THE Mitsubishi Pajero Sport has made it into the top-ten best-selling 4x4s for the first time and in doing so has fought off a host of other wagons including the Ford Everest, Holden Trailblazer, Isuzu MU-X and Toyota Fortuner.
It has also edged out two utes, VW’s Amarok and Toyota’s LC79.
Compared to the other wagons-made-from-utes, the Pajero Sport is smaller, generally less expensive and has some notable technical highlights including an eight-speed automatic gearbox (whereas the others have the ute-derived six-speeders).
Mitsubishi’s unique Super Select 4×4 system also brings full-time 4×4, a feature not found with Fortuner, Trailblazer or MU-X.
Powered by the same new and revvy 2.4-litre diesel of the Triton, and helped along by the slick eight-speed automatic, the Pajero Sport offers relaxed, effortless performance, a fair turn of speed when asked, and is reasonably quiet and refined.
Being a bit smaller and lighter than its immediate competitors, the Pajero Sport feels quite nimble on the road, even if the suspension tune is biased towards comfort.
The full-time 4×4 of the Super Select also brings convenience, safety, and effectiveness to the Pajero Sport in mixed driving conditions that its part-time competitors can’t match, and it still has the option of rear-drive-only for those long highway stints on dry roads.
The Pajero Sport’s star starts to fade a little off-road, where the modest wheel travel and ground clearance see it struggle in places where its competitors aren’t troubled.
While mid- and top-spec models get a diff lock, it’s not as effective as it could be as it cancels the traction control on both axles when activated.
All Pajero Sport models offer smart-key entry and start and tilt-and-reach steering wheel adjustment, but taller drivers will find a somewhat cramped driving position in what is a small cabin compared to its rivals.
SALES 2017 (to June): 3304 2016 (to June): 1874 Change: + 76.3%
REPORT CARD* Powertrain: B On-road: B Off-road: D Cabin & Equipment: C Towing & Practicality: D Final word: There’s a lot to like, even if it’s smaller than its competitors.
*Scored against class competitors. A= Excellent. B= Very Good. C= Good. D= Fair. E= Poor. F= Fail.
WE ALL love to get away for a few days along the great eastern seaboard, but campsites along the coast are filled to the brim during peak holiday times.
So it’s a good thing that on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, travellers can instead shoot up to the hills for a quick getaway.
Ebor, 110km inland from Coffs Harbour, is where the Aberfoyle Tableland Track begins, a 100km drive along the top of the Guy Fawkes Plateau that’s filled with a huge diversity of flora, fauna, stunning views and a bit of history thrown in for good measure.
Ebor, on the New England Plateau, is the home of the stunning Ebor Falls, where crystal-clear water plummets deep into the gorges below. Ebor is also the last place to stop for fuel before tackling the Aberfoyle Tableland Track.
Just 38km west of Ebor is the location of Aberfoyle. On the way, watch out for a small sign indicating a right-hand turn up Aberfoyle Road, before swinging right onto Nowlands Road.
These roads cut through working stations, so beware of cattle and sheep that wander freely out here. But that’s part of the beauty of the area, as there’s no phone service, little traffic, properties that have their own airstrip, and the only radio station you can receive is ABC.
Ward’s Mistake cattle station appears a further 10km down the road. The property was named after Frederick Ward (aka Captain Thunderbolt), who lived and performed many illegal activities in this area. There are several stories on what happened when Fred Ward was shot dead.
One story suggests Fred and his brothers were bailed up at a nearby swamp, and one of the Ward boys was shot dead by a local policeman. A body mix-up happened, hence the name Ward’s Mistake.
Kookabookra isn’t much these days, but it was once a town with several streets, stores and a warden’s office, where miners cashed in the gold they found. Recently, gems such as topaz, quartz crystals and sapphires have been found here, and a great spot to dig for gems is at the Sara River Bridge, just two kilometres down the road. Here on the right, you can pull up next to some old tennis courts and stretch the legs.
The roads here are fairly easy, so a great alternative for a 4WD is the London Bridge Firetrail, 6km up the road on the right. Tracks aren’t maintained, but they’re signposted along the way and, being a designated state forest, there are plenty of suitable camping areas.
The London Bridge Firetrail meanders through old logging areas and crosses many creeks that, with a little ground clearance, should be passable with most decent 4WDs.
After 15km, the London Bridge Firetrail soon hits Oakwood Firetrail. An option here is to turn right and head to the end of London Bridge Firetrail and marvel at the stunning views from several lookouts along the way.
These lookouts are 1250m above the floor below, providing uninterrupted views across the valleys. The London Bridge, Henry Valley and Starlite lookouts provide evidence that volcanic activity took place some 30 million years ago.
The views also give glimpses of the Old Glen Innes Road that used to link the coast to the tablelands at the turn of the century.
It may be a 30km drive to retrace your steps, but camping out here and exploring the lookouts is definitely worth the drive. Once back onto the 20km-long Oakwood Firetrail, the going gets a little tougher as most of this track doesn’t see much traffic.
Deep creek crossings, rocky outcrops and sections where grass is taller than the bonnet, make for a great drive. While it mightn’t have the exhilarating views of the previous lookouts, we saw wallabies, a host of birdlife, pigs and deer along the way.
Upon reaching Pretty Valley Road, everything changes back to established farms and fertile grazing lands. Unfortunately, the dreaded tar begins and the Celtic town of Glen Innes is only 20km away.
On this entire drive, you’re 1000 metres above sea level yet so close to the coastal strip of northern NSW. If you do this trip in winter, rest assured there will be frost or, if you’re lucky, some snow – this is granite country, and it gets bitterly cold here in the cooler months.
If you’re thinking about a few days away, why not explore the Glen Innes region? You never know what you will find!
CONTACTS Glen Innes Visitor Information Centre: (02) 6730 2400 Glen Innes State Forest Office: (02) 6732 2922
IT’S HARD to believe how poorly the Mazda BT-50 sells in comparison to the Ford Ranger, given they are – in essence – the same ute.
The Ranger offers some notable technical differences, but the Mazda counters with sharper pricing. Even so, for every BT-50, nearly four Rangers have rolled out of showrooms this year.
Not only is the BT-50 closely related to the Ranger, it’s also essentially a Ford rather than a Mazda, a reversal of the pre-2011 arrangement where Ford piggybacked off Mazda for its light commercials.
For starters, the 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel is a Ford design and is, in most ways, where the appeal of the BT-50 begins. This is a torquey, low-revving and agreeable engine that gets the job done without fuss.
In the BT-50, it’s a bit gruff and not quite as responsive at low revs as it is in the Ranger; due to the fact the Ranger was upgraded in 2015 and the BT-50 wasn’t.
As with the Ranger, the engine is backed by a slick ZF six-speed auto, which enjoys working with both the engine’s torque and flexibility and final-drive gearing that’s not overly tall.
On road, the BT-50 basically does what the Ranger does, which is a good thing, except you feel its size and weight more in low-speed manoeuvring, as it doesn’t enjoy the benefit of electric power steering as fitted to the Ranger since its 2015 facelift. However, others might argue the Mazda’s ‘old-school’ hydraulic system is potentially more robust.
Off-road, the BT-50 is a good thing; although, a notch down from the Ranger due to another 2015 upgrade the Ford received – leaving the front traction control active when the rear locker is engaged – which was not adopted by Mazda.
Otherwise, everything that is likable about the Ranger, including a spacious and notably long cabin and excellent towing and load-carrying ability, is essentially true of the Mazda BT-50.
SALES 2017 (to June): 3622 2016 (to June): 3863 Change: – 6.2%
REPORT CARD* Powertrain: C On-road: B Off-road: B Cabin & Equipment: A Towing & Practicality: B Final word: Essentially a Ford Ranger, but not as good in the detail.
*Scored against class competitors. A= Excellent. B= Very Good. C= Good. D= Fair. E= Poor. F= Fail.
AN interesting yarn that caught my eye when reading the September 2017 issue of 4X4 Australia was Fraser Stronach’s Tech Torque column.
Fraser loves the convenience of modern electronics which make driving over any terrain easier, but he listed the old standards of ground clearance, wheel travel and a light weight as the most essential characteristics needed to make a good off-road vehicle.
No matter how many locking diffs you have, what tyres you run, or how much power you have, it all means nothing if the belly of your vehicle is dragging over every obstacle and the tyres are in contact with the ground.
It is off-road basics and why many older vehicles still do so well when faced with tough terrain.
Yes, electronic traction control (ETC) is an amazing and valuable feature and one you don’t want to do without, but in most cases it’s used to make up for a vehicle lacking in the three essentials.
Modern ETC systems are so good that many so-called soft-roaders would climb over almost any off-road obstacle if they had the clearance to do it, without ripping off bumpers and underbody parts.
The tractive ability of these single-range-transfer-case vehicles is astounding, but they don’t have the clearance or the tyres (usually) to make the most of it.
We’ve seen old-school 4x4ers laugh at us when we test vehicles like late-model Range Rovers on low profile tyres, only to see their jaws drop when the luxury SUV does it easier than their older Cruiser or Patrol riding on 33-inch muddies with double diff locks. At times, the Rovers have gone further than the traditional off-roader. It truly is a revelation.
This is why the modern vehicles that offer a combination of the old-school attributes as well as modern ETC technology are so bloody good now.
Rigs like Land Cruiser 200s, Y62 Patrols, Rangies and ever Prados and Rangers get the job done, while others will be leaving bits all over the tracks as they get dragged out.
THE D-MAX’S year-on-year sales are the picture of consistency, with only 17 more units being sold in the first five months of 2017 as there was in 2016.
And this steady-as-she-goes consistency is very much what the D-MAX’s sales have been about for a few years.
Mind you, the D-MAX sold in 2017 is a different vehicle to the D-MAX sold in 2016, thanks to the mandatory compliance to Euro 5 emissions standards that came into effect in December 2016.
Effectively, Euro 5 brings a diesel particulate filter but, at the same time, Isuzu re-worked the engine with new-generation higher-pressure common-rail injection, a new variable-geometry low-inertia turbo, a larger EGR cooler, and new pistons.
There’s also a new Aisin six-speed automatic as used by Toyota in the Hilux and Prado, which has the same ratios including the two – notably tall – overdrives.
Despite the engine changes, maximum power remains at a modest 130kW, so the new D-MAX goes about as hard as the old D-MAX pedal-to-the-metal, which isn’t anything to get excited about. It does the job, but without the purpose and vigour of many competitor utes.
However, the engine remake provides more driveability with extra torque (now 430Nm, up from 380Nm) and a ‘fatter’ torque curve, which has the previous maximum of 380Nm produced 100rpm lower (now 1700rpm) and extending 700rpm higher to 3500rpm.
The engine is also a little quieter and more refined – but still nothing special in that regard – and a little more economical. And while the new six-speed auto doesn’t help with outright performance as such, it’s a much better gearbox in general driving thanks to its more proactive and smarter shift protocols.
On road, the D-MAX steers and handles well enough without being anything special, while off-road it’s also a middle-of-the-pack performer. It’s still a capable 4×4, but just not up with the best in its class.
SALES 2017 (to June): 4384 2016 (to June): 4367 Change: +0.4%
REPORT CARD* Powertrain: C On-road: C Off-road: C Cabin & Equipment: C Towing & Practicality: C Final word: The D-MAX is solid, without being spectacular.
*Scored against class competitors. A= Excellent. B= Very Good. C= Good. D= Fair. E= Poor. F= Fail.
IT MAY be hard to believe, but sales of Toyota’s mighty Land Cruiser 200 Series are currently growing as fast as the Ford Ranger.
In fact, LC200 sales are as good as they have ever been and have surged nearly 20 per cent in the first five months of 2017 compared to the same time last year.
This comes off the back of a very strong 2016 that saw sales jump by one-third over the 2015 numbers, and it moves the 200 up yet another spot in the top ten.
Last year was the first full year of sales for the facelifted 200 that arrived in the fourth quarter of 2015. That facelift brought distinctive new styling, a raft of new safety and tech kit, Euro 5 compliance, improved economy, and a slight jump in power for the popular diesel engine.
There is a petrol option with the 200, a very sweet 4.6-litre V8 backed by a six-speed automatic, but it is a non-event when it comes to sales.
It’s difficult to pinpoint where this renewed interest in the 200 is coming from, but one thing that’s clear is the interest in the more expensive 200 variants. While the $90K GXL remains the best-seller with 1429 sales YTD, the $100K VX is only just behind with 1418 sales and the $120K Sahara is thereabouts with 1388 sales.
Contrast all that with the work-spec GX’s 223 sales. Business and fleet buyers currently account for 57 per cent of 200 sales, with the remainder going to private buyers.
Looking more broadly, the 200 has probably benefitted from the demise of the diesel Patrol (Y61) and the age of the recently-replaced Land Rover Discovery. Luxury European brand SUVs from BMW and Mercedes-Benz have also turned more city-centric in recent times, which doesn’t please well-healed country buyers.
Either way, there’s not much competition for the 200, aside from the more expensive Prado variants.
SALES 2017 (to June): 4800 2016 (to June): 4027 Change: +13.2%
REPORT CARD* Powertrain: B On-road: C Off-road: A Cabin & Equipment: A Towing & Practicality: A Final word: If you want a large 4×4 wagon, the 200 ticks all the boxes. *Scored against class competitors. A= Excellent. B= Very Good. C= Good. D= Fair. E= Poor. F= Fail.
Tower Rock is as remote as it is beautiful.
Part 6: Tower Rock
Located north of the Plenty Highway and about 95km east of the pleasant camping area of the Gemtree Bush Resort is the Mac and Rose Chalmers Conservation Reserve, named after the pioneering couple who, in the early 1920s, took up the MacDonald Downs Station lease and are now buried on the reserve.
The impressive hills of rounded boulders that dominate the small reserve features Tower Rock, which is the tallest and most imposing. With the water run-off from infrequent rains, the small patches of sandy flatplain in-between the rocky hills carry a bigger variety of plants than elsewhere, while bird and animal life is much more common. The entire area was a favoured picnic spot for the Chalmers and their descendants, and it’s very easy to understand why.
It’s also a top spot to camp, with the small campground having a couple of long-drop dunnies for amenities but no water, so you have to be self-sufficient to stay there. Luckily, the Mt Swan Homestead, just 25km or so south from the camping area, has a well-stocked store where water is available. The homestead also has a very good art gallery that exhibits (and sells) spectacular local Aboriginal art.
A couple of walking trails help you explore the area, while just clambering up the rocky hills will reward and inspire you with incredibly impressive views.
Viewing the sunrise from one of the rock-strewn crests, with the flat-topped ridges of the Dulcie Range far to the east, is truly unforgettable.
Arltunga Historical Reserve is as remote as it is beautiful.
Part 7: Arltunga Historical Reserve
Located 110km east of Alice Springs, the Arltunga Historical Reserve preserves the substantial ruins and memorabilia of the 1887 gold rush that brought 300 people to this remote area and established the first town in Central Australia.
North of the well-set-up and informative Visitor Centre, you’ll find the old police post and gaol and another road leading to the government works area, where a gold battery was established. The most significant ruins of the goldfields are found here, along with an old boiler and assorted machinery. Many of the first miners were Cornishmen, fresh from the famous mines in South Australia. Today, many of the buildings they built in this remote and dry region of Australia have been restored as a testimony and a monument to their skill and pioneering endeavour.
Just a short distance east at the ‘Cross Roads’, where there was once a store and hotel, you can continue east to the White Range Cemetery or take a walk to the old mining areas in the White Range itself.
Camping isn’t permitted on the reserve and pets aren’t allowed. The Arltunga Bush Hotel is closed, though some people camp in the adjoining camping area. There are no facilities. We’ve never had an issue finding a camping spot.
The nearby Trephina Gorge and N’Dhala Gorge both offer basic bush camps, while the Old Ambalindum HS on the Hale River offers pleasant camping and accommodation, as does the Ross River Resort.
THE Navara may be in the top-ten best sellers, but its year-on-year sales have fallen in what is otherwise a rising market.
Compared to 2016, sales so far in 2017 are down nearly eight per cent, making the Navara the worst performer in the top ten.
No doubt, Nissan would have been hoping for more from its new-generation ute, given the previous-generation Navara D40 was second only to the all-conquering Hilux as recently as four years ago.
Arriving in 2015 and marketed as the NP300 (but known internally as the D23) this new Navara departed from conventional ute practice via its bi-turbo-diesel, seven-speed automatic and by using coil rather than leaf springs for the rear axle on most models.
Despite this, Nissan matched the best in class with its 3500kg tow rating claim, a claim we subsequently proved to be well wide of the mark in terms of the chassis’ ability to tow that much, or indeed carry the maximum payload in the tub, even if the engine had the grunt to get the job done. Making matters worse, the Navara NP300 didn’t feel all that flash when unladen, either, with neither a notably comfortable ride nor a good fore-and-aft suspension balance.
Following indifferent sales and negative customer feedback, Nissan headed back to the drawing board to produce the Series II model for 2017, bringing a suspension revamp, spec and equipment changes, and the addition of a new work-spec model (the SL) with the bi-turbo engine and rear coils.
Despite claiming the suspension revamp was nothing more than damper recalibration, the Series II Navara feels noticeably better behaved on road, with a new and much more pleasing feel to the way it steers and handles.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that we have yet to do a maximum load or tow test on the Series II, so watch this space.
SALES 2017 (to June): 5439 2016 (to June): 5904 Change: -7.9%
REPORT CARD* Powertrain: B On-road: B Off-road: D Cabin & Equipment: B Towing & Practicality: See Text Final word: Series II is better on-road, but questions linger off-road.
*Scored against class competitors. A= Excellent. B= Very Good. C= Good. D= Fair. E= Poor. F= Fail.
Ford has teamed with Ford Performance to create a one-of-a-kind F-22 F-150 Raptor.
Inspired and based on the US Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jet, the F-150 Raptor is powered by Ford’s Whipple-intercooled 3.5-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost engine, which pumps out 545 ponies (406kW) and a whopping 660lb-ft (895Nm).
To prove it’s more than just a show pony, modified Addictive Desert Designs’ front suspension (and bump stop kit) has been slotted underneath. This works in tandem with a Deaver rear spring pack and Fox bypass series shocks – with adjustable compression and rebound damping for on- and off-road work.
The design of the F-150 Raptor was led by Ford design manager Melvin Betancourt, as well as Ford Performance. “Our job – both in the air and on the ground – is to intimidate the competition,” said Betancourt.
The build was left in the trusty hands of Brad and Doug DeBerti from DeBerti Design, and Betancourt said the vision was expertly executed.
“Few things are as streamlined, as gloriously intimidating as the shape, metallic colour and sinister speed a fighter jet represents,” said Betancourt. “The simple, extreme functionality of the cockpit alone proved inspiring, prompting the team to create matte finishes, purposeful gauges, controls for ready proximity and dramatic LED lighting for the instrument panel.”
Other features of the F-150 Raptor include Innov8 Racing custom-forged beadlock wheels with Falcon Wildpeak tyres; Alcon six-piston painted calipers, with oversized rotors and high-friction pads; modular off-road LEDs by KC Hilites; Kicker audio system; Sherwin-Williams exterior paint integrating F-22 Raptor jet cues, including titanium grille with front silhouette of the aircraft; AMP Research power-retracting steps; DeBerti two-tyre, gas and Pro Eagle jack holder; LineX sprayed bedliner; all-stainless-steel cat-back Borla exhaust system with carbon-fibre tips; and DeBerti carbon-fibre fender flares, hood and fender vents. The paint was hand-cut and polished to a mirror finish by Independent Detail.
The high-performance Raptor was auctioned at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh gathering, and it raised $300,000 for the group’s ‘Young Eagles’.