On the weekend we finally got the chance to try out Benny’s off-road credentials. We headed down to my local playground to have some fun and for a bit extra I loaded him up to the gunwales with people, three adults and three kids two of which are in child restraints.

With the third row seats folded up there is effectively no cargo space at all so it was interesting trying to get the barby and esky’s into the car but with some creative packing we finally managed it.

After a quick top up with fuel we were off on our adventure. Heading down the highway I set the cruise and left it to make its own mind up. On the downhill runs there was very little run on, we only picked up about 2kmh in extra speed and on the uphills Benny maintained the set speed with ease. Even on the long steep climb (about 100m in 1.5km) we sat on a constant speed with no hunting experienced again showing how well mated the engine and gearbox are.

During the night it had been raining and this trend continued throughout the day promising slippery conditions. When we turned off the highway we were greeted with a wet dirt access road and with the centre diff locked Benny took it in his stride. The standard tires handled the greasy road surprisingly well.

I was a bit dubious about heading into the fire trails with the wet tracks as there was no room for me to pack the hand winch, which I always take when heading off with only one car but we decided to go for it. Putting down into the gullies was easy enough with the ABS only kicking in once when we dropped off a rock shelf. Climbing out the other side was also surprisingly easy, the only concession being to pick the line with the least amount of obstacles as there is really not much clearance underneath. We managed to touch once on a rock that couldn’t be avoided.

When we got to the more challenging section even more planning was needed to ensure that we would make it to the top on the first attempt. Still there was one point where we came to a halt while the traction control fought to control the wheel spin experienced when the front wheels came off the ground. With a little brake tap and a bit more throttle we got over the step and continued on our way.

After a stop for lunch and a chance for the kids to burn off some excess energy we went for a cruise along some of the forestry trails with varying surfaces from mud to gravel and even some sand. Again Benny took them all in his stride even going over some of the bigger drainage humps on an angle to maximise clearance. The sand was easy going as it was wet and fairly well compacted from other vehicles that had been through earlier that day.

We then headed over to a rock that I know of to test out the wheel travel. The good thing about this rock is that it is low clearance friendly and this was a good thing as we just missed out on crushing the exhaust on the way out. Benny has reasonable wheel travel as do most vehicles in this class but I managed to get a wheel off the ground.

By this time we were starting to run out of light so I decided it was time to head home, with a stop off on the way for a treat at a little bakery that I know of that makes some awesome sweets. On our way out I decided to take some random tracks to see where they went and this is where we came across the puddle. After checking the depth with a stick to ensure it wasn’t deep enough to sink a battleship (I’ve been caught out before in a creek that I could see the bottom of) we went for it and made it without a problem. However I wouldn’t go through anything deeper as the air intake isn’t situated in the best spot.

Now for my passengers. The front seat passenger said the seat was comfortable with adequate support for someone who is of similar build to me. The rear adult passenger said similar of the second row and that leg room was good even though he was stuck behind the driver’s seat and he is just shy of 6ft. the two youngest passengers couldn’t really comment on seat comfort being in restraints, but with the booster seat fitted to the third row there was enough room for a short pair of legs to swing freely. The other third row passenger being in the late primary school age group was impressed with the level of comfort afforded by the seats comparing them to the rear seats in his dads Falcon. Mind you by the time he turns 15 I might be looking him in the eye. With only two seats in the third row they are proportioned on the big side and I would be safe to say that if there was more legroom I could quite happily sit there for long trips. As for a family transporter Benny would fill this role well until the kids hit the teenage years and then the third row would become a short trip only option.

Fuel consumption was impressive hovering around the 11L/100km mark for all the harder offroading sections and dropping back to the 8-9L mark once we got back on the highway. If I get the opportunity I will try to head out onto the beach to see how fuel economy stacks up in the sand.

That’s about it for this update and I can say I’m impressed with what Benny can do. He has reasonable off-road credentials and would be happy running round most national parks and forestry roads and this would be the hardest that 95% of these would see.