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Personal farm vehicles now take many forms, including 4x4s, SUVs and pick-up trucks from Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Volkswagen, and once ubiquitous Land Rover Defender. New vehicle reports, first-drives and comparative group tests help you evaluate the best for road and off-road use.

Latest 4x4 articles

4X4S

On test: Bog-basic Isuzu D-Max Utility isn't cheap enough

If you’re the type of penny-pincher to wear hole-ridden pants, conjure two brews from a single teabag, and keep your house thermostat sub-double digits then, as new vehicles go, Isuzu’s…

4X4S

Isuzu to go electric with battery-powered D-Max pickup

Isuzu has swapped diesel for electrons in its new-look D-Max BEV, which was recently unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show. It is the first mainstream manufacturer to offer a battery-powered…

4X4S

Herefordshire farmer to import used Daihatsu Hijet pickups

Mini Japanese pickups are seemingly on course to supersede customised Suzuki Jimnys as the must-have runabout for UK farms. Already this year we've featured importers of two such vehicles –…

4X4S

On test: Base-spec and bestselling Ford Rangers face off

Almost £20,000 separates the two Ranger pickups featured in this week’s Country Car, in what looks a rank mismatch. It’s the meat-and-potatoes XL, yours for a smidge over £28k, versus…

4X4S

Ineos goes electric with smaller Fusilier off-roader

Ineos Automotive has announced that a third model will be joining its line-up of off-roaders, to be powered by fully electric or range-extender electric drivetrains. Dubbed the Fusilier, it will…

4X4S

On test: Daihatsu's lightweight, high-spec Hijet 4x4

The success of modified Suzuki Jimnys at providing an alternative to costly UTVs has paved the way for another quirky method of off-road transport – compact Japanese pickups. Slotting into…

4X4S

On test: Ineos's £79,000 Grenadier 4x4

While small numbers of Ineos’ long-awaited Grenadier have been trickling out across the country, they’re still something of a rarity. Having tackled the inevitable rash of teething troubles that you’d…

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4X4S

On test: Lexus RX450H

Lexus and parent company Toyota pioneered the concept of hybrid cars and the plush RX450H SUV uses the same self-charging setup the firms have been pedalling for years. This delivers…

4X4S

Jeep adds luxury to rugged off-road Wrangler

Despite selling fewer than 300 models to its small and devoted band of followers last year, Jeep has decided to invest healthily in a new Wrangler model that brings with…

4X4S

On test: UK's first electric pickup – the Maxus T90EV

Building an electric pickup that can thunder along rough terrain, tow heavy loads and travel a decent distance to a charge is far from straightforward. On the one hand, stacks…

4X4S

On test: Go-anywhere Lada Niva 4x4 for £12,495

Maligned for its wheezing engines, crummy build quality and brick-like styling, the Lada brand never managed to elevate itself from joke status in the UK. Yet over the 20-odd years…

4X4S

Pickup test: Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian

The L200 might be the cheapest truck in our test group, but its high spec, solid build quality and smooth engine earned it a well-deserved third position. A slightly bumpy…

4X4S

On test: Suzuki Jimny SZ5 Allgrip

Suzuki has breathed new life into its long-in-the-tooth Jimny with a new model that it hopes will emulate its predecessors’ sales figures and pass the million-unit sold mark in the…

MACHINERY

Video: Land Rover Discovery v Ford Ranger

Farm pickups are more comfortable, powerful and spacious than ever before, so could they be about to knock the king – the Land Rover Discovery – off its throne? Watch…

4X4S

On test: New no-frills MWM Spartan 4x4

Mainstream vehicle manufacturers have all but abandoned the dedicated off-road sector in favour of luxury, mass-market soft-roaders that reel in the big bucks. That might seem like a smack in…

Diesel-electric Peugeot 508 on test

Peugeot's new 508 is in the same price bracket as German big hitters like Audi and VW, but the promise of four-wheel drive, zero-emissions motoring might appeal to a bigger…

MACHINERY

Base-spec Mitsubishi L200 performs well under review

Since the taxman decided to classify double-cab pickups as vans and gave them a nice, juicy tax relief over swanky company cars, the average farm load lugger has morphed into…

4X4S

On test: Bog-basic Isuzu D-Max Utility isn't cheap enough

If you’re the type of penny-pincher to wear hole-ridden pants, conjure two brews from a single teabag, and keep your house thermostat sub-double digits then, as new vehicles go, Isuzu’s…

4X4S

On test: Ineos's £79,000 Grenadier 4x4

While small numbers of Ineos’ long-awaited Grenadier have been trickling out across the country, they’re still something of a rarity. Having tackled the inevitable rash of teething troubles that you’d…

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How to patch up farm pickups with second-hand spare parts

Farm pickups are subject to a notoriously rough and loveless life, but patching them up with second-hand spares can push them a few years beyond their sell-by date without costing…

4X4S

Commercial-spec SUV buyer's guide 2021-22

This year’s Ultimate Guide to 4x4s features commercial SUVs for the first time – that relatively rare breed of four-wheel-drive vehicle equipped specifically for carrying tools, equipment, bales or whatever…

4X4S

Pickup and commercial 4x4 buyer's guide 2023-24

With a full-range of Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok models available once more, the pickup market has perked up in terms of choice, with the Quartermaster version of the Ineos…

4X4S

Pickup buyer's guide 2018-19

New models and additional variants have extended the choice of pickup trucks for farm and leisure use, as you can see in our full Pickup buyers guide (PDF). The Mercedes-Benz…

4X4S

On test: New no-frills MWM Spartan 4x4

Mainstream vehicle manufacturers have all but abandoned the dedicated off-road sector in favour of luxury, mass-market soft-roaders that reel in the big bucks. That might seem like a smack in…

4X4S

On test: Ineos's £79,000 Grenadier 4x4

While small numbers of Ineos’ long-awaited Grenadier have been trickling out across the country, they’re still something of a rarity. Having tackled the inevitable rash of teething troubles that you’d…

4X4S

Pickup test: Ford Ranger Limited

Big, brash, but somehow a little underwhelming. The Ranger finished comfortably in second place thanks to its enviable spec list, but the combination of five-cylinder engine and six-speed auto lacked…

Latest Toyota Rav 4 tested

Toyota masterminded a new genre of cars when it ushered the Rav 4 into the 4x4 market in 1994. With three doors, a side-hinged boot and a spare wheel mounted…

4X4S

Commercial-spec SUV buyer's guide 2022-23

With the much-anticipated Ineos Grenadier making its debut in the market, competition is hotting up for vehicles that combine strong off-road credentials with dedicated load-carrying space aft of the front…

4X4S

First impressions: Ineos completes Grenadier 4x4 development

Pint-fuelled pub chats are the source of many wildly ambitious business ideas, but few can claim to be as efficiently executed as that of the Grenadier 4x4. Ineos Automotive, a…

4X4S

How Yomper 4x4 transforms Suzuki Jimnys into farm pickups

After years of ferrying rural retirees around their respective parishes, scores of second-hand Suzuki Jimnys are being given a new lease of life as working farm vehicles. The craze for…

4X4S

£19,000 Ssangyong Musso pickup battles the old guard

At a smidge under £19,000, a top-sec Ssangyong Musso looks a steal, compared with most of its competition. Our last Country Car also comes furnished with all the toys – so…

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4X4S

How to patch up farm pickups with second-hand spare parts

Farm pickups are subject to a notoriously rough and loveless life, but patching them up with second-hand spares can push them a few years beyond their sell-by date without costing…

4X4S

Commercial-spec SUV buyer's guide 2021-22

This year’s Ultimate Guide to 4x4s features commercial SUVs for the first time – that relatively rare breed of four-wheel-drive vehicle equipped specifically for carrying tools, equipment, bales or whatever…

4X4S

Tips for buying a second-hand pickup: Mitsubishi L200

Mitsubishi’s fourth-generation L200 had a nine-year lifespan and the firm stuck with the same 2.5-litre engine throughout. Initially, this block was tuned to deliver 134hp in base-spec models and 164hp…

4X4S

Pickup and commercial 4x4 buyer's guide 2023-24

With a full-range of Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok models available once more, the pickup market has perked up in terms of choice, with the Quartermaster version of the Ineos…

4X4S

Pickup buyer's guide 2018-19

New models and additional variants have extended the choice of pickup trucks for farm and leisure use, as you can see in our full Pickup buyers guide (PDF). The Mercedes-Benz…

4X4S

Tips for buying a second-hand pickup: Isuzu D-Max

Isuzu D-Max RT50 (2012 to 2017) The D-Max RT50 was launched in 2012, replacing Isuzu’s line-up of simple, tough Rodeo trucks that had been knocking around since 2003. These new…

4X4S

Tips for buying a second-hand pickup: Ford Ranger

For more than 20 years, Ford’s pickups were essentially rebadged Mazdas, and they were pretty simple, solid vehicles. However, in 2011 the firm decided to take the job in-house and…

MACHINERY

How to stop thieves stealing your Land Rover

Every year more than 500 Land Rover Defenders are stolen from farms across the UK. And that number is on the up, according to figures from the NFU Mutual, with…

4X4S

Tips for buying a second-hand pickup: Toyota Hilux

Toyota’s Hilux is one of the most desirable second-hand pickups around, and as a result values hold firm, even for early examples. For less than £15,000, buyers will be looking…

4X4S

Commercial-spec SUV buyer's guide 2022-23

With the much-anticipated Ineos Grenadier making its debut in the market, competition is hotting up for vehicles that combine strong off-road credentials with dedicated load-carrying space aft of the front…

4X4S

14 top retrofit kit options for farm pickups

If you have just splashed out on a new pickup truck you could soon find yourself sifting through the endless lists of accessories to get it just the way you…

4X4S

Electric and hybrid 4x4 vehicles explained

Barely a day goes by without another headline announcing the demise of the internal combustion engine. While many of those predictions are misleading or simply wrong, there is a definite…

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MACHINERY

Video: Land Rover Discovery v Ford Ranger

Farm pickups are more comfortable, powerful and spacious than ever before, so could they be about to knock the king – the Land Rover Discovery – off its throne? Watch…

MACHINERY

Video: Isuzu D-Max review

  More comfort in the front and more space in the back will appeal to farmers with a lot of lugging to do. A more car-like ride is good news,…

MACHINERY

Video: Suzuki Jimny keeps it simple

A banging headache, sore back, achy legs, ringing ears. No, it wasn't the by-product of my annual stint cleaning the farm grainstore - it was the result of a nine-hour…

MACHINERY

Video: MINI Countryman review

MINI has forged a reputation for nippy city cars over the years, but how would its first stab at a 4wd version fare? Oliver Mark took it for a spin. …