bushappleschewedleafFour Wheel Drivers shouldn’t feel guilty about their vehicle of choice, but what we must all do is to make the right choices when it comes to engine type and how and where you drive it. I’ve been driving 4WDs since the 1970s, first belting down the Coorong beaches in an old SWB 40 series Land Cruiser with drum brakes and no power steering, and since that time I’ve seen plenty of changes.

Vehicles today are a whole lot safer, ABS brakes with stability control and traction control, power steering, better rollover and crash protection and along the way the attitudes of drivers has improved too. Many recreational owners buy their vehicles because they want to see the icon landmarks that this country has in abundance and there’s no better vehicle to do it in. I like to think of these happy travellers as being truly “green” at heart, keen to get out and investigate and marvel at the Australian Outback and Coast.

A modern diesel powered 4WD is very fuel efficient, and often the most efficient light vehicle transport in terms of payload delivered for its engine size. Its even more impressive when you start talking whole of life, a typical 4WD will carve out an existence well beyond the average life of a passenger car, so when you compare “cradle to the grave costs”, a 4WD is streets ahead. Add to that CO2 levels that are way less than a comparable petrol engine and much better than many passenger cars and you can see that it’s reasonable to claim a bit of “green” turf.

With the arrival of hybrid 4WDs and even EV 4WDs in the near future you’ll be able to have your cake and eat it too!

If you follow our Adventure Charter in the accompanying pages you’ll see a number of ways to drive safely and responsibly. Use it as your personal charter whether it be for work or play and promote it to others. We all need to do our bit for the planet and to guarantee there’s a future for our kids to enjoy the same healthy lifestyle that is 4WD!

Happy Travels,

David