News - SA 4x4

Elephant Charge 2017

Ten Years Ten Reasons To Charge! Sarah Davies #1 THIS YEAR IS NUMERO TEN – one of the most epic, audacious and thrill-seeking events going, the Elephant Charge in Zambia is a 4×4 motorsport challenge and has reached its tenth anniversary. You do NOT want to miss this year’s show! The 2017 Fuchs Elephant Charge will take place at a secret location in the Zambian bush on Saturday 14 October 2017. Are you rrrrrrready?! #2 EC PUTS THE FUN INTO FUNDRAISING – since 2008, the Elephant Charge teams have supported 17 wildlife conservation projects with grants totaling $647,991. This year…

Fresh rubber: Grabber AT3

General Tire has updated its popular all-terrain and mud terrain offering

Over the years, we’ve travelled countless thousands of kilometres on various sets of General Grabber all-terrain tyres, from the sharp rocks of the Tankwa Karoo to slippery mud deep in the Transkei, as well as on long gravel and sand stretches crisscrossing Botswana and Namibia. This left us with a high opinion of the previous-generation offerings, and especially of the AT version which proved extremely puncture-resistant on our travels. Now, General Tire, an American brand that is a subsidiary of Continental, has released redesigned versions of its all-terrain and mud-terrain offerings – respectively the Grabber AT3 and Grabber X3 –…

Fortuner 4x4

Fortuner 4×4 now in 2.4 guise

A Fortuner that combined the frugal and cost efficient 2.4 GD-6 engine with a 4×4 drivetrain was a model sorely lacking when the latest range was launched. Thankfully, Toyota South Africa has answered our prayers. The 2.4 GD-6 4×4 6AT will use the same 110kW/400Nm mill as found elsewhere in the range, mated to a 6-speed automatic box and low-range transfer case. More good news? At R506 000, it’s R118 100 cheaper than the 2.8-litre auto 4×4.

Ford ranger raptor

Ford ranger raptor to be powered by a four-banger?

Not to be confused with the F150-based Raptor as is sold in the US, the Ranger Raptor due to hit our market next year will be a performance version of Ford’s existing mid-size offering, the Ranger. Though we don’t have confirmation yet, reliable sources suggest that the new Ranger Raptor will be powered by a high output, twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel engine – which comes as a big disappointment to many Ford fans hoping to see the 2.7-litre Ecoboost V6 petrol introduced, or at least the 2.3-litre four-cylinder currently found under Mustang bonnets. However, Ford insists the twin-turbo 2.-litre diesel mill…

Pajero sport: Right on point

Although the previous Pajero Sport was getting long in the tooth, Mitsubishi’s latest offering is set to stick it to the Everest and Fortuner with a combination of new tech, safety features, style and capability. The vehicle has been completely redesigned from the ground up, and is based on the ladder frame of the latest Triton bakkie. Capability and drivetrain Like the Triton, the Pajero Sport uses a heavily turbocharged 2.4-litre diesel mill, in this case with 133kW and 430Nm. Unlike the Triton with its five-speed auto, the Sport uses an Aisin 8-speed auto, and, thanks to that quick-shifting box,…

Beeld Show: Show and Tell

By Andrew Middleton A selection of the top overlanding and camping items that caught our attention at the recent Beeld Show BENT ON POWER FlexoPower Kalahari-158 kit Used by the SANDF, Botswana and Namibian Defence Force – and most recently the US military – FlexoPower provides nearly indestructible flexible solar panels for a variety of applications. Thanks to the panels’ flexible nature, packing is easy and the result is compact – perfect for overland travel. The panels are also affected less by partial shading than other solar collectors, and the amorphous silicon triple junction absorbs more sunlight than other…

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