Bryan Irons
Perry Mack back in the saddle
By Perry Mack
It’s been a couple of years since I held the reigns as managing editor of 4WDrive and I am looking forward to it. Although I will continue on as Editor-in-Chief for all SunCruiser Media, delegating as much paper pushing as possible, to anyone willing to take it from me.
I have to able to convince someone that fieldwork for our other publications - boating, camping, and fishing, is too challenging to pass off (it’s a tough sell). The good news is that the common thread is the 4x4, and being outdoors. Which means I’ll just have to spend more time wheeling and testing gear.
Every editor (and every person) has his or her own biases, and I confess that I’m no different. You can expect the same features as previous issues, but I will sneak in more of what you can do and where you can go, and a little less off-road race coverage.
2017 is another year for us to live fearlessly and celebrate.
Canadians continue to become more important to manufacturers of trucks, tires, parts and accessories, as demonstrated by the North American debut of the new Land Rover Velar in Vancouver, and the new only-in-Canada BFGoodrich Winter KSI tire, which we tested in Ottawa. They recognize that we are the best testing ground, and if their products can make it here, they can make it in any temperate or frigid zone on the planet.
The age of electronics in vehicles is an age of wonder. The towing assist features amaze, and the infotainment and navigation aids astound. I for one, don’t fear autonomous vehicles and driver assist features, they have their place in urban centres and the monotonous stretches of highways that link our vast country – the largest democracy in the world by landmass. The urban centres are tiny blips on our massive outdoor landscape where there are few yellow lines to guide computers, nor is there a need for an auto piloted parallel park.
The next issue we see how our fearless former editor, Budd Stanley, broke the shackles from his desk, and launched himself from Vancouver to Tuktoyaktuk at the wheel, and on the back of, a Nissan Titan XD.
Canadians know off-road, we are a nation of explorers and outdoor enthusiasts. Celebrate our nations 150th birthday all year by going out every weekend. We’ll help you find new reasons to pull the boat, RV or trailer; to fish, camp or just go wheeling, in every issue of the magazine in print and digital, every monthly newsletter, and every day on the website.
Share your adventures with thousands of other Canadians; Email: editor@suncruisermedia.com; Facebook: facebook.com/4WDrive/; Twitter: @4WDriveCanada
If you hear someone having fun out there, look around, it might be me.