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Category: Reviews and Editorials

LANDMARK 4WDS

There are crook 4WDs, mediocre 4WDs, good 4WDs and then there are the 4WDs that either made history or perhaps, more importantly, changed the perceptions and expectations of the buying public. Here’s our take on the landmark fourbies we all love or hate.

• Nissan G-Series three-speed: First vehicle to cross the Simpson Desert. In 1962, geologist Reg Sprigg, his wife Griselda and their children Doug and Margaret were our Simpson four-wheel driving pioneers, after a number of unsuccessful attempts in Land Rovers.

• Original Range Rover (1970): Redefined the concept of what was possible in a 4WD vehicle. Where everyone else was using truck mechanical lineage to make 4x4s, Range Rover designer Charles Spencer ‘Spen’ King used a Rover saloon to come up with coil suspension and create a vehicle that was comfortable on-road, and stunning off. Bloody expensive though!

• Haflinger: Brilliance of design. Haflingers (named after a horse breed) were built by Austrian company Steyr-Puch between 1959 and 1974. They featured front and rear diff-locks, portal (spur gear) hubs to gain maximum clearance, fully independent suspension and were so light at 600kg that two blokes could lift one out of a bog…well, maybe three or four.

• Pinzgauer: Unbelievable cross-country ability. (Included at Glover’s insistence, as he reckons it was the most capable off-road vehicle he has ever driven). Made from 1971 on by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, then a variety of manufacturers. What Glover fails to mention is that he drove the 6x6, not the 4x4 version.

• Nissan MQ Patrol: The first vehicle that proved Japan could build a comfortable 4WD without compromising cross-country capability. The MQ was a real milestone, even though it showed its truck lineage with a 24v electrical system.

• Toyota HJ60: Where the Nissan MQ was a Short Wheel Base vehicle, the HJ60 was a full size wagon and although playing catch-up with Nissan, was significant in bringing relative comfort to family buyers.

• Subaru Touring Wagon: Affordable road manners. The Touring Wagon (1981) could be driven like a car, but in the hands of a competent four-wheel driver always amazed people where it could go with no low-range option.

• Willys Jeep: Included at Pat’s insistence because of its iconic grille design (the company later won a lawsuit against Hummer because of the similarity of its grille).

• LJ Series Suzuki: For the concept rather than the execution. The LJ was light, manoeuvrable and affordable, if slightly flawed. Pat had one of the two-stroke versions and reckons it was a sweet (if very smoky) rig for driving up the family cherry orchard in Young, NSW.

• Y62 Nissan Patrol: Technical innovation as much as anything else. While its new interconnected hydraulic ram suspension system bears a superficial resemblance to Toyota’s kinetic suspension, in the Toyota’s case hydraulic rams are used to control the sway bars, whereas with the new Nissan suspension replaces dampers and sway bars. Hydraulic Body Motion Control (or HBMC as it’s known) controls everything, from wheel travel to pitch and roll, and overall comfort and stability. This is engineering development at its very best.

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