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Four Wheel Drive
The current Four Wheel Drive News is [here] URL: /4WD.html  Volcano 27 December 1998: Overseas readers may be interested by Victorian (au) summer weather: 39°C on Christmas Eve, 36°C on Christmas Day, 16°C on Boxing Day, with snow on the Dividing Range, as the storms that lashed the Sydney-Hobart yacht race went through. December 1998: Volcanic eruptions began at Vatnajokull, Iceland, on 18 December. Oskar Erlingsson took a [close look]. December 1998: Late pictures of Eurotrial 1998 in Barcelona. 26 December 1998: In an interesting `business as usual' move after the Hyundai take-over, Kia Australia is selling Mentor sedans from $17,990, including air-conditioning and on-road costs, with $1,500 cash-back on top of that. (Unfortunately there is no mention of such a deal on the 4x4 Sportage.) Pat Cash has also been signed up to feature in the ad' campaign. 25 December 1998: We take a look back over some of the news and events of 1998 and wish all readers a very Happy Christmas. 23 December 1998:
Respected motoring journalist
(ex Motoring Editor of `Motor' Magazine, Australia) and director
of Tread Lightly! Australia, Mr. Brian Woodward died earlier this week
in Sydney.
His dry wit, love for Australia and continual hard work for the good of
four wheel driving will be sadly lost. Brian was a doyen of
automotive journalism and one of only a few that contributed much more
than he consumed.
December 1998: Nissan Australia is sponsoring Heather Turland who won the gold medal in the marathon at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games. The 38-year old mother of four (!) from Bowral NSW can now carry her family around in a seven-seat Patrol 4WD, courtesy of Nissan Australia and Moss Vale Nissan. Heather Turland is launching her autobiography Gold Beyond Your Dreams. 17 December 1998: An Austrian tourist has died in the outback near Lake Eyre: A couples' hired 4WD-camper became bogged near Halligan Bay. Five days later, they decided to walk back to the Oodnadatta track for help (70km). Half way, he returned to the van, and survived. She continued and perished in very hot conditions. [-ABC news] The general advice in such circumstances is to carry lots of water and remain with the vehicle. December 1998: Audi has announced that the
allroad quattro,
which was initially seen as a concept car,
will go into series production in Germany in February 2000.
It will be offered with a 2.7-litre V6 or a 2.5-litre TDI
and will go on sale in Australia in the last quarter of 2000. 16 December 1998: ABC TV repeats of Bush Tucker Man start at 12.30pm Wednesday 16 December. 15 December 1998: Bill Hallinan shows us what [Jeeps] get up to in the USA. 11 December 1998:
The Australian National 4WD Radio Network Inc.
is just about to expand its Network of Base stations around Australia.
A licence application was submitted to the Australian Communications
Authority on Monday the 7th of December 1998 for the new base station
in Darwin, N.T..
The base will consist of a fully automated / remote controlled transceiver
and telephone interconnect unit similar to those presently installed at
Adelaide (South Australia), Alice Springs (Northern Territory), Perth
(Western Australia) and St Marys (Tasmania)
[more December 1998: VFACTS figures show that across Australia there were 18,870 sales of light trucks in November, and 185,854 sales during 1998 to the end of November. Of these, all terrain wagons made up 9,053 (50%) and 87,610 (47%) sales respectively. Pickups/crew-cabs (4x4) made up 3,752 (20%) and 37,244 (20%) sales respectively. Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1,001 or 13.4% November, 10,964 or 14% year) and Nissan Patrol wagon (991 or 13.3% November, 9,772 or 12.4% year) are slugging it out in all terrain wagons. Toyota Hilux walks away with PU/CC(4x4) at 9,610 or 29% for the year to end of November. 9 December 1998: Tropical Cyclone Thelma gave Darwin a scare, recalling Tracy, with strong winds and rain before continuing S.W. to threaten the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. December 1998: Hyundai and Kia formally signed the anticipated deal for the former to take over the latter (1/12/98). Plans for the management of Kia and Asia Motors will be revealed shortly, but it is believed that Kia will be maintained as a separate "brand" name. 8 December 1998: Schedule for
Eurotrial '99,
Ravijoki, Finland, 8 December 1998: Oskar Erlingsson describes
popular modifications to
Nissan Patrols
for driving in the wilderness in his part of the world December 1998: Researchers in Cambridge, UK, are working on display devices for computers and car instrument panels based on light emitting plastics (LEPs). First discovered in 1989, developments continue at Cambridge Display Technologies, set up by the University in 1992. A 10" monochrome display was shown in February. A 10" colour prototype is coming soon. LEPs promise to challenge glass cathode ray tubes and liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Future car instruments may be moulded into, or "printed onto", the curved dash-board itself. [-CAM magazine].
29 November 1998: Historic Commercial Vehicles enthusiasts came together to put on their annual show of trucks, buses and some four wheel drives, at AFL Park, Waverley, Victoria. 26 November 1998: A report by a team from the World Heritage bureau recommends that Kakadu be listed as endangered because of the Jabiluka uranium mine within the park. If the recommendation is accepted it will be seen as a severe embarrassment to the Federal Government. Look, call it a `mine' and dig it up, or call it a `park' of world heritage value and don't dig it up. 25 November 1998: The Army's 4x4s and ASLAV 8x8 put on a show at the Sunbury proving ground for the TV media. The real point was to publicise the multi million $ upgrade to infantry mobility, e.g. Project Bushranger to begin in earnest next year.
23 November 1998:
Audi Australia plan a run of new releases for 1999: November 1998: Honda Australia are pricing the 4WD CR-V at $29,950 drive-away (manual) and $31,950 (auto) in the end-of-model run-out. These prices include free registration, 3rd-party insurance, stamp duty, and dealer delivery charges. A revised CR-V is due early in 1999 [-Honda]. 20-22 November 1998:
4WD and Outdoor Show,
McCallum Park, Perth, WA.
20 November 1998: A Federal Government report on the Great Artesian Basin recommends spending au$200M+ to cap free-flowing wells. The Basin lies beneath SW Queensland, SE Northern Territory, NW South Australia and western New South Wales. Water in it is being used, and also wasted through evaporation and seepage, at a greater rate than it is being replenished. Because the water originates in the hills of Queensland and the Dividing Range, it emerges under pressure at the lower altitudes of central Australia. However this cannot continue forever at the current rate. 18 November 1998: Nissan Australia
claims the top-spot amongst vehicle-importers
for October, following the same result in September (below).
Overall market share was 6.3% for October,
with 37,193 units sold during 1998 to the end of that month,
up 43% on the same period last year.
October sales included 991
Patrols,
staying ahead of the
'cruiser,
154
Pathfinders
and 2.1K Pulsar sedans
[-Nissan]. 18 November 1998: The outback town of Cobram, population 7000+, like many other country towns has difficulty in attracting doctors to work in its hospital. So they have put a price of au$5000 on a doctor's head - any doctor. Specifically, the bounty will be paid to anyone who head-hunts a suitable physician who then lasts at least 6 months on the job [-ABC News]. November 1998: Suzuki Australia
(ie. Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia,
Tasmania, Northern Territory)
is cutting au$1000 off the list price of the 1.6L and 2.0L, two door
Vitara
and throwing in either a $2000 Quadrunner
(a 2-stroke, 4-wheel, 4WD "motorbike"),
or free air-conditioning.
The Vitara offer total $18,990 for the 1.6 and $23,990 for the 2.0. November 1998: Ford Australia is offering 750 "Quest" value packs for the Explorer XL and XLT four wheel drives, claimed to be worth $2K, for no addition to the rrp: alloy bull-bar, driving lights, 6-disc CD stacker player. Ford Explorer rrp's start from (the magic) $39,990 for the XL manual and $46,990 for the XLT automatic [-Ford] 15 November 1998: The FAI 1000 (km) Classic at Bathurst was won by Steven Richards and Jason Bright (Ford Falcon V8), 2nd Larry Perkins and Russell Ingall (Holden Commodore V8), 3rd Jason Bargwanna and Jim Richards (Holden Commodore V8). 15 November 1998: The V8s race at Bathurst. Some might call this the true `great race' or the `1000', but that was in fact run on 4 October for European-style touring cars, and its organisers are jumping up and down to point out the difference. 13 November 1998: Australian Rover dealers have started the run-out sales period on the "old" model Land Rover Discovery, in preparation for the switch to the new 1998/1998 model (already available in the UK) which is visually very similar to its predecessor, but is a little bigger and offers a new five-cylinder 2.5L turbo-diesel in addition to the petrol V8. November 1998: Audi is expecting sales of 600,000 vehicles in 1998 compared to 546,436 in 1997. Sales for January to September are up 8.4% over the same period last year. The Audi TT coupe went on sale in Germany on 30 October 1998. [-Audi]. 11 November 1998: Gareth Bosley writes in with details
of his hot (as in fast) TD42
8 November 1998: Classic racing cars at Winton, Victoria, au. November 1998: There is a rumour that Land Rover UK is re-calling a number of the earlier Freelanders, due to a problem with some welding round the rear suspension. Can anyone "over there" confirm this? 7 November 1998: Most recent update in the 4WD Club database is the
Land Rover Owners Club
of Victoria getting online.
7 November 1998: The New Scientist magazine reports that Symmetricon of California has a sytem where a cellular telephone can pin-point its location, effectively giving it the capabilities of a GPS receiver but more cheaply. A transmitter's timing is linked to GPS signals (in some way) and it emits an identifying "stamp". A handset can locate itself by comparing the timing of signals from three different transmitters. Apparently a central computer does the calculations and transmits the answer to the handset (for a fee?). Obviously the system relies upon good cell-phone coverage. Trials are under way in Britain, but it would not be much use in the Australian outback, at least not yet. 6 November 1998: Two recent court decisions in Victoria have cast doubts over thousands of drink-driving cases. After failing a breath-test drivers may be required to remain at the "station" for up to three hours. Some drivers were not informed of this fact and the police lost the case. It doesn't change the fact that drinking and driving is very silly. There will probably be an appeal. November 1998: Many 4WD tracks in the Victorian Alps remain closed due to a combination of last summer's bush-fires, the condition of tracks after bull-dozers and fire-tenders did their thing, and heavy rain over winter. Some tracks may not be opened until as late as March 1999. Check with the local rangers before heading off! 31 October 1998:
As Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher wait for the Japanese F1 Grand-Prix,
the show-down at the end of the 1998 season, you might wonder why
their cars are a curious mixture of the high-tech' and the low tech' -
a plank of wood strapped on the bottom, no traction control or ABS brakes.
They are also 4x2, but back in 1969 it looked as though
things could be very different
[more...] 30 October - 1 November 1998: 4 Wheel Drive Recreation Show '98 RNA Exhibition Grounds, Brisbane Qld, this weekend. (also Brisbane Fishing and Tackle Show '98) - I.B.Exhibitions, tel:03-9499-6299 or 07-3274-5158 29 October 1998: Daewoo (Australia) has put the Korando 4WD back on sale - it was the Ssangyong Korando but Daewoo took control of Ssangyong and now the 4WD is a Daewoo, like the Musso. The new Korando has the 3.2 litre six (161kW at 5750rpm, 310Nm at 4000rpm), as in the Musso. A Borg Warner Torque on Demand 4WD system feeds drive to the rear wheels, unless there is slip in which case an electro-magnetic clutch also brings front drive into play. 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic gearboxes are offered. Prices: from au$39,500 (5m), au$42,500 (4a). 27 October 1998: Toyota
Prado
has won the RACV Best Buy Award,
large 4WD category, from GM Holden
Jackaroo.
Honda Odyssey won the people mover category from Chrysler Voyager.
Subaru
Impreza
won the sports car category. October 1998: The Variety Club of Victoria has given away $633,354.39 between 1 October 1997 and 30 September 1998. The money is raised by charity events, including 4x2 and 4x4 "bashes" (check 4WD Calendar) and goes to special needs and disadvantaged children. October 1998: Stewart and Stevenson announced their being awarded a contract to supply 2.5 and 5 ton, 4x4 and 6x6, trucks for the US Army on 16 October 1998. Approximately 9000 trucks and 1500 trailers will be delivered over four to five years. New and existing [FMTV] trucks "will have a new flywheel housing and drive shaft to improve reliability". Engine and transmission controls will be improved and ABS brakes fitted. October 1998: The Safety Information section of the Land Transport Safety
Authority of New Zealand is planning a consumer information
publication about the on-road safety of 4WD vehicles
and would appreciate any comments and advice
from readers regarding 4WD vehicle on-road safety and
on-road safe driving tips,
email:Bryan McDaniel,
Safety Information, Land Transport Safety Authority (NZ). 25 October 1998: London - Cape Town reliability trial and 4x4 adventure due to get under way. 25 October 1998: Only two shopping months to Christmas. Corkwood Press has special (limited) editions of Too Long in the Bush by the late Len Beadell, and Diary of W. H. Tietkes 1879-80 the record of an expedition into the Maralinga Tjarutja lands of SA. 24 October 1998: New Subaru Liberty and Outback AWDs go on sale (au). They have new bodies, rear suspension and 2 and 2.5 litre flat-4 engines. Prices are from $31,990 for the Liberty and $37,490 for the Outback ($au). 24-25 October 1998: Over 600 people in 260 vehicles attended the annual Boho Bounce organised by the Goulburn Valley 4WD Club in the Strathbogies, Victoria. Events included a Motorkhana, Tug of War, Boghole, and trips of various difficulties into the surrounding countryside (see [clubs]). 24 October 1998: Victorian Police now have more exotic drives than the usual Commodore or Falcon and are using the likes of Subaru Impreza WRXs to patrol roads and catch speeding drivers. They'll probably be working overtime on Cup Weekend. 24 - 25 October 1998: Boho Bounce - Goulburn Valley 4WD Club annual "do" - Bonnie Doon Rd., Victoria (au). 23 - 25 October 1998: 4WD & Outdoor Show, SW Parklands, Adelaide, South Australia - Osmark.
21 October 1998: Hyundai of Korea has won the bidding for "financially troubled" Kia. (What did Hyundai Automotive chief executive, C.K.Liew, know at the Melbourne Motor Show?) Kia creditors, and the Korean Government, will decide by 15 November whether to accept Hyundai's take-over, the details still to be worked out.
October 1998: Nissan Australia claims strong sales for the GU Patrol 4x4 released last December: 1119 retail sales for September, apparently beating Toyota's 100-series LandCruiser, and a total of 8781 sales for the year to 30/9. If big is good, there is no doubt that the Patrol gives you a lot of 4x4 for your money, the DX level Patrol starting at $39,950 with the 2.8 litre 6-cyl turbo-diesel and at $44,990 with the 4.2 diesel. Nissan also claims 2114 September sales for the Pulsar (small 4x2) and an overall 4100 sales (6.24%) of the automotive market. An interesting special offer on new Pulsars sold before 31/12/98 is 12 months of free comprehensive insurance for "eligible drivers". October 1998: Toyota Australia has introduced a limited edition Prado RV6, the Getaway. They claim that it includes $3K+ extras for only $1K on the prices ($au). This is good value provided that you actually want the extras. Features include: cruise control, leather steering wheel, floor mats, remote central locking, power mirrors and windows. The limited edition adds: alloy wheels, spare wheel cover, headlamp covers, rear dust deflector, decals, chrome grille. Rrp's are $40,990 (5-manual) and $43,390 (4-auto) + orc. October 1998: They are 4x2, but Ford has limited edition Tradesman Falcon ute and van with extras said to be worth (au)$3K+ at no increase over rrp: factory air-conditioning, vinyl liner, spoke-style 15" steel wheels, 205x75 8-ply Firestone tyres. Rrp for the ute is $23,590 and the van $26,290. 15 October 1998: National 4x4 Show opens in Melbourne today, and Sydney Motor Show tomorrow. 12 October 1998: Kia report that the Sportage 4WD can now be had from $21,990 with $1000 cash-back ($au), prices effectively falling by $3K; automatic transmission adds $1K.
10 October 1998:
a 1995 model Audi
A4, typical of second-hand cars now available for
sale under the Audi Silver Circle program.
Audi say that the cars are evaluated by their technicians
and must pass a stringent 25 point checklist. 4 October:
Bathurst 1000km race won by Volvo, Nissan 2nd, Audi (4x4) 3rd.
28 September 1998:
The Australian National 4WD Radio Network
has initiated an extra daily voice schedule from
Alice Springs base on 8022kHz from 1700 to 1730 CST
to cope with increased traffic due to a rise in membership and usage; more
[details].
September 1998:
Manufacturer's have realised that there's gold in them thar after market
accessories and are flogging their own.
This is Toyota's bull bar for the 1998
Hilux.
Toyota also have a matching rear step towbar
with an 1800kg capacity (state regulations permitting). September 1998: Chrysler Jeep are to create their own chain of distributors in Australia. Vehicles had been imported and distributed by Astre who (still) distribute Audi and Hyundai. The strong American dollar has been hurting imports from across the Pacific but Chrysler (now Daimler - Chrysler) must reckon that they can tough it out. September 1998: General Motors are to take a 10% share in Suzuki from whom they rebadge the Tracker light 4x4. 25 September 1998: Heavy rain brought flooding to rivers such as the King and Ovens in N.E. Victoria (Au). 24 September 1998: New Foers Ibex II' with 2.9L V6 24v Cosworth oomph and Ford running gear comes out. 24 September 1998: Results of the East Helsinki Offroad Trial and 1998 season Cup Results. Also provisional calendar for 1999. 22 September 1998, from the email: 18-20 September 1998: Harjun Huumaa 4x4 Safari Virolahti, Ravijoki, Finland. 15 September 1998:
Audi TT Coupe
will be at the Sydney Motor Show (16-25/10/98) and on sale (au) in 1999. 11-13 September 1998: Ford Truck Fest' series (USA) goes to the Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. 10 September 1998: Results of the 4x4 Offroad Forest Trial held on 29/8/98. 10 September 1998: The New York Times ran a story about the
Eurasia Motor Corp' /
Gazelle 4WD affair.
The story stated that several car dealers were trying to recover
substantial deposits that had been paid for Gazelle dealerships
and implied that any such four wheel drive was very unlikely
to materialise from Eurasia Motor Corp'. 5 September 1998: The new Land Rover Discovery (code name Tempest) was launched. As had been gradually leaked, the new Disco' has the 4.0 (or is it 3.9) litre V8 petrol engine or a new 5-cylinder Td5 turbo-diesel. It is a little longer and wider than the old car. The optional third row of seats now face forwards. Range Rover like systems include self-levelling air-bag suspension and traction control (said) to remove the need for diff' lock(s). 5 September 1998: The 1998 European Truck Trials champions are
4 September 1998: Big Lizzie Festival of Vintage Tractors (& L-R 50th) on this weekend at Red Cliffs on the Murray River.
September 1998: Mercedes Benz Australia releases the
M-class 4x4
this month. September 1998 issue of RoyalAuto reports that country fuel prices have fallen by between 1c and 3c per litre since deregulation of wholesale prices on 1 August, e.g. Albury-Wodonga was 79c/L now 76.9c/L (Caltex). 1 September 1998: Bids close and a winner should be known to buy Korean car and 4WD maker Kia. Ford, Hyundai and Daewoo (already owning Ssangyong) are interested.
29 August 1998: AN4WDRN radio network VKS737 moves to a new [URL], and there is news of VKS737 interstate radio Jamborees. 28 August 1998: The Australian dollar has been trading at between 55c(us) and 56c(us) as Russia's economic woes bring fears of a slump in commodity prices, and of the possibility of a global recession. This has brought particular problems for Jeep dealers in Australia. The pound is still strong too. We could be seeing fewer Jeeps and Land Rovers but a lot more Kias and Daewoo Mussos on the roads.
22 August 1998: Ford Australia are to offer a heavy duty suspension kit (i.e. h.d. shock absorbers) for the Explorer 4WD to counter criticism that the standard setup is too soft for Australian conditions. It will be standard on the 1999 XL. 22 August 1998: From time to time you'll see announcements in the Events page of the "Bashes" put on by the Variety Club. These are charity runs, some for 4x2's some for 4x4's. They really do good work. For example the Variety Club (Vic) [tel:9420-3208], the Pratt Foundation and Boroonda Council have together committed $270,000 to a playground for children of all abilities in East Kew. The official opening is Sunday 11 October 1998. 19 August 1998: Subaru Australia has now moved to an All All Wheel Drive (AAWD?) range, dropping its last 4x2 in this market. Entry model is now the 2-litre Impreza LX. 18 August 1998: The Wollongong area of NSW received 200mm+ (8"+)
of rain (!) yesterday and overnight leading to floods and mud-slides;
an amphibian
would have been useful.
15 August 1998:
Serena
Offroad Trial results. 15 August 1998:
Rumour is that a Victorian Land Rover dealer wasted a
Freelander
on the beach at Foster while making a commercial and that
H2O and sand have claimed it for their own.
14-16 August 1998: ATECO Warn Challenge this weekend organised by the Yarra Valley 4WD Club. August 1998: The Australian National 4x4 Show is coming to the Sydney Showground and Exhibition Complex, at Homebush Bay, 17-20 June 1999. (The 1998 show is in Melbourne in October 15...) August 1998: Results of the Blue Road Trial (8/8/98, fi). August 1999: Kia launched the 2-door convertible Sportage 4x4 in the USA recently. Kia claim that they "will pass Hyundai by the end of the year" hoping to sell 80,000 cars and 4WDs in the USA in 1998 (55,325 in 1997). They expect the convertible Sportage to account for 5,000 new sales. Meanwhile, Kia sales are reported to be sluggish in Australia, despite generally good market conditions. One or two people would like a 2-door Sportage in oz, convertible or not. (Ford now hold a significant stake in Kia.) August 1998: Subaru Australia is selling a special edition all-wheel-drive (AWD) Liberty sedan with various goodies: Bilstein suspension package, 16" alloy wheels, low profile tyres, leather interior, and available in mica blue, white or light silver. Special editions can be good value if you like the extras as they would cost more to add as a one-off to your requirements: Subaru claim that for $2,000 on the rrp you get $5000 ($au) worth of extras. Already standard are ABS brakes, dual air-bags, CD player, remote locking and climate-control air conditioning. The manual limited edition rrp is $38,990, and the automatic $40,890 ($au).
10 August 1998:
Because free wheel hubs for
International
4WD bonneted 1410 series and
1500 series, as well as ACCO 410A and 510A seem unprocurable, we are
about to machine some of these and wish to know if there are others who
may want some built as well while we have the engineer at work. Already
some 6 people have asked for hubs for the 410As. 6 August 1998: NSW's flooding is expected to affect Dubbo today. 30 July 1998: Record snow falls in S.E. Australia
brought icy road conditions parts of Victoria
but promise good skiing in weeks to come.
[wheel-chains] 
29 July 1998:
Toyota achieved record sales figures
of 20,722 cars and commercial vehicles, for
June 1998. 
July 1998: Melbourne based company Key to Adventure is running 4WD training courses particularly for women (among other groups). Key to Adventure, tel:9558-9001
26 June - 2 August 1998: Wayne County Fair, Belleville, Michigan USA, programme includes man and machine events. 25 July 1998: Invitation to a Scandinavian Offroad Safari in September '98. 23 July 1998: The NSW government
has declared the flooding in areas of central
and north-west New South Wales a ``natural disaster'' -
and relief funds will now follow.
Tamworth and other areas of the state have been badly affected. 17-19 July 1998, all the Brit' Land Rover Owners gather at Billing. 17-19 July 1998, Brisbane 4WD and Outdoor Show:
sites are all booked and going to be great.
The show includes the end of the TJM Across Australia Record Challenge
led by Ron Moon (4X4 Australia Magazine), departure Steep Point WA
July 1, and arrival at the show opening July 17th,
after going straight through the centre of Australia.
Also, first showing of new Ford Expedition,
a new $360,000 motorhome and the awesome Wrangler Rebel,
a sports concept 4WD Jeep. July 1998: Although
Volkswagen
bought Rolls Royce cars from Vickers,
it seems that Rolls Royce aero engines
holds the rights to the name, and to the RR logo and the Spirit of Ecstasy
figure that adorn the bonnets of Rollers.
BMW got some revenge, and possibly the better deal,
by buying the rights to use these symbols from the year 2003 onwards. 27-28 June 1998: Raiso Finland MudRace and Offroad Trial this weekend [results] June 1998: Rover Australia report sales of 950 units in May 1998, a record for the company, helped along by the base Range Rover 4.0 and the new Freelander.. June 1998: Chrysler Jeep announced a tax-exempt Jeep
Wrangler,
available to eligible buyers, i.e. primary producers, from May '98.
By deleting the rear seats and making the Wrangler a 2-seater,
tax can be avoided.
(There's sure to be a roaring trade in after-market rear seats.)
Not expecting to sell a whole lot,
the variant is available by special order from all
Jeep dealers.  June 1998: 11 year old Brisbane schoolboy Brendan Dieckmann
won the 15th Toyota Fishing Expo off Fraser Island
and collected the prize, a 3-door
RAV4
(right) from Toyota senior executive vice-president John Conomos.
Brendan's father will "keep the car safe" until Brendan is
old enough to drive.
It adds a new twist to the refrain "please, can I borrow the car,
can I borrow the car, pleeeaase,... son?"And in another development, Toyota Australia has introduced limited edition World-Cup models of the 5-door RAV4 and Landcruiser Prado. They include $2500 (au) of additional features for only $500 more. Toyota is sponsoring the 1998 Soccer World Cup telecast on SBS television - see the TV-guide. (There is no truth to the rumour that the corresponding English versions were withdrawn because they vandalised all other cars in the street.) 19 June 1998: au snow-reports
are for good skiing at Hotham Heights,
and "sight-seeing" to "beginners" at other resorts.
10 June 1998: the plunge of the Australian dollar below 59c(US) means that, in the long run, the prices of imported cars are likely to rise, and what 4WD is not imported? Even the local Oka uses imported engines and drive-train. Japanese vehicles may be less affected because the Yen is also feeling depressed. 7 June 1998: Ski resorts in the Australian Alps report rain (Mt. Buller) or snow (!) with Falls Creek and Mt. Hotham recording about 20cm of snow. Time to check up on Wheel-Chains. 7 June 1998 (to 27 June): 1998 Circle Australia Kidney Rally from Adelaide to Adelaide via all states and territories (12,000km). Any age or type of 2WD or 4WD road registered vehicle could enter. A previous event was held in 1996. The event is a fund raiser for the Australian Kidney Foundations and entrants raise funds through sponsorship etc. for this charity. Contact tel:1800-350-450, fundraising tel:088-267-4555. 6 June 1998: Nokia Trial Offroad Trial Finland on this weekend, [results], renamed Tropic Safari '98 and moved to Ikalinen. 6-7 June 1998: Queen's birthday weekend, Land Rover Owners club of Brisbane held a Queensland Land Rover 50th Anniversary gathering at Manor Park, NW of Brisbane, Qld. See other LR50 events. 6 June 1998: The Variety Club of Victoria Vicbash charity event for eccentrics in 4x2's started on 26 May in Melbourne and finished today in Broome WA. The event has raised approximately $415,000. They are aiming at $0.5M in 1999 and that event will also be in late May / early June but finishing in the Whitsundays, Qld. (tel:9420-3299) 4 June 1998: Volkswagen is to buy Cosworth known as the performance engine specialists (e.g. in F1) for £120M from Vickers: Cosworth "goes with" Rolls Royce which VW bid for. BMW supplies engines for Rolls Royce, which it will presumably cut-off, and perhaps Cosworth could take this role on which might put a whole new "zip" into Rollers! On a smaller scale, Cosworth is involved in the Foers Gazelle/Ibex four-wheel-drive project, which should not be a "worry" to the VW 4x4 range, where it might have offended BMW / LandRover. June 1998: NCAP safety tests released earlier in '98 claim that four wheel drives perform only `marginally' well, at best, in frontal and `offset' crash-tests. May 1998: Kia is offering special deals on the small forward-control 4WD truck, the Kia Ceres, as low as $12K (au) for the cab-chassis 4x2 Ceres in some areas. The Ceres is available as a 4x2 or 4x4 and is powered by a Mazda-designed 2.4L diesel engine. It comes with a two-year / 50,000km warranty. 28 May 1998: end of tax year approacheth again and around town ... Daihatsu Terios from $18,990 drive away (includes dual airbags), Honda CRV from $29,950 +orc (Honda sold 721 in April, that's more than Toyota RAV4 or Subaru Forester), Jeep Cherokee from $39,900 drive away including air-con' air-bags and Wrangler from $29,900 drive away, Kia Sportage $23,990 +$1K orc (this is to battle the new Vitara and also see Ceres above), Nissan Patrol DX 2.8 turbo-diesel from $39,950+orc (free air con') and ST 4.5L petrol from $46,990+orc, Pathfinder RX from $39,990 drive away, Terrano RX turbo diesel from $36,490 drive away and Navara 4x4 DX dual cab from $26,590 (tax exempt), Range Rover 4-litre from $77,950+orc, Subaru Outback from $34,990+orc, Suzuki 1998 Vitara from $27,950 (2L 4-cyl) and $29,950 (2.5L V6), Toyota Prado from $35,990+orc, RAV4 Cabrio from $24,990 drive away (all $Aus). May 1998: Chrysler Jeep (Au)
have introduced a guaranteed buy-back scheme
and lengthened their warranty to 3 years / 60,000km.
The warranty includes Jeep Assist 24-hour roadside assistance.
(No more Breakdowns here!)
This is part of the struggle in the ever more competitive 4WD
market, now reckoned to contain 30 models.
The buy-back plan is negotiated with Jeep dealers along with
finance, residual value, repayments and distance likely to be
travelled each year.
At the end of the finance period (usually 24 or 36 months) the customer can
. pay the residual and keep the car,
. refinance,
. trade-in on a new model and receive the guaranteed buy-back value
on the old Jeep,
. sell the vehicle privately,
. hand the vehicle back and
24 May 1998: Heavy snowfalls were reported [ABC TV] in the Victorian Alps around Falls Creek; fingers crossed for a good season. 21 May 1998: The RACV's annual examination of car ownership costs reveals that for an average motorist, driving 15,000km (10,000 miles) per year over 5 years, a 4x4 Toyota LandCruiser GXL auto' costs $224/week or 78c/km, a Mitsubishi Pajero GXL auto costs $177/week or 61c/km, compared with $151 to $158/week or 52c to 55c/km for the 4x2 Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Mitsubishi Magna V6 and Toyota Camry V6 sedans. As usual, standing costs (depreciation, interest, registration, insurance) outstrip running costs (fuel, tyres, servicing and repairs) by 2:1 to 3:1. May 1998, South Australia: Penalties for ignoring road-closed signs and using dirt-roads that are closed due to bad weather have been sharply increased to between $1250 and $2500 or even more. 16 May 1998: Magic of Talma, Finland, off-road trial results. 15 May 1998: Blinman '98 is on this weekend. 14 May 1998: A full [report] on the Pajero Challenge.
8 May 1998: Chrylser and
Mercedes Benz
announced that they are planning a merger.
The new company will be called Daimler Chrysler Aktiengesellschaft
and control will (eventually) reside in Germany.
In the 4WD-stakes Chrysler make
Dodge
and
Jeep
vehicles and Mercedes the
M-class
and
G-wagen. May 1998: The ATECO Warn Challenge, to be held over 14-16 August 1998, has gone National (Au).
April 1998: Subaru-Australia sales show a strong rise to 2000+ for March 1998. April 1998: There are rumours the Ford is investigating a 4WD version of the current Ford Falcon ute, so it is timely to recall the XY 4WD c1971. Hope Ford can make a real go of it this time. More recently a specialist company [who was it?] produced some prototype 4WD Falcon sedans, but these were 4WD for fire-breathing performance, not offroad reasons.
10 April 1998, Easter: Australian
Land Rover
50th Anniversary Gathering
saw enthusiasts come together from all over Australia to
Cooma NSW 10-13 April, and ... 9 April 1998: No it's not your imagination, it's Easter so
petrol prices have risen 3 or 4 cents per litre.
They may rise even
further if the industrial dispute on the Australian
waterfront spreads to the fuel industry.
Fill up the reserve fuel tank!
April 1998: New Suzuki Vitara launched (oz), 2L 4-cyl and 2.5L V6 engines, and more comfortable interior. 3 April 1998: BMW has the winning bid to buy Rolls Royce! (Volkswagen was also very interested.) Since BMW already owns Rover and Land Rover, not to mention the MG and Austin-Healey names etc., maybe now we'll see a really luxurious Range Rover, R4?-) Vickers shareholders still have to approve the sale. Note that Vickers also owns Cosworth the engine manufacturer who is involved with the Ibex / Gazelle 4x4. [Late April: VW upped their bid for Rolls Royce!] March 1998: The Victorian Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs (VAFWDC)
is participating in a trial with DNRE where clubs may use
Management Vehicle Only (MVO) tracks in Eildon National Park
by prior arrangement. Such tracks are closed by locked gates.
Naturally users will have to be very responsible.
As part of the trial, clubs will take part in working-bees. March 1998: Toyota has issued a recall on Prado V6 models sold from April 1996 to September 1997 - solenoid valve port tubes are vulnerable to damage. March 1998: A Challenge '98 [report] /4WD.html 26 March 1998: Toyota have launched the 100-series Landcruiser in Oz with the 6-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and also the 4.7 litre V8 option, as per the Lexus LX470. A live front axle and (or is it or) an independent front end are fitted to different variants. March 1998: B-triples are being trialled on selected high-quality dual carriageway roads in Victoria: Hume Freeway (Campbellfield to Wadonga), Western RingRoad, Princes Highway (Laverton Nth. to Geelong), Princes Freeway (Hallam to Taralgon), Western Freeway (Deer Park to Ballarat). A B-triple consists of a prime-mover and three (articulated) semi-trailers, up to a length of 33.5 metres (100+ feet)! The RACV Transport and Safety Dept., 550 Princes Highway, Noble Park, 3174, would welcome comments on the use of B-triples on these roads. 25 March 1998: A case of Japanese Encephalitis has been diagnosed on the west coast of Cape York. This often fatal disease is carried by mosquitoes and harboured in wild pigs [- ABC news]. Perhaps this is a good reason to stock up on `Rid', or similar, if heading north. 22 March 1998: High temperatures and strong winds brought bushfires to NSW North of Sydney, to Tasmania, and to Victoria NW of Melbourne. 21 March 1998: Challenge '98 (Pajero 4WD Club) starts on Saturday night. 16 March 1998: Variety Club (Vic) Challenge starts. 14 March 1998: More news or rumours about NAS spec' Foers Ibex 4WD.
8 March 1998: The Australian Formula-One Grand-Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne is a strictly 4x2 affair, but there have been four-wheel drive Formula-One racing-cars. (Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard of the McLaren - Mercedes team gained the first two places on the grid for Sunday's opening round of the 1998 F1 season. They finished the race in those position too, having lapped everyone else!) 6 March 1998: Rain has eased in the Gulf of Carpentaria but water levels will continue to rise in the short term and flooding may persist for some weeks. 4 March 1998: Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria region is experiencing major flooding with many communities cut off. More rain is expected.
1 March 1998:
The Land Rover Owners & Enthusiasts Club of Ireland
has loads of plans to celebrate the
50th
including sending 50 vehicles to Billing '98 in
Northampton, UK
(see 1997). 27 February 1998: The Melbourne Motor Show opens - Lexus LX470, Merc' M-class, Mitsubishi Challenger, Holden Jackaroo 3.5 & Rodeo V6, Volvo V70 XC, Land Rover Freelander, plus Ferraris, Lamborghinis etc. 27 February 1998: Suzuki Australia Operations Manager, Graeme West, announced the construction of a $6 million national headquarters for the company at Laverton, Victoria. It will include administrative offices, warehousing, workshops and bond facilities, and will bring car, 4WD, motorcycle and boating operations together. The new head office is scheduled to be opened in September 1998. 24 February 1998: VW Transporter Syncro (4WD) at the Munich Camper Fair - Tom Niksch. 22 February 1998: 4WD Field Day Wandin, Victoria. 16 February 1998: a spell of cold weather brough snow to Falls Creek and other areas of the Australian Alps - a reminder to always carry warm clothing and wet weather gear when travelling in those parts, even in summer. 13-15 February 1998: Trucks In Action show, Warragul, Victoria. February 1998: GM
Suburban
and Toyota
RAV4 Cabrio'
4WD's went on sale in oz; talk about the long and the short! February 1998: The Variety Club of Victoria Bash (4x2)
to Broome (26 May - 6 June 1998) has 96 entries and is nearing its target
of raising $500,000. The charity gives money to disadvantaged children:
e.g. $15,700 to Odyssey House for its kindergarten, and
hundreds to thousands of $ for splints, computers "talkers" etc.
tel:9420-3208 February 1998: Cosworth, Birkin and Foers are developing a sports 4WD based on the Ibex. They have distanced themselves from Eurasia Motors (Florida) who had claimed to be distributing it. February 1998: Land Rover
Discovery 4WD sales
were up 19% in 1997 with the 20,000th
Australian Disco' being sold last December. 7 February 1998: Canberra 4WD Show this weekend.
30 January 1998: Ex tropical cyclone Les
(what sort of name is Les for a cyclone?)
which wrecked Katherine N.T. is now heading for the Kimberleys
WA and threatening strong winds,
rain and flooding there too. 30 January 1998, email rumours:
[...] an Austrian 4WD-magazine is carrying a story about SFT
[Steyr Daimler Puch].
At the end of the story there is an interview with Dipl.
Ing. Rohr, who is chief manager of the 4WD-passenger cars /
G-model
- Division. They asked him about the
Pinny:
He says that he wouldn't be able to say anything concrete,
but he didn't say no. This is some evidence that a new Pinzgauer will
come soon.
Further they speculated about a Range Rover with a BMW engine
[frequently rumoured] and
SDP drive-line. This car should be in the testing phase.
There is speculation that SDP could modernise the drive-line of every
Land Rover.
At the moment SDP are assembling the 4WD transmission of the Land Rover
Freelander
[and assembling export Jeep
Grand Cherokees
too].
Maybe this is only the first stage. 27 January 1998: A state of emergency has been declared around Katherine in the Northern Territory due to heavy (!) rain, with the Stuart Highway cut and motorists stranded. Part of the town has also been evacuated. January 1998: This is the year of the anniversary. We have the Land Rover 50th, the 40th anniversary of LandCruiser in Australia and the 25th year of Subaru in Australia. Subaru have a special anniversary Subaru Liberty GX 4x4 with goodies at $31,490 (manual), $33,390 (auto'). January 1998: The Ssangyong Korando went on sale in Australia through Mercedes Benz dealers - rather quietly after Daewoo bought Ssangyong late last year. The Korando is powered by a Mercedes-derived 2.3L engine. The manual-transmission model cost $34.8K and the automatic $39.6K. 19 January 1998: all petrol heads and other big kids should watch Robbie Coltrane's 6-part TV series Planes and Automobiles showing on ABC TV 8pm Monday nights. Check the TV-guide for details. 18 January 1998, Sunday: Jean-Pierre Fontenay, driving a Mitsubishi, won the Paris-Dakar Rally. It was his 15th year of participation. Stephane Peterhansel won the motorbike section riding a Yamaha and Hydon, an Australian, was third. Tatras were first and third with a Hino second in the truck section.
11 January 1998: Email from Queensland reports torrential rain in the North with heavy flooding in Townsville. Perhaps it is time to reconsider travel plans up there. 9 January 1998: The bushfire
in the Alpine National Park, Victoria,
continues to burn, having crossed the Moroka River and reached the
Snowy Bluff area some 25km east of where it began on the Caledonia River.
Four-Wheel Drivers will know Snowy Bluff as being close to the (very steep)
Billy Goat Bluff track and the Wonnangatta Valley.
The general public has been requested to stay away from the
Licola - Wonnangatta area. Fire-fighters are concerned about strong winds
forecast for the coming weekend. 9 January 1998: Chrysler - Jeep have revived the Jeepster
name with a 4X4 show-car at the Detroit Motor Show.
Willys' original Jeepster (1948) was a 4X2 (only) convertible
with a four or (1949) six-cylinder engine and with front styling from the
Jeep Truck
and station wagon. The new show car
is four wheel drive and has V8 power.
3 January 1998: The Paris-Dakar Offroad
Rally
got under way in something more like its original form,
1 January 1998: Wishing you all a happy, and safe, New Year
of four wheel driving. January 1998: holiday time [oz]. Go to the [index], [1999] [1998] [1997] or Four Wheel Drive
Note: 4WD-News articles are likely to move, so it is much safer to keep bookmarks to the main page(s).
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