Up-to-speed with off-road driving?

Off-road driving may well look like a lot of entertaining, but if you are not cautious you could finish up facing costly auto repairs – or even find oneself on the wrong side of the law.

We’ve all seen these ads displaying rugged 4x4s tackling extreme terrain, but tempting as it perhaps to follow suit and head off-road in your personal automobile, you’ll need to swot up on a couple of groundrules 1st.

Is your auto up to off-roading?

If you are organizing on taking your automobile down a moderately bumpy off-road track at no excellent speed, then most automobiles will be up to the job.

Even so, if it is serious off-roading you’re considering, which involves driving on rocky, steep or exceptionally muddy or wet terrain, something other than a 4×4 is most likely to come to grief.

Here’s HonestJohn.co.uk’s list of the best 10 autos for off-road use:

• Land Rover Defender


• Mercedes Benz G-Class assessment


• Land Rover Discovery


• Nissan Patrol


• Toyota Land Cruiser


• Mitsubushi Shogun


• Variety Rover


• Fiat Panda 4×4


• Suzuki Jimny


• Jeep Grand Cherokee

What sticky circumstance did a footballer get himself into following driving off-road?

Tyred and emotional

If you do own 1 of these vehicles, or another make of 4×4, don’t assume that you will be okay to right away start off driving off-road – you’ll want to check what tyres you have very first.

The very best tyres for owners who want to use their vehicles both on and off-road are recognized as ‘All Terrain’ tyres.

These may be supplied as an optional added when you get your automobile, so make confident you request them if off-roading is on the agenda.

Yet another alternative you might want to think about are ‘Mud Terrain’ tyres.

There, as the name suggests, are designed to cope with particularly muddy conditions, and are most suitable for folks who will spend around 80% of their time off-road, such as farmers.

They are not recommended for drivers who will clock up a substantial quantity of road miles as big tread gaps mean that braking distances are considerably longer in wet climate.

Off-road, on cover?

If you’re arranging on driving off-road, then get in touch with your insurer to see if you are covered.

Probabilities are you will require specialist 4×4 off-road insurance. Premiums for this sort of cover will cost much more than for a traditional policy, as there’s a higher threat of harm to your car.

Adrian Flux and NFU Mutual are amongst the insurers which offer this variety of cover.

Track modifications

Do not assume you can simply drive off down any old track if you’re searching for a bit of off-road action.

According to Section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is illegal to drive a motor car on widespread land, moorland, Forestry Commission land, or in truth ANY land which is not element of a road with no authorisation.

That implies you must get permission from the landowner initial, or threat a heavy fine or even attainable confiscation of your automobile.

Keys to the byway

The only ‘off-road’ areas you can drive with no looking for permission are identified as ‘Byways Open to All Traffic’ (BOATs), or Roads Utilized as a Public Path (RUPPs) both of which should be marked on Ordnance Survey maps.

Even if you are driving legally on a single of these roads or byways, you must make confident that you do not result in damage either to the atmosphere or wildlife.

If you do, you could end up in big trouble with the England and Wales Forestry Commission, who have the power to seize your vehicle if they take into account it necessary.

If you are in any doubt about where it’s legal and safe to drive off-road, it is a excellent idea to seek the advice of the British Off-Road Driving Association (BORDA) initial.

This is the UK’s only expert Association committed to off-road driving at authorised venues throughout the UK. Uncover out much more at www.borda.org.uk.

Recovery position

The brief answer is no, so if you’re planning on going off-road, you must be prepared to foot recovery charges your self if something goes wrong (and preferably have a buddy with a winch and a 4×4 themselves.)

Verify the small print of your breakdown cover if you are uncertain, but most providers clearly state that they won’t cover you if your automobile is involved in motor racing, off-road driving, rallies or track days.

They also won’t come out if your vehicle breaks down in a location they can not get to.

Off-road driving suggestions

You have got the proper vehicle, the appropriate tyres, the appropriate insurance and you have identified a legal route to drive on – but are you up to speed with off-road driving strategies?

The following suggestions may possibly sound obvious, but it just takes one little mistake to finish up in critical difficulty, so ignore them at your peril.

• If you are travelling up a sharp incline, check there is a clear route for you to exit at the top. Make confident as well that there are no massive rocks or other hazards, as you will not be capable to see these when you’re driving.


• When you’re driving down a steep hill off-road, remain in 1st gear and go down slowly, Go as well rapidly and you could finish up with the front of your automobile buried in mud.


• Travel at a reduced speed when driving by way of water. This will assist guarantee you don’t flood the engine. If you are not specific how deep the water is, or no matter whether there’s a firm surface underneath, do not danger it.

Up-to-speed with off-road driving?

Revealed: The Kia Trail’ster Idea, a Soul That Can Roll Off-Road

Auto Shows

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Jacked up, toughened up, and fitted with electric AWD.

At the 2015 Chicago auto show, Kia revealed yet another Soul-based, ’ster-named notion: the Trail’ster, a plucky tiny crossover that hints at what an active-way of life Kia cute-ute could appear like. Following in the footsteps of Kia’s 2009 Soul’ster and 2012 Track’ster concepts, the Trail’ster is aimed at the “city-dweller-turned-outdoor-adventurer,” the type of purchaser who desires economy-automobile efficiency and size with some light off-road capability and functionality. (In other words, an individual who buys a Subaru XV Crosstrek.)

That means the Soul’s refrigerator-esque physique is lifted about 2.5 inches on KSport coilovers and rolls on 245/45-19 Pirelli Winter Carving tires. It is also fitted with a nifty all-wheel-drive program, which we’ll get to in a moment. The concept has aluminum skid plates, a roll-back canvas roof, and an integrated roof rack for your mountain bikes/snowboards/snowbikes or what ever active youth are hurtling down cliffs atop this week.

The style particulars are notably different from those on the hamster-boxes you see in your cul-de-sac. Painted a color named Polar Pearl Snowdrift and accented by a Terra Bronze Metallic roof and reduced cladding and anodized red trim, the colour palette was “inspired by the earthy combinations of springtime snow and mud, the terrain for which the Trail’ster has been developed,” Kia says. We’ve never ever felt really that inspired by the sight of snow and mud, but okay.

With square, K900-style projector headlights a thin, complete-width grille accent lights in the roof and side-view mirrors and prominent LED foglights in the reduced fascia, the concept’s aesthetic aims to be both premium and rugged. And y’know what? It pulls it off. Inside, earthy brown leather upholstery and polished aluminum accents are certainly more upmarket than you might expect from an outdoorsy runabout—we would have pictured less quilted leather and much more Gore-Tex.

Under the hood, you will not discover the present Soul’s naturally aspirated 1.6- or 2.-liter 4-cylinders. Alternatively, a 1.6-liter turbo 4 sends 185 horses and 185 lb-ft to the front wheels through a 6-speed automatic.

“But wait,” you puzzle. “I thought you mentioned it was all-wheel drive.” It is: A 270-volt AC electric motor zaps 35 horses and 100 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels as needed. Kia utilizes the “through-the-road” descriptor for the hybrid drivetrain, which means there’s no mechanical connection amongst the front and rear drivetrains save for the road itself. That rear motivator comes on the internet as needed to boost acceleration, compensate for front-wheel slip, and mask turbo lag. Nifty. With each the internal-combustion engine and the electric rear motor at full song, the cutesy Kia moves to the tune of 220 horses and 285 lb-ft.

The electric rear drivetrain also makes it possible for the Trail’ster to putter about as an EV at low speeds, flipping into regen mode beneath braking to charge up the 1.2-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack located under the cargo floor. Among the hybrid drivetrain, the electrically driven A/C compressor, auto commence-quit functionality, and the downsized turbo engine, Kia says the Trail’ster could boost on the existing 2.-liter Soul’s fuel economy by as a lot as 30 % in the city and 10 % on the highway. That would mean someplace about 30/34 mpg on the EPA’s scale.

Kia is referring to the Trail’ster as a notion only, but it is not hard to picture that the firm desires a competitor to battle the mushrooming crop of butch baby crossovers. So though there’s no pricing or release date, don’t be surprised if somewhere down the line, Kia throws an AWD drivetrain and a small a lot more ground clearance below the Soul. It could not have the e-AWD system noticed in this concept car—that would be too complex and costly for a low-$ 20K conveyance—but we’d still welcome a Trail’ster-inspired Soul variant to the fray.

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Official Photographs and Info

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Correct grit.

We would, of course, recognize if you believe that the world currently possesses sufficient compact SUVs wearing premium badges. The majority of these seem to devote their time doing nothing a lot more adventurous than shuttling in between upmarket outlet malls. However the new Land Rover Discovery Sport, observed here for the first time, does stand out from its posh rivals for one easy and moderately compelling reason—it has been made to really go off-road, at least at times. The Discovery Sport arrives here early next year, priced from $ 38,920.

The clunky name is the outcome of Land Rover’;s policy of utilizing diverse branding in different markets. Outdoors the U.S. the LR4 is still named the Discovery (a badge that we last saw stateside in 2004), hence its smaller new sibling obtaining a spun-off moniker. The Sport is slightly longer than the aging LR2, with the distinction explained by the truth that it comes with 5-plus-2 seating as normal, the third row collapsing beneath the trunk floor.

On the basis of these 1st photos you’;d have to say that it really is a handsome tiny beast. The Sport is reduced and sleeker than subsequent year’;s replacement for the aging LR4, and its architecture is closely related to that of the Range Rover Evoque, with the 2 cars sharing main components which includes the 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine that will be standard in the U.S. This is really Land Rover’;s older-tech turbo 4, and we can count on an upgrade to the new Ingenium engine that is going to be launched in the forthcoming Jaguar XE within a couple of years. The company’s new 9-speed automatic transmission will be regular, and drive is shared with the rear wheels by way of a Haldex clutch on the rear axle. Very first gear is efficiently a part-time crawler ratio, and the Sport will typically start off in second.

The body shell is predominantly steel with the exception of an aluminum roof. More weight savings are realized by utilizing aluminum for the hood, front fenders, and liftgate, as well as a magnesium cross-automobile beam for the front structure. The claimed 3957-pound curb weight is barely far more than the LR2’s.

As for wilderness-difficult ability, the Discovery Sport cannot match the ground clearance of the LR4, Variety Rover, or Variety Rover Sport, but the new SUV’s 73 inches is much more than respectable. Land Rover also claims method, departure, and breakover angles of 25, 31, and 31 degrees for the Sport, plus a wading depth of 23.6 inches. That is far better off-road capability than what’s supplied by a BMW X3, Audi Q5, or other “shopping-mall” SUVs, in other words. And here’s more proof: Land Rover advises that “In intense situations, reduced trim on the front bumper can be removed to boost the approach angle,” quite possibly by the obstruction itself if you overlook to unclip it in time. As with other Land Rover goods, there’;s a Terrain Response rotary controller to enable the driver to choose an appropriate driving mode (such as sand, snow, rocks, mud) for a certain on- or off-road situation.

In recent years, it has felt as if Land Rover has concentrated far a lot more effort on ramping up the desirability of its Range Rover items than it has showered on the LR2 and LR4. The Discovery Sport, which will ultimately supplant the LR2 here, appears to be a welcome return to kind for the grittier side of the brand. Let’;s hope it drives as excellent as it appears.

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4X4 Night Experience launched for Off-road Fanantics

The inaugural 4×4 Night Experience off-road event will take place on Saturday the 7th June 2014 at the Hennops Off Road Trail starting at 17h00.

The title sponsor is Weekend Warrior, encompassing HDP shocks, Vision X LED lights, Warn winches, and Hi-Lift jacks, all Control Instruments-Automotive brands.

Weekend Warrior is an initiative launched by Control Instruments-Automotive for 4×4 enthusiasts to become members of a weekend outdoor club. Members participate in weekend outdoor activities across the country and gain outdoor enthusiast membership under the Weekend Warrior banner.

“To become a member, go to www.theweekendwarrior.co.za and look out for some more great events like the Weekend Warrior 4×4 Night Experience,” said Leonard Chester, product manager – Vehicle Accessories, Control Instruments-Automotive.

Current Weekend Warrior members will receive a R50 discount on tickets. If you are a member of the Weekend Warrior club please email leonard.chester@ci-automotive.co.za before 30 May to book your spot at the discounted rate.

Ryan Saunders, event organiser for the 4×4 Night Experience, said, “The event will provide entrants with a unique 10km 4×4 course with challenging obstacles. After completing the course participants will be treated to prizes, food, craft beer, exhibitors, music and entertainment, all under the night skies of Hennops.”

The evening will kick off with entrants traversing the 4×4 track and its obstacles, designed by Tim Skelton of SA Adventure, from 17:00 until around 20:00. At the finish there will be an entertainment and exhibition area where 4×4 enthusiasts can browse a selection of the finest outdoor accessories and products. On sale will be craft beer courtesy of Copper Lake Breweries and scrumptious food by Dinani Caterers. No drinking and driving will be allowed on the 4×4 course.

Lucky draws will occur throughout the evening with prizes including a Vision X 6.7 Cannon light set worth R10 000 as well as a Hi-Lift jack, Casio watches, Uniross rechargeable batteries, SA Adventure 4×4 training courses and a variety of other 4×4 accessories. The event will finish around 23:00.

The cost per 4×4 is R300 with a maximum of 5 people per vehicle. 4x2s and Soft Roaders are welcome with escape routes available for all the obstacles and marshals on route to help should you require assistance or guidance. Camping is also available at R100 per site. Please bring all your own camping equipment.

Sedans are also welcome at R50 per car should you just want to enjoy the atmosphere, exhibitors and craft beer. A separate entrance will be provided to the exhibition and entertainment area for all sedans.

Head over to Webtickets (https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=828881204) to book your spot now and please do not hesitate to contact us on nightexp@csa.co.za or nightexp@saadventure.co.za should you have any questions or require any further information.

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4X4 Night Experience launched for Off-road Fanantics