New and tested 4WDs

Los tres amigos* (The three friends)
Monday, 14 December 2020
Together for just a day, three very different utilities – a RAM 1500, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Triton – became los tres amigos as they ventured from Auckland to and from Hampton Downs for a p
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A (much) better mousetrap
Thursday, 19 November 2020
Two days driving Isuzu’s new Gen-3 D-Max through the South Island’s rugged High Country convinced NZ4WD mag Editor Ross MacKay that the company knows a thing or two about building ute
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Nissan joins the party with another Navara upgrade
Thursday, 19 November 2020
Mid-model-cycle upgrades appear flavour of the month at the moment as Ford, Toyota and now Nissan are wont to prove.
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Silverado is first GMSV 4X4 ute to go on sale here
Thursday, 19 November 2020
Fans of plus-size US utility vehicles here and across the Tasman  can now access some of the biggest and best full-size trucks – beginning with the Chevrolet Silverado – through the newly establish
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Reading the tea leaves
Monday, 02 November 2020
One day, when I retire, I’m going to take this little act to Detroit and make a fortune.
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Pounce of the Puma
Monday, 02 November 2020
If you liked the idea of the Ford Ecosport 1-litre small compact SUV, but weren’t overly sold on its styling, wait till you get an up close and personal with a Ford Puma. 
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SKODA KAMIQ
Thursday, 29 October 2020
It’s pronounced like ‘Hammock’ and it’s the SUV spinoff of the much-lauded Scala wagon/hatch, which already sets up Skoda’s latest release well.
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Escape 2020 with the 2021 Escape
Thursday, 29 October 2020
As we write this, Ford dealers are holding off customers with long poles in anticipation of the arrival of the new model Escape, which was revealed in July of this year in a (what was for Ford)
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Tough ask! Is new Hilux back to its best?
Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Toyota’s latest Hilux upgrade has produced several key improvements. Whether they are enough to help the iconic model reclaim the Number one spot in the market, however, is another story.
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Toyota targets ‘returning customers’ with new, improved Hilux
Wednesday, 16 September 2020
A confident Toyota New Zealand believes its latest Hilux is good enough to entice ‘lapsed buyers’ back to the brand. NZ4WD Editor Ross MacKay explains why.
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Defender of the realm
Tuesday, 18 August 2020
The wait is over FOR Land Rover’s all-new Defender.
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Big beauty – Haval H9 has the goods
Tuesday, 18 August 2020
NZ4WD mag Editor Ross MacKay wasn’t expecting much from Haval’s H9 SUV. Yet here vhe is saying that it’d still impress him at twice the price. What gives?
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New Gladiator – One of these (Jeeps) is not like the other.
Tuesday, 18 August 2020
On one level Jeep’s new Gladiator looks, feels and goes just like the Wrangler it is based on.
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First official pictures of all-new INEOS Grenadier 4x4
Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Created to fulfil the vision of adventurer and INEOS Group Chairman, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Grenadier will be a capable, durable and reliable 4x4 designed and built to handle the world’s harshest e
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Smooth Operator
Wednesday, 17 June 2020
If you are looking for a Ute in the $100+K sector, at ‘just’ $90K VW’s top-of-the-line V6 3.0 litre TDi-powered Amarok Aventura could well be considered a bargain.
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Facelift/more power & torque for 2020 Hilux
Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Toyota NZ is set to launch a major ‘midlife’ upgrade of its top-selling Hilux ute featuring a bolder, tougher-looking exterior on most variants and a beefed up 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine that of
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Welcome to the 2020 NZ4WD Ute Buyer’s Guide
Wednesday, 27 May 2020
With the COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown coinciding with our usual June issue we couldn’t leave our bubbles to physically drive anything – ute, SUV or even ordinary car – anywhere meaningful so we improv
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King of the Toy-Haulers
Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Week day work warrior and weekend toy hauler? Is one of our top-selling Kiwi utes way better than the others? Or are they much of a much-ness?
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Small wonder
Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Diversity is a wonderful thing. You only need to look at the class winners and overall victor of this year’s NZ4WD Magazine 4WD of the Year awards to see that.
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NZSUV 2019
Thursday, 21 November 2019
SUVs are everywhere. They now account for nearly half of all new vehicles sold.
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‘What if?’ Acadia is really rather good
Thursday, 14 November 2019
Is this the ‘car’ Holden should have replaced the Commodore with? NZ4WD Editor Ross MacKay has a bob each way.  
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RAM 1500 delivers on ‘big things’ promise
Friday, 18 October 2019
‘Big things’ are expected of RAM’s latest RHD utility, the 1500. Fair enough, says NZ4WD Ross MacKay. The new petrol-fueled V8 is a beauty! 
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Holden Colorado? Tough Dog can help
Tuesday, 01 October 2019
As you can read elsewhere in the mag this month, Holden’s Colorado is a great place to start a ‘tough truck’ journey.
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New Wrangler ticks the boxes
Thursday, 19 September 2019
You could call Jeep’s new JL-model Wrangler the company’s biggest gamble since the original Cherokee SUV.
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Holden ROX NZ 4x4 world
Thursday, 19 September 2019
West Auckland’s Muriwai Beach was at its moody best when (very) early one chilly spring morning I got to drive Holden NZ’s radical ROX concept ute. 
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