CR5 Issue 161 Oct 2018

seen as a taxi on the streets of
London rather than blasting
through sand dunes. But it’s there
where the ruggedness lies.
Nobody expected the Prius to be
as reliable as it is – but even daily
abuse as Uber cabs can’t break
them. Many of these cars have
over 500,000 miles on the clock
and are still going strong on their
original battery packs.
ARIEL NOMAD
Most off-roaders are designed
to traverse rough terrain at
about 5mph. The Ariel Nomad is
designed to do it at 50.
With an engine and body
pinched from the Atom road
car, the rear-wheel-drive Nomad
bounces across the terrain rather
than ploughing through it. It’s
hardcore, totally open to the
elements and buckets of fun.
SUBARU FORESTER
Subaru has a reputation for
producing reliable, rugged
cars, and the Forester is no
exception. The darling of farmers
everywhere, Subaru owners tend
to keep their cars for longer than
any other – because they can’t
bear to part with them.
The brand’s symmetrical allwheel-drive
system is legendary
for its simplicity and reliability,
while boxer engines lower the
centre of gravity and make for a
reassuring drive.
TOYOTA HILUX
Our third Toyota on this list is
perhaps the most legendary –
the Hilux, notably the ‘unkillable
car’. Made famous by BBC’s Top
Gear, a Hilux survived being left
at sea, falling off a building, being
crashed into a tree and crushed
with a wrecking ball – and still
started up at the end.
Today’s Hilux is rather plusher
than the 1994 model that Top
Gear used, but it still
retains a well-earned
reputation for serious
reliability.
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