In our October issue we recorded a test session organised in August on behalf of the Department of Conservation in a bid to re-organise its fleet of 4WDs – probably the largest in NZ. The test days were set up by an Auckland company, StratCon Partnership Ltd, and representatives of all the manufacturers concerned were also invited to answer any technical questions. Mt Lyford, in the mountains 148 km north-east of Christchurch, was chosen as a venue, and a total of 14 vehicles were provided, with both manual and automatics (except the Nissan Navara, which is only available in manual) assessed. All the vehicles were 1-ton diesel 4WD double cabs. They were: Ford Ranger, Holden Rodeo, Mazda BT-50, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Navara ST-X, Toyota Hilux, and SsangYong Actyon Sports. Tests included static and load evaluation, ride and handling with a load on board, as well as the ability of the tie-down points to withstand extreme use, and also testing the vehicles’ ability on failed hill starts. Off-road testing included a circuit that embraced grass-covered floodplains, slippery hill climbs and descents, and river driving. Testers were taken from DoC’s ranks, both management and field workers, as well as representatives of the Police and the Department of Fisheries. StratCon’s Graeme Perry has now informed NZ4WD that the results have been tallied and the raw data weighted to the requirements of DoC in priority - i.e. load space, failed ascent and so on. “Also this is NOT a reflection of DoC’s final choice as there are a number of other factors that are to be taken into account as part of the overall tender and evaluation process,” he added. The results represent averaged scores from all the evaluators, and the maximum possible score was 65 points.
place Adjusted
1 Toyota Hilux manual 49.10
2 Toyota Hilux auto 47.96
3 Mitsubishi Triton manual 47.64
4 Mitsubishi Triton auto 47.54
5 Mazda BT-50 manual 44.03
6 Ford Ranger manual 43.21
7 Nissan Navara ST-X auto 42.50
8 Holden Rodeo auto 42.19
9 Mazda BT-50 auto 42.18
10 Ford Ranger auto 40.85
11 SsangYong Actyon Sports manual 40.45
12 Nissan Navara manual 39.62
13 Holden Rodeo manual 39.16
14 SsangYong Actyon Sport auto 36.82
