Six-wheel D-MAX wins 2023 Custom 4x4 of the Year

The title of the award may be ‘Custom 4x4 of the Year', but the public vote has been counted and a six-wheeler has beaten 11 other contenders to claim the coveted crown for 2023.

Callum and Nicole McDevitt’s Isuzu D-MAX X-Terrain scored a total of 597 votes, clinching the win by just 12 votes ahead of Richard Swindel-Hurst’s Barra-powered FJ45 which ended up with 585 votes. Proving that six-wheelers are popular in the touring community, On Track’s Nissan Y62 Patrol 6x6 rounded out the podium with 446 votes.

The winning D-MAX X-Terrain underwent a significant transformation by Six Wheeler Conversions, where a third undriven axle was added beneath the chassis. The conversion included a two-inch lift and a Formula two-inch upgrade at the front to maintain balance.

6

This extra axle redistributes 60 per cent of the vehicle's rear weight over the rear drive axle, and the enhanced setup supports the extended canopy and additional tow-ball weight for a caravan. With six-wheel braking and a raised GVM of 4630kg (with a 4500kg towable capacity), the D-MAX achieved a GCM of 8130kg, allowing legal road use in Australia. CORE Off-Road then designed its first dual-axle-supported canopy to complete the project.

By being voted the 2023 Custom 4x4 of the Year, Callum and Nicole have won a MAXXIS Tyres voucher valued at $2000, an MSA 4x4 Accessories voucher valued at $500, and a MAXTRAX voucher valued at $500.

6

Richard Swindel-Hurst’s Barra-powered FJ45 fell just 12 votes short of the title

A total of 3815 votes were tallied to find a winner, with one lucky voter plucked at random to win a suite of prizes which included a MAXXIS voucher valued at $1000, an MSA 4x4 Accessories voucher valued at $500, and a MAXTRAX voucher valued at $500. The lucky winner was Georgia from Victoria, who was rapt to accept the prizes.

“Wow, thankyou so much! My partner is heavily involved in the 4x4 industry. You may know of him, he has a pretty cool HiLux. Who knows, one day he might be lucky enough to feature in 4X4 Australia magazine,” Georgia said. “We actually just bought four brand new MAXXIS Razrs, but a few spares will be unreal before we head to Cape York in May. We absolutely love and support the 4x4 community.”

Thanks to everyone who voted, and congratulations to our winners!