Australian Adventure: Log 2

My relaxed sleep at the truck pullout was sound, but short. Before the sun had even had a chance to send some rays over the hilltops, I could start to hear a slight hiss, and began rummaging around the camper looking for a gas or air leak. Now I was becoming frustrated, now fully awake, trying to find the noise that was get louder and louder. It wasn’t until I broke out through the rear doors that I realized it was emanating from the jungle wall that I was parked up against. As the sun rushed up into the sky, the buzzing sound coming from the forest had grew to the point that it was nearly deafening. Sleep was no longer an option, time to make my way north.

I’m to be in Brisbane by the 28^th to drop off the rental 4WD Camper at the airport, however, I’m told by the team leader, Mark, who is already there, that my chances are slim in arriving on time, as torrential summer rains have cut off the North from the South completely. I spark up the Landcruiser, and decide to take my chances anyways.

Slipping off the main highway, I make my way up the coastal road, and it’s not long before the clouds begin to darken, and the rain to begin. Winding my way through the coastal hills, I’m greeted with some spectacular ocean views, storm driven waves crashing on the rocky shores. The rains turn from steady, too hard, to driving, to “holly crap the roads going to wash away.” Windshield wipers at maximum, I only get split second glimpses of the road before another wave of water crashes against the windshield. My pace is slow, and good thing, as my first glimpse of a Kangaroo is short before it disappears out of vision under my hood. Not to worry, I only got his tail, and he didn’t look worse for wear as he bounded off into the forest, however, if my senses weren’t heightened enough before, they were maxed out now.

However, it didn’t seem to matter. With the rain letting up for a few short minutes, I was driving along an easy straight, when SMACK, something small and feathery bounced off my windshield right in front of my face. If the poor bird that darted into my path didn’t die on impact, it certainly did on the windshield of the poor sucker riding my ass behind, witnessing the kill shot in the rear view mirror. “Bloody hell where did that come from?” SMACK…. AGAIN! This time it was one shot one kill as yet another bird shot from the forest directly into the metal bumper. Ok, this is getting ridiculous now, just as I pass a “Caution, Koala’s crossing next 22km.” I’m thinking to myself, “my animal loving, soon to be sister in-law is going to kill me, as I slowly kill every cute little animal I come across. My first glimpse of a Koala better not be by pealing one off my front differential.”

Simply following road side signs north along the old Pacific highway, I’d stop in at information booths to for a quick map of the area, and word of the roads ahead. After yet one more bird killing, I stopped in Urunga, for some coffee and word of the road ahead. Other travelers coming from the north said that the road was flooded over in three different spots; however, the State Emergency Services were still going to allow single lane traffic for the next hour. If I wanted to get through I needed to be north of Coffs Harbour in the next hour. I jumped in the truck and shot north yet again, cursing the torrents of rain falling from the sky. I wanted to make sure I made it to Brisbane in time to drop of the camper, so not to incur any overdrawn fees or expenses.

Blasting through Coffs Harbour, my stomach aching from 12-hours without food, the rain was relentless. Pushing up the highway to the town of Woolgoolga, my fears came true. Traffic came to a stop, and no one was moving. One kind motorist was telling the rest of the line the issue. “The roads flooded over, they may have it open around 6pm.” For some reason, this wasn’t good enough for me. I swung around, pulled over and studied some maps for alternate routes. A couple side roads pushed through to Orah Way, another smaller highway that could detour me through to Grafton. Slipping up one of the connecting roads, I’m not alone in my quest for Grafton, however, to all our misery, the came to a quick end, with a mountain or water rolling over it. Quick detour, and a shot up the next road, this one is covered as well, but not as violent. There is already someone out in the middle wading up to his waist in the murky flood water. So another adventurous soul with a 4WD and I try our luck.

With the Nissan Patrol ahead of me making it through, I follow a short minute later. With the transfer case set in 4WD, I ease into the water and get a good wave going off the front bumper. As the depth increases, I hold a good steady speed behind my bow wave, following it up to the opposite shore. A short bit of uncovered roadway leads to another flooded out section, and in I go again. However, this time the current is much stronger, the depths much deeper, and the truck is starting to drift off to the right around three quarters of the way through. A little counter steering and a slight increase of throttle had me straighten out and climb out onto another shore. Back in 2WD, and I’m feeling pretty good about myself, that is until I see the Nissan Patrol that was in front of me, coming head on. Damn, yet another valley blocked.

Back across the two crossing I had just forded, I pushed back to Woolgoolga for some much needed food. After some map studying, and listening to the weather reports, it seems as though all attempts would be fruitless tonight, there is just no getting north. So I head back to the traffic stop, were the services crew told me maybe around 2AM they might allow 4WD’s to ford up the highway. So, I head back, found a lovely beech to pull over at, and fell sound to sleep, finally getting the hypnotic sound of crashing waves that I had wanted the night before. My alarm was set for 2 AM, to attempt another strike northward.

Australia Adventure: Log 1

“This is your Captain speaking…. Uhhh… We have a little issue with one of the rear doors not sealing… Uhhh… Unfortunately we’re going to have to move over to the service area for the engineers to look at it…. Uhhh… shouldn’t be but a couple of hours.”

Being late for my seating call onto Qantas’ and for that matter, the world’s largest commercial passenger liner, the Airbus A380-800, I was last to arrive in my area of the plane, meaning my backpack would have to be shoved under the rather cool carbon fibre seats, leaving no room for my feet. By the time we finally lifted up into the air, my legs were already numb with the lack of circulation. Fifteen hours later, and very little in the way of sleep, I worked my way through customs, bought a SIM card for a borrowed cell phone and caught a cab to the Britz Campervan rental company.

I was renting a 4WD camperized truck, a very capable Toyota Landcruiser Troop carrier with diesel engine and an air snorkel for the engine, something that would come in handy down the road. But the brilliance of this 4WD was the camperized rear section. The long bench down the one side of the truck held storage underneath, and then slid over to become a rather comfortable bed. The other side held a cabinet full of pots, pans, cutlery, gas stove, sink and fridge. The truck even came equipped with bedding linens and pillows. The roof could be unlatched and raised to give standing room in the back, while a series of boards slid rearward creating a bunk up in the raised tented section. It would be perfect for what I wanted to do, get out and meander my way up Australia’s East coast, stopping off on beaches or scenic parks to bed down for the night.  

The only problem was, “Sir, your credit card has been declined.” While I had a good chat with my lovely fiancé that going away for two and a half months, five months before our wedding was fine, she decided to deactivate my credit card while I was in the air. After some calls to the credit card company and to my lovely fiancé, a deal was worked out and the Landcruiser was turned over to me only a bit late.

With nothing more than a small map of the city taken from a travel brochure, I wanted to see the Harbour Bridge, then make my way north out of the city to find a suitable place to bed down for the night. I was on day two without sleep, in a foreign country driving on the other side of the road, and I just wanted to stop traveling. After crossing the impressive Harbour Bridge, catching sight of the Sydney Opera House, I made my way north on Highway #2. However, by this time, I was beyond the reaches of my little tourist map, and was driving blindly north – I think. Highways began to split, traffic began to fill the streets for the rush hour and rain poured from the sky like I’ve never seen before. Some aimless wondering down traffic arteries, I noticed a sign that told me I was only 10 km from Olympic Park. Knowing that Olympic Park is more in town than out, my fears were realized when I crested a hill to gaze upon the Olympic Stadium and Sydney Harbour. I had done a complete horse shoe from the Harbour Bridge – Doh.

With directions from an IKEA clerk taking a smoke break, I turned 180, and was back on track, following the signs to Newcastle. Finally I hit the Pacific Coast Freeway and was out of the city, heading north. Only, the Pacific Coast Highway doesn’t follow along the Pacific coast, but several km inland. Being a typical freeway, there was nowhere to turn off, and my exhaustion was getting the better of me, so the romantic stop by the beach would be replaced with a truckers stop on the side of the highway. The hypnotic crash of rolling waves faded into the roar of truckers flying by in the middle of the night. Maybe tomorrow night I'll be in a nicer environment.

Australian Adventure: Let the Adventure Begin

My next great travel adventure has begun, and I haven't even left the country yet. Winter finally came to Kelowna just as it was time to leave for Vancouver and my flight down under, where the 40-degree heat of mid-summer await. However, the drive to Vancouver was quite the opposite, with compact snow covered roads the entire way to Hope, blinding fog, drifting snow, high winds and temperatures that had warmed to -20 over the connector.



Our trip was detoured before had even begun as the Coquihalla highway was riddled with compact snow, ice and ice rain warnings along with the inevitable hoard of accidents that follow when BC drivers take to the highways in such conditions. However, the excitement would begin shortly after leaving the house, when the passenger side wiper went limp as a salty, sandy mess was dropped on the windshield from traffic in front. To make things worse, the driver’s side wiper began to lift halfway through its arch, only completing 50% of its task. With several stops at gas stations to make use of their squeegees, we made our way to the visual safety of the snow packed Connector, only to run head long into the fog pack that usually socks in the Pennask Summit this time of year.



However, as the Coquihalla was congested with the remnants of stupidity, we opted to take the 5a south to Princeton, connecting to the #3 to Hope. This would add an additional hour and a half to our day, but it would be well worth it as the 5a was a winter wonderland with nearly no traffic, much nicer than following the sheep over to the Coq. Snow began to fall and the wind would soon pick up, however, the wounded wipers would not be needed as the flakes were frozen enough to bounce off the windshield. However, this would change as well began to descend into the warmer Fraser Valley, with salt trucks in full attack, the road was covered in a 10 cm thick layer of slush, and travelling behind a salt truck made visibility a struggle. The wipers would have to come on, and it didn’t take long for the passenger side arm to come out of alignment, in danger of pinning the driver’s side mid-arch, with some loving coercion, Steph leaned out of the window into the salty spray and freed the limp wiper, giving us temporarily limited vision once again.



After a battle of vision, some slipping and sliding and a hand brake turn thrown in for good measure, we made it to Maple Ridge, my short stop over before the my, where the real adventure will begin. Climate shock recovery will most likely be my fist challenge with the expected 60-degree change in weather.

For more information about the expedition and the cause, please visit theflight4life.com.

Budd's Top Ten: Future Classics

The Shelby GT350, the Dodge Challenger Road Runner, the E-type V-12, the BMW Issetta, and the Porsche 959 are all fantastically rare and highly sought after classics that only a select few will ever be able to own. Unique styling’s, production numbers and equipment have made them a step above the regular old cars that are sought after by those who enjoy quality craftsmanship which has long since been extinct in the automotive market, a victim of corporate finances and efficiencies.

However, with car makers building car designed to be intriguing for only a single model generation and built as cheaply in high numbers as possible, will there be cars from the last decade that will be considered highly sought after classics in the next 20 to 50 years. Eventually, anything powered by an internal combustion engine and is operated by human control will eventually become a relic, however, this is my list of vehicles that will someday become something special to the collector.

 

Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky

My list begins with an oxy moron – an American sports car. Yes the Yanks will argue emphatically that the Corvette, Viper and several pony cars are sports cars, however, they haven’t produce a proper sports car since the Pontiac Fiero was killed off in the early 90’s. However, just before GM went tits up in 2010, they were producing some of the best low cost sports cars available on the market. The uniquely designed Solstice with its wildly extravagant brother, the Sky, were roadsters that brought the fight directly to the MX-5, Z4 and SLK. Not only did they give a RWD hungry public what they wanted, they were also great fun to drive and even quite tail happy. With the turbo versions coming online, the possibilities of the cars performance future was limitless, however, like the Fiero, we will never know what could have been. In 2010 GM fell into bankruptcy and as such closed up shop at Pontiac, effectively killing off the dynamic duo well before their prime. With low numbers, such great designs and performance and the way in which we lost them, the Solstice/Sky will no doubt be future classics.

 

Alpha Romeo 8c

Eventually every Alpha Romeo will become a classic, however, the 8C is something a little special. I don’t think its possible for Alpha to make an ugly car, but the 8C is just drop-dead gorgeous. An old-school super small and low body powered by a Ferrari V-8 should make it one of the great supercars of our time, except for one blatantly painful downfall - the car handles like a pig. Unfortunately, all those great historical roots, stunning looks and equally hypnotic sounds are all for not, and as such, sales are not living up to expectation. For a car with such world renown winning traits matched by equally momentous failures, the 8C will enviably become a classic in time.

 

Honda S2000

Honda doesn’t make rear wheel drive cars, they just don’t, until the mid 90’s, after filling the globe with high strung front wheel drive Civics, CRX’s and Preludes, ripe for aftermarket modification, they built a car that didn’t need any. The S2000 was the only proper front engine, rear wheel drive Honda to make it to North American shores and they did the job right. An often-overlooked offering in the roadster field, the S2000 matched huge performance and reliability from a ridiculous 2.0L engine with huge grin factor. While the front wheel drives would play around in autocrosses and track-days, the S2000 was by far the daddy.

 

Lexus LFA

Since the killing off of the Celica, Toyota had lost their way with auto enthusiasts, opting to build mundane machinery to attract a higher number of customers. You know you’ve lost a piece of male anatomy when you start calling a Camry Solara a sports car. Lexus was equally as painful building some of the most forgettable luxury sedans and SUV’s on the market. But then they turn around and do something so rash, so opposite from what they’ve been doing for so long, it was like an atom bomb went off in Toyota City. One of the most boring carmakers on earth built one of the most exciting supercars of all time. The LFA was originally designed with an F1-inspired V-10, full carbon-fibre body and hordes of electronic gismos and doo dads. But then when it came time for production, they didn’t think it was wild enough, and started all over again from scratch. The result is a car that bombards the senses in every way – visually, ecoustically and thought provokingly. It’s said that Toyota spent $2-billion developing the LFA, which means they will loose over $3.5 million for each of the 500 cars they sell. For being such an instantaneous Jekyll and Hyde moment of lunacy, the LFA is already a classic.

 

Ariel Atom

Not even Colin Chapman thought of building a car without body panels. Well the resurrected Ariel company did just that, building a road legal track-day special that takes minimalism to the extreme. Nothing more than a steering wheel, pedals, suspension, seats, fuel tank and an engine lumped into the back, held together with a bit of scaffolding, the Atom makes what should be an unfinished homebuilt mash, a wonderfully artistic yet fantastically brutal bit of machinery. A car better than the sum of its parts with thinking so far out of the box matching performance that is greater than all but a few hyper exotics, the Atom is a sure classic to be.

International MXT

Is there anything more obnoxious than a Hummer? Yes, yes there is. When a Hummer just isn’t enough truck, you could go beyond and buy a vehicle that is nothing more than a statement. During the hay days of the early 2000’s, the International MXT filled that spot for the guy that just couldn’t stand not to be the center of attention all the time, a feat accomplished well by the MXT but was all but useless in daily life. It was horrifically expensive, required an onboard fuel rig, didn’t fit down any urban streets or parking lots and was generally just an eye sore that portrayed the owner’s obvious insecurities. Its only savior was that it could tow great loads. However, despite the hasty execution of the MXT as soon as fuel went up over $1.25/L, the big brute certainly did leave its mark as the biggest, baddest truck of them all. Along with low production numbers and huge character, the MXT may not become a true classic, however it will no doubt become a cult classic.

 

Hummer H1

Speaking of Hummers, the H1 makes up my next future classic. Ironically, GM built an entire brand around the “Desert Storm Hero,” yet it was their worst seller. The much more brittle, and pretty much useless H2 built on a Tahoe platform would become the darling of the brand, changing a customer base from rugged outdoorsman to metro-sexual urban gangster wannabe’s with similar insecurities as MXT owners. Eventually, a 300% price hike and new emissions regulations killed off the most testosterone pumped 4x4 on the market, well ahead of its time. With a story like that, how could the big brute not become a classic, as long as future owners own their own refineries.

 

BMW Z4 M-Coupe

All M-cars will all become classics over a short amount of time, however there is something uniquely special about the odd-shaped Z4 M-coupe. An “out of the box” design matched to the last of BMW’s properly true drivers cars with a 3.2L inline-6, with huge character and proper driving dynamics; this car is already a classic.

 

Pontiac Solstice Coupe

As I’ve mentioned before, The Solstice was the first proper sports car the Americans have built in decades, ideally suited to take on the BMW Z4, Mazda MX-5, and Mercedes SLK in the compact fun department. However, before GM killed off Pontiac during the 2010 bankruptcy, they managed to produce an extremely small amount of Coupe versions before the money all dried up. The added body stiffness and aerodynamics made this already proven contender an absolute weapon, but only a scant 1,266 ever made it to show rooms. With so much potential to be one of GM’s greatest accomplishments, only to be thrown in the bin with production only just beginning, the Solstice Coupe rates as one of my most likely future classic.

 

Acura NSX

The NSX is a phenomena within itself, as fantastically capable and exotic departure from Acura’s mostly mundane line-up, Honda allowed a great thing to go to waste, not making any improvements to the car until the last nail was already in the coffin, and even then, their efforts were almost insulting to the vehicles huge following. For lasting as long as it did as a neglected show of force to the exotic community, the NSX will only grow in legend.

That’s my ten, if you think I’ve missed something blatantly obvious, reply below and let me have it.

Review: 2011 Toyota 4Runner

There is a distinct trend happening today when it comes to full-size SUV’s. They’re all turning into CUV’s. The once proud Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer and Dodge Durango have all joined the Honda Pilot and Chevy Traverse in deleting their frame on body construction in an effort to increase fuel economy and on-road handling. However, there is still one player sticking to its guns, choosing to keep its girder underpinnings – the Toyota 4Runner.

While all the 4Runners competitors, minus the Nissan Pathfinder, have reaped the rewards of an all-new platform underneath them, the 4Runner has failed to compete in terms of on road handling and performance. However, in the fuel efficiency department, the 4Runner is only at a disadvantage on the highway, matching its rivals in town. The bold new look that was ushered in last year along with a lower ride height, has made improvements however the old 4Runner still feels like a truck and not a sedan when running errands around town.

However, one of the very real benefits of keeping with a body on frame construction is its off-road durability and capabilities. The 4Runner has long been regarded as a stout overlander, so the question is, how capable is the current generation in getting itself dirty?

I took the 4Runner Trail Edition to the Whipsaw Trail to find out just how good the 4Runner could handle the great outdoors. It didn’t take long to find just about every condition one could hope to find off-road. Dusty gravel, rutted dirt, rock crawling, deep mud and even snow covered the first 20 km of the trail. For the majority of the trail, 2WD would suffice; however, once the road began to climb into the back country, 4WD-high would need to be called upon. Thankfully the Trail Edition came with a manual transfercase shifter instead of the rather irritating dash mounted electric dial.

When the terrain got steep and muddy, the Trail Edition offered me several different options to tackle the situation. I could just throw it in 4WD-low and control my accent with the throttle and brake. Then there is the Multi-Terrain Select System that allows me to control wheel slip in four different surfaces with settings for “Mud and Sand”, “Loose Rock”, “Mogul”, and “Rock”. On top of that, if things get a little beyond the your skill level, the Trail Edition is even equipped with Crawl Control. This system is like a cruise control for off-road conditions, you just select either low, medium or high, and the traction control will keep the vehicle moving between 1.5 and 5 kmh over the terrain. Both dials are found on the ceiling with sunroof controls, and actually work quite well in their selective operations, although it kind of took all the fun out of controlling the vehicle myself. Off-roading after, is all about testing your driving skill, getting a computer to do all the work just seems like cheating. However, for the beginner, its ideal for perfecting how you approach each obstacle.

Despite all the cool features that make you look like a star negotiating slippery situations, a couple weaknesses showed themselves when the going got rough. To help give the 4Runner competitive fuel efficiency numbers, the ride height is a little low for an off-roader, a situation made even worse by the standard running boards which are nothing more than food to decent sized rock, as I found out. Then when we reached some rutted out mud, the tires showed their worth, and I’m guessing they don’t cost Toyota much. On dry surfaces, the 4WD makes up for the tires weak grip levels, however, in the mud, the treads clogged easily and lateral traction meant I had several close calls when the truck slipped off the high ground into the ruts.

When we made it to camp the 4Runner had a few more surprises in store. For one, the two 110v outlets meant that I could keep cell phones and laptops up and running even deep in the wilds. The rear cargo area had a handy sliding floor that made loading and unloading much easier. If the six best years of your life were spent in grade seven, then you’ll be happy to know that the 4Runners interior is as simplistic and organized as any manufacturer could make. A sharp design that is the envy of most Toyota interiors also has buttons and dials large enough that even an arthritic would love.

Mechanically, the 4Runner proved itself extremely competent off-road. While all the new terrain management gizmos helped make it easier to drive off-road, the drivetrain was more than capable of handling everything I threw at it. It’s only weaknesses turned out to be its ride height and tires, two of the first things that off-roaders will modify after their purchase. However, as a trail edition, you really shouldn’t have to invest large sums of money to bring the 4Runner up to its true potential. Like the Wrangler Rubicon, it would be nice to see Toyota offer the Trail Edition with a little extra clearance and a proper set of All-Terrain tires.

Review: Honda Accord Crosstour

It's a peculiar thing, the Honda Accord Crosstour. I've seen many a press release, photo and spec sheet on this uniquely odd vehicle, yet really didn't know what I was getting myself into until I actually sat inside the vehicle for first time myself. The highly competitive Crossover market was created not all that long ago, designed to blur the lines between Station Wagon and SUV, giving buyers maximum versatility in a package that drives like a car. Well with the Crosstour we now have a new segment that blurs the lines between station wagon and Crossover, seemingly intent on killing off the once beloved family transport once and for all, as the station wagon seems to be dying a slow death. With a week behind the wheel of the awkward brother to the Accord, I set about trying to decipher just who this odd vehicle is designed for.

Lets start with the most outstanding feature of the Crosstour, its shape. Now I can't lie, I think this thing took a very large tumble out of the ugly tree, however that hasn't seemed to stop people from buying them, as I see quite a few on the road and many were likely bought just because of the way it looks.

However, with a “4WD” badge on the rear and the look of a vehicle ready to tackle the rigors of the great out doors, with a distinct Accord family resemblance, my thoughts of a Lada inspired Accord would be dashed. There is no selectable transfer case, only the AWD system lifted from the CRV, which while decently capable, allows the Crosstour to get much better fuel efficiency than a proper 4WD, with a 9.8L/100km combined rating in my time in the car. And while there is increased ground clearance, the added 59 mm of play does little in the way of making this a competent soft-roader, I took the Crosstour out into the wilds to try out it’s all-terrain capability. Most CUV’s are great on gravel roads or a bit of snow, anything else, don't bother. I did bother however, and first took the Crosstour up a rough gravel road, no problem. It got a little muddy, but the AWD kicked in and all was well. Then I took it off into a bumpy field, and while the ride-height began to be challenged, all was still fine. However, once I got to a gravel pit, short ruts only a foot deep began to challenge the Crosstour’s clearance issues, and for the sake of bumper damage and my relationship with Honda, I decided to end the all-terrain test there and then. However, in short, the Crosstour will happily take an urban family into the great outdoors, and get them into a decent camping spot just off the gravel road just fine, or get you through a winters dump of snow, but don’t expect to go mud bogging in it.

So, if not a hardcore off-road version of the Accord, maybe the Crosstour is meant to be a BMW X6 type vehicle, a much misunderstood mix of sports car and SUV. The problem is that the X6 makes no claims that it is strictly a performance car with a view. The Crosstour is built on the Accords underpinnings, which are, shall we say, not exactly what you would call high performance. The tried and true 3.5L V6 offers 271 hp on tap with 254 lb-ft directed through the 5-speed automatic gearbox then on to all four wheels if the front wheels detect danger. Well proven and as reliable as the millennium is long, but the V-6 is no high-strung racer. Likewise, the Crosstour’s on road manners don't live up to the high performance theory as the added height, tall tires and 230 extra kg makes it a bit wallowy on the highway. So, no X6 fighter.

However, the Crosstour starts to make sense when you start to look around inside. Inside, the Crosstour has very familiar surroundings, mirroring that of the standard Accord, but with a little more headroom for us tall-bodied folks. As such you get a fairly sharp looking dash with all the standard Satnav wizardry and multi-media devices. In the rear, passengers get even more spacious surroundings while the sloping rear end of the Crosstour helps add a massive 330L to the cargo area with the addition of giving owners a lift hatch for entry. So, really, its not going after any other high profile competitors, but blazing a useful path for the greater populous in being a more useful and practical vehicle.

. It’s perfectly simple! It’s a car for people that want the versatility of a Crossover Utility Vehicle, without actually have to buy one. With the unique shape and design, Honda has created a niche vehicle for someone who just doesn’t want to follow the rest of the crowd into a predictable CUV solution. It’s a car for people who want to be different and decide to go against the grain rather than with it.

SPECFICATIONS:

MSRP: $29,995

Price as tested: $39,995

Type: 5-door, mid-sized sedan/coupe

Engine: 3.5L V-6

Horsepower: 271

Torque: 254

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

Layout: Front engine, AWD

Brakes: Four-wheel discs

Fuel Economy (L/100km): 10.9L city, 7.6L highway

Competitors: Yeah right!

Great Drives: Kootenay Loop

About The Route

Best time to Go: Weekdays from April to October

Total Distance:  110 km

Route: Starting point is the village of Lumby along Highway 6, 50°15'2.48"N 118°58'4.29"W, where highway 6 winds drivers east through over the rocky Monashee Mountain range that separates the Okanagan valley and the Arrow Lakes, to finishing at the ferry crossing, 49°52'27.36"N 118° 5'50.71"W.

Places To Stop: Two magnificent glaciers at either end of the route, other than this, just enjoy the epic journey between the two.

Road Type: Rough tarmac road.

Warnings: Rough road that doesn’t really have its own character, corners can easily be misjudged with nasty consequences. Can snow any time of year.

Review:

During this series of great driving roads, I’ve seen my fair share of exotic sights, strange events and odd detours, however, only in Canada would you be turned around because of a fresh dumping of snow… in May! The road that was supposed to be featured in this issue was to be the Crowsnest Highway #3 between Rock Creek and Creston B.C., as part of the Kootenay Loop. However, a thick blanket of wet snow on highway 33, just south of Kelowna, stopped me in my tracks on the transit to Rock Creek. The winding route through the west Kootenay Rockies would require a nimble and quick little car to negotiate, and there is non more fun than the MINI Cooper S.

Problem was, MINI had already swapped over the cars snow tires, for the much more fun, ultra high performance summers that come on the from new. Being May, a prudent and responsible act. But mother nature didn’t see things as such, and try as I might, the little Cooper S just couldn’t get over the summit of Highway 33, with a shimmering wet track of compact snow making any traction with summer rubber nigh on impossible.

And so, I turned the little Cooper S around and headed back to Kelwona. Along the way, I could see that the sun was doing it’s upmost to peek through the clouds, and that if I took a reverse route through Vernon, then on to Nakusp via Highway 6, the snow maybe melted at the higher elevations by the time I got there.

A spirited jog up highway 6 to Lumby B.C. and the skies were ominous; the scenic rolling farm lands had a healthy dusting of white, while the clouds were low with bit of solid fog falling from the sky. Despite the continuing threat, the layer of salt on the road was holding strong, and I made a push for the ferry that crosses Lower Arrow Lake on the other side of the range.

While the biker fraternity has spoken highly of the roads in the Kootenay region of the loop, little did I know that the northern section was equally impressive. It wasn’t long after Lumby that the MINI was thrust up into a winding mountain pass. The rolling farmland was swallowed up by the rocky, rugged and pine covered mountains of the Monashee Mountain range. At first the road meanders gently up into the range, with fast easy curves and great scenic sights of several peaks above and a small river below. However as the altitude rises, the road becomes much more aggressive with corners becoming much more abrupt and the road surface begins to degrade due to the sheer amounts of rock falls and avalanches. Not to mention each corner was blinded by deep snow, trees or a rocky ledge; extreme concentration is needed as the character of the road changes abruptly.

Near the summit the road cuts through a 5-metre deep trench of snow, and the little MINI is skipping from one tight chicane to another, in a seemingly never-ending series of slaloms. Slaloms with consequences, as walls of snow would sporadically open up with a deep rocky ditch on one side, and an open riverbed on the other. The short wheelbase and nimbleness of the MINI was ideal for the character of the road, however, like last issue, extremely rough tarmac meant the thin profile tires and firm suspension proved a little more bruising than I would have liked. Something with a little more suspension travel, such as a Subaru WRX or Mitsubishi Evo would prove to be the ideal weapons for this particular battle.

Luckily, the salt had done its job as I cresting the summit; the road was void of the white death, and the trip down the east side of the range was proving even more delectable. The blind corners obscured by snow and trees on the west side climb was replaced with open curves through a rocky landscape. With good vision, the corners could be taken at speed, putting huge lateral and forward g-forces on the body as I left my braking as late as possible and pitched the Cooper S into a fantastic series of downhill bends. Likewise, the view over the surrounding mountains was nearly as spectacular as the drive itself, but not so good as to make me want to stop for a rest, I was having way too much fun, and the road was all but vacant of other motorists.

However, like the way up, the way down began to calm down as the altitude began to subside, along with the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Soon the road calmed back into rolling farm lands, before coming to its ultimate conclusion at the banks of Lower Arrow Lake, and the cable ferry used to cross to the east side.

Crossing over the Monashee Mountain range proved to be a pleasant surprise in a day that had started off on the wrong foot, however, to my dismay, what layed ahead would prove to be even more enticing.