country isn't a testing task if you stick to the bitumen. And there is a lot of bitumen in the Outback.But if you want to tow a caravan or camper trailer and explore the most beautiful sites, you need a vehicle capable of negotiating rough tracks.Buying a brawny 4WD such as a LandCruiser or Patrol is one option. The biggest are capable of hauling a caravan and getting to the most out-of-the-way destinations with minimal fuss and no fear of getting stranded.But they're not the most comfortable for highway cruising. They guzzle fuel – and that's painful at Outback prices – and when the trip is over, you're stuck with a leviathan unsuitable for city use.The alternative is one of the newer softroaders or crossovers such as the Subaru Outback 3.0R.We are in the tougher jacked-up version of the AWD Liberty wagon as we bounce along to Palm Valley.Subaru Australia has done a lot of work to boost the Outback's reputation in the bush, including lifting its towing capacity progressively from a miserable 1200kg to 1800kg.This was more involved than just bolting in a bigger motor, though going to the six-cylinder "boxer" engine and enlarging it to 3.0 litres were the final steps to 1800kg. It now has 16 per cent more power but, just as importantly, 297Nm of torque at 4200 revs.Subaru engineers have also improved the engine's cooling passages to increase coolant flow and upgraded the radiator and suspension. As well, they have developed a factory-approved towing pack.When you add the pack to the Outback you get a towbar developed by Hayman-Reese, a wiring loom to power the trailer's electrics and, on automatic versions, an oil cooler.The towing increase moves the Outback up the scale of contenders when it comes to choosing a 4WD for the big trip, but there's nothing like getting a feel for it first-hand.That's why we are leaving Alice Springs in a convoy of Outback 3.0R wagons hitched to various Jayco camper trailers.Jayco is Australia's top-selling brand when it comes to poptop caravans and camper trailers.They're simple to erect at the end of a day's driving, and with practice they can be set up in less than five minutes and taken down just as quickly.With Jayco's optional Outback pack, poptops such as the Flamingo can go with you when you leave the beaten track.Still, we drop the trailers at Hermannsburg before we leave for Palm Valley. The valley is 21km from Hermannsburg, an old Lutheran mission famous for once being home to artist Albert Namatjira.The bitumen ends soon after we leave Arapinta Drive, the main road from Alice Springs 133km away to the east, and it's replaced by the red dirt road so common in the Outback.A few kilometres later we drop down to the dry bed of the Finke River and continue along a rocky track. Negotiating a few deep, sandy stretches is no problem, and neither is the odd waterhole. Not until the last 6km is the Outback put to a more serious test over rocky ground with deep washaways and drop-offs. Its 200mm clearance, up 50mm from the Liberty wagon, allows it to get over every obstacle.With Subaru's AWD system, the Outback goes much farther than its urban looks suggest.But the news isn't as good on the camping front, and it's no surprise that towing in the Outback has a price.The Outback's fuel consumption, normally about 12 litres/100km, climbs to 16 when towing a 3m, 960kg Finch camper trailer.When it has to haul the larger Expanda poptop, which weighs about 1260kg, fuel consumption jumps to 20 litres/100 km.Our trek to Palm Valley proves the Outback can get to out-of-the-way destinations, but back on the highway it is as comfortable and as cultured as any in the latest Liberty lineup.

It is an interesting question given the amount of research and planning that went into the Falcon-based all-wheel drive wagon, but like a shark it needs to keep moving forward.The answer, we'd suggest, is not much after clocking up more than 1000 quality "kays" behind the wheel of Territory on one of the great Australian 4WD treks – the famous Gibb River Road between Broome and Kununurra through the Kimberleys in outback Western Australia.This, close on the heels of two weeks behind the wheel of two- and four-wheel drive versions of the car around town.It wasn't quite the Territory, the Northern Territory that is (and boy did Ford cop flack for not launching the car there), but it was damn close.The Gibb River Road is a good test of any vehicle, let alone a so-called soft roader such as Territory, with hundreds of kilometres of hard, unforgiving corrugated dirt road.However, the wagon managed to soak up the bumps and odd patch of bulldust with nary a protest.While a procession of Patrols and LandCruisers moved warily forward, the Territory flew across the corrugations, remaining poised and confident at speeds of up to 140km/h.There was none of the bone jarring ride that you normally associate with 4WDs either, although it did start to drum badly above 120km/h.As well as all-wheel drive the wagon boasts stability control which helps straighten it out when traction is lost in corners.The only scars from four cars – one flat tyre and a bolt that worked loose on the lower mounting point of a rear shock absorber.And we still speak in hushed tones of the moment the car became airborne after hitting a hump in the road at close to 120km/h.The Territory hardly missed a beat.But getting back to the question at hand...A little more ground clearance wouldn't go astray, say another 20mm.That would give the wagon close to a regulation 200mm and help lift the nose clear of larger rocks and other obstacles.Because with just 178mm to offer, there is little margin for error, especially exiting dips in the road and traversing rocky sections.Ford might worry that this will compromise the car's excellent road manners, but it should at least be offered as an option.There's also room for a centre differential lock, to lock the distribution of torque 50:50 between the front and rear wheels – especially handy during dirt driving.At present torque is biased 65:35 towards the rear wheels which Ford says customers prefer.A sports model with Ford's oh so sweet turbocharged six would also be nice, but we're sure that one is already in the pipeline.We'd also like to see consideration given to a diesel model that would offer better fuel economy and stronger performance for towing a van or boat.A diesel could find a ready market in rural areas where the fuel is widely used.Many farmers require a family car with all-wheel drive for getting in and out of muddy properties after heavy rain and for this reason Subarus remain popular.After that, any changes are largely nit picking.The Territory is a good thing and one that offers a more versatile package than a family wagon or full blown 4WD.We clocked up some 1300km during the course of our three-day trip which took us from Broome to Willare, then on to Barnett River Station and El Questro wilderness park before reaching Kununurra.Fuel economy ranged from a low of 13.1L/100km sitting on the blacktop to a high of 16.9L/100km hammering along the dirt.It gives the wagon a range of about 400km, enough to make it between fuel stops.For those considering a trip down the Gibb be prepared to pay through the nose for fuel which costs up to $1.58 a litre in parts.Diesel was even more expensive at $1.73Ford has hit on a successful formula with Territory and should be wary of straying from that formula.Sales have been strong and the TS version should help things along.The mid-spec TS models offers many of the benefits of the higher grade Ghia, except for leather upholstery.