2022 4x4 Of The Year: Testing conditions

There's no doubt all of the judges look forward to 4x4 Of The Year testing, but it’s not all beer and skittles, with long hours behind the wheel of each of the vehicles over seven very long days.

For the first time in 4X4OTY’s 38-year history, we used the fantastic Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC) at Anglesea in Victoria to whittle down our 18 4x4 of the Year contenders to six finalists over three days.

Those finalists would then be subjected to four more days of punishing real-world testing that would replicate the conditions just about any Aussie four-wheel driver might encounter on an outback adventure.

The great thing about the AARC facility is that it allowed the judges to test each vehicle in controlled conditions, both on a closed-loop sealed road and a closed-loop high-speed dirt road, as well as on set-piece off-road hills that required the use of low-range gearing.

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Sealed roads

The sealed road section replicated many mountain roads that you might expect to encounter throughout hilly country in Australia.

The road surface itself was smooth and in good condition, but the course wended its way down steep descents and up long climbs, and it had plenty of twists and turns with some interesting off-camber sections. And being a closed-loop road, we didn’t have to worry about oncoming traffic … although there were plenty of wallabies about to keep us on our toes.

In a sign of the times, all our 2022 4X4OTY contenders were equipped with automatic transmissions

The great thing about this road course is that it allowed us to test the ride and handling of each vehicle, to see how compliant and controlled they felt over bumps and undulations, to examine how they turned in to corners and how well they held a line, to feel how much body roll they exhibited, to test the effectiveness of the brakes after repeated heavy braking tests, and to ascertain how traction- and stability-control systems operated when the vehicles were driven on the limit of tyre adhesion.

Performance was also tested on the sealed-road course, as was the way each vehicle’s engine and transmission combination worked together. We could discover how smooth gear shifts were, whether transmissions were willing to shift when prompted with a prod on the accelerator, or if they would hold on to tall gears up long climbs rather than hunt through the ratios when you didn’t want them to. Oh yes, in a sign of the times, all our 2022 4X4OTY contenders were equipped with automatic transmissions.

High-speed gravel

The high-speed dirt road at the AARC proved very informative. The surface started with a smooth left-hand bend which was followed by a heavily corrugated right-hander, before a long stretch with loose gravel, undulations and strategically placed depressions.

The initial left-hand corner allowed the judges to feel how each vehicle’s stability-control system behaved, while the corrugated right was a real test of suspension systems and NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) levels. Some of the vehicles went through that corrugated right without fuss and in complete control, while others would have speared off the road if it wasn’t for electronic intervention.

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As for NVH levels, when some vehicles were driven through the corrugated corner, they exhibited excessive noise throughout the cabin and rattling through their steering racks that would drive you mad on a long drive on crook outback roads. Suffice to say, those vehicles didn’t make it through to the final six.

The off-road component of our testing at the AARC consisted of a series of steep hills covered in loose gravel. There were marked 30° and 40° gradients, while one of the hills had deep ruts and undulations.

Not all of the vehicles were tested on the latter of these hills as we didn’t want to damage bumpers or rip off side-steps, but with those that were driven up it, we were able to examine ground clearance and wheel travel, as well as test the operation and effectiveness of traction-control systems and diff locks.

Final six

The testing procedure at the AARC over three days allowed us to easily choose the six finalists and, after a surprisingly civil discussion amongst the judges, the choice was surprisingly unanimous. There’s usually some argy-bargy when it comes to choosing the final six, but there was none of that after our AARC test.

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We got away from the AARC in the afternoon of the third day and headed up the highway to our camp in the Mallee country. This drive consisted of a few hours of highway driving before we got on the dirt, and the judges swapped vehicles every hour or so on the way to our campsite which, incidentally, was like an oasis in the desert. This drive gave the judges time to acclimatise themselves with vehicle controls and set-up, and gauges and screens.

The following day we got into some sandy country and, as the sun climbed higher, so too did the mercury, with the ambient temperature hovering around the 40°C mark for much of the day. This made the sand particularly soft in sections and we dropped tyre pressures to around 20psi, not keen on going any lower due to the standard passenger-car construction tyres fitted to each of the vehicles. Only the Defender came equipped with all-terrain rubber, but even these were not LT (Light Truck) tyres.

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As we meandered along the sandy tracks on the way to our lunch stop, we had to keep a keen eye out for sticks and tree roots poking out of the sides of the track so we didn’t suffer any tyre damage. That’s the problem with standard rubber and low pressures; when chasing a longer tyre footprint by dropping pressures, the light sidewalls bulge out, making them prone to damage. Our tucker truck was the only victim, with a tear in the sidewall of one of its standard rear tyres.

As we neared our campsite late in the afternoon, we came across a particularly soft section of sand on a long hill that certainly tested the capability of our final six. The sun was quickly dropping towards the horizon by this stage, so we made the call to set up camp and come back to this hill first thing the following morning.

Once back, we stopped each vehicle on the softest part of the sandy hill and then attempted to drive up it. In most of the vehicles we had to back down the hill a bit to get a run up, but those with advanced crawl-control systems (the Defender and the LandCruiser) were able to cleverly inch their way up the sandy track until they picked up enough momentum to complete the climb to the top.

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If you ever find yourself driving in sand by yourself, this technology is impressive, allowing you to drive out of seemingly stuck situations without the need for recovery equipment. Of course, you can still get stuck, so always take your recovery gear when driving off-road.

After our morning test in the soft sand, we continued along outback roads and tracks for much of the day, seeing how the vehicles performed when driving through bulldust, over cattle grids and along corrugations of varying frequencies. Swapping vehicles every hour or so allowed us to make direct comparisons of each vehicle.

To the hills

The next day we headed for our final destination, which would allow us to test the vehicles in rocky, mountainous country. That meant more outback roads – both sealed and unsealed – before we arrived at a property we have used several times before for 4X4OTY testing.

The terrain here is extreme, with steep climbs that test each vehicle’s low-range gearing and traction aids, as well as the compliance of suspension systems, ground clearance and off-road angles.

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Despite taking care over the rocky climbs and descents, we suffered more tyre sidewall damage on the final day of testing, highlighting the inadequacies of standard passenger tyres in off-road terrain.

It was now time for the judges to add up their scores and a final discussion to decide what vehicles would take out of the respective categories in the 2022 4X4 Of The Year. There would still be plenty of driving to do the next day as the judges headed off to their respective home bases. Despite the big distances travelled and the 12-hour days, we’re all hanging out for next year’s 4X4OTY test. Bring it on!