So you've been following Team Perentie for a while now, your froth levels are peaking from the onslaught of #landyporn, and you’re considering a Perentie as your daily driver. Grocery getter, commuter, trail weapon and expedition vehicle all in one. Shit yeh! I’m all about that. I’ve had my truck for five years now and it has been my only ride. Here’s what you can expect:
They are loud
The 4BD1 and stock 4 speed is a bulletproof combination, delivering peerless off road capability with tractor like gearing and mountains of torque. Mated to a 30 year old drivetrain and absolutely no sound proofing, communication at highway speeds is best done by hand gestures. A Noise cancelling headset is a great companion.
They are slow
Particularly without a turbo, delivering an anemic 45hp, she’s a bit of a slug. The slightest incline on the highway will have you back in third at 80km/hr being overtaken by Subaru brumbies. A turbo more than doubles the HP and I cant recommend one highly enough. More about that in a later post.
They are hot/cold
When you’re driving around in a tent, you’re fairly exposed to the elements. It’s fun to tell your passenger you’re switching on the A/C before flipping open the air vents, but the novelty can wear off on 40 degree days. A high quality Team Perentie canopy keeps you nice and dry (shamless plug), but unless you’re in the lucky minority your standard army one may have seen better days.
They go anywhere
I’ve taken my truck to some epic places. Cape York, the Victorian Highlands, the Simpson Desert… these things will take you there. I’ve had mine underwater half way up the windscreen on the OTT, covered in snow in the Brindabella and bogged to the axles on a bunch of weekend trail missions. You won’t care about scratching it because it just adds to the patina, so it will go places your mate’s $100k vehicles won’t dare to follow.
People Froth on Perenties
Perenties make people happy, not least of all you. Dudes will want to chat about it when you’re checking the surf, old ladies will smile at you on pedestrian crossings, school kids will throw shakkas and girls will leave their phone numbers tucked under your wiper blades (maybe). Everyone assumes you are a legend with good stories when you drive one of these trucks, and let’s face it, you probably are.
You’re on the team
You’ll get a sore arm waving at defenders and may damn near dislocate your shoulder when you pass another Perentie in traffic. There’s an awesome community of people young and old that will happily give you their time and experience to help you on your ownership journey.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll come up with good reasons to do what you wanted to do anyway… So get involved. Check out some of Team Perentie’s gear in the shop section and hit us up on Instagram or email with any questions. Cheers!
Headed down the shops to grab some vegan burger patties