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BUYING USED: RANGE ROVER SPORT The famous Range Rover’s 40-year move upmarket has been great for Land Rover. It has reinforced the premium SUV’s status as top dog 4x4 – but, at the same time, it also created a gap in the model range. Think about it: the Discovery has been with us since 1989, serving those who are after a big, working off-roader. And this allowed the Range Rover to get posher and dearer, culminating in the 2002 L322 masterpiece. |
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THE £10K TRUCK Not everyone in the market for a one-tonne pick-up can afford – or would even want – to buy brand new. And, happily, there’s no shortage of choice on the secondhand market, with a budget of around £10k bringing you an array of worthy contenders. |
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OWNER'S VIEW: LAND ROVER DEFENDER This must be the definitive 4x4. The original. The original Land Rover. Never mind this Johnny-come-later ‘Defender’ nonsense; that’s just to distinguish the real, the original Land Rover from posh, soft, over-leathered wannabees which just happen to share the same badge and get built in the same factory. When Rover launched its Land Rover, way back in 1726, when even our editor was but a youth, it was intending to build a car for farmers. Truly. Remind yourself of this the next time a Range Rover Sport passes you at Warp Factor Eight on the M25. Perhaps that should be Max Factor Eight… |
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ROAD TEST: MITSUBISHI SHOGUN 3.2 DI-DC ELEGANCE FIVE-DOOR Compared with some of the opposition out there, Mitsubishi’s Shogun is getting on in years. The first monocoque-designed model was launched way back in 2000, and the current line-up is closely related to that. Yes, it’s been updated and improved over the past decade, but it’s not exactly a spring chicken. And that has presented Mitsubishi with a few problems of late, with the Shogun being among the worst in its class when it comes to fuel economy and CO2 emissions. |
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OWNING: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A ‘JOY MACHINE’ You’ve got to love Honda. Insane bouncing enthusiasm may be common to all Japanese car manufacturers, but Honda seems more prone to it than most. We’re looking here at the handy little 4x4 that is Honda’s HR-V. But do you know what Honda called it when the company announced it was to launch a slightly unusual (for its time; as common as potholes today, of course) mid-to-titchy size 4x4? You don’t? Or maybe you think you do… but I bet you’re wrong. |
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ROAD TEST: MAZDA BT-50 INTREPID You can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Mazda. While other Japanese makers like Mitsubishi, Toyota and Nissan have all enjoyed major success in the UK with sales of their one-tonne pick-ups, Mazda has traditionally lagged behind. Well behind, in fact. So much so, the company has taken the reluctant decision to halt all future imports of the BT-50. And with probably no more than 40 unregistered examples still within the Mazda dealer network, time is running out if you want a brand new truck wearing a Mazda badge. |
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BUYING USED: MITSUBISHI SHOGUN It’s nearly ten years since Mitsubishi revealed its all-new Shogun to us – a model that marked a major change in thinking from its two predecessors. In fact, compared with the aged Mk II Shogun (or Pajero/Montero, as it was known in other markets), the newcomer was technically advanced. And that was particularly the case with its construction, this being the first Shogun ever launched as a monocoque design rather than having a traditional separate chassis. |
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ROAD TEST: LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 4 TDV6 HSE It’s amazing to think it’s 21 years since the original Land Rover Discovery first went on sale. It seems like only yesterday that Solihull brought out its all-new model for an all-new sector, starting a success drive that would cement its position as the world’s premier 4x4 specialist. Since then, however, the Discovery has moved on, and is now in its fourth generation – logically known as Discovery 4, closely (and obviously) related to the hugely successful Discovery 3 that preceded it. |
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ROAD TEST: MITSUBISHI L200 BARBARIAN When it comes to tough, masculine sounding model names, no other pick-up manufacturer has managed to come close to Mitsubishi over the years. I mean, just look at the L200 in all its various incarnations. We’ve already had the Trojan, the Animal and the Warrior. And now we’ve got this: the Barbarian. What next – the Axe Murderer? The Stalker? We joke … but conjuring up an ever more dramatic name for each new version of the L200 must present Mitsubishi with something of a dilemma. |
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BUYING USED: LAND ROVER DEFENDER A firm favourite of the British Army for years, it was fitting that Land Rover rebranded its original (and legendary) model into the Defender line in 1990. By adopting this ‘defensive’ refocus in the face of far more modern rivals, the future of the all-time classic was assured. And so able was the Defender, it remains a tough and hardy buy two decades later, with prices of even the earliest examples starting at around £2000. But before you attack the market for a Defender, what tactics should you be using? |
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