Since its debut, Jeep’s JK Wrangler remains the ultimate off-road 4X4 that can be bought straight off the showroom floor.

That’s thanks to its heavy-duty construction, live front and rear axles , coil spring suspension and the availability of front and rear locking diffs and swaybar disconnect on the Rubicon model. Yet enthusiasts always want more, and if having the most capable OEM vehicle doesn’t cut it, there’s a world of aftermarket equipment available for the JK to make it almost unstoppable. The amount of gear you can buy for Jeeps is incredibly extensive, as is the number of modification possibilities.

The traditional body-on-chassis construction of the Wrangler, combined with its removable roof, doors and windscreen make it a virtual Meccano set of the automotive world. Enthusiasts unbolt what the factory supplied, replacing it with kit from aftermarket companies – all in the name of tailoring their vehicle to their needs, desires and aspirations.

The number of companies producing stuff for the Wrangler is staggering. They make everything from seat covers and body bling to complete suspension systems and engine conversions. If you can think of it, it’s probably available. This gallery is a stunning display of the depth of mods and innovation available to Jeeps, as seen in the February 2013 issue of4X4 Australia.

It’s import-only but this US Toyota ute offers enough spark to warrant ordering a container.

Toyota’s Tundra is big and bold, a full-sized Texas pick-up designed for all seasons and all roads to counter the likes of Ford’s F150.

Thanks to Queensland’s Performax, the V8-engined, four-wheel drive ute is now here on Australian highways and tracks. It’s an impressive bit of kit.

Some Yanks consider this big Toyota hauler a bit too car-like to be a proper truck. Yet here, the Tundra may fit just right. It is, as Performax suggests, a worthwhile alternative to cutting and shutting a LandCruiser Sahara into a four-door ute. And the American-built Toyota is just as competent on bitumen, dirt or sand.

Shark Bay is rightly acclaimed for its natural phenomena, but it’s the Western extremities that have the 4X4 community talking.

Going on name alone, Shark Bay, on Western Australia’s mid-west coast isn’t the first place you’d think of heading to for a family holiday. Yet despite the name, the area has become one of the region’s most popular destinations with fishing, swimming, snorkelling, diving and boating high on the agenda for most holiday-makers. British explorer William Dampier noted in his journal in 1688 of the abundance of sharks, naming the region Sharks Bay. But in reality, the area is renowned for a much broader range of aquatic life including dugongs, turtles, dolphins, whales, rays and tropical and temperate fish species.

The wider area of Shark Bay encompasses an area of about 13,000 square kilometres, broken into a series of gulfs, inlets and basins by dune ridges and seagrass banks. The unspoilt natural wilderness environment gained international acclaim in 1991 receiving World Heritage status. Containing the world’s largest seagrass beds, the interactive dolphins from Monkey Mia and the high-saltwater-tolerant species of cockle shells and stromatolites, it met all four natural criteria required at the time for this status. It’s one of only 16 sites in the world to do so.

Jeep’s Grand Cherokee has copped a new eight-speed auto box, a futuristic facelift, performance boost and improved fuel consumption. The new model was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show.

The GC was already pretty damn impressive – it won our 4X4 of the Year 2011 title – but a new Star Wars-stylish headlights-and-grille combo, as well as a customisable colour-screen instrument cluster, suede roof lining, advanced infotainment system, and upmarket-slick arm rests, doors and trim, have boosted the GC’s appeal.

Engine options – 3.6-litre V6, 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, or 6.4-litre V8 – remain unchanged.

The eight-speed auto has increased functionality, including a launch-control mode for faster starts, and an eco mode that adjusts throttle and transmission calibrations to reduce fuel use.

The new Summit becomes the range’s flagship model.

The range’s rebel, the high-performance SRT8, now has “unique styling touches” (Jeep’s words, not ours). SRT boss Ralph Gilles reckons the tweaks – which include dumping shiny bling-bling chrome for frosted exterior lights and black-out finishes – were inspired by aftermarket tuners – and Star Wars.

“This is really the Darth Vader of the line up,” he says.

Six new-model 4X4s were torture-tested over four days in the NSW bush to find out which one deserved the prestigious title of 4X4 Australia’s 4X4 of the Year.

Seven judges scrutinised the vehicles using five criteria: Value for Money, Doing the Job, Bushability, Breaking New Ground, and Built Tough. There were gnarly hill-climbs, busted vehicles, some wounded pride, a few beers, and, er, a quokka…

6th Place: Holden Colorado7 PROS: Well-controlled suspension, Decent equipment level CONS: Noisy engine, Too thirsty

5th Place: Jeep Wrangler Rubicon PROS: Funky looking, Great heritage, Unbeatable off-road CONS: Thirsty and noisy, Ordinary ride

4th Place: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport PROS: Great heritage, Strong value for money, Unbeatable off-road CONS: Thirsty and noisy, Ordinary ride

3rd Place: Nissan Patrol Y62 Ti-L PROS: Big AND heavy but steers well, Room, Tech savvy CONS: Big AND heavy, Not as good as it should have been

2nd Place: Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series GXL PROS: Strong tough tradition, 138-litre tank great for touring, Smooth-riding CONS: Thirsty, Doesn’t break any new ground

WINNER: Land Rover Discovery 4 PROS: Good value for money,Superb ride and handling on all surfaces, in all conditions, Punchy bi-turbo V6 diesel, Very capable off-road CONS: 19-inch tyres / rims, Fuel tank (82 litres) is too small, Air suspension difficult (impossible) to have fixed in the bush

The paramedic training goes into action with a night-time rescue and sand-driving on Stockton Beach. Alphonso was alone in the bush. How lost or how long he’d been lost was probably unknown to the unfortunate bushwalker as he was semi-delirious and suffering from extreme cold.

His busted ankle probably didn’t help either. Still, earlier, when more coherent, one thing Alphonso had managed to do was relay an eight-figure grid reference to the triple 000 operator via his mobile.

None of this information was yet known to our ambulance course (Special Operations – Rescue) participants back at camp. That was for them to discover once they’d worked out where Alphonso was. To initiate the operation, the ambulance service had received a call about our lost walker.

Since it would require a remote operation it was directed straight to the Rescue and Special Casualty Access Team (SCAT) nearest to the area. Well, it would have been if this wasn’t all fictitious and just another component of the course.

Using the Military Grid Reference System this eight-figure grid reference was given to the team which they had to use to work out the location on a topographic map.

They then had to work out the distance and the quickest, most efficient way of accessing the patient. To do this, they used a map, compass, and hand-held GPS units.

UTE OF THE YEAR 2012 | 4×4 Australia

This year’s Ute of the Year field was a battle of past and present, with a reborn, and well proved, old-timer facing off against a high-tech foursome. Our six judges – Marcus Craft, Ron Moon, Fraser Stronach, Brad Newham, Matt Raudonikis and Justin Walker, with decades of combined vehicle-testing experience between them – would spend four days of intense testing and scrutinising to decide.

The five vehicles that qualified for 2012 4X4UOTY were subjected a test route comprised all potential conditions in which these vehicles would be used by owners: a mix of freeway, secondary back-roads, dirt roads and (very) steep and challenging national park and state forest tracks.

There’s a right way and a wrong way to tackle water-crossings in a 4X4.

There’s a right way and a wrong way to tackle water-crossings in a 4X4. Tackled sensibly, they are only mere obstacles, but taken lightly and these one-track fluid fun-parks can bite back.

Click here to watch 4×4’s insane water-crossings caught on camera!

Australia is the first country in the world to take delivery of Toyota’s much-anticipated LandCruiser 79 Double Cab* – and 4X4 Australia magazine has had an exclusive First Drive in it. (*That’s a dual-cab to the rest of us.)

This hard-core 4.5-litre V8 diesel off-roader has a five-speed manual gearbox and is being offered in two grades, Workmate and GXL. The Workmate, priced from $63 990, has practical 16-inch steel split rims with robust 7.50R16 Light Truck tyres, vinyl seats and floor covering. The fancier GXL (priced from $67 990) has 16-inch alloys with wider 265/70R16 tyres (also LT), mudguard flares, fog lights, cloth seats, carpets, remote central locking, and front and rear diff locks, which are optional on the Workmate. With the introduction of the LC79 DC, Toyota has also revised the entire 70 Series range adding ABS brakes to all models, and a larger fuel tank (now 130 litres) and new front seats to the LC76, among other across-the-range detail changes.

The single-turbo V8 oiler produces 151kW of power (at 3400rpm) and 430Nm of torque.

Toyota is taking a bricks and mortar approach with its LC79 workhorse ute in a bid to be big boss on site

For something that seems like such a no-brainer, it took Toyota a long time to come up with the LandCruiser 79 Double Cab. According to Toyota Australia, “demand from the booming mining sector and from others” led to the development of the double-cab 79. Australia will also be the first country to receive this new Cruiser ute.

The LC79 Double Cab joins the LC79 Single Cab, the LC76 Wagon and the LC78 TroopCarrier to make a four-variant strong 70-Series range. It will be offered in two grades, Workmate and GXL.

As its name suggests, the Workmate, priced from $63,990, has practical 16-inch steel split rims with robust 7.50R16 Light Truck tyres, vinyl seats and floor covering. The fancier GXL (priced from $67,990) has 16-inch alloys with wider 265/70R16 tyres (also LT), mudguard flares, fog lights, cloth seats, carpets, remote central locking, and front and rear diff locks, which are optional on the Workmate.

With the introduction of the LC79 DC, Toyota has also revised the entire 70 Series range adding ABS brakes to all models, and a larger fuel tank (now 130 litres) and new front seats to the LC76, among other across-the-range detail changes.Find out more in the December issue of 4X4 Australia, on sale now!