Volkswagen Jamaica, Kingston Industrial Garage (KIG), and Fidelity Motors were out in full force at Offroading on the Farm, held on August 9 in Brighton River, St Elizabeth, giving off-roading fans plenty of automotive eye candy.

“This was my first time attending Offroading on the Farm and it was an extremely fun day. Other than the extremely late start, the day progressed nicely and the friendly rivalry between the different dealerships was exciting to see. I would have loved to see more participants so that the categories could have been evenly divided,” said Jhanelle Wagstaffe, senior sales manager — Volkswagen Jamaica.

VW Jamaica had their Amarok pickup not only on display, but in action, as well as their Tiguan Allspace Sport Utility Vehicle. The Tiguan Allspace, starting at $69,000 per month, has been one of the brand’s best-selling models for buyers looking for a powerful, technologically advanced yet comfortable way to go exploring with enough space for up to seven passengers. It can be had with either a 1.4-litre or 2-litre turbocharged engine and comes either in two or all-wheel drive. For $10,000 more a month, starting at $79,000, is the Amarok pickup, which impressed on the event much to Wagstaffe’s delight. A relative newcomer in the pickup space since its introduction in 2010, the Amarok has been making waves with its technology and power first mantra as it can be equipped with a V6 turbo diesel motor.

“There’s truly no terrain that’s a match for the Amarok. Its large alloy wheels and robust design provide versatility on any surface. So whether you work hard or play hard, you can count on the Amarok to be up for the challenge,” explained Wagstaffe.

KIG, had the most cache as they represent two brands synonymous with the rough and tumble off-road lifestyle, Ford and Jeep. The 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor and 2020 Jeep Gladiator were attention getters.

Raptor is one of those monikers that turns heads in the off-road community and the Ford engineers spared no piece of knowledge when applying the badge to the Ranger. Just sitting still on display the physically imposing nature of the pickup was hard to ignore with its raised and widened bodywork.

“Offroading on the Farm something I always look forward to,” said Jessy Robinson of KIG.

Like Raptor, Jeep and Wrangler are huge words to those who like off-roading and when Jeep decided bring the Gladiator nameplate out of retirement in 2019 it returned to great fanfare. Sporting a V6 engine it combines all the utility of a pickup with the off-roading ability of the iconic Jeep Wrangler. And like the Wrangler it can be pulled apart for an unbeatable driving experience.

“The 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor can be had for $13.2 million and the 2020 Gladiator costs 13.835 million,” said Matthew Mahadeo, sales executive — KIG.

Nissan is another brand having a long off-roading heritage. Fidelity Motors, local dealers for the Nissan brand of vehicles, came out showing their wares on and off track with the brand new 2022 Nissan Frontier and X-Trail, alongside the 2020 Pathfinder.

“I thought the event was another solid entry into the Offroading on the Farm history books. Not the usual huge crowd, which was a good thing. COVID-19 protocols were enforced and well executed. It was a relaxed atmosphere, but this meant all eyes were focused on the competition, which did not disappoint,” said David Crawford, marketing officer — Fidelity Motors.

He was very happy with the representation of the Nissan brand amongst the competitors at the event.

“I was blown away by the performances of the Frontiers in the various off-road challenges. What was actually more impressive than the Nissan pickups’ performance was the confidence and skill of the drivers. I can proudly say that they were definitely the most active and vibrant group of competitors,” he said.

Crawford pointed out that the Frontier is all-new for 2022 with a base price of $6.5 million. For those into light off-roading or just needing something that can occasionally tackle the rough stuff Fidelity had their X-Trail and Pathfinder SUVs on display, staring at $5.6 million and $10.7 million respectively.