AAV4X4: expedition trucks shaped by a founder's overland logbook

AAV4X4, short for Australian Adventure Vehicles, is a family-owned company based in Brendale, North Brisbane. It was founded by Kym and Lyn Bolton, who live by the motto "You only visit this planet once, so better see it before you leave."

Trucks tested on the road first

The company's claim to its approach is a travel record. The founders have covered over 375,000 km of overland travel across Asia, Russia, Europe, North, Central and South America, and Africa, and say they spent 15 years researching, developing and testing their products in some of the world's harshest conditions. Kym Bolton's expeditions are documented on his own blog, GoannaTracks.com, and the company says what he learned on those trips goes into every vehicle it builds.

The examples on the site are specific: Russia's Road of Bones, a 4,500m mountain pass in Peru, and closer to home the Big Lap of Australia, Fraser Island's deep sand, the Simpson Desert and remote work in Arnhem Land.

What they build

AAV4X4 is dedicated to adventure-ready Fuso Canter 4x4 and Isuzu NPS 4x4 trucks. The range covers off-road expedition motorhomes, heavy-duty alloy tray cab chassis, custom toy haulers for carrying motorcycles, ATVs and outdoor gear, and distance tourers and tow vehicles. Equipment on the trucks includes winches, bull bars with recovery points and custom-engineered subframes.

The Global Xplorer, built on the Fuso Canter 4x4 and Isuzu NPS 4x4 platforms, is the company's travel motorhome for two, and it is offered for test drives. Unlike many builders, the company says it can supply the vehicle as well as the upgrades, and can help with finance.

More about AAV4X4 on their own website: https://aav4x4.com.au.