Beer Soup with Caramalised Onion and Beef: a delicious, manly version of the good old French Onion Soup.​

Preparation time: 15-20min Cooking time: 20-30min

Ingredients

2 tbs butter 1 tbs oil/butter 3 large brown onions – peeled, halved and thinly sliced 1 tsp brown sugar (less if you want – onions are naturally sweet) 1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional; don’t use if you find the onions too sweet when cooked) 1 tbs plain flour (optional; use if you would like a slightly thicker soup) 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 cup dark beer (Guinness, etc) 1 bay leaf 3 cups beef stock (use good stock to get the best flavour) salt & pepper 300-500g good steak, cooked to your liking and thinly sliced 2 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Cooking it

• Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based saucepan or your camp oven. • Stir in the onion and sugar. • Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally over low/medium heat for 10 minutes. Make sure you don’t burn the onions! • Remove the lid, increase the heat slightly and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another five minutes or until the onions have softened and turned golden brown. Again, don’t burn them. • Sprinkle the flour over the cooked onions, stir well to combine and cook for a few minutes. • Add the garlic and stir through, then slowly add the beer and mix well to make a smooth soup. Add the bay leaf. • Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for five minutes. • Add the stock and mix well, season to taste. • Bring back to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for another 5-10 minutes. • Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf. • Spoon the soup into a bowl, top with some sliced cooked steak and sprinkle with a little parsley. Serve with some garlic bread or fresh bread on the side.

Viv’s hint

Look for onions with dry, clean, paper-thin skin, and be sure they are firm and have no opening at the neck.

Onions, shallots and garlic will keep for months in a cool, dry, dark place with plenty of air circulation, away from excessive heat or light. Do not store in a high-moisture environment such as your fridge or under the kitchen sink.

Also, while it’s common practice, don’t store onions and potatoes together. Potatoes have a lot of moisture and give off a gas that causes onions to spoil more quickly.

If you have a mandoline, this is going to make slicing the onion so much easier. Watch your fingers and use the safety cap! Or to save an awful lot of time, use a 280g jar of Beerenberg Caramelised Onion – all the hard work is already done for you!

If you already have some leftover steak from a barbecue, slice that up and put it in the soup instead of cooking up some more.

CAN the heavily revised 2017 Holden Colorado give the class-leading, sales-dominant Toyota Hilux a touch-up?

We thought it could, so we took a Colorado Z71 and a Hilux SR5 to some seriously wicked off-road tracks to find out.

The flagship $56,390 SR5 Hilux runs a 2.8-litre 130kW/450Nm donk that’s beautifully mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, ensuring rock-solid performance.

The Z71 slightly undercuts the price of the Hilux with a price tag of $54,990, but despite the cheaper price the Colorado comes with a more generous suite of niceties including a tonneau cover and leather trim.

Running a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel sourced from VM Motori, the Colorado’s engine also generates a more powerful 147kW and 500Nm.

To find out how they perform head-to-head on- and off-road, you’ll need to read the complete review in the October issue of 4X4 Australia, in stores now.

THINGS can and do go wrong. It’s a fact of life in general, but something that’s an ever-present danger when heading off-road. A mis-step, incorrect wheel placement, or just slippery conditions can put your 4×4 in the line of danger within a split second.

It could be something as simple as the front wheels dropping down a ledge, through to a fully loaded camper trailer sliding off the side of the track and threatening to drag you with it. Either way, the results are basically the same: you’re in a bad situation and desperately need to do something pretty fancy to get yourself out of it.

Enter the winch redirection.

The concept is simple enough. A winch fitted to the front of your vehicle can pull you forwards but is next to useless in any other direction. But through the use of pulley blocks, it’s possible to redirect the winch line – much like a multiple line pull – to alter where the pulling power is directed. It’s a skill you may never need to use in your entire off-road career – but that one time, in that one bad situation, it could very well save your life.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Standard recovery kit
• As much rope or cable as possible
• 3 snatch blocks
• 3 tree-trunk protectors
• 3 winch dampers
• 3 rated bow shackles

STEPS

1. SECURE THE 4X4 This should always be the first step for any recovery where life or limb is at risk. If you need to perform a sideways winch, chances are your 4×4 is either over or close to the edge of the track. Get everyone out of the vehicle to a safe place out of harms way, and then stabilise it as much as possible before you start working on it. Branches lodged against the wheels can be enough to stop further slipping.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR WINCH POINTS You’ll need two anchor points to perform a basic sideways recovery. Both need to be on the side you want to pull the vehicle towards – one in front of the vehicle and one behind. All the usual rules count; the largest tree will provide the most secure winch point. Look for any wounds or damage that could indicate the tree is in poor shape, as any internal rot will compromise its strength. Don’t be afraid to use winch extension straps if suitable trees are too far away.

3. RUN OUR THE WINCH LINE You’ll need a lot of line to do a recovery like this, but that’s good, as the more line you take off the drum, the more torque you have available. Unspool a large amount of line off the drum then begin laying it out how you’ll need it. You’ll need enough to attach the end of the line to the recovery point on the rear of your vehicle and then run through the two anchor points you’ve selected off to the side.

4. START RIGGING UP THE ANCHOR POINTS Wrap a trunk protector around the tree, then attach a snatch block using a rated bow shackle with the line running through it. Unlike a multiple-line pull, the winch line will go to the next point in the line rather than back where it came from. You’ll need to complete this process on both recovery points. An extension strap can double as a trunk protector, but note that wrapping it around the tree can compress the bark and cut off the tree’s water supply.

5. PREPARE THE LINE When you’re confident you’ve set everything up properly, fit winch dampers to each line – so that’s three at a minimum. A heavy jumper or jacket can double as a damper in a pinch. Then, with all the lines properly damped, pull the line in until it’s tensioned.

6. BEGIN WINCHING With everyone at a safe distance (and an escape plan if things go south) begin winching. As you’ll literally be dragging your tyre sideways across the ground, the load will be high, so follow the 10/30 rule: 10 seconds winching followed by a 30 seconds break, to avoid damaging your battery or overheating your winch motor.

7. SECURE THE VEHICLE When your vehicle is on solid ground or at least where you want it, you’ll need to re-secure it before you can back off the winch line. Depending on the terrain, this can be as simple as ensuring it’s in park with the handbrake applied, although chocking the wheels would be recommended.

It might be necessary to re-rig the winch to pull you further up the track before attempting to drive under your own power. After all, if the track was tricky enough to catch you once, you don’t want to let it catch you twice.

After securing the vehicle and backing off the line, do a thorough visual inspection before spooling your line back onto the winch. In recoveries like this it’s easy to miss a stray tree or rock rubbing on the line, which may have cut or damaged it. Depending on the damage, the line can be shortened or spliced to get you out of trouble, although should be replaced as soon as possible.

The sequence below shows how the rear of the vehicle was dragged sideways on to the track, to continue on its way forward.

For most vehicle owners the prospect of a fresh paint job is pretty daunting. To get it right means agonising over surface preparation, running down through grades of wet and dry, and then painting and polishing to perfection. The results are worth it, though, especially come resale time.

As a teenager living in the country I used to tinker with all my cars and bikes. I didn’t have much money and I didn’t have anybody telling me what I was doing might be wrong. There were some classic stuff-ups along the way, but the first time I spray-painted a car was one of the most glorious experiences I’ve ever had.

It was an FJ Holden. The doors were three different colours and the bonnet different again. About 20 years’ worth of wear on the old paint meant the car looked like absolute crap, which was a pity because mechanically it was pretty much sorted.

Originally I was going to attack it with a brush using a ‘warm-the-paint’ method I’d read about in an old magazine. However, the local hardware store had just got this newfangled electric spray gun in stock, so – armed with a tin of enamel, some turps to thin it and a copy of the Sunday paper – I launched in.

It went on with more than the odd dribble but by late that afternoon I couldn’t resist plucking away the masking paper. The result, from about 10 feet back, was like a new car.

I was in love.

Unfortunately, my girlfriend of the time almost fell out of love when she saw the strange yellow colour – it looked great on the brochure – and the ‘orange peel’ surface. A week later, after I’d hand-painted orange and red flames up the side of the bonnet, she was ready to leave.

During our mining years, my brother and I painted all our trucks, bikes, ladders, hoists and anything else made from steel much the same way.

The years taught us much about air compressors, thinners and getting the surface right, but nothing ever killed the joy of peeling back that paper and tape and seeing a new machine emerge in all its glory.

We mostly used roof and metal enamel because it handled the sun and stuck to almost anything, and our gear used to handle corrosion a whole lot better than most because of it. The additional facts that it looked better than it was, didn’t cost much, and involved an excuse for a carton of beer on a Sunday were almost irrelevant.

When I bought Milo some 20 years ago she was a dirty white colour and already had a few bits of rust cut from the rear panels thanks to our local scoutmaster’s camping trips up the beach. I don’t think he’d washed it in 20 years of ownership. (Almost) the first thing I did was invite my neighbour, Long Bruce, over for a Sunday of fun with a litre of enamel and a carton of beer. By the end of the day Milo looked great in a shiny coat of green and, thanks to a late afternoon breeze and the slow-drying properties of thinned enamel, most of our street was colour-coded green, too.

Now I’m thinking I’ve probably painted Milo every second year or so since then. Sometimes it has been because of major body work, sometimes a change of sponsors – which has meant plenty of paint peeling off behind the old stickers – and sometimes just because the old coat looked shabby. But you’ve only got to watch the rain bead up and trickle off a coat of enamel to realise fresh paint is the best way to keep the rust at bay.

You know what? Even now, some 43 years after I peeled the paper off that FJ Holden, I still get an incredible buzz when revealing a fresh paint job. However, this time around was even better, because halfway through I realised the paint was actually a different shade.

Yep, during one of those ‘meet and greet’ sessions at a show the guys from Luxury Paints in Toowoomba handed me a four-litre tin of enamel and said: “There you go Roothy, a little contribution to Milo’s next paint job.”

It was meant as a joke, but after sitting in the cupboard for more than a year I figured I’d save a few bucks on the usual roof and metal and give this stuff a go. It stirred up really well with the electric drill and spinner, thinned nicely to ‘slide off the stick’ viscosity and blew on with no problems at all.

You’ll have to wait until next month to see the result, but when it dried it was glossier, too.

Milo’s now brighter and bolder than ever – and pretty soon I’ll get the green tinge out of my beard.

WITH smartphones and sat-nav systems guiding us to our destinations, there’s not a lot of need to plot one’s journey by hand anymore.

But what happens when technology fails and you’re stuck in the bush?

Well, you could make a bush compass, and all you need to do that is a cup of water (even a puddle of still water will do), an intact leaf, and a small strip of steel, like a piece of wire or a needle.

You will also need a magnet to magnetise the steel. So if you’ve still got access to a vehicle you’re in luck, as an audio speaker has a magnet at the back.

To magnetise the steel you’ll need to glide it backwards and forwards over the magnet several times.

Place the leaf in the water and the steel on top so it still floats, and watch as the needle pulls the leaf around to find north – if you’ve done it correctly.

The next step is to determine which side of the needle is pointing north. Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so the shadows cast by the sun will always be pointing towards the south.

Once you have figured out due north, you will able to navigate your way to safety… if you know which direction that’s in.

That’s why it’s always important to carry paper maps as a back-up to a sat-nav system. You might never need it, but when you do, it could be a life-saver.

FORD has cracked one million vehicle sales in Asia-Pacific this year.

The achievement comes on the back of a record-setting month of August for the Blue Oval brand. In fact, Ford sold 126,834 vehicles in Asia-Pacific in August – up 22 per cent on this time last year.

The superb August result gave Ford a 4.1 per cent slice of the total market – the company’s best ever monthly result.

“Reaching one million sales so quickly is a testament to the growing strength of our brand and products in Asia,” Ford Asia-Pacific’s president Dave Schoch said in a statement.

A contributing factor to Ford’s success this year is the emergence of the Ranger ute across the entire Asia-Pacific region.

In Australia, the Ranger has toppled the class-leading Hilux four times this year on the monthly sales charts. However, Toyota had Ford’s measure in August – 2418 Hiluxes versus 2364 Rangers.

According to August’s VFACTS report, the Ranger has sold 19,987 vehicles so far this year, only trailing the Hilux by 226 (20,213 sales).

The fact that Ford is hot on the heels of Toyota is even more remarkable when you consider that in August 2015 the Ranger’s share in the 4×4 pick-up segment was 16.4 per cent. At the same time, the Toyota Hilux had an 18.8 per cent share of the market.

As of August 2016 Ford’s Ranger has a 20.4 per cent year-to-date share of the market – the Hilux has a 20.6 per cent share.

The Ranger has also recorded strong sales in New Zealand, Taiwan and Vietnam. In Thailand, the Ranger’s market share in August shot up to 10 per cent in the pick-up segment, for the first time ever.

THE sales boom in one-tonne 4×4 utes has given the dwindling number of 4×4 wagons a reprieve, as wagon variants are spawned off the utes’ ladder chassis platforms.

This concept is nothing new and the Toyota 4Runner and Nissan Pathfinder are early examples of the breed.

These days we have a lot more manufacturers making the most of their ute platforms, with Toyota spinning the Fortuna off its Hilux, Holden its Trailblazer off the Colorado, Isuzu builds the MU-X off its D-Max and, most recently, Mitsubishi slipped the Triton’s chassis under its new Pajero Sport.

Then we have our two combatants here. Ford’s Everest wagon arrived in 2015 and was awarded 4X4 Australia’s 2015 4×4 Of The Year, in Trend specification. The Everest is derived off the PX Ranger ute chassis and gets there with a shortened wheelbase and coil springs taking the place of the ute’s leaves at the back. It shares much of its driveline with the Ranger.

The Ranger was updated to PXII specification in 2015 and has since given the popular Hilux a run for its money on the sales charts, as buyers flock to its bold styling and relatively large diesel engine. It’s become a favourite with fleet buyers and enthusiasts alike and has outsold the class-leading Hilux on more than one occasion this year.

The popularity of the new utes, and the wagons derived from them, again raises the question of what works best for outback travel and off-road use. So, with an Everest Trend joining our long-term shed and a trip to Alice Springs for the Finke Desert Race ahead of us, 4X4 Australia rounded up a Ranger XLT to join us on the run up the Oodnadatta Track.

THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT THE Everest and Ranger share platforms and many components, but there are differences between how they are used for the respective wagon and ute. The ladder chassis under the Everest, for example, has a 370mm shorter wheelbase. Under the rear, the ute uses leaf springs while the wagon rides on coils located with a multi-link and Watts linkage set-up.

Both the ute and wagon share the same independent wishbone and coil-spring front suspension, but with model-specific calibrations for spring and shock rates.

Both vehicles tested here use the 3.2-litre five-cylinder Ford diesel engine and six-speed auto combination. The turbocharged engine makes 470Nm in both cars, but in the Everest it is tuned to make 4kW less at 143kW. This is due to the wagon’s use of extra emissions devices such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR).

The drivelines are further differentiated with the Ranger being a conventional part-time 4×4 system, while the Everest has a full-time 4×4 system that splits torque on demand. The full-time system also gets a multi-terrain system that optimises the centre differential and other chassis systems to best suit different terrains at the turn of a dial. Both vehicles employ a dual-range transfer case with 2.7171:1 low range.

The Ranger and Everest also share much of their front-end sheetmetal and interior, with only minor differences for model and specification. Things like the grille and front bumper are different for each vehicle, while the dashboards and AV hardware are pretty much the same.

EVEREST TREND WAGON: PROS

THE wagon brings a more refined ride and cabin, improved safety, better dynamics, increased seating capacity and better off-road ability.

The Everest’s cabin benefits from more sound insulation material than the Ranger and it utilises a clever active noise reduction system, that works like noise-cancelling headphones, to reduce the amount of ambient noise that reaches the cabin.

Despite using a near identical driveline, the inside of the Everest is a quieter place than the Ranger. Our Everest also has more aggressive all-terrain tyres fitted than the Ranger’s OE rubber but still rides quiet.

The wagon’s cargo area might be smaller than the ute’s, but it’s enclosed in the cabin so it offers much more security and weather protection for valuable items.

The Everest’s full-time drive system makes the vehicle more surefooted on all terrains, which makes it safer both on- and off-road for all occupants – of which it can carry seven, opposed to the Ranger’s five.

That same full-time drive system makes manoeuvring the Everest when off-road or on tight tracks easier, as the centre diff is not locked when in 4×4 high-range. Drive the cars back-to-back on tight tracks, or when shuffling them around for a photoshoot like we do, and you really notice what a huge difference this makes.

The Everest is shorter overall than the Ranger, making it easier to manoeuvre than the ute, and all Everests have a rear view camera for parking. Likewise, its shorter wheelbase gives it a tighter turning radius, 11.7 metres versus 12.7 metres for the Ranger, and improves its ability over bumps and ruts by upping the ramp-over angle.

EVEREST TREND WAGON: CONS THE obvious con for any wagon is payload.

The wagon can’t match the ute’s one-tonne capacity, while the carpeted cargo area in the Everest isn’t receptive to loads of sand, gravel and firewood. Nor are things like dirt bikes, timber or other large objects easily accommodated in the back of the wagon.

Not only is the load capacity lower but the rated towing mass also falls 500kg shy of the Ranger’s.

RANGER XLT UTE: PROS

The ute offers far superior load carrying ability for bigger, heavier and dirtier cargo. If security or exposure to weather is an issue for your gear then you can always add a tonneau cover, hard lid or even a canopy to protect your load. The longer vehicle also lets you carry longer items such as timber or ladders on the appropriate roof racks and at the back of the tray.

With the right accessories the ute offers more options and much more versatility for carrying stuff – and then you can add that extra 500kg of capacity on the trailer.

Another plus for the Ranger is that it is available with a six-speed manual transmission, while the six-speed automatic is an extra $2270. In contrast, the Everest is only available with an automatic transmission.

RANGER XLT UTE: CONS WHILE the Ranger gets all the benefits behind the cabin, its negatives come inside it. The standard of 4×4 utes might have come a long way in recent years, but they still can’t match the similar spec wagons for comfort and refinement.

Again, after driving the two Fords back-to-back, the Ranger is noticeably noisier inside. Ford even skimps further on sound deadening material the further you go down the Ranger model list, so the XLT is near the top and gets most of the insulation.

The back seat in the crew-cab Ranger is very upright and isn’t adjustable like the Everest’s second row. As such, it’s not as accommodating or comfortable over longer drives. And, of course, there are only two rows in the ute.

All the benefits of the Everest’s full-time 4×4 system are obviously negatives for the Ranger’s part-time, unless you consider the use of two-wheel drive a benefit. One plus is that the ute tends to have more practical wheel and tyre sizes, and the XLT Ranger rides on 17s while the Everest is on 18s.

Only the top-spec Ranger Wildtrak gets 18s, but you’re better off with the smaller wheels. In comparison, the top-spec Everest Titanium rolls on silly 20-inch wheels.

Another small win for the ute is its lower crawl gear, thanks to its lower final-drive ratio.

A WAGON, OR A UTE? SO, which of these two Fords is the better vehicle for outback travel? There are two factors here that are non-negotiable when making your buying choice. One: if you have a family and need three rows of seats, then the Everest is for you. Two: if you need to carry bigger, heavier loads like dirt bikes or building supplies, then the Ranger is your only choice.

But let’s consider the options for the two-up tourer. The Everest wagon delivers more comfort, safety and security, with better dynamics, off-road ability and fuel economy. The Ranger XLT auto might cost around $4500 less than the Everest Trend, but unless you specifically need the load-lugging ability of a tray, then the wagon will always be the better choice.

Talking of purchase price, with wagons being less popular than utes at the moment, you’ll probably have more bargaining power with the Everest at the dealer.

SPECS

*Australian Design Rule ‘Combined cycle’

FCA has issued its second recall this week, this time regarding 2014-2016 (KL) Jeep Cherokees built between February 4, 2013 and February 17, 2016.

According to the recall report (recall S41), “the wheel-flare protection spats on vehicles may not have been installed during the vehicle assembly process”.

The omission of wheel-flare protection spats means the vehicle doesn’t comply with Australian Design Rule 42/04 – General Safety Requirement.

This poses a risk for bystanders, as it increases the risk of debris flying towards them when the vehicle is at speed.

The last few months haven’t been great for FCA’s brands.

A recall was also issued earlier in the week for 2014-2015 (KL) Jeep Cherokees due to a wiring harness fault, which has the ability to cause a crash without warning.

In July, FCA recalled 2007-2010 JK Wranglers due to a clock spring that’s capable of ingesting dust, which can then compromise the driver’s airbag.

Owners of affected Cherokees will be notified by FCA Australia shortly. They’ll then have to take their rigs into a Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge dealership to get the wheel-flare spats installed.

ROOTHY has once again parked himself in the carpark of Opposite Lock’s Caloundra garage in Queensland.

Last time he was there he fed the troops Kraut dogs; this time he has elected to dish up pickled dogs – an easy way to feed a big group!

Here are a few more campsite ideas: Ginger fish, hash browns, and pork chops with apricot.

To get the pickled dogs started, whack a bunch of hot dogs in a bubbling pot of boiling water. Once the dogs are cooked through, put them into a Thermos Shuttle Chef.

Next, chop up some rashers of bacon into thin slivers and throw them in a boiling pan. Cook the bacon through until it becomes nice and crispy.

Set the bacon to one side and slice up some dill pickles – stronger-flavoured pickles work best.

Throw the hot dog into a bun, add the pickles, smother it with mustard, and then sprinkle plenty of crispy, delicious bacon on top.

It’s a simple as that, and you’ll be able to feed the entire crew in less than 10 minutes – once the dogs are boiled, of course. Plus, it’s a cheap way to feed a big group.

Roothy even coaxed Cathy from Opposite Lock to sample one of the pickled dogs and, it’s safe to say, they tasted beaut!

Simple, cheap and tasty.

HAVAL has flagged plans to roll out a trade ute based on the same chassis as the H9 SUV, the company has revealed.

Haval Australia national marketing manager Tim Smith told 4X4 Australia that the brand’s parent company, Great Wall Motors, was looking at rolling out a more premium trade ute based on the H9’s chassis.

However, Smith said the Haval-based ute would be shorter than the 5345mm-long Great Wall Steed launched in Australia this week. By comparison, the H9 is only 4856mm in length, and sits on a 2800mm wheelbase compared with the Steed’s 3200mm. That points to the Haval-badged version sticking to a single-cab format rather than rolling out a more buyer friendly dual-cab version.

One thing Haval has the potential to do is to lift the traditional trade ute’s interior to a whole new level. The ute is expected to adapt the same interior features as the Ford Territory-rivalling Haval H7 SUV that will arrive in Australia next year, and that will be rolled out to the Toyota Kluger-fighting H8 and the H9 mid-way through next year.

That includes a full digital dashboard – which is shaping up to be a first for the segment if the Mercedes-Benz-fettled version of the Nissan Navara doesn’t beat it to the punch – and a raft of car-like driver aids including active cruise control, lane diversion and blind spot monitors, and even automatic city braking.

The popularity of trade utes, particularly among private buyers, is continuing to grow in Australia, and now account for almost one in five new-car sales – a fact not lost on Haval’s Australian management.

Haval’s current line-up only uses petrol engines, hinting that the H9-based ute will follow a similar line and potentially feature a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine producing around 145kW.

It is also expected to adopt a new BorgWarner transfer box for its all-wheel-drive system, mimicking the same new set-up rolled out in the Great Wall Steed.

The Toyota Fortuner/Mitsubishi Pajero Sport-rivalling H9 is the only Haval-badged SUV to be built on a more truck-like ladder frame chassis.