Twist and shout – With the semblance of an early leaderboard starting to emerge and a few surprise packages showing their hand, we headed out for the off-road portion of the Shootout. First, we went off to the Klipbokkop quarry for some bona fide break-over, wheel-up-in-the-air axle articulation. This was one of two patented tests dreamt up by Klipbokkop grootbaas Gerhard, the sternest and most repeatable evaluation of chassis flexibility, wheel articulation and diff lock engagement you’ll find.
Gerhard initiated a cross-axle situation and measured how low the rear wheel drops into the ditch. No drop and a wheel high in the sky looks spectacular but isn’t what we were after. The better the suspension travel, the better the wheel articulation. This means a greater portion of contact with the ground, which means better traction while off-roading. Once perched in the compromised axle-twist situation, Gerhard engaged the rear differential lock to see how quickly it initiated and whether there was any excess wheel spin. We rinsed and repeated in each vehicle. And here’s how they ranked…
