CR5 Issue 161 Oct 2018

Motoring
By James Baggott
The most rugged cars you can buy
A Ford Fiesta is perfect for
bustling city traffic, while a BMW
5 Series is ideal for motorway
mile-munching. But whack
either of them into a challenging
situation and they soon become
unstuck – they simply aren’t
rugged.
These cars are, though. We’ve
rounded up nine of the most
hard-wearing and brawny cars
you can buy today, ideal for
surviving a nuclear war – or the
muddy car boot sale in Sandford,
Gloucestershire.
JEEP WRANGLER
The latest Jeep Wrangler is set to
come to the UK after debuting
in America. It’s more refined,
luxurious and car-like than ever,
but still retains the DNA of the
original Willys Jeep – one of the
most iconic off-roaders of all time.
Solid axles ensure simplicity
and this enables Wranglers to
be modified for just about any
purpose. Whether you want to
traverse sand dunes, go mudplugging
in a deep forest or
simply park on the kerb without
scraping your alloys, the Wrangler
is about as tough as they come.
MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS
Originally known as the G-Wagen,
this military-spec beast has
morphed into the ideal transport
for those who want to be seen.
With glitzy chrome atop the
blocky body, and the option of
insane AMG-tuned engines, it’s
often seen in London’s most
glamorous districts.
But the G-Class isn’t just all show
and no go. It’s one of the most
serious off-roaders you can
buy today, thanks to a supersophisticated
4WD system plus
three locking differentials. Opt
for chunky tyres rather than shiny
alloys and the G-Class is near
unstoppable.
TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
The Land Cruiser is a true legend
– it’s the vehicle that pushed
Land Rover out of Australia,
and showed the world that not
only could the Japanese build
off-roaders, they could build offroaders
that never broke down.
Though the Land Cruiser
isn’t as luxurious as a Range
Rover, treat it properly and it’ll
probably outlast you. There’s no
compromise to be made off-road
either.
ISUZU D-MAX AT35 ARCTIC
TRUCKS
Isuzu’s D-Max pickup is already
a pretty rugged vehicle, with a
beefy diesel engine and fourwheel
drive. The specialists at
Arctic Trucks, however, have
turned it into something rather
spectacular.
With enormous tyres and
widened arches, the car’s stance
is far more purposeful, and
custom Fox suspension offers it
enough travel to deal with terrain
that would trouble a mountain
goat.
TOYOTA PRIUS
This may be an odd inclusion,
as the Toyota Prius isn’t exactly
known for its go-anywhere ability.
In fact, it’s far more likely to be
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