More comments on SMALL 4x4s

[NorthernRaider]

I like 4x4s, we have a 1.8 pinin, small but bloody useful, I'm even considering getting a Jimny when the transit dies of old age.

In my other article I highlighted some interesting points about small 4x4s and how for SOME of us they may be of more use than big blooming full sized 4x4s.

Anyway what I have noticed of late is an increase in local farmers getting Jimnys, Terios, and even stuff like John Deere Gators and Kawasaki Mules in this area that provide them with good load carrying off road capability but in a small sized package that can get into smaller tighter spots than big Landy type vehicles.

Then oddly enough I read about a bunch of European venture travellers who decided to go from Paris to OZ in Fiat Panda 4x4s in a little convoy. Yes of course they had problems, breakdowns, punctures getting stuck etc but the one constant point they kept making was how their bigger 4x4 support vehicles including Iveco 4x4 vans, and other big 4x4s kept getting stuck far more often than the little Pandas did.

That ticked a box for later recall in my ageing mind until this morning when I'm watching footage of this years fabulous Dakar rally (Argentina- Peru-Chile) and bugger me there is Toyota Land cruisers, HI Aces, Mitsubishi shoguns, pinins, VW halfcabs, loads of other privateers in stuff like modded Landies, and even massive hugely powerful HUMMERS !!.

Give ya one guess which single type of vehicle was OVERALL (not getting it all their own way) beating the snot out of the rest.

MINI'S , Yup tarted up, Yup expensive custom jobs no doubt, but very much being NEARLY all MINIs in the top ten. Small, compact, nimble MINI 4x4s expedition vehicles from the Mini all4 Racing team.

You should see these little cars being dwarfed by the huge hummers, but normally beating them.

Then I thought about TOP GEARS Trans Andes special where Captain sensible managed to coax a old Suzuki Rhino through the Amazon, over the Andes, through the Atacama desert and down to the pacific sticking with a Rangy and Toyota CJ4 all the way.

We really do need to take a long 2nd look at modern small 4x4s as BOVs especially as in the UK money is a tight as some of the spaces we want to drive through.
NR