I am strapped in to a pre-production prototype of Ford’s upcoming Ranger Raptor, and riding shotgun is none other than seven-time Australian Rally Championship winner and four-time Side by Side (SXS) champion, Cody Crocker.

Cody is justifiably nervous, as this isn’t the first time he has ridden alongside me. The last time he was teaching me the ropes of racing a Polaris RZR SXS, and that occasion ended up with the RZR on its side.

The venue for this drive is the off-road track at Loveday 4×4 Adventure Park in South Australia’s Riverland district.

The track ahead of us is one that park owner Tony Whateley uses to test and develop their trophy truck and other off-road racing vehicles, so it’s an imposing strip of dirt for any production vehicle. And if any production road car could be up to the challenge, it has to be the new Ranger Raptor.

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The original PX2 Ranger Raptor has been in a class of its own for off-road performance ever since its launch in 2019, so much so that it was awarded 4X4 Australia’s 4×4 of The Year award for that year.

With its bespoke coil-sprung rear end, widened wheel track and Ford Performance-tuned Fox Racing dampers, the Raptor covered rough terrain at speed and in a more controlled manner than any other showroom-stock 4×4 ute.

“It’s capable of more than any other production 4×4 on the market in Australia”

While the performance of the Raptor’s hotted-up chassis and suspension were next-level awesome, the one big criticism of the ute was that the bi-turbo, four-cylinder diesel engine didn’t live up to the rest of the car and didn’t really meet the Ford Performance credence.

Make no mistake – Ford has set out to quash any such misgivings about the Raptor with the new P703 version!

Gone from the Raptor is the asthmatic diesel engine and in its place is a 3.0-litre V6 petrol ‘EcoBoost’ engine that makes 292kW of power at 5650rpm and 583Nm of torque at 3500rpm.

This engine is related to the 3.5L EcoBoost that powers the Ranger Raptor’s F-150 big brother in the USA, and its inclusion in the Ranger makes it the only petrol engine currently offered in a 4×4 ute in Australia.

The EcoBoost V6 comes with a switchable exhaust system that allows you to keep it quiet when slipping out of the neighbourhood on a Sunday morning and then open it up and bring the noise once you hit the dunes or open tracks.

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The Ranger Raptor remains a rig designed for high-speed off-road driving, and as such it again uses Fox Racing shocks, but these are a huge step up from the ones under the old PX2.

The new shocks are Fox 2.5-inch Live Valve Internal Bypass units that use cutting-edge control technology offering position-sensitive damping capability. Not only do they adapt to the driving conditions but they have specific mapping to suit the various selectable drive modes in the vehicle.

Another feature, Fox’s race-proven Bottom-Out Control, applies maximum damping force in the last 25 per cent of shock travel, to maintain the best control in situations like when landing after jumps.

They can also sense when the shock is fully extended as a result of the wheels leaving the ground and prepare the dampers for the hit back to terra firma, and can stiffen the rear dampers to prevent the Raptor from squatting under hard acceleration, further improving vehicle stability.

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We mentioned selectable drive modes and again the Raptor’s party trick is its Baja Mode. Not only does Baja mode set the shocks, engine and 10-speed transmission to maximum attack, but selecting it also opens up the exhaust system to full noise.

The Raptor is the only model in the new line-up to get Rock Crawl among its drive modes, and this setting takes the transfer case straight to low range and activates both the front and rear locking differentials.

The Raptor is the only Ranger model to get a front diff lock and the Rock Crawl mode holds the transmission in first gear, making this a true crawling setting.

The lap

Our first lap of this circuit was in a then-current model PX2 Ranger Raptor and, as we’d found when testing them in the past, the Raptor soaked up the bumps, ruts and whoops like no other production 4×4 ute can.

The suspension and chassis were way ahead of the powertrain and my abilities, and I again found myself with my right boot wedged hard against the firewall in search of more power.

An indicator of the performance on this track was on the last long straight where I was told to hold it flat heading in to jump and the ‘old’ Raptor hit around 100km/h as it launched off the lip – the new Raptor would eclipse that mark.

With a bit more knowledge of the track direction, I was back at the start line, this time with Cody alongside in the new Raptor. Helmet on, Baja mode engaged and ready to run.

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The near-on 400 horsepower turbocharged V6 launches the Raptor toward the first corner in a way that drivers of the previous model could only fantasise about. The engine barks as the transmission snaps through the ratios and the corner approaches.

Cody’s tips of where to place the car on the track, when to brake hard and when to hug the inside of the corners helps to boost confidence as I gain a feel for the new car and its abilities.

He also helps with warnings about tightening turns, holes in the track and other idiosyncrasies, while he is also quick to let me know when to hold it flat and feel all the Raptor has on offer.

At one point in the circuit, Cody wanted to demonstrate one of the clever features of the Fox Live Valve dampers.

There was a sharp rut across the track where a watercourse had eroded the sandy surface and he encouraged me to go hard towards it before jumping on the brakes – feeling the way the dampers allowed the weight of the vehicle to transfer forward to maximise the braking performance, then accelerate over the rut and feel the way they adapted in milliseconds to optimise the way they absorbed the sharp edge of the rut.

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Truly mind-blowing performance that makes you feel like an expert and allows you, as a driver, to maximise your abilities. This is a car that will outperform the abilities of most drivers.

Attacking the rest of the lap with hard acceleration, tapping back on the paddle shifter to click back a few ratios coming in to bends, while the EcoBoost’s anti-lag function maintains boost ready for the next application of the accelerator.

Everything in the Raptor – engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, the BFGoodrich tyres – works together to deliver the utmost performance regardless of the terrain.

Maintaining momentum through the last corner, approaching the final straight, Cody reminds me to hold it flat towards the jump. Glancing down at the speedometer and watching the digits climb past where the old car maxxed out – 125, 130, 138, 140 and 143km/h as we hit the jump.

The added speed gave more height in the jump, but the suspension soaked it up like it was nothing and we slowed down to complete the lap.

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If the way the original Ranger Raptor tackled high-speed off-road driving was in a class of its own, then this new ute takes that class to the next level, leaving anything else off the new-car showroom floor in its dusty wake.

Having the Raptor on a dedicated off-road racing course, with a championship-winning rally expert riding shotgun, was the only way I can imagine you could get anywhere near its amazing abilities.

It’s certainly not something you will explore on public roads, but you remind yourself that every bit of the car’s abilities and the way it makes driving easier makes your driving experience better, no matter what the pace and terrain.

The slow road

To demonstrate the Raptor’s benefits at slower speeds on real-world tracks, we headed out on a loop at Loveday that consisted of sandy tracks, dunes, ruts, gravel roads, and low-speed, low-range driving.

You could use Sand mode on Loveday’s dunes, but the Raptor was so much fun here in Baja mode you wouldn’t want to switch to anything else.

With the exhaust open and delivering the V6’s raspy note to full effect, and the transfer case delivering the drive with a bias to the rear axle, the Raptor was just taily enough to have a tonne of fun, while it was never lacking traction or the power to pull through the softer sand.

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The suspension is so forgiving when you come across a rut or bump in the track, you can jump on the brakes, cross the obstacle and get back on the gas with confidence.

The big difference here over the previous model is when you get back on the gas the Raptor has the horsepower to earn its Ford Performance colours and roost up that red outback sand.

The low-range section is a man-made course with dirt mounds, wombat holes, gullies and ruts. It wasn’t the ideal place to test the Raptor’s crawling abilities but it did allow us to use the front and rear lockers, forward-facing camera and various other drive modes, to feel the difference between them. All the systems combined to make easy work of the obstacles, regardless of the drivers’ experience or abilities.

On another level

As much as driving the new Ranger Raptor around Loveday’s tracks was a tonne of fun, the highlight of the day was not behind the wheel but strapped in the passenger’s seat. And when I say strapped in, I mean we were strapped in solidly.

This event was not just put on to make a bunch of journos feel like off-road racers in a yet-to-be-released Raptor; it was one day in a program of Ford Performance testing that included finalising the calibrations for the Raptor in Australia, the USA and other markets. The new Raptor will even be available with the bi-turbo diesel in some of those markets, but not here.

A team of Ford Performance engineers and test drivers were at the 4×4 park, including Ali Jammoul, vehicle program director for Ford Performance and Icons – so this was no holiday Down Under for the crew. They also had a camouflaged left-hand-drive F-150 Raptor belting its way around the roughest track on the property.

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To be considered a Ford Performance Raptor vehicle, prototypes must first pass a series of endurance tests set up to simulate a Baja 1000 race. That’s 1000 miles (1600km) at race pace over the harshest terrain, where the car only stops for driver changes and refuelling. This accreditation test applies to the F-150, Bronco and Ranger Raptors around the world.

The Ranger Raptors used for this are fitted with full roll cages, racing seats and harnesses, and anyone travelling in them has to wear a helmet, HANS device and an approved racing suit. This is serious testing and the team at Ford does all it can to minimise risks when driving at this level.

The endurance testing at Loveday was conducted on a track used for top-level off-road racing and includes sections you’d swear were taken from the Finke track and Simpson Desert and transported here to the Riverland. A circuit of around 11km was used for our ride-along, with the test drivers claiming they’d cut a full minute off their lap time compared to the old Ranger Raptor.

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Securely strapped in the race seat and surrounded by a cage of steel tubing, I felt safe and told the driver not to hold back on my account, and we blasted away from the marshalling point.

It’s only when you are in a car equipped such as this, with a professional test driver with thousands of kilometres of experience working the pedals, that you can fully appreciate the abilities of the new Raptor.

Anyone can hold the loud pedal flat in a straight line, but when the driver is pushing the brakes to the limit at every corner, torturing the tyres over the scrub, rocks and sand, working the steering flat out to stay on the track, and pounding the suspension over the ruts and jumps, only then can you get a feeling of what this car is capable of. And it’s capable of more than any other production 4×4 on the market in Australia.

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The hot lap was over all too fast, and climbing out of the roll cage I asked how fast they drive the cars during the prototypes? He replied with a smile, “A bit quicker than we did just then!”

I also asked him how many 1600km endurance runs that car had done and he said it would have been more than six, so more than 80 per cent of the total kilometres on the car would have been at race pace over this track. Torture testing is putting it lightly and no one is going to do this with a road-going Raptor.

To say the Ranger Raptor takes the performance of the mid-size ute to another level is an understatement. It takes it to the stratosphere and there’s nothing else available in this country and at this price, that could come close.

The new Raptor will be flying out of Ford dealer showrooms late in August at a price of $85,490 plus on-road costs.

Compact lithium jump starters have become a must-have piece of kit to carry in any vehicle, not just your 4×4.

Having the ability to jump-start your car if it has a flat battery, without the help of another vehicle and jumper leads, is priceless and there is a huge range of products on the market now that claim to do this job.

The SJS1500 Jump Starter is one of these, and comes to us from Battery World where it retails for $239 (store dependent).

As its name suggests, the SJS1500 Power Pack puts out 1500amp of power with 600amp peak clamp power. That’s enough to jump-start diesel engines up to 4.2 litres capacity and petrol engines up to 7.0 litres. It jump-started my dead-flat LandCruiser that is rusting away in the driveway without too much fuss at all.

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Hooking the SJS Power Pack up to start a car is relatively simple. Just plug the leads in the port on the main unit, then connect the leads up to the respective positive and negative terminals on your car, turn the unit on and start her up. It couldn’t be any easier and could save you if you get stuck with a dead battery. There’s even an LED torch on the end of the pack to help you hook up in the dark.

The SJS Power Pack is handy for charging mobile phones or other powered accessories. It has two 5-volt/2.1A USB outlets for performing such tasks when needed, and it comes with two USB cables for charging such devices.

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The Personal Power Pack stores 16,000mAh (60Whr) of power and is charged up using a 240-volt power plug. Unfortunately, there isn’t the ability to charge the unit via a USB or 12-volt charger, so it can’t be maintained in the car.

Carrying the SJS Power Pack in a car gives drivers peace of mind, knowing they have that self-starting ability. Particularly if the battery is showing its age and not performing as it should, you’ve left your lights on when you parked in the morning, or you’ve drained the battery by running accessories like a car fridge or stereo.

Available from: www.batteryworld.com.au RRP: $239 (Mentone, VIC, store)

Once you finish ogling the latest selection of Readers’ Rigs, venture to our Facebook page and flick a few photos of your 4×4 our way. It could end up in the next magazine.

1993 Toyota LandCruiser 80 GXL

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Naturally aspirated 1HZ; twin-locked; ARB bar work with winch; MCC twin-tyre-carrier rear bar; drawers with 50-litre fridge; 285/75R16s with 33-inch Federal Couragias; air compressor under the bonnet; and a Foxwing awning to chuck a swag under at night when in the High Country. It’s still going strong after 520,000km – Damian O’Connor

1995 Toyota LandCruiser 75

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It’s a coil-converted 1995 75 Series using 80 Series housings, with a triangulated 4-link rear. It also has 37-inch tyres, a six-inch lift, and a turbocharged 1HZ running 30psi with 530,000km on the clock – Wade Morris

2015 Ford Everest

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It’s running a GTurbo at 36psi (210kW, 817Nm); twin lockers; upgraded TC and valve body; PWR front-mount intercooler; Ranger cooling system; four-inch lift with 35s; custom rear bar with twin-wheel carrier; custom sliders and brush bars; ARB Linx controlling twin Boss PX07 compressors; Rhino backbone; 23 Zero awning; Supernova Infinite roof spots; Runva 11XP; and a four-inch stainless-steel snorkel – Paul King

1988 Nissan Patrol

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It has a 4.2-litre turbo-diesel engine; automatic transmission with twin transfer cases; ARB air lockers; 37-inch tyres; ARB bullbar with Warn winch out front; a custom rear bar with another winch inside; Superior Superflex suspension keeps the tyres on the ground; and the rear axle has been moved back 300mm to make it a MWB – Richard Griffey

2021 Jeep Wrangler JLU Rubicon

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Petrol-powered four-door model with front factory steel bumper; two-inch AEV lift with matching suspension components and Bilstein shocks; AEV Bora beadlock wheels; 35-inch Maxxis RAZRs; Brown Davis long-range tank; KC Gravity Pro 6 light bar; Baja Design LP9 pros; KC Flex Era 4 ditch lights; six KC underbody rock lights, plus two in the engine bay; SPOD power distribution controller; and Warn Evo 12 winch.

It also has an Escape 4×4 rooftop tent on Rhino-Rack Pioneer with internal bracing; Rival 4×4 rear bar; Focal K2 speakers with JL Audio amp and JL sub; Stinger Heigh10 head unit with vehicle data integration; under-seat Cel-Fi booster; GME radio; RFI aerials; under-seat ARB dual compressor; TrailRax rear window fuel/water carriers; and four door-mount steps for roof access.

Fully engineered and certified. All work completed by TJM Northern Beaches and Druery Audio – Greg Noble

It may come as a surprise to most people, but Toyota doesn’t have a collection of its venerable LandCruiser range.

That certainly struck home to Greg Miller, a keen LandCruiser fan and owner, who was at Toyota sourcing five 70 Series Cruisers for his upcoming Expedition 7 series of overland treks – a feat that eventually saw Cruisers traverse every continent including Antarctica.

That was back in 2011-12, and Greg decided if Toyota didn’t have a collection, he’d make one; hence the LandCruiser Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. It might be the last place you would expect to find a museum dedicated to LandCruisers, but after hearing about it we decided to pay it a visit.

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Jules, the assistant manager, showed us around the collection of 98 different Cruisers representing every model of LandCruiser ever built. First through the door was a 1953 BJ ‘Jeep’, the forerunner to the LandCruiser range.

This particular one, one of few still in existence, was sourced from Australia a couple of years back. I remember writing about it saying how disappointed I was that it was leaving the country. And while it would have been great to see it in a museum in Australia, it’s gone to a bloody good home where hundreds, if not thousands, of people will admire it.

Beside the BJ are a couple of FJ25s that date back to the 1960s. Like the BJ, they had a torquey six-cylinder ex-truck engine that negated any need for a low ratio. Softly sprung, they were the vanguard of Toyotas that infiltrated Australia and then the rest of the world.

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My first real experience with a Cruiser was when we bought our HJ47 Series back in 1980. Similar to the one on display at the museum, our HJ had a 2H diesel engine and a four-speed transmission. Albeit not terribly powerful, our Cruiser took us everywhere around Australia, rarely missing a beat – and like everyone else, we just loved the reliability and toughness that is part and parcel of the LandCruiser brand.

While there are plenty of 40 Series Cruisers in the collection, there are 55s, 60s, 100s, 105s, Prados and 200s too. The 200 on display is a Hema Map vehicle that, after travelling much of Australia for the company, mapping its iconic Desert Tracks Maps series, was then dispatched to the USA to help map 4WD trails there.

Of the 98 vehicles on display at least a half dozen come from Australia, including a race set-up 70 Series and an old NORFORCE army one still in its camouflaged finery. Representing the 70 Series is the Expedition 7 vehicles which look untouched and unfazed from their seven continent expeditions.

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Some of the rare but not-so-old beasts were a couple of Mega Cruisers. Produced in the mid-1990s, there were only 300 ever built and there are two on display; one is a military version, while the other is quite a luxurious (in comparison) civilian model. What an expedition vehicle they would both make!

Not really LandCruisers but worthy of a place at the museum are an Arctic Trucks-sourced Hilux that was used on the first vehicle traverse of the Greenland Icecap, just a couple of years ago. While in another corner is an Icon lookalike of a 40 Series Cruiser, but with all modern running gear and engines; this ‘Cruiser’ will set you back around 250 grand – that’s in American dollars!

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Currently there is no 300 Series Cruiser on display, but I’m betting room will be made for the latest Cruiser to go on display not so far down the track.

We suggested that a 40 Series or even a 70 Series ‘bull catcher’ should be their next Cruiser that they procure and put on a pedestal. Maybe one from the hit TV show, Outback Ringers, would have enough ‘heritage’ to warrant a position.

We spent a good couple of hours wandering the halls and loving the displays. If you ever find yourself in the States, or especially Salt Lake City, take the time and make the pilgrimage to the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum; you wont regret it!

UPDATE: Triton PHEV planned; full EV also possible

Mitsubishi has confirmed the below report and revealed it isn’t only investigating a plug-in hybrid version of the next-generation Triton, but that a fully electric version is also being explored.

Speaking with 4X4 at the Aussie launch of the Outlander PHEV, Mitsubishi’s lead engineer for the new SUV, Kentaro Honda, said the brand is keen to tap into the success Ford has achieved with the electric F-150 Lightning.

“Because we have a PHEV system [in the Outlander] we can transfer it to a truck EV or pick-up truck hybrid, so we are now investigating how to fit our PHEV system to a truck type pick-up, yes,” he said. “And the Ford Lightning has an EV, that is a good benchmark so we are also investigating a type of truck EV.”

Mr Honda wouldn’t be drawn on when an electric Triton might make it to market, saying “I have no good answer for you right now” – but he did elaborate that Mitsubishi’s role in the Renault/Nissan/Mitsubishi alliance would play a vital role.

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“The Alliance has a passenger EV, so I think Mitsubishi should have a truck type EV or hybrid type vehicle,” he said.

Mitsubishi Australia boss Shaun Westcott also threw his support behind a hybrid version of the next-gen Triton, saying the technology offers much more for dual-cab owners than just saving fuel.

“I do believe it is the future,” he said. “And personally I think it’s one of the best options given where our vehicles are used. We have a very strong rural and provincial base, and given the amount of time it’s going to take charging infrastructure to reach remote and rural Australia ,we think some form of hybrid – whether that be hybrid or PHEV, it doesn’t matter – is probably the right way to go for those vehicles.

“And we can already see in our Outlander the wider benefits [of plug-in powertrains]. They can be used to plug in tools, grinders or all sorts of things, so that is the way to go.

Alex Inwood

The story to here

July 26: Triton PHEV rumoured

The sixth-generation 2023 Mitsubishi Triton will become the first electrified dual-cab ute in Australia, according to a new report.

Japanese publication Spyder7 reports a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the new-generation Triton ute will debut next year, adopting a modified version of the powertrain found in the soon-to-launch Outlander PHEV.

Traditional diesel and petrol engines will continue to be offered for the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50 and Nissan Navara rival, amongst others.

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The mid-sized Outlander PHEV features a 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated Atkinson-cycle petrol engine producing 98kW, combined with 85kW front and 100kW rear electric motors, with a total system output of 185kW and 450Nm.

For reference, the 2.4-litre diesel engine found in the current Triton and Pajero Sport has 133kW and 430Nm, while its top-selling competitors are pushing to break the 500Nm barrier.

In the Outlander, electric power is backed by a 20kWh battery pack – up from 13.8kWh in the outgoing model – allowing for a WLTP-rated 84-kilometre electric-only driving range and a combined fuel economy figure of 1.5 litres per 100km.

However, the additional weight of a body-on-frame ute would likely require changes to maintain similar numbers.

In addition, the plug-in Outlander has a maximum braked towing capacity of 1600 kilograms, likely necessitating the development of a more-potent powertrain for the Triton to retain its workhorse-like capabilities.

The report follows a recent sighting of the next-generation Triton (pictured above and below) during hot-weather testing in southern Europe.

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Little information is known about the specifications of the all-new ute, but it is expected to have a longer wheelbase and wider track than the current Triton, which is 5.21m long and 1.82m wide.

However, we know it will share its underpinnings with the next-generation Nissan Navara – allowing for a potential electrified version of the Nissan.

Mitsubishi is believed to be the lead developer for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s latest global mid-sized pick-up trucks, although the pair’s interior and exterior styling are likely to differ.

The 2023 Mitsubishi Triton is expected to be unveiled later this year or early 2023, ahead of a potential local launch in the second half of next year. The plug-in hybrid variant is likely to follow by the end of 2024.

The long-serving HiLux has once again outsold the Ford Ranger, with the ‘Lux extending its lead on the sales charts in 2022.

It’s hardly a surprising result, though, considering the next-gen Ranger only officially went on sale in mid-July and, as we have extensively detailed, supply is struggling to meet increasing demand, with that unlikely to settle until at least Q4.

A total of 4841 Hilux 4×4 utes were sold in July – 2148 more sales than Ford managed with its Ranger 4×4 (2693 sales).

The Hilux also remained the best-selling overall vehicle in Australia in July, with a total of 6441 units sold when 4×2 and 4×4 units are combined. Ford shifted 2934 Rangers to new owners, but expect the tables to turn when deliveries start to ramp up for the new Ranger.

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The venerable D-MAX continues to sell consistently, once again rounding out the podium on the 4×4 charts with 1681 units sold in July – edging out the Triton by just 158 sales.

A total of 930 fewer Light Commercial vehicles were sold in July 2022 compared to July 2021, a drop of 4.4 per cent; while a substantial 5259 more Light Commercial vehicles were sold on the year-to-date charts in 2021 compared to 2022.

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This is reflected in total 4×4 ute sales for 2022, which is down 4.7 per cent (5587 units) compared to the same time last year.

This is despite a slight increase (0.4 per cent) in overall vehicle sales in Australia for the month of July 2022 compared to the same month last year.

“Vehicle and component manufacturing operations remain affected by plant shutdowns caused by Covid-19. Logistics, including shipping, remain unpredictable,” said FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber.

“While small growth on the same month in 2021 is encouraging, we do not expect the supply of vehicles to Australia to stabilise in the near future. Once again Australia is following the global trend of demand for new vehicles exceeding supply,” he said.

4×4 sales in July 2022

Total 4×4 sales in 2022

Anybody reading this has made it through the last twelve months relatively unscathed and congratulations to you. It hasn’t been easy.

The Isuzu MU-X is coming up on surviving its first twelve months on sale in Australia, the second-generation large SUV weathering the travails of the chip shortage, labour force illness and whatever else we’ve had thrown our way.

That said, calling it mere survival is under-selling the MU-X’s performance because it can and has cracked a thousand sales per month. That’s pretty good going for a company that doesn’t have the muscle of Ford or Mitsubishi or Toyota.

Earlier this year, Isuzu announced price rises for the MU-X range but, crucially, didn’t de-spec the rugged seven-seaters to keep them rolling onto the boats and on their way to Australian driveways.

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Pricing and features

There are three levels of specification in the second-generation MU-X, with a choice of 4×2 and 4×4 drivetrains across all three. Prices have gone up between $1000 and $1500, with the lowest-spec LS-M 4×2 and 4×4 getting off lightest while each of the LS-U and LS-T models cop a $1500 price rise.

It means the top-of-the-range LS-T is now $67,400 before on-road costs but more importantly, the introductory $63,900 drive-away price is now $65,900. That looks good next to the list price and I maintain it’s to make the top-spec one more attractive than perhaps the MSRP suggests.

Drop down a step to the LS-U 4×4 and you’re now over the sixty grand mark at $61,400 before on-road costs courtesy of the $1500 price rise. However, once those on-road costs are applied, you are potentially looking at paying more than you would for an LS-T under the drive-away offer.

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The LS-U tested here ships with 18-inch wheels, a 9.0-inch media screen, LED interior lighting, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear selector, cloth seats (underselling it slightly – the cloth seems very durable), dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, keyless entry and start, remote start, sat-nav, auto-locking, auto-levelling bi-LED headlights with auto high beam, auto wipers and a powered tailgate.

As I said twelve months ago and maintain – especially after having an LS-T on my driveway for a few months – were it not for the drive-away offer it would be hard to justify the extra expense of the LS-T unless you really want what it’s got.

Once that offer expires, it would not be difficult to call the LS-U a sweet spot in the range.

The stereo and media system features eight speakers, DAB+ digital radio, USB Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. A lack of wireless charging pad kind of takes the joy out of the cable-free CarPlay.

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Isuzu calls its extensive safety pack Isuzu Intelligent Driver Assistance System (IDAS).

It offers:

• eight airbags (the curtain ‘bags reaching all the way to the third row),
• the usual stability and traction controls
• forward auto emergency braking with turn assist
• forward collision warning
• post-collision braking
• traffic sign recognition
• misacceleration mitigation
• lane departure warning
• lane-keep assist
• lane departure prevention
• driver attention detection
• blind-spot monitoring
• rear cross-traffic alert
• hill descent control
• trailer sway control
• rollover mitigation
• reversing camera
• tyre pressure monitoring

The MU-X scored five ANCAP safety stars in 2021.

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Comfort and space

The MU-X is huge and in its second iteration, is roomy and more importantly, a better-packaged car than the old one.

Its middle row flips and tumbles with the pull of a lever and once you’ve hoisted yourself up and in, it’s reasonably easy to step into the back row and choose one of the two seats.

Both seats score cup holders, a bit of storage and air vents. There’s also a footwell so your knees aren’t right up in your face so it’s actually reasonably comfortable for a third row.

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With the third row in use, boot space measures 311 litres, which is larger than many small hatchbacks. And some compact SUVs, as it happens. Folding the third row is easy – pull the tapes on the seatbacks and they flip forward and hinge down to create a flat floor and 1119 litres.

There is also a storage box under the aft section of the floor at the loading lip, which means the spare is under the car.

Fold everything flat and you have 2138 litres, which is a tremendous amount of space.

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Middle row seating is pretty firm but you get cup holders in the armrest and bottle holders in the doors, as well as air vents and hefty grab handles. Once you count up all the cup holders, you’ll need two extra fingers, because there are twelve of them.

Front seat passengers also share a pair of cup holders and perch on comfortable – if firm – seats. The word perch is carefully chosen because you are a long way up off the ground in an MU-X, for the old-school 4×4 feeling.

On the road

The MU-X has a four-cylinder turbo-diesel, and it’s a bit of a whopper at 3.0 litres, the biggest four-pot out there since the Mitsubishi Pajero and its 3.2-litre diesel was discontinued.

With 140kW and 450Nm, the Isuzu unit is lazy in the good way you want when one wheel is deep in a rut and another waving in the air. This also makes it very relaxed on the freeway and, due to the way it delivers torque, doesn’t take much effort to get the MU-X moving.

It’s still really noisy, especially when cold. Once you’re on the move the sound pretty much vanishes, making it a quiet, long-legged cruiser. With the engine settled, you just hear a bit of rustle from the big wing mirrors.

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Even with a determined prod of the throttle, it’s not quick off the line, rather getting on with the job of creating forward motion without getting too bothered about 0-100km/h nonsense. The Aisin six-speed automatic is a slicker, quicker shifter than the old car, handling the dollops of torque dispatched by the engine really well.

The new MU-X shares a lot of its ladder-frame underguts with the D-Max, which arrived late in 2020. The MU-X’s rear subframe is different, though, with a multi-link suspension set-up delivering a comfortable ride. It will tow 3.5 tonnes of braked load and Isuzu reckons more than half of MU-X buyers actually tow something pretty hefty.

Steering is a bit woolly, though, and achingly slow when you’re doing a three-point turn, but again, given owners actually do muddy, filthy stuff with an MU-X, it’s the right choice for the car.

The Aisin six-speed automatic is a slicker, quicker shifter than the old car, handling the dollops of torque dispatched by the engine really well

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You’ll obviously never escape the height and weight of the MU-X but the suspension does a good job of keeping the body in check. Along with the comfy ride, the way such a big unit can be made to handle in a predictable and secure-feeling way is pretty impressive. The MU-X holds the road quite well even in fuel-saving rear-wheel drive mode.

What it doesn’t feel like is a ute in a suit, which some other ute-based SUVs can feel like.

A new 80-litre fuel tank extends the on-paper range, too, with a combined-cycle average of 8.3L/100km. If you can achieve the official highway figure of 7.3L/100km, you can comfortably get between Sydney and either Brisbane or Melbourne on a tank. 4×2 versions use about half a litre less in each measurement cycle.

The week I had the car, I managed a pretty impressive 8.5L/100km in a 50:50 highway and suburb split.

Off-road stats include 285mm of ground clearance, 29.2° approach, 23.1° rampover and 26.9° departure angles.

The 4×4 offers 2H, 4H and 4L transmission settings, a rear diff lock and rough terrain mode. None of your endless surface selection nonsense of some other cars.

Underneath, you’ll find 1.5mm-thick steel and 5mm-thick poly composite underbody armour and the fuel tank is wrapped in aluminium shielding.

The MU-X holds the road quite well even in fuel-saving rear-wheel drive mode.

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Ownership

Isuzu offers a six-year, 150,000km warranty with up to seven years of roadside assistance if you return to an Isuzu dealer for servicing.

Following an initial inspection at 3000km, service intervals every 12 months or 15,000km. Capped-price servicing covers the first seven services and totals $3513 over that period, an average of $502 per service.

The cheapest is the 75,000km service at $319 and the most expensive is $769 for the 90,000km interval.

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VERDICT

Its popularity is deserved and speaks for itself.

The MY22 is as good as the MY21 because it’s basically the same car, it just costs more. I know that saying it costs more seems a bit casual, but we’ve become so used to price rises and specification cuts that just having one of those things happen is almost a blessing.

Isuzu’s SUV seems to have had a soft landing over its first 12 months and there’s a good reason for that. It’s solid value, handy on- and off-road and has plenty of space for your things and family.

The MU-X used to be a bargain basement machine that got the basics right, while this second-generation model has proved to be a much more mature and safer choice.

Its popularity is deserved and speaks for itself.

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2022 Isuzu MU-X LS-U specifications

The humble camp torch has come a long way the past few years. We all remember the big, bulky and waterproof Dolphin torch, but if it started going flat we had to struggle with the dimming glow through the night.

Today there are a huge range of torches on the market and one brand seems to have the spotlight shining on them (no pun intended). KickAss, a camping range from Australian Direct, has produced three beautiful and multifunctional LED torches.

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Rechargeable headlamp

This little lightweight sucker is one of the best ones I have ever come across and is packed with a ton of features. KickAss has incorporated a rechargeable lithium battery inside for 12 hours of use time on its maximum setting.

With two different lights – a powerful spot and floor beam – the LED is claimed to have an output of 200 lumens, with the two settings also dimmable by holding the control button down to achieve the desired mode. I found the spot extremely bright when on high (I could see nearly 200 metres away) and the floor beam had a great spread, perfect for walking around camp or down to the showers.

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The headlamp has the standard comfortable adjustable strap (can adjust to 70cm – good for bigger heads and helmets), and a pivoting head to adjust the beam, with two C clips to maintain the angle you want, making it very stable. The C clips on the main unit can be popped out so you can use the lamp manually, such as working in a confined space, by using the magnetic end to stick to metal – but it’s easier just to hold the whole thing for this purpose.

The KickAss Lithium LED Head Torch is rechargeable from the supplied USB cord and has an IPX5 waterproof rating (which means it can stand dust and showers, and even water spray for up to 10 minutes).

Rechargeable power bank

Kickass also has two other serious tube-like torches: the 1300MAH LED Power Bank and the 3900MAH LED Power Bank.

Both have similar features such as lithium batteries, are rechargeable via the supplied USB cord, and the internal battery can be used as a power bank. Also common to the two lights are six different touch-functioning light colours with four different modes (low, medium, high and torch).

There are built-in magnets around both ends of the torches, an emergency glass hammer design, a waterproof IP68 rating, and an alloy body with ABS resin and silicon surrounding the PC transparent tube.

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The larger torch (around 290mm long) comes with a 3900mAh lithium battery, which gives you around 40 hours of soft light when fully charged, 22 hours of solid torch light and 13 hours when the mosquito-repelling setting is turned on. Using the battery as a power bank provides 5V 2amp, which is ample to get charge back in to a phone or something similar.

The smaller torch at just 164mm long has a smaller 1300mAh lithium battery for shorter brightness times. The torch will only last eight hours at solid light, while soft light bumps that out to 30 hours. The mosquito-repelling yellow light will last eight hours, which is ample around camp.

How do they rate?

The LED Head Torch is definitely one of the best I have ever tried; it’s a solid and lightweight unit throwing great lumens around camp. As always, bigger is better with LED torch lights, with the 3900 punching out some serious light.

The addition of the magnets is great for sticking the torch to the side of the camper or car, for subdued light while cooking or night work. The smaller 1300 is the perfect size for the glovebox and to be used as emergency lighting. They both fit in your hand, with the controls at one end to flick through the settings and a simple one-button press to turn the whole thing off.

Available from

www.australiandirect.com.au

Pricing

Lithium LED Head Torch: $24.95 3900MAH LED Power Bank Torch: $49 1300MAH LED Power Bank: $39

‘Whoa, this thing is quick!” That was the general consensus after driving the new 2023 Ford Ranger this week as part of our upcoming dual-cab ute mega test (keep your eyes peeled for that one).

But just how fast is Ford’s new generation dual-cab? And is the new 3.0-litre V6 engine actually any quicker than the familiar 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder that carries over from the previous generation?

The V6 holds a clear performance advantage. The 3.0-litre unit produces 184kW/600Nm which trumps the 2.0-litre’s 154kW/500Nm by a considerable margin.

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But our initial ‘seat of the pants’ sense was the gap between the two powertrains is a lot closer than you might think. Ford doesn’t offer official acceleration times, so time to break out the timing gear…

The utes we had on test were a 2.0-litre Ford Ranger XLT ($61,190) and a V6 Sport ($66,690). We drove both cars on the same road and in the same conditions. The only notable performance difference is their tyres: the XLT was rolling on 17-inch Bridgestone Dueler H/T while the V6 Sport was fitted with 18-inch Goodyear Wrangler AT/S.

Against the watch the V6 is the quicker ute. It completed the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.2 seconds, which makes it one of the quickest dual-cab utes currently on sale. Check out the table at the end to see how the new Ranger compares with its competitors, which we performance tested last year.

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The 2.0-litre Ranger trailed the new V6 by exactly a second with a 0-100 time of 9.2sec.

Intriguingly both utes were amazingly consistent. We tested both over multiple runs and tried varying launch techniques, rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, and with ESC deactivated, but all attempts fell within a few tenths of one another. The quickest run in both utes was achieved in four-wheel drive and by holding the vehicle against the brake to build revs.

Where the gap closed between the two Rangers was when it came to rolling acceleration. We weren’t able to record 80-120km/h times, but we did complete several side-by-side roll runs and the two Fords were mostly neck-and-neck before the V6 eventually started to creep ahead as the speed built.

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One area where the 2.0-litre holds a clear advantage, however, is braking. In our 100km/h-0 brake test the V6 Sport pulled up in 43.5 metres while the 2.0L XLT managed an impressive 40.4m.

So the V6 Ranger is faster than the 2.0-litre, but it’s not a night and day difference. And both are two of the quickest utes on sale, as you can see from the below table. One key point worth mentioning is that while the two are evenly matched unladen, the V6 is a superior towing vehicle.

A tow test between the two Fords, and all of the key contenders in the dual-cab segment, will be part of our upcoming megatest.

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The North Coast of NSW has many diverse and unique areas all linking back to when the East Coast volcanoes erupted 30 to 60 million years ago.

If it wasn’t for that major upheaval, we wouldn’t have the Great Dividing Range holding rainforest pockets, rich-soil farmlands and wilderness areas. Luckily, on the North Coast we have access to the majority of these areas in some way.

One of these places is Bundjalung National Park, just 90 minutes south of the NSW-QLD border. On paper the park has a wide variety of things to do and, reminiscing from 20 years ago, I thought I’d head back for a few days.

The NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service states Bundjalung covers 21,000 hectares with a variety of different environments including wetlands, coastal, rainforest and much more. One significant feature is the Esk River system which, apparently, is the longest natural coastal river ecosystem on the North Coast.

Southern gateway

My plan was to start at the southern end of the park at the coastal community of Iluka and four-wheel drive to the main camping area of Black Rocks, spend a few days here and then continue north.

That was the plan and, going off current maps, it was doable, but after heading off the highway in to Iluka and finding the designated track, I was met with a very locked gate and signage stating ‘No Entry’ – so it was decided to instead explore this coastal region and surrounds.

Iluka is the Yaygir or Bungjalung Aboriginal word for ‘near the sea’, and everything around this quaint coastal community is defined by the sea. The town sits at the entrance of the mighty Clarence River that starts hundreds of kilometres inland and has one of the biggest catchments in NSW.

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History states that in 1799 Matthew Flinders investigated the river mouth and landed on the northern side of the Clarence, where Iluka is settled today. In his log he wrote that the river mouth was shallow and he believed the whole river was not worth investigating. Little did he know that he was in the river’s first bay and it actually opened up into a mighty river. It wasn’t until 1830 that the first schooner sailed up the Clarence and it was officially named in 1839 by Governor Gipps.

Over the years Iluka was settled and developed, major breakwalls were built with a local tramway constructed out to Iluka Bluff for the sandstone blocks, and hoteliers served the town with around 200 workmen employed for the harbour works. After the works were completed in 1890, the town soon declined with only a few staying on to become professional fishermen.

Today Iluka is filled with fishermen and holidaymakers who enjoy the simplicity of the area, exploring and working the river. There are a few little shops, a museum to check out and, of course, some local seafood by the sea.

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For the nature buffs are the Iluka Nature Reserve and Iluka Bluff, the former is 136 acres of protected reserve that has a world heritage listing as the largest area of sub-tropical littoral rainforest by the sea in NSW. It’s a great place to wander through on a hot day and spot the many varieties of birds and plants this forest holds. At the end of the walk to the north is Iluka Bluff, where man-made lookouts on the headlands give uninterrupted 180-degree views along the coast and out to sea.

On my way back to the highway (due to the 4WD track having a locked gate) I popped in to a couple of the southern Bundjalung local spots: Woody Head, which is a commercial camping area right on the beach, and a couple of day areas where you can explore the coastline on foot.

A few years ago it was possible to drive along the beach right up to the Black Rocks camping area, but that’s been closed due to coffee rock on the beach being too unstable to drive across. With these obstacles in the way, the only access point in to Bundjalung is to head farther north towards Woodburn and then back to the coast along Gap Road. The frustrating part was seeing nearly 40km of thick bush all locked up beside the highway.

Black Rocks

Getting to Black Rocks is via a well maintained dirt road which, for most of its 20km length, is an easy drive, passing through a variety of landscapes from rich farmland, rough sandstone areas, swamps and heathlands. Dense rainforest pockets surround massive gums that survived the timber cutters, but there are scars left by past sand-mining activities.

The runoff creeks feeding the Esk River look dark and gloomy but are actually tannin-stained from the heathland, coastal cypress stands and paperbark forests. These days you have to book online for most National Parks, with Bundjalung being no different, so I decided to head in and check out the quality of the campsites before locking it in.

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The camping area has to be one of the best along the East Coast, with massive sites with an element of privacy, fire pits and picnic tables, plus a handy clothes line in every site for beach towels and cozzies. Booking online through the parks website is pretty simple after choosing one of the empty spots. All of the camping spots run parallel to the coastline, where the farthest ones away are no more than a three-minute walk to the water’s edge over the huge dunes.

Reading the info boards around the larger group areas, Bundjalung is all about nature, Aboriginal heritage and the loads of flora and fauna across the area. With all of the 4WD tracks locked up nearby, it’s all about throwing on the walking shoes to take either the 3km Emu Loop hike, the bigger 8km Jerusalem Creek hike, or head down to the long stretches of coffee rock-lined beach to take in all of that salt air. Ironically, the Emu Loop walk is named after the endangered coastal emus that may be spotted in the area. I have seen them in past years, but have spotted them in another NP to the south.

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The Jerusalem walk follows the river to the ocean, where there are plenty of spots to dip your feet in the water to cool off. On both walks, check out the coastal banksia, grevillea and twisted trees lining the river bank. The still water of the Esk River provides amazing canoeing for the enthusiast in the protected waters.

If you’re keen for an early morning or evening stroll through the heathlands, it will reveal many delightful sights including rare plants and animals. A total of 205 bird, 30 mammal, 38 reptile and 13 amphibian species have been recorded in the park.

Evans Head gunnery

I was surprised to see three concrete war bunkers right in the heart of the main camping area, and apparently they were used significantly in WWII. It’s reported that thousands of soldiers used these bunkers to gain the skills needed to protect Australia from invasion. They were part of the nearby RAAF’s bombing and gunnery school that still operates at Evans Head to the north.

This was one of 10 schooling areas that were urgently built and established across Australia in 1939. The Evans Head bombing range that adjoins Bundjalung in the north is still used today by jets operating out of Amberley Air Force Base in Queensland.

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The park lies within the traditional lands of the Bundjalung Nation, which has many significant Aboriginal sites indicating that the area has been used intensely for more than 6000 years. Inland tribes would journey to the coast in winter, trading seeds for fish caught by coastal groups.

Also recorded in the park are Aboriginal campsites, middens and ceremonial grounds. To the north, Goanna Headland is an important mythological site which was the subject of one of the first Aboriginal land claims in NSW.

So would I head back to Bundjalung? Yes! The park is extremely relaxing, and getting back to nature definitely has its benefits.

Five best Bundjalung experiences

ILUKA: Situated at the mouth of the Clarence River and at the southern end of Bundjalung NP is the township and popular holiday destination of Iluka. The breakwaters and seawalls that form Iluka Bay and its marina are a major feature of the Clarence estuary, and it supports a thriving recreational fishing and boating scene, as well as a commercial fishing fleet and co-op.

ILUKA NATURE RESERVE: The reserve is a small but important remnant of what was once an extensive coastal rainforest, containing the largest remaining stand of littoral rainforest in NSW and the World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest. The ecosystem here is rich and diverse, the forest featuring strangler figs, ferns, epiphytes and vines protected by sand dunes, and tuckeroo and banksia trees.

ILUKA BLUFF: The Iluka Rainforest walk within the Iluka Nature Reserve is a great way to experience the ancient forest that ends at the Iluka Bluff lookout and nearby picnic area. The viewing platform comprises views of the entire Bundjalung area, with vistas of the Clarence River to the south and the ocean beaches to Woody Head in the north. It’s a great spot to watch the annual winter whale migration.

BLACK ROCKS: This camping area has to be one of the best along the East Coast, hosting campsites with an element of privacy, as well as fire pits, picnic tables and a handy clothes line at every site. It’s an easy 20km dirt-road drive to Black Rocks where all campsites run parallel to the coastline, with the farthest ones no more than a three-minute walk to the water’s edge over huge dunes. Book online through the National Parks’ website after choosing an empty spot.

HOLIDAYS: Bundjalung NP offers beach walking, fishing, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking and several school-excursion options. Stay overnight in beach accommodation or camp out for a holiday by the water, with a combination of river, beach and freshwater lagoons. There’s canoeing along Evans River or Jerusalem Creek, mountain biking the Macaulays Lead or Serendipity fire trail, or walking Ten Mile Beach, plus boat-launching facilities, snorkelling on the shallow reefs and fishing.