Australia

After a nine-hour highway journey from Adelaide, the team set off north from Ceduna up the famous Googs Track. A rough, remote 170km route crossing 363 sand dunes, it’s the perfect proving ground for the Grenadier. Time to let air out of the tyres and pop on a sand flag. Suspension, air intake and cooling systems all got their chance to shine in the blazing sun. Traction, articulation, and power were also put to the test, as rain turned sand to mud. Before the Grenadier stormed the final corrugated track to Tarcoola.

At a gold mine in Tarcoola, we did our own kind of digging. We asked fleet owners what they needed from their 4X4s. They told us in no uncertain terms. Quite simply, their job doesn’t happen if their vehicles don’t work. Jobs like running over a million acres with 29,000 head of sheep. So vehicles need to be dependable. Tough, for a tough environment. And to be able to do the job, day in, day out. Their feedback? Stable over the corrugations. And tackled the hills, no drama.

Expect the unexpected. That’s what the team was told. But no-one was prepared for what happened next. The rain becomes a one-in-a-hundred-year event. A wild storm that dumped a year’s rain in one week. Flooding the plains. Washing out the railway lines. And providing the ultimate playground. Plus an opportunity for the Grenadier to go to work rescuing an eight-tonne Unimog.

With the team stranded and supplies running low, permission is sought, and granted, to evacuate Tarcoola. The team travels in convoy to the Stuart Highway but more foul weather forces them back to Pimba. The following day, the rains subside, and the Grenadier can continue its journey. The team captures powerful footage of the floodwater, a whirlpool, and the Grenadier’s wading capabilities.