It’s all about inner beauty, right…
Growing up in South Australia, Peter was always travelling and camping. When Peter and his wife got married, they purchased a Vitara to get them down onto their favourite beaches for some fishing and camping. But they wanted more…
…Looking back on it, the Vitara seems like a gateway drug into the world of bigger, more expensive 4X4s purpose-built for touring. Their love for touring grew, along with their family, full-size 4X4s followed, including an NP Pajero before they settled on their current NW Pajero much to the annoyance of Peter’s Toyota-loving family.
Pete settled on the 2012 MY13 NW Pajero VRX after exhaustive research, reckoning it offered better bang for buck than, say, the Toyota Prado that was also on his list. Peter said the Pajero appealed because of its reliable motor and dependable drivetrain and clever 4X4 system. Its good on-road manners along with a factory diff lock and decent traction control were the icing on the cake.
A lot has gone into the Pajero to turn it into Peter’s ideal tourer. He started with a Jonny Tig front-mounted intercooler, to ensure that even on those heatwave days in South Australia the Mitsubishi keeps running cool. He fitted a three-inch exhaust, and to make the most of it an ECU remap. To make sure the engine doesn’t ingest anything it shouldn’t Peter has fitted a TJM Airtek snorkel, Provent Catch can as well as a Fuelmanager secondary fuel filter. Upfront he has an ARB bull bar equipped with a Runva winch. Underneath he has fitted Bushskins underbody protection, Asfir bash plates for the fuel tank and rear AC, as well as BRC diff breathers. Peter has also modified the factory rear diff lock so it can now be activated while leaving the front traction control on.
In everything he’s done, Peter has carefully thought through each of the modifications so he could create his ultimate touring 4X4, and he believes he’s pretty much found it, having just returned from an 8500km trip from Adelaide to Perth (and back).
Looking forward he is keen to upgrade the spotlights and light bar which he currently finds useless, and he’s also eager to change from 18-inch wheels down to 17-inch wheels to give greater options in tyre size and range, particularly in Light Truck construction.
Peter, we think your Pajero is set up to be an excellent tourer. Hopefully, you manage to do your full lap of Australia one day; however, for now, your Victorian High Country trip (next on the destination list) should be a blast.
PETER’S NW PAJERO
Readers' Rigs
VEHICLES
From a first look, you can tell that plenty of thought has gone into the Triton’s setup, and it looks properly stealth with matching black everything. While the Triton looks the goods, Craig assures us it isn’t just a mall crawler, regularly taking it off-road, “anywhere that looks fantastic”, with his favourites including the Blue Mountains in NSW and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.
The Triton runs a Terrain Tamer suspension kit with a two-inch suspension lift as well as 450kg-plus rated leaf springs in the rear. Upfront, he’s fitted an Ironman Deluxe Commercial Bull Bar, which is now home to Stedi Type X Pro spotlights, as well as a Kings 12,000lb winch. The Triton runs Bridgestone all-terrains, which Craig said provide a good mix of on-road and off-road performance.
On the roof, he’s installed a Rhino-Rack backbone with a Pioneer Platform for extra storage space, and in case the Stedi spotlights on the bull bar weren’t enough, Craig also fitted a Stedi 40.5-inch St2k lightbar for good measure.
To ensure the 2.4L keeps running as it should he’s fitted both a snorkel and a Provent 200 Catch Can to keep crap out of the engine. Inside the cabin, he has installed a Windbooster 3S throttle controller to tighten up throttle response. For communication, he’s fitted a GME XRS 770C UHF Radio, although that would only be useful if he can hear it over the Clarion nine-inch active subwoofer thumping behind the rear seat.
While the Triton already looks tidy, Craig wants to add a roller shutter on the ute tray, along with a tune to get the most out of the turbo-diesel engine. Craig, we reckon your Triton is looking schmick and sleek, and is great inspiration for anyone else wanting to build up one of these pickups.
This thing looks great, we’re just glad we don’t have to clean it.
Most of us get into four-wheel driving because we’ve experienced it growing up, or we fell in love with the out-of-this-world customs in magazines and DVDs (anyone remember magazines?). Craig, however, became a four-wheel-driver because he wanted to get his own back against a tree.
Yep, see, Craig had his MR-2 GT Turbo written off when it went head to head with a tree and lost. Craig said that from then on, “I swore the next tree that tackled me would fall”.
That led him to 1994 Toyota Surf two-door, then a 2010 Mitsubishi Challenger PB, both of which he modified, and now finally this 2018 Black Edition Mitsubishi Triton, although we’re not so sure he’d want to run it at a tree…
CRAIG’S 2018 MITSUBISHI TRITON BLACK EDITION
When it came to modifying the Suzuki, she knew that under the bonnet wouldn’t be an issue, with the rare 3.2L V6 powering along the reasonably lightweight Vitara without a problem. On a vehicle like the Grand Vitara modifications can be a bit tricky to find; however this hasn’t stopped her. Upfront there is bullbar with provision one day for a winch, although Juliette has the attitude that if she needs to rescue herself with a winch, she probably shouldn’t have driven the track in the first place. To provide some added ground clearance she has fitted smaller alloy wheels with larger BFGoodrich all-terrain tyres, while also installing a moderate lift. At the rear a custom tow bar is tucked up out of the way as well as a trimmed rear bumper (and a relocated numberplate) both of which help achieve a greater departure angle. She has also had a special switch that kills all the driving aids that can get in the way when sand driving. Seeing a need for front recovery points with none being offered Juliette went ahead and made her own, and now manufacturers them for sale, called Brolga Bits.
Looking forward to future accessories Juliette is keen to see how some crazily big lift kits from Russia go, however not wanting to be the Guinea Pig. She’s also eager to sort out her underbody protection that seems to keep giving her grief due to sliding across, rather than driving over some obstacles. Her local four-wheel-driving spots include the myriad of tracks in the Victorian High Country; however, she is keen to do Cape York one day, or even the Simpson Desert again, albeit with a support fuel vehicle.
Juliette, your Suzuki Grand Vitara, is great and we love seeing people getting out and enjoying the countryside and freedom a fourby affords. You and your Grand Vitara prove your 4X4 doesn’t always need to be 35s and have a four-inch lift to be an adventure machine.
Lightweight and Lethal…
For Juliette, getting into four-wheel-driving was about helping her back pocket, which almost no wheeler has ever said. You see, Juliette used to be into modified streetcars, track cars and amateur-level motorsport before she switched over to the good side.
Tossing up between an FJ Cruiser or Grand Vitara, with the main criteria of something reasonably small and easy to park, she ended up going a 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara Prestige with a 3.2L V6 under the bonnet. That engine also helped ease the decision making, with the power it offered appealing having come from track motorsport, “I’m not the type of person that likes to drive slow cars”.
JULIETTE’S GRAND VITARA
Readers' Rigs
It’s all about inner beauty, right…
Growing up in South Australia, Peter was always travelling and camping. When Peter and his wife got married, they purchased a Vitara to get them down onto their favourite beaches for some fishing and camping. But they wanted more…
…Looking back on it, the Vitara seems like a gateway drug into the world of bigger, more expensive 4X4s purpose-built for touring. Their love for touring grew, along with their family, full-size 4X4s followed, including an NP Pajero before they settled on their current NW Pajero much to the annoyance of Peter’s Toyota-loving family.
VEHICLES
PETER’S NW PAJERO
Pete settled on the 2012 MY13 NW Pajero VRX after exhaustive research, reckoning it offered better bang for buck than, say, the Toyota Prado that was also on his list. Peter said the Pajero appealed because of its reliable motor and dependable drivetrain and clever 4X4 system. Its good on-road manners along with a factory diff lock and decent traction control were the icing on the cake.
A lot has gone into the Pajero to turn it into Peter’s ideal tourer. He started with a Jonny Tig front-mounted intercooler, to ensure that even on those heatwave days in South Australia the Mitsubishi keeps running cool. He fitted a three-inch exhaust, and to make the most of it an ECU remap. To make sure the engine doesn’t ingest anything it shouldn’t Peter has fitted a TJM Airtek snorkel, Provent Catch can as well as a Fuelmanager secondary fuel filter. Upfront he has an ARB bull bar equipped with a Runva winch. Underneath he has fitted Bushskins underbody protection, Asfir bash plates for the fuel tank and rear AC, as well as BRC diff breathers. Peter has also modified the factory rear diff lock so it can now be activated while leaving the front traction control on.
In everything he’s done, Peter has carefully thought through each of the modifications so he could create his ultimate touring 4X4, and he believes he’s pretty much found it, having just returned from an 8500km trip from Adelaide to Perth (and back).
Looking forward he is keen to upgrade the spotlights and light bar which he currently finds useless, and he’s also eager to change from 18-inch wheels down to 17-inch wheels to give greater options in tyre size and range, particularly in Light Truck construction.
Peter, we think your Pajero is set up to be an excellent tourer. Hopefully, you manage to do your full lap of Australia one day; however, for now, your Victorian High Country trip (next on the destination list) should be a blast.
This thing looks great, we’re just glad we don’t have to clean it.
Most of us get into four-wheel driving because we’ve experienced it growing up, or we fell in love with the out-of-this-world customs in magazines and DVDs (anyone remember magazines?). Craig, however, became a four-wheel-driver because he wanted to get his own back against a tree.
Yep, see, Craig had his MR-2 GT Turbo written off when it went head to head with a tree and lost. Craig said that from then on, “I swore the next tree that tackled me would fall”.
That led him to 1994 Toyota Surf two-door, then a 2010 Mitsubishi Challenger PB, both of which he modified, and now finally this 2018 Black Edition Mitsubishi Triton, although we’re not so sure he’d want to run it at a tree…
CRAIG’S 2018 MITSUBISHI TRITON BLACK EDITION
From a first look, you can tell that plenty of thought has gone into the Triton’s setup, and it looks properly stealth with matching black everything. While the Triton looks the goods, Craig assures us it isn’t just a mall crawler, regularly taking it off-road, “anywhere that looks fantastic”, with his favourites including the Blue Mountains in NSW and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.
The Triton runs a Terrain Tamer suspension kit with a two-inch suspension lift as well as 450kg-plus rated leaf springs in the rear. Upfront, he’s fitted an Ironman Deluxe Commercial Bull Bar, which is now home to Stedi Type X Pro spotlights, as well as a Kings 12,000lb winch. The Triton runs Bridgestone all-terrains, which Craig said provide a good mix of on-road and off-road performance.
On the roof, he’s installed a Rhino-Rack backbone with a Pioneer Platform for extra storage space, and in case the Stedi spotlights on the bull bar weren’t enough, Craig also fitted a Stedi 40.5-inch St2k lightbar for good measure.
To ensure the 2.4L keeps running as it should he’s fitted both a snorkel and a Provent 200 Catch Can to keep crap out of the engine. Inside the cabin, he has installed a Windbooster 3S throttle controller to tighten up throttle response. For communication, he’s fitted a GME XRS 770C UHF Radio, although that would only be useful if he can hear it over the Clarion nine-inch active subwoofer thumping behind the rear seat.
While the Triton already looks tidy, Craig wants to add a roller shutter on the ute tray, along with a tune to get the most out of the turbo-diesel engine. Craig, we reckon your Triton is looking schmick and sleek, and is great inspiration for anyone else wanting to build up one of these pickups.
Lightweight and Lethal…
For Juliette, getting into four-wheel-driving was about helping her back pocket, which almost no wheeler has ever said. You see, Juliette used to be into modified streetcars, track cars and amateur-level motorsport before she switched over to the good side.
Tossing up between an FJ Cruiser or Grand Vitara, with the main criteria of something reasonably small and easy to park, she ended up going a 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara Prestige with a 3.2L V6 under the bonnet. That engine also helped ease the decision making, with the power it offered appealing having come from track motorsport, “I’m not the type of person that likes to drive slow cars”.
JULIETTE’S GRAND VITARA
When it came to modifying the Suzuki, she knew that under the bonnet wouldn’t be an issue, with the rare 3.2L V6 powering along the reasonably lightweight Vitara without a problem. On a vehicle like the Grand Vitara modifications can be a bit tricky to find; however this hasn’t stopped her. Upfront there is bullbar with provision one day for a winch, although Juliette has the attitude that if she needs to rescue herself with a winch, she probably shouldn’t have driven the track in the first place. To provide some added ground clearance she has fitted smaller alloy wheels with larger BFGoodrich all-terrain tyres, while also installing a moderate lift. At the rear a custom tow bar is tucked up out of the way as well as a trimmed rear bumper (and a relocated numberplate) both of which help achieve a greater departure angle. She has also had a special switch that kills all the driving aids that can get in the way when sand driving. Seeing a need for front recovery points with none being offered Juliette went ahead and made her own, and now manufacturers them for sale, called Brolga Bits.
Looking forward to future accessories Juliette is keen to see how some crazily big lift kits from Russia go, however not wanting to be the Guinea Pig. She’s also eager to sort out her underbody protection that seems to keep giving her grief due to sliding across, rather than driving over some obstacles. Her local four-wheel-driving spots include the myriad of tracks in the Victorian High Country; however, she is keen to do Cape York one day, or even the Simpson Desert again, albeit with a support fuel vehicle.
Juliette, your Suzuki Grand Vitara, is great and we love seeing people getting out and enjoying the countryside and freedom a fourby affords. You and your Grand Vitara prove your 4X4 doesn’t always need to be 35s and have a four-inch lift to be an adventure machine.