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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: Nissan X-Trail gets new practical hybrid powertrain

Worried that a fully electric car could leave them conked out miles from a charger, thousands of buyers have played it safe and bought a hybrid instead. A sensible move…

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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On test: Skoda Octavia Scout

Skoda may just have come up with the ultimate vet’s vehicle. Our latest Country Car is a jacked-up, four-wheel drive version of the Octavia estate – a car that dominates…

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,…

4X4S

On test: Ford Ranger Limited pickup

After it stopped pedalling rebadged Mazdas and designed a vehicle of its own, Ford soon became the biggest seller of pickups in the UK. The Ranger consistently tops the sales…

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: Jeep Compass SUV

Almost every four-wheel drive passenger car that you might see on a farm today can trace its inspiration back to the original Jeep. Land Rover designer Maurice Wilks famously had…

4X4S

On test: Korean 4x4s - Kia Sorento KX-3 Eco Auto

Farmers Weekly are putting three £40,000 4x4s all hailing from South Korea to the test, this time the Kia Sorento. Like Hyundai, Kia keeps things simple with a single engine option,…

Mitsubishi Outlander powered from a plug socket

Mitsubishi became the first carmaker to build a 4x4 that gets its propulsive power from a plug socket when it launched the Outlander PHEV last year. Other hybrids, from the…

Range Rover TDV6 on test

The base price is now a tad over £70,000 and it has its sights on Bentley and Rolls Royce, so you know that the new Range Rover is a serious…

MACHINERY

On test: Audi A6 Allroad

While the bulbous SUV has been dominating the UK’s road network, its svelte, understated cousin – the all-wheel-drive estate – has quietly taken a back seat. But after several years…

Subaru Forester on test

Subaru might have made its name in gas-guzzling performance cars such as the Impreza, but the quirky Japanese firm's bread and butter now comes in the form of practical SUVs.…

VW Passat 4x4 Alltrack review

Can VW's latest four-wheel drive Passat cut the mustard off road? Oliver Mark decided. Nineteen-seventy-three was the year Roger Moore shot baddies in Live and Let Die, the Sydney Opera…

4X4S

On test: Land Rover's new Defender 110 D240

The options for rural transport, whether for work or pleasure, just haven’t been the same since Land Rover culled its iconic old Defender. Uncomfortable and uneconomical it may have been,…

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4X4S

On test: Ford Ranger Limited pickup

After it stopped pedalling rebadged Mazdas and designed a vehicle of its own, Ford soon became the biggest seller of pickups in the UK. The Ranger consistently tops the sales…

VW Passat 4x4 Alltrack review

Can VW's latest four-wheel drive Passat cut the mustard off road? Oliver Mark decided. Nineteen-seventy-three was the year Roger Moore shot baddies in Live and Let Die, the Sydney Opera…

4X4S

Pickup buyers guide 2019-20

Four-wheel drive pickups remain the vehicle of choice for many farmers and contractors – as well as lifestyle vehicles for many others. Our buyers guide shows prices and models for…

VW Tiguan proves a classy, if pricey, performer

VW's Tiguan has evolved as a do-anything mixture of the urban hatchback that is the Golf and its tough 4x4 cousin the Touareg. It went under the knife after just…

4X4S

On test: Dacia Logan MCV – a new estate car for just £8,500

Romania’s remedy to the spiralling cost of family cars is the Dacia Logan – a vehicle that, in its most basic guise, provides spartan four-wheeled transport and shedloads of boot…

4X4S

First impressions: Ford's new V6 Ranger Raptor pickup

Whisper it, but V6 engines are back in vogue – at least as far as Ford and Volkswagen's pickups are concerned. After years of depressing downsizing, initially to 2.7-litres, then…

4X4S

First impressions: Ford's four limited edition Ranger pickups

News of the unlikely return of a V6-powered pickup undoubtedly got tongues wagging in the wake of Ford’s global Ranger launch just a few weeks ago, but buyers itching to…

4X4S

On test: Land Rover's plug-in hybrid Defender

The Land Rover Defender’s transformation from rough, tough and gruff to clean, green and surprisingly serene has been completed with the addition of a plug-in hybrid model. Gone are the…

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

On test: Fiat Fullback Auto pickup

Fiat might not be a name you immediately associate with off-roaders, but here at Farmers Weekly we have always had a bit of a soft spot for the Italian firm’s…

4X4S

Pickup buyer's guide 2022-23

Order books will open for the eagerly anticipated new-generation Ford Ranger later this year, in readiness for early 2023 deliveries – although pickup fans who like the extra-tough, in-yer-face Raptor…

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…

4x4 insights and practical tips

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MACHINERY

Converting 4x4s to red diesel – how to stay road legal

Land Rovers and pickups are an indispensable part of all farm businesses and if you’re using them for specific tasks then it might pay to convert them to full agricultural…

ROAD LEGAL

Video: All you need to know to pass your B+E trailer test

So you’ve been driving since you could reach the pedals, passed your tractor test at 16, car test at 17 and can reverse 40ft trailers around the yard for fun.…

4X4S

Pickup buyers guide 2019-20

Four-wheel drive pickups remain the vehicle of choice for many farmers and contractors – as well as lifestyle vehicles for many others. Our buyers guide shows prices and models for…

Get the best from a second-hand Land Rover Defender

With production of the Land Rover Defender due to cease in just over a year, used car values are hitting new heights. Oliver Mark runs through what to look out…

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…

A nostalgic drive in the retiring Land Rover Defender

Rival 4x4s have come and gone, but until now the Land Rover has been the only choice for thousands of farmers up and down the country. As the sun sets…

MACHINERY

Bowler Motorsport powers up Land Rover Defender

If you’ve got a Land Rover Defender, but find it wanting in the power and handling department, you could take it for a pepping-up session at Bowler Motorsport. Bowler Motorsport…

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

Pickup buyer's guide 2022-23

Order books will open for the eagerly anticipated new-generation Ford Ranger later this year, in readiness for early 2023 deliveries – although pickup fans who like the extra-tough, in-yer-face Raptor…

4X4S

Investing in a runaround: Second-hand vans compared

Thirsty farm pickups are now expensive to run, so it might pay to invest in a nippy two-wheel drive van for regular mud-free errands. The choice is wide and the…

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…

4X4S

Tested: Ford-built Amarok V6 is smart but not very VW

The humble pickup has undergone a marked gentrification over the past decade and few have been as pivotal in its transformation as Volkswagen. Even when it was first launched in…

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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,…

ROAD LEGAL

Video: All you need to know to pass your B+E trailer test

So you’ve been driving since you could reach the pedals, passed your tractor test at 16, car test at 17 and can reverse 40ft trailers around the yard for fun.…

VW Tiguan proves a classy, if pricey, performer

VW's Tiguan has evolved as a do-anything mixture of the urban hatchback that is the Golf and its tough 4x4 cousin the Touareg. It went under the knife after just…

4X4S

Video: Three-way farm pickup showdown

The past year saw a clutch of new models enter the ever-growing 4×4 pickup market. However, not all is as it seems, as due to the popularity of these trucks,…