15^th January, 2002

X5 takes Overlander’s 4WD of the Year

Overlander 4WD magazine has announced the 4WD Of The Year for 2001. BMW X5 was named Overlander 4WDOTY in a ceremony held at Fox Studios in  Sydney yesterday.

An exhaustive test process which took place over two weeks saw the six short-listed contenders for Australia's most prestigious 4WD’ing title put through their paces over a wide variety of terrain, ranging from the concrete jungle of Sydney to the bush tracks of central New South Wales.

Overlander 4WDOTY, with 22 years of history behind it, is no stranger to controversial decisions, and editor Mathieu Raudonikis admits that 2001 was no different.

"It was a close decision for 2001,” he said.

“Each of the six judges had a lot to think about before awarding their points to each vehicle. Not since Overlander announced that the Volkswagen Synchro was joint-winner in 1990 has the decision ruffled so many feathers.

"The X5 is an exceptional vehicle. It raises the performance and safety standards of 4WD vehicles to those previously only seen in luxury sedans. We'll see these standards and systems filter through to other 4WD products in the future, thus raising the quality of 4WD products across the board."

BMW X5 was announced as a clear winner over a strong field of contenders this year, which were Jeep Cherokee CRD and Petrol, Nissan Patrol 4800, Nissan X-Trail and Mazda Tribute.

The full Overlander 4WDOTY report can be found in the February 2002 edition of Overlander magazine.

John Kananghinis of BMW Australia with the Overlander 4WDOTY trophy and the winning vehicle.