4X4OTY to be announced at the 2018 Australian Motoring Awards

THE 2018 4X4 of the Year award will be announced tonight at the Australian Motoring Awards.

Held at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne’s CBD, the AMAs is an annual event that highlights the best motoring achievements of the year: Wheels Car of the Year, MOTOR Performance Car of the Year, the WhichCar Style award and, of course, the main event, 4X4 Australia’s 4X4OTY.

This year’s field of 4X4OTY contenders was limited to six vehicles: Haval H9 Ultra, Isuzu MU-X, Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, Land Rover Discovery SD4, Land Rover Discovery TD6 and Mercedes-Benz G-Class Pro 300D.

Our team of experienced judges spent a week discovering the strengths and foibles of the contingency, taking the rigs to the Melbourne 4x4 Training and Proving Ground (www.melbourne4x4.com.au) and then onto the rocks and dust of Eldee Station in outback NSW. A difficult set-piece hill-climb separated the pretenders from the contenders, while a range of tracks, climbs, woopty-doos and creek crossings provided great insight into each vehicle.

Tough Dog 4WD Suspension, the major supporter of 4X4OTY, brought along its highly capable Ford Ranger, and, had it been eligible, it could have taken home the award. The rig was equipped with a Tough Dog suspension set-up designed to carry a 0-300kg load in the rear, while the front-end was set-up to handle the weight of the steel bullbar.

To see the announcement of the year’s best 4x4 as it happens, log on to our Facebook page (@4x4Australia) where we’ll be running a live feed.