by Ané Theron

If you're buying a Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 auto only to drive it on the odd dirt road, you'll be keeping it from its true purpose: To take you and your family on adventures that will thrill your souls. Last weekend we undertook some challenges in the standard spec 4x4 Fortuner that you wouldn't dream possible:  We take part in the 40th annual 4x4 ATV Club Toyota Rust de Winter Jamboree.

Arrival at camp

Come to Rust de Winter, they said. It will be fun, they said. So when I received the invite to take part one of the most infamously hardcore 4x4 competitions in the land, I jumped at the chance. Where other journalists relish driving around the track in a Honda Civic Type R, my idea of having a good time is tackling scary obstacles and driving through the bush. And that was exactly what was in store for us.

Upon arrival at our designated Toyota camping spot within the Rust de Winter camp site, my fellow journalists were casually trying to put the fear of God in me for the upcoming two days. 

"You're going to go down places in that Fortuner where you'd rather just get out and walk", one journalist remarked. The other one pulled out her phone.

"You may think that these rocks are too large for your vehicle to traverse, and that you may not make it across alive. You better keep your foot firmly on those brakes!"

Well, I have a bit of a gung-ho attitude when it comes to things like these. When people tell me I can't, I will try to prove them wrong. So instead of my somewhat offroad-inexperienced partner taking the wheel for competition, I decided I would drive both days, and do every. single. obstacle.

 

Day 1 - Climb every mountain, cross every stream

The day started with a 5 am wake-up call; it is quite literally the pre-recorded call of a Fish Eagle that booms from the speakers in the campsite. (Toyota SA made sure that we were glamping more than camping: every family had their own caravan.) We all got into our vehicles and made our way to the starting point of the mountain route. A couple of us had Fortuners, the other media members had Toyota Hiluxes, just as they are: not lifted, not with mean tyres, not fitted with rock sliders or any other off-road kit. "Yes", we told surprised onlookers, "we are planning to complete the two days in our straight-from-the-factory vehicles."

The annual Rust de Winter 4x4 Jamboree has been taking place for the past 40 years, and Toyota has been a sponsor for many of those years. This is the event where 4x4-enthusiasts let it all hang out, and you can see that this is hobby that is taken very seriously in this Limpopo farming community: The boys' toys are specced with every possible type of off-road equipment you can imagine. 

So, up the mountain we went. And sure enough, there were riverbeds and ravines, ridiculously steep declines, and many nay-sayers along the way. But there was not one challenge too daunting for our Fortuner.

At one point we crossed a riverbed strewn with large rocks, with a small passage in-between that looked narrower than the width of our car. With a bit of help from the marshal below (that tells you where to point your wheels), our Fortuner made it look easy! It was only much later that day when a large rock, hidden in a small 'bossie', made our hair stand on end as a loud, scraping noise permeated the cabin. Apparently we were the 6th vehicle of the day to play the unsuspecting victim to this very rock. Fortunately, the Toyota PR team were cool with it. After all, it is almost expected that a few vehicles will have to visit the bodyshop after Rust de Winter!

 

Day 2 - Gymkhana time! 

If you thought that the Gym is the only place where you can smell the testosterone, let me assure you: The Gymkhana section of Rust de Winter is Testosterone and Machismo Central! Apart from a wide assortment of burly men in two-tone khaki with oversized, hyper-pimped Jeeps and Toyota Land Cruisers, you will also find ten different obstacles ranging from highly challenging to downright difficult, to near impossible.

At every challenge you're also give a time in which to complete the course and your partner is given a task or challenge of his own, to be completed while the other person drives. One example is a a rope that has to be plaited, and if your partner make less than 40 knots in 3 minutes while you drive through an obstacle course, you lose valuable points. While the spouse/partner does his or her thing, the driver also has to concentrate on not touching the banners that surround the track. 

My partner, who is used to plaiting his daughter's hair, managed 38 knots, which I thought was quite impressive. But there were other obstacles that were even more fun: I had to traverse a very steep and bumpy incline while my partner had to keep a huge bowl of water from spilling onto his lap as I did this. Needless to say, his pants were soaked. But, my favourite challenge, hands-down, was the last obstacle of the day. Strapped into a cage, your partner is towed behind your vehicle as you drive over obstacles and through pools of thick, slushy mud. Incidentally, we had quite an argument in the car just before our turn came to do this.

As my partner was being strapped into the chair of the mud-splattered cage and given his goggles, he started looking a tad apprehensive. "How's that for bad timing", I thought.

Next thing the marshal counts down. I have 3 minutes in which to complete the challenge. I switch to low range, 2nd gear, and pull off with a great dust cloud behind me. Then I put foot (momentum is needed in order to not go get stuck) and satisfyingly hit the first mud pool with fountains of mud spraying into the air, raining down on everyone below. Then, just after I turn the corner, I realize I'm stuck. Dang! And I'm also blinded by the thick mud on the windscreen. 

I quickly switch the wipers on, engage the rear diff, and off I go! Yes! More momentum is needed for sure, so flatten my foot completely.  I still manage to make good time as I cross the finish line and jump out of the car to un-hitch my partner's cage. As he exits the chair, he looks wide-eyed and I'm sure quite pale, underneath that layer of mud. At which point he decides that now would be a good time to tackle me. In the mud. 

 

Day 3 - Packing up camp and prize giving

"By far the most fun I've had since I drove with Nasser Al-Attiyah across Goerapan in the Dakar Hilux," I think to myself as I load my suitcase into the Fortuner's large boot. This entire weekend wasn't just great for my psyche, it also made me realize that you're only as good as the tools you're given to do a specific task!

At the prize giving, Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger and Charl Kritzinger are announced as the media challenge winners, once again. Next year, we will be back! And we'll be sure to give them a good run for their money. The Rust de Winter bug has bitten me, and it's bitten me good. 

So if you think of your 4x4 Fortuner is just a spacious family vehicle good for the weekly school run, maybe I've convinced you that it is, in actual fact, one of the most hardcore off-roaders on the market in SA. Just the way it is.

 

SPECS

 (For the long list of comfort and convenience features, please consult the Toyota SA website)

• Please note that the Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 4x4 autos took part last year and did just as well, so you don't need a large engine to match your big off-road ambitions.

 

Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 auto	R678 200
Fuel Type	diesel
Fuel range average (km)	941
Driven wheels	all
Driven wheels quantity	4
All wheel drive	part-time
Gear ratios quantity	6
Low range	yes
Transmission type	automatic
Gear shift paddles	yes
Limited slip-diff	yes
Diff lock	yes
Front tyres	265/60 R18
Reartyres	265/60 R18
Spare wheel size full	alloy
Height (mm)	1835
Wheel base (mm)	2745
Ground clearance minimum maximum (mm)	279
Turning circle wheels body (m)	11.6
Approach angle	29.0
Departure angle	25.0
Unladen/tare/kerb weight (kg)	2049
Gross weight (GVM)	2750
Fuel tank capacity (incl reserve)	80
Fuel consumption average (l/100km)	8.5
CO2 emissions average (g/km)	224
Power maximum (kW)	130
Power maximum total (kW)	130
Power peak revs (r/min)	3400
Torque maximum (Nm)	450
Torque peak revs (r/min)	1600-2400
Torque maximum total (Nm)	450
Acceleration 0-100 kmh (s)	10.8
Maximum top speed (km/h)	180
Engine position/ location	front
Engine capacity	2755
Engine size	2.8
engine details	2.8TD
Engine + detail	2.8 turbo diesel
Cylinder layout	inline
Cylinders	4
Cylinder layout + quantity	i4
Cam	dohc
Valves per cylinder	4
Valves quantity	16
Turbocharger	yes

*Select photos courtesy of Danie Botha, editor at Leisure wheels.