Nuccaleena

WHAT IS THE BEST 4WD? OR OLD VERSUS NEW

I wish I had a dollar for each time a client has asked this question and my reply is always that it all depends on your needs and your budget.

It all started with those vehicles that helped open up Australia. Be it the first Landrovers in the Snowy Mountain scheme or Reg and Griselda Sprigg and family taking the first vehicle across the Simpson Desert. I do of course include the famous mailmen of the Birdsville Track and the many other outback pioneers who have taken vehicles into remote Australia. As a South Australian I mark the first journey of Aunger and Dutton from Adelaide to Darwin as probably the most daring.

OK so what have old and historic vehicles got to do with today? Well it was all brought into perspective a month back when we took a client away for a training weekend to help prepare her and her vehicle for their first crossing of the Simpson Desert. Sharin (not her real name) had always wanted to take the vehicle across the Simpson but the passing of time and her partner had seen that vision fade. The opportunity to join a group of friends for a crossing generated new interest and so a project was commenced to get her and the vehicle prepared and equipped for this adventure.

Driver skills will play a key role in this trip as her vehicle was actually made in 1985 and is a Toyota BJ-40 short wheel base Landcruiser. Underpowered, when compared to modern day 4WD but equally if not more capable in many other ways. So our Beachport weekend away was focussed on helping Sharin understand what made her car different from but also equal to the modern 4WD that joined us on the trip and to provide her with the skills and confidence to tackle the French Line.

A little bit of history on Milo, as the shorty 40 was quickly nicknamed. Purchased new and kept safe in the hands of the same family for nearly 25 years Milo is almost brand new and had not done any serious off-road travel. It’s one of the most perfectly preserved of its type and the Red Earth team fell in love with it.

Why would we all want to get behind the wheel of something so old? Not mentioning the fact that it is exactly the type of vehicle we all “cut our teeth” in, it’s because it’s basic. No mod cons. No stability control. Manual, not automatic. Solid beam axles front and rear combined with leaf springs and with a short wheel base make for a very capable but at times less comfortable 4WD. No turbocharger means a distinct lack of lazy torque to cruise up a hill. Milo demands driving skill in a completely different way from modern turbocharged 4WD’s and provides a greater degree of driver involvement. For those of us who enjoy this type of challenge it was only ever going to be a fun weekend. For the purest amongst us, perfect.

We started with the basic driving techniques and it was clear that Milo was underpowered in sand and in high range. So after ensuring Sharin was competent in the basics of reverse key stall recoveries we ventured into low range and pointed Milo at the dunes. After a tentative start they were off and bounding around the training area like a kelpie herding sheep. Lots of smiles and hands in the air. It was the start of a steep learning curve for Sharin and what would prove to be one of the best weekends we have had on the Limestone Coast for some time. I will deal with day two in a separate blog

So what’s the point? Well it’s easy to spend a whole lot of money on a brand new 4WD then add a camper trailer/van as well as a fitout and not have any change out of $100,000 or even more and for a lot of people this is a sound decision and fits their needs perfectly. If you need a 4WD as your daily drive, as we do, then something modern with full safety features that is comfortable around town and when covering long distances is a necessity. Our modern 4WD’s come with plenty of technology that makes them reliable but extremely hard to diagnose a problem and repair it outside of a service centre. Although such problems are rare they happen and when they do it is generally somewhere remote.

If it was a perfect world I would have two 4WD, at least. Our Prado does a superb job on and off-road and as a remote area touring vehicle is about as good as it gets for us. But having learnt my driving skills in Series One Landrovers and International 6×6 trucks there will always be a spot for an historic 4WD. Oh dear I feel a project coming on so I am now on the look out for a BJ40 series or similar, just don’t let my wife hear of it.

What I truly love about the older 4WD’s is that they are more challenging to drive well and in the end they are just as capable and in some situations even more so that our modern 4WD’s. The higher level of driver involvement is missing from the modern 4WD and in some cases, like comfort this is a good thing. What is the same all round though is the need for good driver skills and awareness to protect the environment we are lucky to be able to travel through for future generations.

Cheers,

Rob