4X4 Australia

It seems insane that in a country as big as Australia – with a large appetite for four-wheel drive vehicles and miles of unsealed roads – that there has never been a mass-produced 4×4 wagon built here.

Who knows, if Ford and Holden had designed and built home-grown 4x4s 20 years ago, they might still be in a position to be making cars here instead of shutting up shop.

Something we can do here and do well is design and engineer cars, and the Everest from Ford is the latest vehicle with roots in Victoria. A continuation of the T6 development, which first spawned the Ford PX Ranger and Mazda BT-50 utes, the Everest is a seven-seat wagon riding on a modified T6 platform. It is built in Thailand along with the Ranger ute.

By modified T6 platform, we mean everything from under the front seats rearwards is new, including the shortened wheelbase (in relation to Ranger) and rear suspension design. We say new as it’s new to T6, but the rear end uses a live axle with coil springs, trailing arms and a Watts link – a design tried and tested in Ford passenger cars for years and well-adapted to the Everest. It works well with the independent coil-sprung front end.

TOURING Like Australian-made station wagons of yore, the Everest is a supreme tourer. The torquey 3.2-litre, five-cylinder diesel engine lopes along at a relaxed pace but keeps plenty of muscle tucked up its sleeves for when it’s needed. The tweaks Ford has made to the engine for the Everest and upgraded PXII Ranger give it more usable grunt – even though the numbers are no higher – while at the same time it’s quieter and more refined.

Clever tuning of the fuel system and a smaller turbocharger are to thank for that.

The aforementioned suspension soaks up road bumps, yet it’s relatively taught and nimble when compared to other 4×4 wagons in this segment. The Everest is no sports car, but it feels like it when you step out of some of the other wagons.

The Everest has an 80-litre fuel tank and an ADR combined fuel figure of 8.5L/100km. On this 4X4OTY test it was the thirstiest vehicle, gulping down a hefty 13.0L/100km over the on and off-road trial.

The Everest also uses AdBlue to help clean up its emissions, which is stored in an 18-litre tank at the rear of the car. Under normal driving conditions those 18 litres should be good for between 12,000km to 16,000km, so you shouldn’t need to worry about it. Drivers doing big mileage or heavy towing may want to carry a top-up bottle of the urea with them.

TRAIL DRIVING The Everest feels just as at home running the tracks of the Victorian High Country as it does on the open roads. The view over the big bonnet is good and the driver’s seat has plenty of adjustment for different drivers. Unfortunately, though, there is no reach adjustment on the steering column.

The powerful engine requires little throttle on all but the steepest climbs, and the automatic transmission continues its fine job of holding the right gears for the steep descents. There’s manual selection via the floor shifter but no column paddles. The suspension still feels firm on the rough stuff, but it’s never uncomfortable.

SET-PIECE HILL CLIMB With its Multi Terrain Selector left in ‘normal’ mode, low range selected in the transfer case, ‘Drive’ nominated in the transmission and the rear diff lock (RDL)engaged, the Ford didn’t raise a sweat climbing our steep and rutted hill, and its electronic descent control offered a smooth and seamless ride downhill.

It wasn’t so successful without the RDL engaged and couldn’t drive up the same line without losing traction. With the RDL in, the Ford keeps its electronic traction control active on the front axle, which is the key to its success here.

The Everest had no clearance issues.

CABIN, EQUIPMENT AND ACCOMMODATION The Everest is only offered as a three-row seven-seater, and it fills that role well. The rearmost seats will accommodate children and adults for shorter rides, while the other seats are big and roomy. The third row is a bit awkward to access, but not as bad as some we’ve tested. Both it and the second row fold flat to give a handy cargo area or somewhere you could lay a mattress over to sleep on in camp.

The Everest is well-equipped with standard features including multiple 12-volt and USB power outlets, a 230-volt power outlet, air-con vents right to the back of the car and dual-zone climate control up front. About the only complaint we have about the Everest’s cabin are the small, fiddly buttons that control the HVAC and how low they are placed in the centre stack. All our drivers appreciated the big-car feel of the Ford cabin.

PRACTICALITIES The 265/60-18 tyre size, as fitted to the Everest Trend, is becoming more common, so there should be reasonable tyre choices available and access to spares in remote areas. Alternatively, you can fit the 17-inch wheels from the base model and open up the next level of choices. The Everest has a full-size matching spare hanging under the back.

Under the bonnet, the engine breathes from over the headlight but via the grille, so it’s not a bad set-up. The air cleaner is large and can be serviced without needing tools. The engine bay is pretty busy, so you’ll have to find somewhere else for an auxiliary battery or powerpack.

If the position of air intake poses a potential problem for you, Ford offers an accessory snorkel among its extensive range of factory options, which includes bullbars and a luggage carrying kit.

Expecting it to be a popular model, the aftermarket accessory regulars are hard at work producing their catalogues for the Everest, too.

SUMMARY

The Ford Everest is an exciting new player in the 4×4 wagon segment. It does everything it claims to and does it well; be that ferrying the family, taking on rough and tough terrain or riding with refined comfort.

It brings leading safety and crash-avoidance technology down to a price point not seen before in this segment, making it more accessible to more buyers. It might not be manufactured here, but we should be proud of what Ford Australia has done with the Everest.

As 4X4OTY judge Dean Mellor commented, it has “loads of equipment in a tough package that has obviously been engineered for local Australian conditions”.

SPECS

*Based on test consumption and 50km ‘safety margin’.

HOME: 4X4 OF THE YEAR 2016
On the shortlist for 4X4OTY 2016 were the Hilux, Triton, Fortuner, Prado, Navara and Everest.

THE FINALISTS
The six best 4×4 vehicles of 2015 battling it out to be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016.

THE RESULTS
Only one of the six best 4x4s from 2015 can be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016

4X4 OF THE YEAR HOME
Finding Australia’s Best 4x4s

Joining 4X4 Australia on this year’s 4X4OTY test was suspension expert Simon Vella, production manager at renowned four-wheel drive suspension specialist 4Way Suspension Products – the company behind Tough Dog 4WD Suspension.

Simon brought along the new Tough-Dog-equipped Toyota Hilux fitted with the company’s ‘comfort’ suspension kit, comprising of new struts up front with foam cell dampers, and 0-300kg springs in the rear, also mated to foam cell dampers.

This presented the 4X4OTY testing team with the unique opportunity to drive the standard Toyota Hilux back-to-back with Tough Dog’s example, in some of the most demanding terrain in the country, both at Melbourne 4×4 Training and Proving Ground and in the spectacular Victorian High Country.

Simon reckons the new Hilux is one of the best of the new breed of 4×4 utes when it comes to carrying a heavy load, but he agrees with the rest of the 4X4OTY testing team that unladen ride quality leaves a lot to be desired. And after a week of back-to-back driving, we all agreed that Tough Dog has made significant improvements to both the Hilux’s ride and handling and, as a result, vehicle stability both on and off the road.

In addition, the Tough Dog kit gives the new Hilux a ground clearance gain of 40mm, front and rear, which proved very beneficial over rocky and undulating terrain.

The Tough Dog team started developing the suspension kit for the Hilux well before the vehicle landed in Australia, travelling to Thailand to source a strut/coil combo that could be brought back to Sydney for closer examination. What they found was that the strut is very similar to that used in the previous-model Hilux.

“The spring seat is the same as the previous model, the length of the strut is the same, the helix of the coil is the same,” Simon explains. “So development of the new front-end for Hilux was just a matter of graphing the shock absorber on the dyno … but not taking it for granted, because sometimes when the Aussie model comes here the valving in the shock is different.”

As soon Tough Dog could get their hands on an Aussie-spec Hilux (the vehicle you see here), they re-examined the front-end and started work on the rear

“We rated the leaf spring to see how much rate it generates, we graphed the shock absorber right through its entire cycle, then we then put a load in the back to see how far it compressed,” Simon says. “We then simulated that spring on a machine so that we could accurately measure the rate that it generates at ride height.

“Then we went back and took our three different assortments of loads – being 300kg, 500kg, and up to the GVM of the vehicle – and we put that on the standard spring to see how it coped. We also rated the vehicle for comfort and vibrations, and that’s done through seat-of-the-pants testing; it’s all well and good to get a graph of the shock absorber and get a spring rate, but what does that actually mean in the vehicle when you’re driving it?”

Armed with the spring rate information, the shock dyno graphs, and the seat-of-the-pants testing feedback, Tough Dog then makes the first set of coils and the first struts. It then also makes up the first leaf springs.

“We’ll make up our comfort spring first [0-300kg, as fitted to the Tough Dog Hilux on 4X4OTY], which will generally be a composition of an 8mm main with a couple of 7mm leaves, which is typical of a dual-cab ute, and then we’ll make a shock absorber, put that in the vehicle and drive it to see how it feels, to see if the shock absorber is controlling the spring…”

Simon points out that Tough Dog’s nine-stage externally adjustable shock absorber is a great tool in developing new shocks for new-model vehicles. “With the nine-stage adjustable shock, there is in fact 800 per cent of adjustability from setting zero to nine, so in that 800 per cent of adjustability, we would start on, say, setting two front and rear, and then we’d go for a drive,” Simon explains. “So this Hilux here has already had a set of nine-stage adjustable shocks in it; so we got the valving right where we wanted it and then we built the sealed units.”

Despite the Tough Dog Hilux suspension kit not yet being signed-off when driven on 4X4OTY, we reckon it’s just about spot on. “All of the feedback from the [4X4OTY testing team] over the last couple of days suggests that the kit feels pretty good,” Simon says. “There might be a little bit more tuning left in it, but I’m happy with the way it’s riding.”

Simon advises that the Tough Dog suspension kit for the new Hilux will be on dealer shelves by the end of January.

Whether you rarely carry a load, always have something in the back, or use your Hilux to haul everything including the kitchen sink, Tough Dog will have a kit to suit.

MORE 4X4 OF THE YEAR

HOME: 4X4 OF THE YEAR 2016
On the shortlist for 4X4OTY 2016 were the Hilux, Triton, Fortuner, Prado, Navara and Everest.

THE FINALISTS
The six best 4×4 vehicles of 2015 battling it out to be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016.

THE RESULTS
Only one of the six best 4x4s from 2015 can be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016

4X4 OF THE YEAR HOME
Finding Australia’s Best 4x4s

I had an interesting time last month. No, I’m not talking about the fashion show down at the Mudflats Hotel, but, yes, it was pretty interesting.

I think the look on Chooka’s face when his wife, Loretta, walked in during the, err, underwear component of the show will be a memory to keep for life. The look was part shock, part fear, but mostly it said ‘I know I said I was working late’. You could say Chooka got caught short. I’ve seen better looking faces on dugongs out in the bay.

Anyway, talking of working late, I’ve just come back from the Melbourne 4X4 Training and Proving Ground, where I was testing dual-cab utes for this illustrious magazine. Actually, I wasn’t doing much of the testing; road-rest editor Fraser and editor Matt handled most of the technical side of that – Moony and the rest of us were along to bandy around a few opinions and chuck our bob’s worth in to the hat.

It was great fun, though, and things got even better when Rob offered to show me around his collection of old dungers. After starting with the world’s largest collection of early model Land Rovers, we checked out a couple of Blitz trucks and ‘the ultimate off-road weapon’; a 1953 Centurion tank. Rob’s got a couple of these giants and he let me have a drive.

Now, maybe it’s a Mudflats thing, but that drive wound up being possibly the shortest drive of a Centurion tank ever. After jigging around trying to get it started (hey, 60-year-old twin Zenith carbies on a 27-litre V12; what could possibly go wrong?) I slipped the clutch with a bundle of revs in reverse and cruised backwards for about a cricket pitch. Then, figuring I’d drive it like a bob cat, I dropped the revs and shifted the steering levers.

And the big Rolls-Royce Meteor motor stalled. Yep, the pride of England stopped dead and no amount of winding over would get those huge pistons flapping again. With Rob shouting out instructions and me holed up inside that great tin can, it didn’t matter what we did; she wasn’t going anywhere this side of a set of new carbies.

No worries, I’m booked in for another drive once I give Rob a hand to fit the new Zeniths he’s ordered. Like he mentioned with the old Land Rovers (and as anybody who’s into old machinery knows), once you’ve replaced the ignition system and the carburettors with new clobber, almost any old shitter will run smoothly. I’ve got a couple of ancient motorbikes that’ll testify to that!

40 series
1

Meanwhile, editor Matt has been very patient and I’m feeling like a school boy on the wrong side of the fence at lunch. Compounding matters, he was really good to me by organising Toyota to lend me the new Hilux to drive back to Brisbane after we finished testing it. I’m not really up to speed on the newer vehicles – anything this side of 1984, anyway – and this was a perfect chance to really get to grips with all the technology offered.

This in simple terms amounted to the most comfortable trip I’ve ever had in a motor vehicle. Over a couple of thousand kilometres I cruised up the freeways and back roads, got awesome fuel economy and held the legal limits, thanks to cruise control and the power/changing combo of a modern diesel and a six-speed auto. And, unlike when I’m in Milo, I was warm, I could see what was going on when it rained and I could make a heap of phone calls via the laptop thingy on the dash.

So I guess I got it, okay? I see what some of you are into.

Then the phone rang before I left Melbourne and my old mate, the Roffster, wanted me to take a motorbike off his hands and give it to my brother – it was perfect timing and I was in a ute. I was already heading via Sydney to visit a mate when the phone rang again and a lady I know from the dog rescue fraternity asked if I could pick up a little blue heeler on death row at Wagga Wagga.

There I was, driving a Hilux for less than a day and I had a motorcycle in the back and a dog up front. Wow, must be an Aussie thing, eh?

Right, so am I selling some of the relics around here and moving up to a nice newby with air conditioning and computers to operate everything from the motor to the phone and the door locks? Hmm, might just go bung some new leaves under the old 40 instead.

Only one of the six best 4x4s from 2015 can be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016

THE RESULTS

5TH PLACE: NISSAN NAVARA STX – 221 POINTS
Nissan thought outside the box for its new Navara, with coil-spring rear suspension and a bi-turbo diesel donk.

4TH PLACE: MITSUBISHI TRITON EXCEED – 227 POINTS
Good things often come in small packages. Mitsubishi’s MQ Triton proves the point and does it for a good price.

4TH PLACE: TOYOTA FORTUNER GXL – 227POINTS
Fortuner gives buyers of 4×4 wagons an affordable alternative to the Prado, but is it worth your hard-earned?

3RD PLACE: TOYOTA HILUX SR5 – 244 POINTS
When the best-selling 4×4 in the land gets a new model, you take notice. Hiluxes sell like cold beer for a reason!

2ND PLACE: TOYOTA LANDCRUISER PRADO GXL – 250 POINTS
The old Prado keeps on keeping on, even with a smaller 2.8-litre engine fitted to it in its latest update.

WINNER! FORD EVEREST TREND – 259 POINTS
New or updated, the vehicles of 4X4OTY ran a close race – but, in the end, the all-new Ford Everest rose above the pack.

2016 AUSTRALIAN MOTORING AWARDS: 4×4 OF THE YEAR WINNER
4×4 Australia Magazine presents the 4×4 of the Year award to a very worthy winner at the Australian Motoring Awards.

MORE 4X4 OF THE YEAR

HOME: 4X4 OF THE YEAR 2016
On the shortlist for 4X4OTY 2016 were the Hilux, Triton, Fortuner, Prado, Navara and Everest.

THE FINALISTS
The six best 4×4 vehicles of 2015 battling it out to be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016.

4X4 OF THE YEAR HOME
Finding Australia’s Best 4x4s

Meet the six best 4×4 vehicles of 2015 battling it out to be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016.

THE FINALISTS

MITSUBISHI TRITON EXCEED
Good things often come in small packages. Mitsubishi’s MQ Triton proves the point and does it for a good price.

NISSAN NAVARA STX
Nissan thought outside the box for its new Navara, with coil-spring rear suspension and a bi-turbo diesel donk.

FORD EVEREST TREND
The Ford Everest is a new 4×4 wagon based of the Ranger’s T6 platform. Not a bad first effort either.

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER PRADO GXL
The old Prado keeps on keeping on, even with a smaller 2.8-litre engine fitted to it in its latest update.

TOYOTA HILUX SR5
When the best-selling 4×4 in the land gets a new model, you take notice. Hiluxes sell like cold beer for a reason!

TOYOTA FORTUNER GXL
Fortuner gives buyers of 4×4 wagons an affordable alternative to the Prado, but is it worth your hard-earned?

MORE 4X4 OF THE YEAR

HOME: 4X4 OF THE YEAR 2016
On the shortlist for 4X4OTY 2016 were the Hilux, Triton, Fortuner, Prado, Navara and Everest.

THE RESULTS
Only one of the six best 4x4s from 2015 can be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016

4X4 OF THE YEAR HOME
Finding Australia’s Best 4x4s

With the field of finalists set, we reigned in our panel of expert road testers and took off for a week of tough evaluation.

As always, the vehicles were not judged against each other, but against the established 4X4OTY criteria. This is what allows us to test utes alongside wagons, and luxury 4x4s against affordable family rides.

The 4x4OTY criteria are..

VALUE FOR MONEY Judged according to a vehicle’s equipment level, safety features and price relative to its direct competitors. Just because a vehicle has a high price doesn’t mean it’s not good value – in the same way a cheap car isn’t always good value.BREAKING NEW GROUND This refers to advancements in technology and design –how a vehicle has raised the bar in its class to take 4x4s to a higher level is judged. If a vehicle has the latest safety features, worthy engine technology or an advanced driveline, it will score well here.

BUILT TOUGH Referring to how strong a vehicle is and how well it will cope with the rigours of tough off-road driving environments. Will it be up to the task or fall apart at the first hurdle?BUSHABILITY How well a vehicle is equipped for off-road travel. Suitability of the standard tyres for rough roads, touring range, available accessories and underbody protection are just some of the factors considered here. Is this a vehicle you would chose to drive around Australia the rough way, or is it best left to the suburbs?DOING THE JOB Judged according to a vehicle’s design brief. Does a luxury vehicle have all the latest in comfort and convenience features and do they work in the real world? How well a ute carries a load, or a seven seater accommodates a family will all come in to play here.

MORE 4X4 OF THE YEAR

HOME: 4X4 OF THE YEAR 2016
On the shortlist for 4X4OTY 2016 were the Hilux, Triton, Fortuner, Prado, Navara and Everest.

THE FINALISTS
The six best 4×4 vehicles of 2015 battling it out to be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016.

THE RESULTS
Only one of the six best 4x4s from 2015 can be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016

4X4 OF THE YEAR HOME
Finding Australia’s Best 4x4s

After two testing days at the Melbourne 4×4 Training and Proving Ground, we had a fair idea of our six 4X4OTY contenders’ capabilities.

Here we drove each vehicle back to back on the same lines over the same challenging obstacles, to give us an idea of each vehicle’s suspension flexibility, traction control, hill-descent control and more. But, no matter how good a proving ground is, there is no substitute for being out in the real world on real 4×4 trails that can vary from easy to extreme. And what better trails are there than those of the Victorian High Country? We were lucky that the High Country was so close – it offers not only a very challenging driving area, but also great camping and fabulous scenery.

After we left the steep-sided gorge of the Werribee River at the proving grounds, we skirted around the edge of Melbourne and took to some good dirt roads around the Yan Yean Reservoir. That took us through to Kinglake and more blacktop to Mansfield at the base of the High Country.

We dropped tyre pressures once we were on the dirt road to Sheepyard Flat and then crossed the Howqua River at the Flat, without stopping. From here the route climbed steeply to Eight Mile Gap, and we pushed on along a variety of trails that slowly deteriorated as they passed under and around the sheer rock face of the Bluff on the way to Bluff Hut.

First built in 1956, the hut was ravaged by the 2007 inferno but was quickly rebuilt by the Stoney family, which had built the original hut. It’s a top spot to stay overnight and to enjoy the views and play of light across the mountains.

The next morning, we dropped down the relatively steep 16 Mile Jeep Track to come to Pikes Flat on the edge of the Howqua River and then, a little farther upstream, Bindaree Hut, with its extensive flat dotted with huge mountain ash.

A quick climb and then a drive around the Circuit Road had us at Speculation Road before we took a break at the long, narrow clearing that surrounds King River Hut. From here, our route took us along more challenging tracks as we climbed up on to the Cobbler Plateau, although the section of track known and revered as ‘The Staircase’ no longer offers the tough challenge it once did.

After a quick stop at Lake Cobbler (another nice camp spot), we were on our way again, taking the ridgetop run along the Abbeyard Lake Cobbler Track. Again, this has some steep sections and the views across the ranges are superb.

At the bottom of that not-so-terrible descent, we turned to follow the Buffalo River downstream on what was a pretty good dirt road. There are some enjoyable camps dotted between the road and the river and we pulled up at one to enjoy the tranquillity and to discuss the merits of each of the contenders.

For the last day our route took us farther downstream until we crossed the spine of the range on the Goldie Spur Track, which cuts across the southern edge of the great rock massif of Mount Buffalo. Once in the historic Buckland Valley, we amused ourselves on a variety of short, minor 4WD tracks for the benefit of the cameraman and the photographer, before turning north and meeting with the bitumen for the long run home; our job complete for another year, almost.

MORE 4X4 OF THE YEAR

HOME: 4X4 OF THE YEAR 2016
On the shortlist for 4X4OTY 2016 were the Hilux, Triton, Fortuner, Prado, Navara and Everest.

THE FINALISTS
The six best 4×4 vehicles of 2015 battling it out to be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016.

THE RESULTS
Only one of the six best 4x4s from 2015 can be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016

4X4 OF THE YEAR HOME
Finding Australia’s Best 4x4s

With more than 245 years of four-wheel driving experience between them, our judges rate as some of the most experienced in Australia.

Dean Mellor A past editor of 4×4 Australia magazine, Dean has worked on a number of four-wheel drive mags since 1994, when he first started at Overlander mag. While his daily driver these days is a D23 Navara, his love and passion belongs to Land Rover, the first 4WD vehicle he drove, back in 1984. His most memorable 4WD trip was across the Simpson Desert’s Madigan Line in 2005.

Ron Moon Moonie drove his first 4WD – a Series 1 Land Rover – in 1966, when he joined the Australian army, and has been driving 4WD vehicles ever since. He cracked his job-of-a-lifetime when he took over the editorship of 4×4 Australia in 1988, a role he had for nearly 15 years. Now, as 4×4 Au’s Editor-at-Large, he wanders the back blocks of Australia and the globe chasing stories.

Dave Morley Dave Morley is one of the most respected motoring writers in Australia and has been a judge on Wheels magazine’s Car of the Year for more than 20 years. He drove his first 4WD – an FJ45 – back in the early 1970s when living up in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. He has since travelled much of Australia and the world by bike, car and 4WD.

Norm Needham Norm was on the family farm way back in 1958 when he drove his first 4WD – a Series 1 Landie. Establishing Traction 4 (now ARB Artarmon) back when the 4WD industry was small and young, Norm is a Wikipedia of all things Toyota. With trips all over the country under his belt, his ground-breaking journey to Cape York in 1975 remains the most memorable.

Matt Raudonikis Matt is the current Editor of 4×4 Australia magazine and came to the role in late 2013 after a long stint as the editor of Overlander magazine. His first experience with four-wheel drives was back in 1986, when he drove a G60 Patrol. He now owns a BJ73 mid-wheelbase Cruiser and his most memorable 4WD trip was a 10km, 18-hour-long journey in remote, icy Iceland.

John Rooth ‘Roothy’ is arguably the best-known four-wheel driver in Australia, having started behind the wheel of a WW2 Jeep on his family sheep property in the northern Flinders Ranges back in 1964. Now a regular to these hallowed pages, Roothy’s Low Range television show keeps him travelling, while his three 1983 40 Series Cruisers, a 76 Cruiser, a 42 Jeep, a Suzi Sierra and an ex-army Series 2A Landie keep him busy when he’s at home.

Simon Vella Simon has 23 years’ experience at Tough Dog and is now head of research and development at the suspension specialist – when he talks about suspension, you’d better listen, as there will always be something to learn. His first four-wheel drive experience was on the fabled beaches of Newcastle back in the early 1990s and his most memorable trip was a testing and product-proving jaunt to the deserts of Botswana in 2015.

MORE 4X4 OF THE YEAR

HOME: 4X4 OF THE YEAR 2016
On the shortlist for 4X4OTY 2016 were the Hilux, Triton, Fortuner, Prado, Navara and Everest.

THE FINALISTS
The six best 4×4 vehicles of 2015 battling it out to be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016.

THE RESULTS
Only one of the six best 4x4s from 2015 can be crowned 4×4 Of The Year 2016

4X4 OF THE YEAR HOME
Finding Australia’s Best 4x4s

Unimog officially stands for Universal-Motorgerät, which, in a roundabout way, translates to universal motorised machine.

And universal appeal is pretty much what they have achieved, with Unimogs now used worldwide as anything from firefighting and military vehicles to agricultural workhorses and competition trucks, as well as touring, camping and expedition four-wheel drives.

Unofficially, the Unidan is the lovechild of a Unimog and a fella by the name of Daniel (Dan) Mavin, who loves nothing more than turning Unimogs into the most capable 4x4s ever to grace the earth.

Daniel, the hands-on owner – and lover of all things off-road – decided to turn his passion into a business just a few years ago. Via his modifications, vision, first-class workmanship, and his skills in creating custom parts, he has created a worldwide phenomenon that would make any vehicle manufacturer jealous.

A ‘DOKA’, in a roundabout way, is short for ‘double-cab four door’ in Unimog speak, and while Mercedes did make them in small numbers as standard, they were never manufactured quite like the one you see here.

What most non-Unimog folk wouldn’t realise is the one here is the mashing together of two single cab Mogs. Yep, a cut-and-shut job on a huge scale to enable the comfortable cartage of up to six adults. Plus, there’s a massive amount of space in the ute section – perfect for a mobile home, camper pod or for loading quad runners, bikes or boats for your off-road escapes.

Not only has it been lengthened in the cab section, but it has also had its roof lifted to allow for more occupant head room and for fitting ducted air conditioning – a comfort I’m sure the defence forces around the world have never enjoyed before! The gunmetal grey paintwork, instead of the standard drab green or camo coverage, also helps this Mog stand out from the crowd.

Other relatively minor panel adjustments include the widening of the driver’s side footwell, with the modification of the rear wall to allow for a walk-through to the tray area, as well as the slight raising of the whole cab to allow for larger diameter tyres.

The complete vehicle has been sandblasted and totally stripped and refurbished.

Everything from door rubbers and paintwork to internal engine and gearbox parts has been replaced, and many custom parts have been added.

Panel work aside, standard bar work that’s available for these vehicles is pretty limited to, dare I say, ugly and commercially orientated stuff. Fair enough – it does the job, but Daniel wanted to do better in the looks department while still maintaining rugged practicality, so he set about making his own bullbar, rear bar and roof cage system.

The finished bar work is every bit as good as you’ll find in our top-of-the-line aftermarket accessories joints, albeit much larger and heavier duty. The front bar incorporates low-mounted fog lights and bash plates for underbody frontal protection.

At the rear, an upswept steel bar is home to a 17,500-pound, 24-volt RUNVA electric winch (which sits within its own removable cradle), LED reversing lights, LED tail-lights and a hook and pintle-style tow hitch.

Up top, an exo cage-style rack attaches directly to the cabin at several points and serves multiple purposes, including a ladder for roof access, an LED light bar mount, protection for the snorkel, and brush protection for the windscreen when driving through thick scrub. Given the height of a Unimog, we’re guessing these scrub bars would get a work-out on most tracks that usually only see the likes of Land Cruisers and Patrols.

Other than an integrated crane for lifting general gear and the massive spare wheel, the rear of Daniel’s DOKA has been left pretty stark under the grey PVC cover to allow cartage of general camping gear, but would be a perfect spot for that dream ‘round-the-world’ camper body. Given the standard ADF Mogs didn’t have factory PTOs fitted, Dan has installed an N17 PTO gearbox to the standard gearbox to allow for extra goodies to run.

While out 4x4ing for the day, the design parameters of the Unimog were undoubtedly apparent – they are indeed manufactured to crawl over almost anything in their way.

With the ridiculously high ground clearance that portal axles and Michelin 395/85R20 tyres on steel 20-inch Hutchinson rims provide, combined with a flexible chassis, ultra-low-range gearing and a high-torque intercooled turbo-diesel engine, this Unimog mauled rocks and ledges that would see mere Cruisers and Patrols gasping, grinding and failing.

Riding high in the cabin returned a truck-like ride; although, it was quieter and smoother than original (go figure). Dan has higher gearing, via a Claas overdrive, than standard to help with highway cruising speeds and to improve fuel economy.

But still – she’s a truck! The overhead interior instrument layout is more of Dan’s handiwork and houses dual fuel gauges, temp and psi gauges, a winch, two auxiliary batteries, a reversing camera, rock lights, roof lights, LED light bar toggle switches, USB inputs, and extra slots for camper pod-inspired dreams. Aiding in the comfort is a fully adjustable ISRI suspension seat, and keeping the hands less sweaty is a Sparco sports steering wheel.

What becomes apparent when watching Dan shuffle through the gears is that it’s a huge step up from driving a regular 4×4, with many extra levers to negotiate, which keeps the driver busy on-road and off-road.

Not happy to settle with standard power outputs, Dan has manufactured his own intercooler, recalibrated the fuel pump and installed a custom 3.5 inch high-flow stainless steel exhaust system to pump those lowly figures from 125kW to 156kW – all without fuel usage sacrifices. Just goes to show; no matter what 4×4 you own and drive, there is always room for power-up improvements.

To allow easier access to the engine compartment, Dan has fabricated a removable fibreglass grille, which takes seconds to unclip and to reveal the alloy intercooler and engine.

Dan has incorporated a high-flowing air compressor with four individual air lines enabling all four tyres to be pumped up simultaneously. Each coiled hose is cleverly secured in a tube fitted under the front section of the tray.

For those that already own a Unimog, Dan’s company (Unidan) can refurbish, upgrade or rebuild pretty much anything your hearts desires.

Oh, and if you have drooled enough over this Big Cat masterpiece and have to have it parked in your driveway – it’s on sale for a cool $170,000.

A record 1.15 million new cars sold in Australia in 2015, with dual-cab utes continuing their surge in popularity and their dominance of the four-wheel drive market.

Apart from the Toyota Hilux and Nissan Navara – which were both at the end of long product cycles in 2015 – all popular utes increased their sales in 2015, compared with 2014.

Meanwhile, popular 4×4 wagons such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Toyota Prado sold less in 2015 than in 2014.

Despite these ups and downs, the same 4x4s make up the top 10, although the rankings have changed.

1. Toyota Hilux (25,939 sales)

Despite dropping 1380 sales from its 2014 figure, and selling an outgoing model for the majority of the year, the Hilux held on to its number-one sales spot. With the all-new Hilux already on sale, Toyota is well-placed for 2016.

2. Ford Ranger (23,436 sales)

The Ford Ranger held on to its number-two spot from 2014 and was the big mover in 2015, selling 2762 more vehicles, the best increase seen in the top-10 sellers. With a significant mid-life makeover just behind it, the Ranger is also well-placed for 2016.

3. Mitsubishi Triton (20,795 sales)

The Triton made a seamless change to a new model early in 2015 and retained its number-three ranking from 2014, gaining a modest 805 sales. As ever, the Triton’s secret is value for money.

4. Holden Colorado (15,963 sales)

Holden’s Colorado gained 802 sales. It jumps up the rankings from sixth to fifth thanks to lower sales from the Grand Cherokee and Prado.

5. Toyota Prado (15,255 sales)

The Prado was fifth for 2014 and retains that spot for 2015, despite a decrease of 859 sales. It will be under serious pressure from the new Ford Everest in 2016.

6. Nissan Navara (12,272 sales)

Despite a 2521 drop in sales, the Navara moves up from seventh to sixth. Nissan will be hoping for better things for the new NP300 in 2016.

7. Jeep Grand Cherokee (11,964 sales)

Jeep’s Grand Cherokee dropped a whopping 4618 sales, compared with its heyday in 2014, to slide from fourth to seventh in the rankings. 2016 will probably bring more pain in the form of the Ford Everest.

8. Isuzu D-Max (11,301 sales)

Isuzu’s D-Max retains its number-eight spot from 2014, while selling just over a 1000 more vehicles.

9. Mazda BT-50 (8680 sales)

BT-50 sales edged up 368 from 2014 to 2015 but look ordinary compared to the mechanically similar Ranger.

10. Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series (8251 sales)

Toyota sold 97 more 200 Series in 2015 than it did in 2014 and, as with last year, rounds out the top 10.