Who's is the biggest?
- Mad Manny
- Location: Johannesburg
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Who's is the biggest?
Vehicles keep getting bigger.
The bigger the better? or is it?
On a trail - big means beached or bashed.
Overlanding, big is nice, but fitting under trees or driving in existing tracks can be difficult.
Personally, I feel our vehicles. particularly Double Cab Bakkies (the most popular model) are starting to get too big.
The current Isuzu KB-6/D-Max in SA is 5295mm long & 1860mm long.
My daily drive is the old KB5 & it is significantly smaller that the KB-6/D-max.
To me, the current D-Max is a tad too big & I'd not want to go any bigger.
Kurt & I drew up a system a few years back called the 'Gerber' system, it took Length (Excluding Tow Bar) x Width (excluding mirrors) to give a 'Shadow area' in m2...
To give you an idea, the World Famous Fearless has a Shadow area of 8.66m2.
A Land Cruiser 200, by comparison, has a shadow area of 9.75m2
So, clearly anything over 9m2 is BIG... but what if vehicles start breaking 10m2?
The bigger the better? or is it?
On a trail - big means beached or bashed.
Overlanding, big is nice, but fitting under trees or driving in existing tracks can be difficult.
Personally, I feel our vehicles. particularly Double Cab Bakkies (the most popular model) are starting to get too big.
The current Isuzu KB-6/D-Max in SA is 5295mm long & 1860mm long.
My daily drive is the old KB5 & it is significantly smaller that the KB-6/D-max.
To me, the current D-Max is a tad too big & I'd not want to go any bigger.
Kurt & I drew up a system a few years back called the 'Gerber' system, it took Length (Excluding Tow Bar) x Width (excluding mirrors) to give a 'Shadow area' in m2...
To give you an idea, the World Famous Fearless has a Shadow area of 8.66m2.
A Land Cruiser 200, by comparison, has a shadow area of 9.75m2
So, clearly anything over 9m2 is BIG... but what if vehicles start breaking 10m2?
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
- Mad Manny
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Fearless 4705mm x 1840mm
8.66m2
Land Cruiser 200 4950mm x 1970mm
9.75mm
Current KB-6/D-Max 5295mm x 1860mm
9.85mm
2021 D-Max 5285mm x 1870mm
9.88mm
Current Hilux GD 5335mm x 1855mm
9.90m2
Ford Ranger (not the Raptor) 5354mm x 1860mm
9.96mm
VW Amarok 5254mm x 1944mm
10.21mm
New GWM P-Series 5410mm x 1934mm
10.45m2 !!!
8.66m2
Land Cruiser 200 4950mm x 1970mm
9.75mm
Current KB-6/D-Max 5295mm x 1860mm
9.85mm
2021 D-Max 5285mm x 1870mm
9.88mm
Current Hilux GD 5335mm x 1855mm
9.90m2
Ford Ranger (not the Raptor) 5354mm x 1860mm
9.96mm
VW Amarok 5254mm x 1944mm
10.21mm
New GWM P-Series 5410mm x 1934mm
10.45m2 !!!
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
- Mad Manny
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For Chas,
Land Rover Defender 110 4785mm x 1790mm
8.66m2
New Defender 110 4758mm x 2008mm
9.55mm
Land Rover Defender 130 5063mm x 1790mm
10.07m2
Land Rover Defender 110 4785mm x 1790mm
8.66m2
New Defender 110 4758mm x 2008mm
9.55mm
Land Rover Defender 130 5063mm x 1790mm
10.07m2
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
- Mad Manny
- Location: Johannesburg
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Glad Isuzu has kept is size growth under control.
Notice how the new vehicles are getting wider, rather than longer...
Notice how the new vehicles are getting wider, rather than longer...
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
- Mad Manny
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Hummer H3 4778mm x 1897mm
9.06m2
Shorter & Narrower than a Disco4, in fact, the H3 is only 11cm longer than an FJ Cruiser & is slightly narrower...
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
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- Mad Manny
- Location: Johannesburg
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One of the BIGGEST SUV's you can buy is the Lincoln Navigator.
5647mm x 2.030mm = 11.45m2 shadow,
5647mm x 2.030mm = 11.45m2 shadow,
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
- Mad Manny
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I'd say, stick to something under 2.00m wide (excl mirrors) & with a shadow of under 10.0m2...
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
- Mad Manny
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Obviously without canopies.
Excludes Mirrors.
Excludes Tow bar.
But most canopies would make no difference to the Length & Width.
Excludes Mirrors.
Excludes Tow bar.
But most canopies would make no difference to the Length & Width.
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'
2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'