Emma has been on our television screens for more than a decade. She spends most of her time at racetracks reporting on Touring Car Racing and Shannons Nationals, and also hosts Australian Superbikes. She brings her passion for cars and unique perspective to this space.

What is it?

The Kia Stinger GT is a stylish, high performance four door sports sedan which comes with a choice of a 2.0 litre four cylinder turbo or 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engines. They really have nailed their target demographic of professional males in their 30s and 40s. And, with a spacious boot and roomy interior, there’s no reason why this can’t also be considered as a great family car.

What’s it like to drive?

The Kia Stinger GT is a weapon to drive! I actually had a lot of fun behind the wheel of this car and like all rev-heads would do I clicked it straight over to sports mode and made full use of the paddle shifters.

From the moment I hit the start button I was surprised by the sound of the throaty exhaust and could immediately feel the power of that engine which can only make a car enthusiast feel one thing: happiness! With five different driving modes it’s easy to feel comfortable in this car whether you’re cruising down the freeway trying to stick to the speed limit or stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Be careful when you put your foot down though as it’s quicker than you may think and has plenty of rear end mumbo. Fair to stay I kept the traction control on.

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I stuck to sports mode for the bulk of my trips to maximise the thrills-per-kilometre rating, but if that’s not your style the options are endless. With the choice of comfort, eco, smart and a mix n’ match custom mode you get to choose the way you roll in the Kia Stinger GT.

All in all, I love knowing that I’m about to get into a fast car. Compared to my daily driver, which is a Volkswagen Tiguan, the Stinger feels super fast, but also safe. And there’s a feeling that it’s always got your back. For example, in sports mode when you’re using the paddles shifters, if you get lazy the car will take over for you and kick back into auto mode after a while. Also, I don’t like to rely on reverse cameras and sensors but they are always a handy tool to have.

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What’s it like to live with?

Without sounding too superficial as a 30-something female who loves fast cars but also loves her style, the first thing I care about when I see a car (the only thing really), is its looks. I have to say the exterior not only impressed but also surprised me. I actually didn’t believe it was a Kia at first glance. It’s very different to any Kia I’ve seen on the road before. The front almost resembles the Ford Mustang with its tough looking bonnet vents, and the rear is less serious and quite stylish. The Kia Stinger GT makes a great first impression with its handsome good looks.

Now to the interior. There are some very good looking European inspired elements in the Kia Stinger GT, but some are a little tacky for my liking, like the metallic heating vents. Even so, the interior’s colour scheme and finishes fit with the Stinger’s sporty positioning. Compared to my Tiguan the Stinger puts you in a very low seating position, but there’s no loss of comfort. I like the red leather bucket seats, high-mounted infotainment system and subtle red background lighting throughout. Everyday essentials like having enough room for my coffee, gym gear in the boot, being able to easily connect my phone, play music are all covered.

Another cool feature I wasn’t expecting is the head-up display. It makes sticking to the speed limit in Victoria much easier. Forward collision warning and AEB is handy to have, as are dusk sensing headlights.

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Is it worth the money?

I reviewed the 2019 Kia Stinger GT Automatic 3.3L 4D Sedan, which is the top-spec version priced at $60,790. While this is certainly a lot pricier than what you’d expect from Kia it is on par with its competitors.

Does the Kia Stinger GT have everything a buyer would want? I can’t really fault it, although the price tag takes a little getting used to. In my mind Kia is a brand associated with sharp value and affordable passenger cars and SUVs.

I don’t readily associate it with sports sedans, so if you gave me a $60K sum I’d be more likely to lean in the direction of a BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz showroom. On the flipside, you won’t get anywhere near the Stinger’s performance for that sum of money from any of those brands. Decisions, decisions…

Australian racing legend Dick Johnson had long wanted to create a Mustang for the road which lived up to his own desires for performance and style, so the creation of the Dick Johnson Limited Edition Mustang in collaboration with Herrod Performance must be a relief.

The result of that collaboration is a 635kW supercharged Mustang that’s been modified literally down to the pistons.

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Herrod Performance has made so many changes to the Mustang in creating a car to Johnson’s liking it’d be an incredible challenge to replicate its spec.

Aside from the mechanical modifications like its Whipple supercharger and the fact the engine has been pulled apart and upgraded – along with its peripherals – there are details on the ‘DJ LE’ (not an official acronym) Mustang that can’t easily be copied.

On each cylinder head is an etching of Dick Johnson’s logo, the build number, and VIN. The con-rods also have the logo on the side, while slightly more visible in the engine bay is the graphic etched into the top of the supercharger.

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Its sump, oil pump, billet crank, oil cooler, and intercooler are all also custom, and most of these parts feature the VIN and build number too.

In fact, even the puddle lamp has had the iconic pony replaced with the Dick Johnson logo.

For these reasons, the build time for one car is at least two weeks, with all thirty set to be created already sold.

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Underneath, each DJ LE Mustang has specially tuned MagneRide suspension with bespoke 20-inch alloys and a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, hugging a set of Brembo brakes borrowed from the GT350R.

There’s a combination of manual and automatic cars to be built, and those with an auto ‘box will also receive a transmission cooling upgrade.

The styling is relatively restrained – save for a large rear wing seemingly borrowed from a race car – with colours limited to black or white.

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Inside, custom leather with badging and stitching makes it abundantly clear this car is special, as does the rollcage and custom Herrod-branded steering wheel upholstery.

MOTOR plans to have a closer look at the Dick Johnson Limited Edition Mustang, so stay tuned!

This is the Jack Roush Edition Mustang. It’s supercharged, extremely limited, and rather powerful. In fact, Roush says it’s “the most powerful Roush Mustang ever.”

With only 70 to be built worldwide (60 of which are destined to remain in the US), it’s also to be one of the rarest. And you’ll be able to buy one, as long as the 10 international units aren’t already sold out.

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Mustang Motorsport is now taking pre-orders for this 578kW/908Nm ‘Stang, and says pricing will be announced in coincidence with the launch of the 2020 Roush RS3 – with the RS3 featuring some upgrades from the Jack Roush edition and expected to land closer to “R-Spec money”.

Aside from the Roush ‘Phase 3’ supercharger, the Jack Roush Edition features an upgraded powertrain cooling system, recalibrated MagneRide dampers, a quad-exit active exhaust designed by Roush, 6-piston Brembos front and rear, and forged wheels with Continental ExtremeContact Sport tyres (though in Australia it’s not likely they’ll be available).

Roush has even tuned the MagneRide suspension to have a specific setting in Drag Mode, which is designed to provide maximum traction off the line.

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While its performance credentials speak for themselves, it’s not a Roush unless it looks like a Roush, so an R9 body kit with revised grilles, vents, bumper design, splitters, and spoiler provides a more aggressive visual for the Jack Roush Edition, with Roush graphics and badging letting the uninitiated know what’s going on.

Inside, a fitout conceived just for this car features combination leather and suede seats, a track-spec steering wheel, a white shift ball for manual cars or red billet paddles for auto-equipped models.

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An optional Competition Package also adds matte black racing wheels, a wheels and tyres display set, and a toolbox, plus a set of track tyres.

Roush says the car is not only built in homage to Jack, but also as a showcase of the “best of the best from Roush Performance.”

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“A tribute to Jack, it celebrates one of the foremost leaders in the industry and his accomplishments, including his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction, legendary racing heritage, engineering excellence, and leadership in the automotive space.”

“Hand-built with exquisite attention to detail, top of the line performance upgrades, and race-inspired styling cues, performance enthusiasts will crave to call one of the limited-production Jack Roush Edition Mustangs their own.”

Production of the Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio has drawn to a close as Maserati shuts down its Modena plant and renovates it for the production of its new “super sports model”.

To commemorate the end of the 12-year old GranTurismo and decade-old GranCabrio, Maserati produced a one-off creation known as the GranTurismo Zéda. 

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The Zéda, named after the pronunciation of ‘Z’ in the Modenese dialect, sports a multi-colour paintjob that morphs from the iconic Maserati blue in the front, through a burnished metallic shade in the mid-section, and finished off in a light satin hue around its rump.

With production of the GranTurismo all wound up, Maserati will upgrade its Modena plant to serve as the production hub for its new “super sports model”, the long-anticipated production version of the Alfieri, scheduled for a debut next year. According to an earlier statement, the plant upgrades are meant to “accommodate its electric powertrain”.

As for the GranTurismo and GranCabrio, plans for its successors are well underway, both of which are already earmarked for a 2021 and 2022 debut respectively, with production for the all-new models shifted to Maserati’s Turin production hub.

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While the GranTurismo and GranCabrio will be remembered for its old-school charismatic Ferrari-derived atmo V8 engines, Maserati says its successors will be “the first models to adopt 100% electric solutions in the history of the Brand”.

With a final production tally 28,805 for the GranTurismo and 11,715 for the GranCabrio, car collectors won’t have to look far and wide to acquire a used example of one of Maserati’s most beguiling models, though the Zéda is off-limits as it will be used for promotional purposes for the next-gen model.

What is it?

Australia’s top-selling small SUV, the Mitsubishi ASX is popular for its spacious interior, comfortable ride and, most of all, good value in terms of pricing and features.

We’re driving the top-spec ASX Exceed which retails for $32,990 but, Mitsubishi offers a fixed driveaway price of $35,740.

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This is one of the better equipped SUVs in its price range and is now powered by a more strong 2.4-litre engine introduced as part of the 2020 facelift that also brings a revitalised exterior design, refreshed interior, and enhanced infotainment.

What’s it like to live with?

The Mitsubishi ASX is one of the roomier small SUVs, with good rear seat space that makes it big enough for family duties. It’s comfortable up front too though even the Exceed’s leather appointed seats could do with more under-thigh and lateral support.

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The 2020 ASX has a new dashboard layout with a fresh, clutter-free, infotainment interface that includes a bigger 8.0-inch touchscreen (up from 7.0-inches) with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and digital radio (DAB+). The Exceed also gets in-built TomTom satellite navigation and a nine-speaker Rockford Fosgate premium sound system with an unexpectedly large sub woofer mounted in the 393-litre boot.

The new dashboard layout has controls and displays intuitively laid out, though the gauge cluster could do with a digital speedo.

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The Exceed gets all the features available in the mid-spec LS, including autonomous emergency braking, 18-inch alloy wheels, long-lasting LEDs for all exterior lights except turn indicators, climate control air-conditioning, cruise control, auto-dimming mirror, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, privacy glass and roof rails.

The extra money over the LS brings auto-leveling headlamps, a huge panoramic sunroof, heated seats, four-way powered driver’s seat and the aforementioned sat nav, premium sound system and the 2.4-litre engine that’s coupled to a CVT auto.

Like the LS, the Exceed also comes standard with an ADAS safety pack that adds lane departure warning, auto high beam, reversing sensors, blind spot warning, lane change assist rear cross traffic alert, front fog lamps, rain-sensing wipers, and dusk-sensing headlamps.

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The Mitsubishi ASX comes with a five-year, 100,000km warranty and 15,000km service intervals. Each service is capped at $199 if you take your ASX to an authorised dealer service centre.

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What’s it like to drive?

The 2020 Mitsubishi ASX Exceed comes with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that returns some pep to the range that was lost when the low-selling 2.2-litre turbodiesel was discontinued in 2018.

Taken from the now-discontinued Lancer, it produces 123kW/222Nm, which is about 12 percent more power and torque than the ES and LS’ lethargic 110kW/197Nm 2.0-litre that’s a bit under powered for a small SUV.

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The extra shove is noticeable, as is the smoothness of the CVT auto that doesn’t have to work anywhere near as hard to reach and maintain freeway speeds.

With gradual throttle input the power delivery feels surprisingly seamless. Travelling at the 110km/h speed limit on the Pacific Freeway north of Byron Bay saw revs sit around a comfortable 1900rpm on level stretches, with the gearbox quickly adapting to hills and descents with little fuss with cruise control engaged.

On the road, the ASX does a good job of soaking up bumps, though you do get some jarring through the 18-inch wheel rims at lower speeds. Wind noise is reasonably subdued even at higher speeds, however the road noise can get a little loud on coarser surfaces.

The 2.4-litre engine is much livelier than the 2.0-litre engine that’s still under the bonnet of the ES and LS without losing much in terms of fuel economy. Its 7.9L/100km fuel economy is marginally thirstier than the 2.0-litre’s 7.3L/100kms.

Putting the foot down harder elicits the customary CVT scream but, with peak power at 6000rpm, it still takes a while before you run out of steam. At lower speeds, the CVT has been programmed to feel more like a normal torque converter automatic, which makes for a smooth and quiet drive around town.

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The change in driving dynamics the bigger engine brings doesn’t extend to handling. You still get that noticeable lean when cornering quickly, while the rear-end has trouble keeping up with the front wheels during quick changes direction, such as when negotiating S bends.

Is it worth the cost?

The reason the ASX is Australia’s biggest selling SUV is because you get a lot of car for an affordable price. That’s why we recommend the ES with ADAS safety pack with a hatchback-rivalling $27,490 retail price.

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Unfortunately, the ES isn’t available with the new 2.4-litre engine, which suddenly makes spending another $5500 on the Exceed more worthwhile, considering all the additional features it comes with.

That said, the low-to-mid-$30k price range brings a lot more competition so if you’re buying the Exceed for the improved performance you may want to weight it up against some if its fresher competitors including the Kia Seltos Sport+ and Honda HR-V VTi-LX.

• New Skoda Octavia hatch and wagon
• Upgraded interior, a slew of technology
• Now with mild- and plug-in hybrids

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Tellingly, the new Octavia is following hot on the heels of the latest Golf Mk8, which has itself just been launched with a host of design, engineering and tech changes.

Is the 2020 Skoda Octavia actually new? And is it still just a Golf in Czech finery?

Yes, it is. But there’s a lot more to it.

The latest Octavia range still shares the VW’s MQB platform, but there’s a lot more going on under that sleek new body than before – we’re talking more advanced engines and lots of safety tech.

Smarter styling reflects the upmarket push for Skoda, making the outgoing model immediately look a bit old-hat. Shrinking the Superb down and adding slick new LED lights and chrome bits make it feel a lot fancier – and we’d judge the design most successful in the Octavia wagon. Be sure to let us know in the comments below.

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It’s predictable enough and there’s certainly nothing overly shocking about it, but there’s just about enough about it that’s different to the bigger Superb to make it feel fresh, both on the outside and in the cabin.

What’s new inside the 2020 Octavia?

A lot. Unsurprisingly taking inspiration from the Mk8 Golf, the Octavia’s interior features optional digital dials and a big touchscreen display sticking out of the dashboard. There will be a few different sizes of screen on offer – up to 10 inches on top-spec models – with an updated operating system.

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A row of shortcuts sits neatly below on the swoopier dash, and there’s a new drive-by-wire gear selector that’s ousted the traditional gear lever on automatic models, keeping things tidy on the centre console.

Plenty of ambient lighting and upmarket materials surround you, with a noticeable improvement in quality over the old car.

There are super-comfy seats like the ErgoComfort ones you’ll find in a VW Passat, plus a fancy new two-spoke steering wheel with plenty of buttons to keep you entertained or confused. If that’s all a bit too much, you can also choose a more traditional three-spoker.

There’s more tech, too

Available for the first time on a Skoda is a head-up display, while a more comprehensive suite of driver assistance and safety kit is available.

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This borrows from the Passat’s stable with things like predictive cruise control with stop-and-go, turn assist to stop you pulling out dangerously into traffic and other driver alert systems that should keep you largely out of trouble. Not all will come as standard, remember.

Skoda Octavia: engines are upgraded too

What goes on under the bonnet has changed a lot, too. There are still petrol and diesel variants, but the petrols with dual-clutch gearboxes feature mild-hybrid tech to boost performance and economy thanks to a 48-volt belt-driven motor.

Skoda calls these engines eTEC.

Finally, a plug-in hybrid Octavia iV will be available using a 1.4-litre TSI petrol and electric motor for a combined output of 150kW and around 50km of EV range. Don’t hold your breath for that car, though, as Skoda has already ruled out hybrid-powered models ahead of its planned EV assault.

Big on practicality

It wouldn’t be a new Skoda without a bigger boot, so the hatch offers 600 litres of boot space and the Octavia wagon a whopping 640 litres.

They didn’t need to be bigger, but Skoda did it anyway, and as ever, it’s festooned with Simply Clever things like umbrellas, hand brushes, ice scrapers, bins and nets to keep all your usual in-car detritus slightly more contained.

Skoda Octavia for Australia

Locally, expect to see the Octavia touch down early in 2021. Skoda’s local team says it’s too early to comment on what models will drop in for our market, the range is likely to “closely resemble” what’s on offer today.

That means we’ll see both the wagon and the sedan with petrol engines, while Skoda has previously hinted that manuals will still have a place in its line-up.

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It’s a safe bet that we’ll see the return of the hotted-up RS range, which has proven a strong seller for the local arm.

However, diesels and AWD variants look like they’re off the table./Tim Robson

What do you reckon about the new Skoda Octavia? Enough to tempt you away from an SUV? Let us know below!

This article was jointly written with CAR UK.

UPDATED 12/11 – Organisers have finally cancelled Rally Australia, after a meeting with the world governing body of motorsport and other stakeholders.

Event chair Andrew Papadopoulos said the cancellation was the only course available, considering the safety of the more than 1000 people involved as officials, competitors and in support roles.

“Considering the best interests and safety of everyone involved in the rally, and of course the wider community, it is not appropriate to conduct the rally,” he said.

“Our thoughts are with the NSW community, especially the people who have lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes as a result of the fires in northern NSW, and we thank the Rally community for your support and understanding.”

Leading teams in the World Rally Championship are reportedly furious, however, that it took so long for the event to be cancelled, in the light of reports coming from the rally’s host city of Coffs Harbour.

“This situation is more than crazy,” a rallying source told UK site Autosport. “The smoke is everywhere. We are looking on maps and the fire is coming straight to Coffs Harbour and nobody can stand up and say the thing that everybody knows has to happen: Rally Australia is cancelled.

“We have been watching to the TV and we see fire and rescue crews so tired they can’t stand up, but we are thinking to ask them to come and sit at the side of the road so we can have a rally.

“We have seen people’s homes, farms, animals, everything is burning and we are talking about running some stupid stages for three days.

“This is a bad joke. Somebody needs to take control. F*** this meeting, f*** this time to make a decision.

“People are being advised to run away from these places – not advised, told to run away.”

The cancellation comes despite a plan to reduce the competitive stages to just four, with two short special stages and one shortened stage run twice. This would have reduced the competitive kilometres run from 323km to just 95km, with only a third of the usual championship points on offer for the weekend.

The cancellation hands Hyundai the manufacturer’s title, with Toyota now unable to score enough points to add the prize to its driver’s championship title.

Tuesday was being touted as a day of extreme fire danger up and down the coastal fringe of NSW, and organisers have acknowledged the potential for danger to crews, volunteers and the public.

“Rally Australia’s thoughts are with the NSW community, especially the people who have lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes as a result of the fires in northern NSW,” read a statement issued on Sunday. “Public safety is our uppermost consideration in planning for Rally Australia on the Coffs Coast next week.

“Rally Australia is consulting with emergency services, authorities and the local community about the evolving situation. We still hope to stage the final round of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship, although it may be on a significantly shortened course.”

The WRC driver’s championship has already been decided in favour of Estonian driver Ott Tanak in a Toyota Yaris.

The bushfires that are wreaking havoc in the north of NSW have decimated the starting list for Rally Australia, which starts this week in the northern NSW town of Coffs Harbour, about six hours from Sydney.

Local competitors who entered the Australian Rally Championship (ARC) event were advised late Saturday that they were unable to compete, though the World Rally Championship part of the event was still on at that stage.

This dropped the Rally Australia field from 81 cars to approximately 22.

The fires have caused major disruptions for the rally organisers, with no access permitted to any forestry roads within the shire, while the Pacific Highway north of Coffs Harbour – the main access into the town – is also affected by the fires, which have claimed three lives in surrounding districts along with around 150 properties.

A map of the affected areas, with a grim warning for worse to come

Forests are burning to the west of the town, while worse conditions are to come in the coming week, according to firefighting officials. NSW State Forest authorities have declared all forests in the north of the state to the Queensland border closed.

The event’s clerk of the course, Brian Everitt, said in a competitor bulletin on Satruday that the World Rally Championship event would continue, and that affected local competitors could claim back their entry fees under force majeure regulations.

Crews also have the option of donating their entry fees to the bushfire effort.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to you and your team and we appreciate your understanding,” he said.

Some local crews, including 2019 champion-elect Harry Bates from Toyota, entered the World Rally Championship event, foregoing the right to earn points towards the local championship.

However, other prominent teams, including the Subaru Do squad of former ARC champion Molly Taylor, will not attend the event.

“With unprecedented bushfires affecting the area, the organisers made a decision to cancel the national portion of the event, the final round of the Australian Rally Championship,” reads a team statement.

“The Subaru do Motorsport team’s thoughts are with all those affected by the bushfires and the tireless men and women of the Rural Fire Services.”

The Subaru team’s entry fee will be donated to the Coffs Coast Rural Fire Service.

With the next-generation Xbox, currently codenamed “Project Scarlett”, due to be released in 2020, we’d forgive you for holding out on buying the current Xbox One S or One X. Not only is Project Scarlett expected to boast more than four times the processing power as any Xbox One, but with the One now notching up six years on the market it’s a little behind the times when it comes to doing justice to the next generation of games.

However, if you’re still console-less and eager to get your mitts on some gaming hardware before Project Scarlett lands (and options from Sony and Nintendo aren’t your thing), then a new console finance deal could provide a cost-effective solution to buying a brand-new Xbox outright.

In conjunction with Telstra, Microsoft has launched their ‘Xbox All Access’ program in Australia; offering players an all-inclusive Xbox experience with everything you need to start bashing wheels, for as little as $27 per month for 24 months.

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The package is available exclusively through Telstra, both in-store and online, and comes with an Xbox One console of your choice (either Xbox One X, or Xbox One S) with Forza Horizon 4 included, one Xbox wireless controller, and 24 months of membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

The minimum cost over 24 months is $648 for the Xbox One S, or $912 for the more powerful Xbox One X ($38 per month).

Should you opt for the Xbox One S (lacking the One X’s 4K ability), you’ll save more than $100 in comparison to purchasing everything separately. It’s a similar margin for those opting for the One X.

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But it’s the inclusion of the Game Pass Ultimate that’s where the real value lies. With free access to more than 100 games, there’s plenty of content to keep you busy without having to splash out above the cost of the console subscription itself. As far as driving games are concerned, right now Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can enjoy F1 2018, Dirt Rally 2.0, Dirt 4, Grid 2, Rocket League and, of course, Forza Horizon 4.

Downsides? It’s a 24-month commitment, and breaking that contract means you’ll need to pay out the remainder of the console in a lump sum (a maximum of $409.37 for the One S and $659.95 for the One X) and your Game Pass Ultimate subscription will cease too unless you elect to take over those payments yourself. However, with Christmas fast approaching the All Access scheme could be a cost-effective way of bringing some console joy to the loungeroom without having to break the bank.

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And while Telstra says it will give subscribers the ability to upgrade their console to Microsoft’s next-gen console when it arrives, at this stage there are no details on exactly how that arrangement will work, or what additional costs there may be as a result. Watch this space.

Xbox All Access is available exclusively through Telstra, both in-store and online. See more info at Xbox.com

If Holden’s decision to unceremoniously auction off a number of its heritage collection cars is the stuff of dreams but beyond your budget, you’ll be pleased to know the company is also selling off personalised Victorian number plates depicting different models from recent decades.

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Available through the same auction house as the heritage collection cars, the plates bear the model names of many of its significant cars, including combinations like VESS-04 (relating to the VE SS Commodore), WM-0001 (WM Statesman), VYS-1 (VY Commodore S), and SSV-60 (Commodore SSV).

Almost 80 number plates are for sale all referencing Holden products in one way or another, with the official auction to begin at midday November 18. While the number plates (and heritage cars) are housed at Manheim in Altona, Victoria, this auction will be online.

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Manheim are calling it the ‘Holden Heritage Auction’, with interested parties are instructed to register online for a free Manheim Membership in order to bid.

All plates are listed with a $100 reserve, so there’s potential to snap up something special for a bargain price.

Check out the auction list and let us know if there’s any gems in there.

AUTOMOTIVE powertrain engineers say ‘WOT’ quite frequently, not because they’re all a bit deaf, but because it’s techy, acronym-speak for ‘wide-open throttle’. You and I probably just call it ‘pinning the bastard to the boards’. Whatever the term, I’ve been doing it for a couple of minutes now and both revs and road speed have ceased to shift, so it’s safe to presume that this is V-max. At 4400rpm, the Ford Ranger Raptor’s 2.0-litre twin-turbo-diesel doesn’t sound uncouth, more an insistent, gravel-edged snarl. It feels like the automotive equivalent of the heart, lungs and legs of a decent middle-distance runner coming onto the stadium’s home straight; there’s harmony and robustness, mixed with a clear sense that this is all it has to give. Our speed? A GPS-corrected 173km/h.

A kerb weight of 2332kg and the aero slipperiness of a site office will do that. If we stay with the runner analogy, it’s like asking Mo Farah to hold the lid of a wheelie bin out in front of him for the final lap of the men’s 5000m. So yes, my top-speed run is just a bit pointless, but hey, the Raptor is built for speed, and I was compelled in the interests of science to see how it felt and sounded at top whack. Further, we are in the region of South Africa where plenty of car companies come to do their high-speed testing. It’d be rude not to, etc.

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We’re 40km or so south of the town of Upington, a dusty backwater on the banks of the Orange River. Out here it feels every bit as remote and desolate as Australia’s interior. The sight lines are long, the blue-metal surface is good and vast stretches of wire fencing keeps animals clear of the roads. Oh, and the sparsely staffed police force – if they do in fact exist – apparently know to leave you alone, provided you have the correct number plates that indicate an approved prototype. Which we don’t, but two out of three ain’t bad.

But a V-max run is just a part of the transport stage to the main event: off-road race training with one of SA’s rising stars of the sport, 24-year-old Gareth Woolridge. This bloke made his international debut in last year’s Brazilian Rally dos Sertoes, runs up the pointy end of the South African Cross Country Series (SACCS), and reckons he can take me from lumbering middle-aged nuffie to lean, mean Finke Desert Rally material in just 10 hours.

Okay, he didn’t actually promise that, but a man needs to have ambition, and we do have at our disposal the most highly developed, off-road capable 4×4 ute on the market, as well as a punishing course through dunes fringing the Norokei salt lake.

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Nervous? A little, but Woolridge’s natural warmth and easy humour immediately helps, as does the fact he has a fit, but fairly normal-looking physique. He’s not one of those annoyingly whippet-lean circuit racers, who manage to make you feel fat and useless before you’ve even done up the belts.

“I train five or six days a week, but sure, I’m not scared of a few beers and boerewors [sausages],” he says with a laugh.

Wooldridge is part of an off-road-racing dynasty here in the land of the springbok. His dad Neil is a former gun racer and self-made 4×4 business owner turned constructor, employing a team of 20 to build Mustang V8-powered, tube-chassis Raptors for customer teams; while his older brother Lance is a reigning class champion in SACCS and in winning form again this year.

So the bloodline is strong, but job one right now for Woolridge is to get a read on what sort of student he has to work with. (Spoiler alert: ‘not gifted’.)

“Let’s do a sighting lap, then I want you to have a proper crack, and we’ll see where we can find some time,” he says.

Temps on the pan can reach 45 degrees in the peak of summer, but today is hazy and relatively mild at 26 degrees, meaning the diesel donk in the South African-built Raptor won’t have to deal with ingesting hot air. It’s no doubt happy about this, as am I, because, as Editor Inwood has found with his long-termer, and as will become evident during our sessions, there’s not exactly a surfeit of power going begging. To recap, it makes 157kW and 500Nm. Yes, today there will be plenty of WOT.

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Starting now. There’s nothing too complicated about the course – the fast, flat section snaking across the dry-lake ‘pan’ is clearly marked with flags at the apexes, then the climb and plunging descent of the dunes is very much single-trail, but punctuated by deep wallows, wash-aways, rock gardens and plenty of stout vegetation to hit if you go off line.

So I select Baja mode, which allows ample oversteer angle if the sensors figure you’re in control, and get my WOT on. Yes, more vigorous acceleration would be welcome, and this leads to my first rookie error. I dumbly apply a circuit-lapper’s technique of trying to minimise lost momentum and carry maximum apex speed, but this is costing me in terms of forcing a wider – okay, messier – line. “Brake harder for the tighter sections and get it turned in; keep your line tighter,” Woolridge instructs. “Don’t concentrate on apex speed. In the fast turns, you’re going well; keep flicking it very early – even earlier than you’re doing – and keep your foot deep into it to hold the slide. That’s where the momentum of the slide will make you quicker than trying to keep it straight.”

I get that bit, and I’ve never met a bit of extended oversteer on dirt that I didn’t like, so things are going fairly well on the flat. But up in the dunes I’m initially too conservative, and underestimate just how much punishment the Raptor’s chassis can absorb. Mentally, I’m in “don’t wreck the vehicle” mode, when I should actually be in the “try and kill the bastard” zone.

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The widening of Raptor’s track (by 150mm), the Watts-linkage rear end (replacing leaf springs), and, crucially, the move to the Fox remote-reservoir dampers that bring extra wheel travel and ground clearance, all combine to make this thing a proper masochistic beast over terrain that would cripple a regular 4×4 ute. It’s not just the ability to mercilessly belt the front end at big speed into deep washaways, it’s the rebound control that demands you recalibrate what’s possible. Even if a standard-sprung ute could handle the compression impact, its rebound rate would likely pogo you into the next postcode.

Not here. Calls of, “Good! Good! Stay planted! Keep the momentum! No brakes needed here!” will be the over-arching theme from the passenger’s seat, and even for a slow learner like me, it’s an easy directive to follow. At least until I barrel too hot into a fast left-hand kink, exactly where the track transitions from hard-packed gravel to rock. I can’t quite get turn-in grip and go straight-on under brakes, mowing down a quarter-acre block of scrubby vegetation and damaging a tyre sidewall on a rock edge. “Not a problem, that lot needed clearing,” deadpans my instructor as we limp back for a fresh rear hoop.

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Woolridge makes light of my ‘moment’ but it’s a reminder, in case I needed one, that off-road racing can be every bit as treacherous as rallying or circuit racing (well, on anything other than a Hermann Tilke-designed track). Since the Paris Dakar Rally Raid was first run in 1979, there have been 26 competitor fatalities from accidents. Okay, 19 were motorcycle riders, but that still leaves six that were car-related (plus one truck), proof that off-road racing’s comparatively slower speeds won’t alone save you, if the remaining circumstances conspire the other way. By comparison, our own Finke Desert Race has had three fatalities since it started in 1976.

“I count myself as pretty fortunate,” says Woolridge. “Of course I’ve had some pretty substantial offs, but nothing that’s seriously injured me…” He’s clearly reluctant to be drawn further into this morose conversational cul de sac, so we quickly move onto a brighter subject: the fact that if I was a boxer, I would have the hand speed of Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch, when I need to be more like Manny Pacquiao. As we barrel along a section of the dunes stage, the trail jinks constantly and the Raptor requires a constant flurry of steering inputs to carry our speed. It turns out that my default technique of striving for smoothness has no real place in the frenetic world of off-road racing. “I want you to be like lightning on that wheel!” yells Woolridge over the noise of the engine, low scrub hitting the sills, and the audible puckering of my sphincter. “Faster hand speed! C’mon!”

He says it as “forster”, which I really shouldn’t be registering, given how much is going on: a crazy torrent of twists and kinks rushing at us through the screen, the suspension working at maximum effort to absorb the bombardment of ruts and trenches, our skulls and torsos shaking around like oversized Bobblehead dolls.

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Perhaps subconsciously I hadn’t been fast enough with steering inputs for fear that the rack assistance wouldn’t keep up, but this, like many things I imagine, proves to be utterly unfounded. I go into full “angry fighter on the speedbag” mode, and this meets with approval from my co-pilot. He’s right, of course – really going next level on the speed at which you work the wheel seems to get the big Raptor almost dancing between the kinks, and your right foot quickly falls in line, a WOT-ease-WOT quickstep that’s hugely satisfying. Throw in a bit of ‘berm surfing’ on the sandy, favourably cambered corners, and I could be a convert to this off-road caper.

But before I book my entry for the 2020 Finke, there’s another discipline I need to master.

Anyone who’s watched any off-road racing knows that in fast, whoop-filled territory, the cars often seem to spend as much time airborne as they do on the deck. So, time to get my flight wings.

Helpfully, Ford has found a quiet backroad nearby that’s perfect for the task, and the local farm owners have agreed for it to be closed off. It’s just a few kilometres long, but punctuated by six successive, super-steep ‘kickers’ that climb at around 18 percent gradient in the space of just a handful of metres, before dropping sharply over the other side. Even more thoughtfully, each has been hand-signposted with an advisory speed that is sufficient to – just – get a Raptor’s wheels clear of the ground.

We quickly agree I’ll need to add at least 20 percent to get anything that qualifies as air time, but I also need to focus on my throttle technique, advises my unflappable co-pilot. There was me thinking it was just a case of boshing the brave pills, whipping up some speed, and not squealing like a girl when you force a 2.3-tonne ute into airspace it really shouldn’t be in.

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Turns out there’s more to it than that. “Carry plenty of throttle right up to the lip of the crest, because that will determine our trajectory,” Woolridge explains. “If you chop the throttle at the last moment, it’ll make the nose drop even more than it would because of the [forward-biased] weight distribution.”

In simple speak? “Man up and keep it pinned.”

We fly like a large box-section ski jumper, and land much better than Eddy the Eagle used to. My brain is calibrated to expect a landing from this speed and height to be like something from the San Francisco street scenes in Bullitt, but of course it’s nothing like that; more like dropping a cold chisel onto a feather pillow. The chassis of this thing really is exceptional, and today has proved conclusively it deserves an engine that can fully exploit what the underpinnings offer.

Right now, Ford’s response remains a cloth-eared, “WOT?”, but as the groundswell builds for this excellent chassis to have a more potent powerplant, expect that to change.

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Ford Ranger Raptor Price & Specs

Model: Ford Ranger Raptor Engine: 1996cc 4cyl, dohc, TTD Max power: 157kW @ 3750rpm Max torque: 500Nm @ 2000rpm Transmission: 10-speed automatic Weight: 2332kg 0-100km/h 10.5sec (claimed) Economy: 8.2L/100km Price: $74,990