Cars To Get You On The Adventure Trail
With the Summer sun shining and the December holidays around the corner, it’s time for the adventure junkies to come out of hibernation. The festive season is the best time to visit the great outdoors and all South Africa has to offer with family and friends. It is the perfect time to wind down and go exploring.
Exploring can be done in many ways; by hitting the hiking trails, or exploring the Kruger, or leaving no stone unturned in the green Lowveld with its multitude of waterfalls and adrenaline-spiking opportunities.
Now that we agree the timing is right and opportunities are endless, we need to find the ideal vehicle to take us on an amazing journey through the rougher patches of South Africa, without having to compromise on safety and comfort.
So here are our top three off-roaders, in no specific order:
Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 VX Automatic
Source: toyota.co.za
Toyota goes hand-in-hand with off-road driving, but the Fortuner can adapt to the urban jungle as well. The Toyota Fortuner 4X4 can seat up to seven people and keep its composure during rough trail drives.
The 2.8-litre diesel engine has an impressive torque of 500 Nm that works fantastic off-road and in the city. The turbo-diesel engine produces 150kW of power and the 2.8GD-6 comes with a six-speed automatic paddle-shift transmission. However, it is available as a rear-wheel-drive or 4X4 model. The Fortuner comes with Downhill Assist Control (DAC) which works amazingly to manage engine braking and pressure. Perfect for those rough trails!
The Toyota Fortuner has some quality safety specs; such as traction control, trailer sway control, electronic stability control, and hill start assist control. Which will all come in handy on your trail journey.
It prices between R623 200 to R870 900, it’s all about how much of a fortune you want to invest in your Fortuner.
Ford Everest
Source: ford.co.za
The third-generation Ford Everest was launched in South Africa this year and quickly scooped up by adventure enthusiasts. Ford launched its Everest in two spices, sport and platinum.
The Everest Sport is a seven-seater driven by a 2.0-litre bi-turbo-diesel engine with 154 kW of power and 500 Nm of torque. Topping that is the Ford Everest Platinum, a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine with 184 kW power and 600 Nm of torque. Both are infused with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Both models offer numerous off-road drive modes, electronically controlled rear differential lock, and hill descent control, such as the off-roader above. If seven seats are a bit too much for you, the back seats can fold down for more space.
This Ford Everest 2.0L Sport, the slightly cheaper spice, can be yours for R734 000.
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
Source: jeep.co.za
The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is the ultimate 4X4 that can seat up to seven people for that epic December road trip. The 4X4 is re-engineered to focus on comfort, off-road capability and being more tech-laden with a 10.1-inch display that supports Android Auto and Apple Carplay and a fully digital rearview mirror.
And grand isn’t thrown in there just for marketing purposes. It sports a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine that produces 210kW and 344 Nm of torque and is equipped with engine start-stop (ESS) technology which should help you save on fuel.
With these types of specs, you will not be surprised that the Jeep Grand Cherokee L varies in price from R1.2 to R1.6 million.
Can’t find your ideal off-road vehicle? Then check out the ClickaCar Virtual Showroom.