4X4

Starlink for travellers, overlanders, 4x4ers & campers

11 January 2022 Robert Pepper

Do you travel in remote areas, away from the usual 4G phone reception, yet want high-speed Internet access? Maybe Starlink is for you. It’s a satellite-based Internet access system, and eventually, you’ll be able to use it to get high-speed Internet access anywhere in the world. Right now coverage is limited, and it is designed […]

4X4

Is an ‘e-jerry’ the solution to extend EV 4X4 range?

5 January 2022 Robert Pepper

If you own an offroad touring 4×4 or tow heavy caravans, then your fuel consumption is going to rise quite dramatically compared to standard and so you’ll want some extra range. The simple way to solve this is to fit an long-range fuel tank; either replacing the standard tank, or adding an auxiliary. In my […]

4X4

Developing a modern 4X4 – LC300 engineer interview

29 December 2021 Robert Pepper

Ever wondered how a modern 4X4 is developed? Following on from my prototype drive in May 2020, in this interview I talk to two Toyota engineers who were closely involved with the design and development of the new LandCruiser 300 Series. This interview is a four-part series: Part 1: Development process Part 2: LC300 tech […]

4X4

Checking out a mud bog on a 4×4 track – and de-bogging a caravan

3 December 2021 Robert Pepper

Everyone bar novices and a few crazies hates mud. It’s a real chore to clean, and damages all sorts of thing such as alternators, starter motors, wheel bearings…it’s basically water and grit. Awful. But, you have to deal with it sometimes, and the video below shows how it’s done. The one after…how it’s not! WARNING […]

4X4

Rivian R1T – test drive discussion

14 November 2021 Robert Pepper

The Rivian R1T is perhaps the most significant vehicle to hit the market in recent years because it represents the future – a vehicle designed from the ground up as a BEV (battery electric vehicle) AND as a real offroad 4X4. So when I saw David Tracy of Jalopnik had written a very detailed and […]

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4X4

Land Rover Defender L663 GVMs for Australia

20 October 2021 Robert Pepper

There has been some confusion over Land Rover’s unusual, but not unheard of approach to GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) for Australia. That’s because there’s different GVMs for different configurations. Today I checked with Land Rover, and they confirmed the GVMs for the Australian L663 Defender 110 are (direct copy-paste): 110 5 Seat – 3200kg 6 […]

4X4

LC300 vs LC200 payload, towing analysis

5 October 2021 Robert Pepper

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What’s the LC300 like to tow with compared to the LC200? Well, I’ve towed 3000kg with both and so far, my view is the 300 is the better towcar. But it was only today I managed to get all the technical details required to do a proper specification analysis to see which vehicle has a […]

4X4

Australian Toyota LandCruiser 2022 LC300 model range differences, new accessory details

5 October 2021 Robert Pepper

Wondering what the specification differences are between the models? Here’s a complete run-down of the differences, direct from Toyota. Prices are exclusive of on-road costs. UPDATE: Towing and payload analysis, LC300 vs L200 – now I have all the specs! A common question is whether you’ll be able to option offroad features like the lockers […]

4X4

Are you being misled by recovery gear ratings?

3 October 2021 Robert Pepper

My latest webinar interview was with the owners of Saber Offroad, a small but increasingly well respected company focused on 4×4 recovery gear. Over the 45m interview we discussed a number of topics and I learned a great deal, more than I expected to, and I’m sure the attendees on Zoom also left the session […]

4X4

Next-gen T7 Ford Ranger on the way

9 September 2021 Robert Pepper

Ford has released a video about what they call NextGenRanger on the new T7 platform. The current Ranger is on the T6 platform and was first released in 2011, working through PX, PX2 and current PX3 versions. So the T7 is a new design, but how new we don’t know…but it won’t be long to […]

4X4

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