For as long as I can remember, we have pretty much always had a capable 4wd parked in the driveway. Everything from an old 90’s Mitsubishi Pajero, a Nissan R51 Pathfinder and Ford PX Ranger. To our trusted Toyota Fortuner to our latest Nissan Patrol y62.
While all our 4wds have been capable of our abilities at the time. We always modified them to get further off the beaten track and push our own limits.
When it came time to find a replacement for the retired old Fortuner it was always going to be hard.
Our Current Capable 4wd
Nissan Patrol Y62 Ti Serries 5
After my first drive of the 5.6L v8 Nissan I was hooked. I had never driven a 4wd with this much power, let alone something so luxurious. With more space than I could have imagined and being very modifiable, I knew we had to build and wheel one for a while.
The Gear
Offroad Animal Cobra front bar
DASH Offroad Big O Deluxe Rock sliders
Raslarr Rear Bar
Dash Offroad bash plates
Bushwrapz Advance PPF
Lifted Dobinsons Coils – Approx. 65mm (HBMC suspension resprung by East Coast Customs)
Airbag Man 12” bags and high pressure sleeves
KMC Mesa wheels matte black with gloss lip 18 x 9 +18
Kumho MT71 tyres 295/70r18
Vic Offroad Fiery Red winch with Factor 55 Flatlink E
Stedi Type X Pro spotlights
Stedi ST1K 21.5” light bar
Pacemaker exhaust (no rear muffler) & AVO secondary cat delete pipes
Other cool gear
Stedi Interior lights
DASH Offroad modular false floor
3D floor mats
ARB air compressor with DASH offroad under bonnet bracket
Uniden X76 UHF, Uniden AT970BKS aerial on Vogue industries mirror bracket
Redarc Tow pro
The Retired Capable 4wds
Toyota Fortuner GX
2.8L 4 cylinder Diesel. Factory rear diff lock. Good wheelbase.
With a soccer mum SUV stigma the old Fortuner was often underestimated by others. This was one of my favourite things about this very capable 4wd.
Modifications
Ironman 4×4 Deluxe Bullbar
Dominator 12000 lbs winch
Brown Davis UG2 underbody protection
Phat Bars angled rock sliders
Dobinsons MS 3″ lifted suspension
Nolathane fixed upper control arms
Ecotechne roof rack
Boss Wheels, Vapour 17×9 +15 offset
285/70r17 General Grabber X3 tyres
TJM Airtec snorkel
Steinbauer Power module
iDrive throttle module
DBA T3 4000 Survival series brake discs
Uniden UHF radio & RFI aerial
Stedi ST4K 28″ led light bar
Stedi 3501 11.5″ led light bars
Stedi ST3K 41.5″ led light bar
Lightforce Rok9 lights
Ford Ranger XLS PX series 1
3.2L 5 cylinder Diesel. Factory rear diff lock. Dual cab ute.
This was the first 4wd that I really loved, I learnt so much from it. Being my first exposure to a rear diff lock I really started to realise what a capable 4wd could do.
Modifications
TJM Outback bulbar
TJM Side steps
TJM RB6 Rear bar
Bush Skinz bashplates
TJM Airtec snorkel
Halo HE879 Wheels 17 x 9
Achilles Desert Hawk XMT tyres 285/70r17
Playtime Auto parts Exhaust
Oricom UHF
I have built a few 4wds over the years and can’t describe the satisfaction that comes from it. I have learnt so much over the years, made lifelong friends and been to some truly spectacular spots that wouldn’t be possible without a 4wd.
One thing is for certain we will continue to push our limits and see what evolves from these adventures for many years to come.