Article Comment: 4WD vs AWD

I can understand why the majority of listed vehicles are unsuitable, but the Amarok comes as a surprise.

Cheers,

Eeek, my Amarok driving mates will be disappointed!

And the older Kia Sorrento is a very capable 4WD

That's funny.

Bring the Passat/tiguan/tuareg but leave the amarok at home.

Yep - didn't think everyone would approve of the list! I doubt you'd be denied entry as it also states that it depends on the driver, but it's certainly odd to actually give a list of "unsuitable" vehicles. I've never seen this done before on a government tourism page. They do list this phone number to argue (oops! ..."check" if your vehicle is suitable). Phone: (08) 9948 2226.

They stuffed up , the reason someone with little 4wd knowledge has put the Amarok in that list would be because it doesn't have low range.

They forget it has wide spread 8 speed auto and a high stall torque convertor.

It also has rear locker , and when engaged it doesn't disconnect the traction control on front wheels like several other utes.

As a result its one of the best and has won 4wd awards.

I'd hazard a guess the only criteria looked at, when making up the list, was official ground clearance figures.

We all know ground clearance is a very important feature of dirt road and rough track abilities - but the list doesn't take into account individual vehicle setups (suspension, wheel and tyre mods) - and individual drivers abilities.

I've seen some people who can bog a 79 series Landcruiser in reasonable going with absolutely brainless driving - and I've seen people who could take an old Holden ute fitted with widies and an LSD, very skilfully and capably, where only genuine off-road racers would normally operate.

The list is purely an attempt to try and stop idiots from becoming stranded. As such, I guess it's better than nothing - but I could see some people taking their AWD's mentioned in the list, on purpose, just to try and prove the list makers wrong.

Cheers, Ron.

When you compare like for like - modifications/equipment "softroaders" will do better than most full on 4wds in sand due to lighter weight etc.

I think that the person listed certain full on criteria and then excluded vehicles that did not meet that, without considering actual offroad performance.

The obvious ones for me are the Amorak and the Freelander - both will match unmodified 4wds in most areas - people making these lists need to look at actual performance not perceived performance.

Garry

With respect to the drive to Steep Point it is essential that you have adequate ground clearance. The track is for the most part very narrow and in places it is quite steep combined with deep dry sand. Tracks south of Steep Point are supposedly challenging in that the limestone creates tyre hazards. Thus road tyres are at a considerable risk.
We had no trouble in our 200 Series Landcruiser with our tyres set to 18 psi, However, use of a sand flag is most worthwhile as the vegetation that lines both sides of the narrow winding track in many places makes it difficult to see oncoming vehicles. When we met other vehicles they commented that they could see us well ahead of us reaching them thus enabling them to prepare for the meeting.
My general feeling is that attempting this area with a soft roader with limited ground clearance and road tyres is just asking for trouble.

Another side of suitability is what you have to dig out when you do get bogged. A lot easier to dig out an axle than the whole body, one of the big advantages of a live axle 4wd in my opinion. I once had to dig out the entire underbody of my Subaru (1982 dual range wagon which was quite capable within it's ground clearance limitations) when I was coming out of a dry sandy creek bed only to find that since my last visit national parks had put posts across the track and there was no room for a wide turn.

The biggest handicap to a car is the driver. Most soft roaders have drivers not very experienced at 4wding. I just returned from Fraser and went all the way to Sandy Cape in my Freelander 2 without a problem. The Indian Head bypass had a stuck Pajero I had to wait for and at Orchid Beach I had to wait for a very nicely setup and extremely capable Subaru Forester to snatch a stuck Nissan Pathfinder out of deep soft sand. I know most of Fraser is very easy but there are some tricky spots, the hardest I came across being the South Ngkala Rocks bypass at the moment, very soft chopped up sand, fairly steep and hard to get a run at, plus it has a decent rock step that will cross axle you. On that list, the Land Rover, some Subarus, older Kia's and the Amarok have been unfairly categorised, all are very capable if the drivers are experienced.
It's a bit old fashioned to think you have to have low range to handle tough conditions these days. I was very sceptical at first having only had dual range conventional 4wd's like Patrols and Jeeps. The traction systems, auto boxes and engine power give a pretty good compromise once you learn how to use them. It is a different skill set. Pat Callinan towed a 1.5 tonne camper cross country in the North Simpson with an auto Amarok. In fact, in the ute hill climb test in a recent 4wd mag, the auto Amarok was the only one out of 8 that made it up without turning any traction aids on.