4WD Reviews: Meet our new Partner

As you probably know, it takes a lot of work to run a 4WD blog and keep the content even close to fresh. And one area we've been lagging behind lately is our 4WD vehicle reviews, which haven't been updated for some time.

So to hopefully rectify this, we've partnered with 4WD Reviews to create an all new 4WD review website based on real world experience with 4WD vehicles, not sales and marketing hyperbole. That's what makes these reviews unique: they're based on real world experience and ownership, and are written to be objective and honest.

4WD vehicle reviews that were previously on this site have now moved to 4WD Reviews, and they'll be adding many more as their site gets up to speed.

Stop by 4WD Truck and 4x4 SUV Reviews, see what's there, and watch for more reviews to show up shortly.

Buying a used Japanese (JDM) 4x4: Is it worth the price?

For a few years now I've been considering the purchase of a used Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) import 4x4 (as I've written about previously). Overall, JDM 4x4 vehicles imported from Japan are in much better condition, have lower miles, and more features and accessories than many domestic models.

However, imported JDM 4x4's tend to be very expensive compared to the same, domestically available models. The reasoning behind this obvious: the JDM 4x4s are in excellent condition, and they are often models that are in high demand worldwide. But...are they really worth it?

To find out, I've put together a comparison of a JDM 4x4 and a domestically equivalent 4x4, both of which are for sale in my city right now. The two vehicles in question are a 1993 Isuzu Bighorn turbo diesel, and a 1993 Isuzu Trooper V6 (gas), the domestically available equivalent.

1993 Isuzu Bighorn turbo diesel - $9900
As with most JDM 4x4s, this Isuzu Bighorn is pristine: fully loaded, only 84,000 kms, and fully compliant for North American roads. It is a beautiful right-hand drive truck, and I owned one much like it when I lived in Japan. With an 83 litre tank, it currently costs about $108 (C$) to fill, and should get about 750kms on the highway.



1993 Isuzu Trooper V6 (gas)
This Isuzu Trooper is a North American model equipped with a rock-solid but thirsty V6 engine typical of the era. According to the ad it needs almost nothing, is ready to go, and has just under 200,000kms on the clock (nothing for this engine really). I also owned the exact same model. At current prices it costs $97.94 (C$) to fill, and you can expect to squeeze about 600 highway kms from a tankful.


Crunching the numbers and assuming someone drives 20,000kms per year, the JDM Isuzu Bighorn will cost $2880 per year to fuel up, and the domestic Trooper will cost $3264 per year--$384 more than the more efficient diesel-powered Bighorn, even with diesel 15% more expensive than gasoline.

But the JDM Isuzu Bighorn diesel costs $6400 more than the North American Isuzu Trooper to purchase. To actually benefit from the fuel cost savings and make up the price difference, you would have to drive the JDM Isuzu Bighorn for almost 17 years. And that's ignoring any parts and repair costs that could be much higher with a JDM 4x4.

When it comes to buying the 4x4 of your dreams, numbers often have little to do with the choice--except perhaps horsepower, torque, and ground clearance numbers. But before you buy, it pays to know what you're buying into. JDM 4x4s can be fantastic vehicles and the price premium is worth it to many people.

But don't discount the domestically available versions simply because they lack the bells and whistles, have more miles and more rust. We're talking about 4WD trucks and 4x4s after all.

The Best Expedition Vehicle: Poll Results

Once again the results of another 4WDTraveller poll are in. "What (as in what vehicle) makes the best 4x4 Expedition Vehicle?" was the question, and here's how you answered:

Toyota Landcruiser 52%
Nissan Patrol/Safari 20%
Mitsubish Pajero 12%
Landrover Discovery 8%
Landrover Defender 4%
Mitsubishi Delica 4%
Ford Expedition 0%
Toyota HiLux/4Runner 0%

The only surprise is that the Nissan Patrol/Safari placed higher than both Landrover's combined, but then that's what you get with unscientific polls (surprises).

Apologies to the Isuzu fans out there: I forgot to include the venerable Isuzu Bighorn/Trooper on the list. Although it's a great 4WD vehicle, it probably wouldn't have placed high on this list however, as it's not really an expedition choice.

In our next poll (online now in the right column as usual) we ask a simple question: "Diesel or gas: Which is best 4WD choice given current fuel prices?" Cast your vote and let the 4WD world know where you stand on the important issues of the day...

Bye bye FJ Cruiser?

As worldwide sales of just about everything plummets, SUVs have been leading the free fall for a couple years now. In response, AutoblogGreen reports that Toyota will be discontinuing the beloved (to fans) FJ Cruiser as sales have been dropping sharply.

Built by Hino Motors in Japan and based on the lightweight Prado platform, the FJ Cruiser was initially a very successful model. Unique styling, borrowed heritiage, and a solid off-road chassis and drivetrain made it a popular choice for off road enthusiasts and urban wannabes alike (most buyers were female).

In addition to poor sales, Toyota's fleet fuel economy requirements are another reason for the eventual discontinuation of the FJ Cruiser. It's a thirsty SUV for its size, and Toyota plans to focus production capacity on more fuel efficient models and hybrids.

But we at 4WDTraveller have a simple solution that will satisfy both FJ Cruiser fans and Toyota's fuel efficiency goals: throw a highly efficient Isuzu diesel engine in the FJ Cruiser!! Toyota owns about 5% of Isuzu and Isuzu is Toyota's diesel engine supplier going forward.

Why not save a beloved model and bring an efficient clean diesel powered SUV to the North American market?

Buying a 4x4: Diesel or Gas?

If you've read a few posts on 4WD Traveller, you probably know we're fans of diesel engines for 4WD use. In general they're tough, reliable, torquey, relatively simple (the older ones at least), not much affected by water, fuel efficient, and oh so nice to drive.

Although they have their drawbacks--such as less horsepower, higher emissions, more noise, more expensive repairs if things go wrong--in general they are almost perfectly suited to off-road 4WD use.

On road however, that's another story. Gasoline engines are smooth and quiet, and deliver far better on road performance and acceleration. Horsepower numbers are higher, torque lower, and fuel economy considerably poorer with gasoline engines, and they have those nasty spark plugs and electrical components that don't like getting wet.

If you're looking to buy a 4WD truck or SUV, which engine is right for you? It depends on how you plan to use your vehicle. If you're into rapid transit on highways, gasoline might be best. If you tend to drive slower on backroads, diesel might be for you. If you spend most of your time on road, gasoline should be fine, but if you spend the majority of time off road, diesel will be better suited in the long run.

Although the choice of engine is a personal one, there are a few realities that make the choice easier: fuel economy, the price of fuel in your area, and the availability of spares will often dictate your engine choice, regardless of what you might like to drive. Whatever engine you choose, make sure it's the right choice for your 4WD lifestyle and the type of off-road use you vehicle is likely to get--you'll be much happier in the long run making the right choice before you buy.

4WD Trucks and SUVs might be better for the environment

Four wheelers--and owners of 4WD trucks and SUVs in general--get a lot of flak these days when it comes to environmental protection and conservation. Our 4x4s are gas guzzlers they say, big and noisy polluters, road hogs, and generally bad for the environment. And those of us who drive 4WD trucks and SUVs are selfish pawns of big oil, people who don't care about our (meaning their) children's future and who are ignorant of the damage our vehicles and lifestyles are doing to the fragile planet.

Um...maybe not.

Aside from the conservation benefits of what I call authentic 4WD ownership--four wheelers who see, experience, use, enjoy, and aggressively protect the great outdoors, fighting to keep public land open, accessible, and enjoyable for generations to come--it turns out when compared equally to other vehicles, our 4WD trucks and SUVs might not be so bad for the environment after all.

The "Dust to Dust" report has been around for a few years now, and is an independent study of the actual cost of ownership in terms of total energy requirements of a given vehicle, from dust to dust.

Although some 4WD trucks and SUVs can certainly be called gas (or diesel) guzzlers, the vast majority around the world are as fuel efficient (or better in the case of diesel) as modern gasoline-powered minivans and full sized sedans. But while modern hybrids such as the Toyota Prius get far better fuel economy than most other cars, when the energy used for production is taken into account, a very different picture emerges.

According to the Dust to Dust report, over its lifetime your 4WD truck or SUV might be far better for the environment than that modern and shiny new hybrid--because of the amount of energy used to produce a hybrid is probably far greater than the amount used to produce your simple, proven, and well tested 4WD truck or SUV.

So the next time a pious Prius driver sneers at your mud covered 4x4, hand them a copy of the Dust to Dust report and ask them how they could be so selfish and uncaring about the environment--and our children's future.

Diesel Engines for one and all

If you drive a 4x4 powered by a gasoline engine and have been dreaming about converting it to diesel--but so far haven't found a diesel engine to use-- DieselMotorEngine.com be able to help. This site is sort of like a matchmaking site for diesel engine buyers and sellers.

Although they seem to mostly have marine and industrial engines, there are quite a few automotive engines listed as well--worth checking out if you're trying to track down a diesel engine for your rig.

The Importance of Overland 4WD Training

Follow along as Jenny and Ollie of JollyFollies.com prepare for and set out on their first around the world (RTW) 4WD travel adventure.

After three months of initial planning for our RTW trip we had bought our vehicle, but were complete novices with respect to operating and maintaining it. Until this time we had only ever owned and driven hatch back cars, and were nervous just taking Dino on the road, and hence decided to get ourselves trained up!

There were two initial aspects that we wanted to cover, off-road driving and vehicle maintenance. We found that most off road driving courses were more expensive than we were prepared to pay, asking up to £600 to train the pair of us. Eventually we found a place that would train the two of us for under £250.

We had a super day, were we learnt the basics of off-roading in a Land Rover, starting at the bottom and working up. Of course, the most important thing after such lessons is to put it all into practice, and so we signed up to our local Land Rover club, The Shire. Here we learnt the best lesson of all though, which was that we could get as good, if not better advice for free from hundreds of willing club members who were happy to spend their time helping us. If we could give one tip, with regards off road training, it would be to join up with a local club and get involved.

The second part of out overland apprenticeship was to sign up to a local college vehicle maintenance course. This was great value at £100 for a 12 week, 3 hours per week, course. The course itself started at the very basics, which was what we needed, and slowly built up to a full 6000 mile pre-MOT service. Although we would not admit to being experts, this course gave us the confidence to get our hands dirty and work on Dino. Certainly we would recommend doing a similar course, because the very minimum you get out of it is a free service!!

Follow along as Jenny and Ollie of JollyFollies.com prepare for and set out on their first around the world (RTW) 4WD travel adventure.