FOR REAL DRIVES

Genuine off-roaders go anywhere — but may take comfort and safety short-cuts

They call it The Lost City. Ancient sandstone towers rise from the Newnes Plateau in the Blue Mountains looking for all the world like remnants of long-dead civilisation.

It’s a spectacular reserve for four-wheel drive enthusiasts, a couple of hours west of Sydney.

The trail to a breathtaking lookout is slippery, deeply rutted and difficult to traverse without an appropriate vehicle.

Forget urban soft-roaders, this is territory for machines with high ground clearance and proper four-wheel drive — the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser, Jeep Wrangler and Suzuki Jimny.

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 70 SERIES

Introduced in 1985, the LandCruiser 70 Series ranks alongside Slim Dusty, B&S balls and the Country Women’s Association as an integral part of the outback.

Like the saltwater crocodile, the LandCruiser is somehow both a dinosaur from a forgotten era and a machine perfectly evolved for present-day life in its niche.

The two-door, five-seat Troop Carrier tested here holds an impressive 180L of fuel, giving a cruising range of almost 2000km.

Priced from $67,990 plus on-road costs in GXL trim, the Troopy brings 20th century luxuries such as a CD player and powered windows. It’s unapologetically Spartan — exactly the way loyal customers like it.

At its core, the 4.5-litre V8 turbo diesel (151kW/430Nm) powers all four wheels via a dual-range transfer case and electronically locking differentials.

You don’t need hill descent control or clever driving modes in the Troopy, just bung it into low-range, pick up the clutch (it only comes with a five-speed manual transmission) and let it walk up or down all manner of terrain.

Enormous torque multiplied by super-low gearing lends extraordinary capability to the classic LandCruiser but you have to put the work in to get where you need to go.

Slow and heavy, the steering kicks in your hands as the front wheels fight the gradient, camber and obstacles of rocky trails. Thinly padded seats give stuff-all support as you bounce along the trail on no-frills suspension.

But it will get you there and back with unmatched peace of mind.

JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON

Riding in the Wrangler is a comparatively luxurious experience.

Automatic transmission, massive all-terrain tyres and clever electronics combine to make light of tricky trails that would have you sweating in lesser machinery.

This is adventure, American-style. Climate control, plush leather chairs, thumping audio and heating for the seats and steering wheel pamper you while pounding trails into submission.

We’re in the range-topping Rubicon, $63,950 plus on-roads of go-anywhere Wrangler loaded with heavy-duty axles, diff lockers, low-range 4WD and interesting toys such as off-road mapping and digital readouts for lean angles.

There are little Jeep silhouettes on the wheels and windscreen that recall the brand’s heritage, and oh-so-American names for features such as Rock-Trac (that’s the 4WD, not a Bon Jovi single) and removable “freedom panels” — the roof.

We take off the panels, the better to light the photos. Then three grown men cry in frustration trying to wrestle them back in place.

Taxing, noisy, thirsty and arguably less than safe on the road, the Wrangler sings in its preferred environment.

It’s the only contender here to give you full confidence to tackle the tough stuff, handling the tracks that made the Jimny and Troopy pause for a run-up or rethink.

The Wrangler does it easy, serving up superior traction and sophisticated wheel articulation to keep the tyres in touch with the ground. Its clever eight-speed auto effectively has 16 gears when you factor in low-range, making the most of a powerful 209kW V6.

SUZUKI JIMNY

“Yeah, mate, you’ll be fine. Come on through.” Having ploughed through knee-deep water in the LandCruiser and Wrangler, our guide for the day pumps up editor Blackburn at the wheel of the Jimny.

He then turns to the rest of the party to say “this should be interesting”.

The Jimny promises go-anywhere motoring on a budget. And it delivers.

It romps through our water crossing, sending chocolate-coloured liquid splashing over the bonnet like a frenzied kid whipping up an arvo glass of Milo.

The dubious recipient of the World Urban Car of the Year trophy, the Jimny will go pretty much anywhere you can manage in machines that cost three times its $23,990 starting point. Ours isn’t quite that cheap, as it’s optioned with the $2000 four-speed automatic and $1250 paint job, two-tone black over kinetic yellow.

Its humble 1.5-litre engine produces a meagre 75kW and isn’t helped by ratios set a little further apart than buyers should expect in 2019.

But it’s about half the Troopy’s 2.3-tonne mass and that lack of weight helps the quattro Suzi scramble up hills like a mountain goat full of Red Bull.

Much more interactive than the Wrangler’s point-and-squirt approach, the narrow Jimny requires a degree of creativity as you clamber across ruts created by much larger vehicles. There’s genius in its air intake mounted as high as possible off the ground. Its boxy shape helps you place the car with confidence — you know where its corners are.

It’s the only one here without locking differentials, relying instead on traction control to pinch the brakes on free-spinning wheels to send power to the wheels with more grip. That works reasonably well in the wild, proving you don’t need expensive hardware and dirt-digging tyres to find adventure.

THE WASH UP

They all feel like winners, even if each is compromised by the need to do more than your average car. Blowing away our expectations, the Jimny kept up with the best off-roaders you can buy for less than $100,000. The endearing and enduring Troopy still has what it takes to handle the bush. And the Jeep blends modern technology with strong fundamentals such as lofty ground clearance and dedicated all-terrain tyres. Buy any of them — but only if you promise to go exploring from time to time.