Topic: What Do You Do With 1,200 Tonnes of Crushed Rock?

[Autos_Editor]

AJAC TestFest goes off-road with SUVs and CUVs.

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[Fobroader]

You guys should really do these tests in Alberta or BC, we have lots of offroad areas that dont require you to truck in sand and gravel to make obstacles. Plus, you can take said vehicles on mountain roads to see what they are like. Need a heavy load to test trailering capabilities, no problem, Ive got a few friends with gooseneck trailers and players choice of offroad buggies, water tanks or bobcats for weight. 

[Snowman]

You guys should really do these tests in Alberta or BC, we have lots of offroad areas that dont require you to truck in sand and gravel to make obstacles. Plus, you can take said vehicles on mountain roads to see what they are like. Need a heavy load to test trailering capabilities, no problem, Ive got a few friends with gooseneck trailers and players choice of offroad buggies, water tanks or bobcats for weight. 

Agree 100% There are many off road areas a few hours drive north of the GTA that could facilitate the test. Groomed gravel mounds is not even close to reality 

[Arthur Dent]

Anymore photos? Looks like my Mazda2 could conquer that hill

[Fobroader]

Just seems silly to me to turn a gravel parking lot into an "offroad" course when there are countless places where nature did it for you.

[Railton]

You guys should really do these tests in Alberta or BC, we have lots of offroad areas that dont require you to truck in sand and gravel to make obstacles. Plus, you can take said vehicles on mountain roads to see what they are like. Need a heavy load to test trailering capabilities, no problem, Ive got a few friends with gooseneck trailers and players choice of offroad buggies, water tanks or bobcats for weight. 

Agree 100% There are many off road areas a few hours drive north of the GTA that could facilitate the test. Groomed gravel mounds is not even close to reality 

Testfest is not in Ontario Wine country by accident! Can't have those AJAC members roughing it you know.
Railton

[Ex-airbalancer]

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/trail-activities/four-wheel-driving
http://www.of4wd.com

Is a couple of places to find trails

[sailor723]

I agree with all the "pretty silly" comments. You guys couldn't have found an old gravel pit? 

For that matter, where's the dirt...where's the mud?  Come to NB I'll show you an old logging road I know.

[blur911]

Wow, couldn't find any snow, rocks, mud, sand or trails in all of Canada, so had to make a "trail" in a parking lot. 
Quite sad.
Was there any real testing done?

[rrocket]

AJAC strikes again!!

These guys are a joke....

[johngenx]

The article only has information about the gravel.  Where's the goods on how they performed?  Went to the ajac website and it's a just a big jumble and didn't want to waste my day trying to find it there.

Maybe a link?  I only found this...

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1247667/what-do-you-do-with-1-200-tonnes-of-crushed-rock

Which is a repeat of the fact that there was a lot of gravel hauled in.

Where's the ACTUAL story?

Cripes.

[Snowman]

I wonder if the majority of the decision making membership has a day time job in the public sector.

[blotter]

AJAC TestFest goes off-road with SUVs and CUVs.

my wife was soooo pissed because one of the roads she takes to work was closed for a few days due to "high end vehicle testing"   

she was required to take a zig zag detour
 

[MarkStevenson]

You guys should really do these tests in Alberta or BC, we have lots of offroad areas that dont require you to truck in sand and gravel to make obstacles. Plus, you can take said vehicles on mountain roads to see what they are like. Need a heavy load to test trailering capabilities, no problem, Ive got a few friends with gooseneck trailers and players choice of offroad buggies, water tanks or bobcats for weight. 

Agree 100% There are many off road areas a few hours drive north of the GTA that could facilitate the test. Groomed gravel mounds is not even close to reality 

The trail that was built simulated what the majority of CUV/SUV buyers would run into (FYI, the Toyota RAV4 failed the trail, as its exhaust is too low and struck a rock on one of my runs).

As for taking it to another venue, its kinda hard. Niagara has the ability to accommodate all the journalists flown in, manufacturer reps, and support staff while still being handy to some more rural roads without being too far from manufacturer head offices.

For example, GM has 11 entries this year (IIRC) which means they need to bring three examples of each vehicle. That's 33 vehicles that need to be brought to TestFest. To take that many vehicles to BC, AB, or even Atlantic Canada is extremely cost prohibitive. If it is too cost prohibitive for the manufacturers, they won't show up, and there are less competitors to be judged.

[Ex-airbalancer]

Bobcayeon would be closer to Oshawa then Niagara

[Snowman]

You guys should really do these tests in Alberta or BC, we have lots of offroad areas that dont require you to truck in sand and gravel to make obstacles. Plus, you can take said vehicles on mountain roads to see what they are like. Need a heavy load to test trailering capabilities, no problem, Ive got a few friends with gooseneck trailers and players choice of offroad buggies, water tanks or bobcats for weight. 

Agree 100% There are many off road areas a few hours drive north of the GTA that could facilitate the test. Groomed gravel mounds is not even close to reality 

The trail that was built simulated what the majority of CUV/SUV buyers would run into (FYI, the Toyota RAV4 failed the trail, as its exhaust is too low and struck a rock on one of my runs).

As for taking it to another venue, its kinda hard. Niagara has the ability to accommodate all the journalists flown in, manufacturer reps, and support staff while still being handy to some more rural roads without being too far from manufacturer head offices.

For example, GM has 11 entries this year (IIRC) which means they need to bring three examples of each vehicle. That's 33 vehicles that need to be brought to TestFest. To take that many vehicles to BC, AB, or even Atlantic Canada is extremely cost prohibitive. If it is too cost prohibitive for the manufacturers, they won't show up, and there are less competitors to be judged.

As a former CEO once said to me " for every excuse I want to hear three solutions" a great rule to follow. If the deliverable is questionable then what is the point.

[tenpenny]

You guys should really do these tests in Alberta or BC, we have lots of offroad areas that dont require you to truck in sand and gravel to make obstacles. Plus, you can take said vehicles on mountain roads to see what they are like. Need a heavy load to test trailering capabilities, no problem, Ive got a few friends with gooseneck trailers and players choice of offroad buggies, water tanks or bobcats for weight. 

Agree 100% There are many off road areas a few hours drive north of the GTA that could facilitate the test. Groomed gravel mounds is not even close to reality 

Testfest is not in Ontario Wine country by accident! Can't have those AJAC members roughing it you know.
Railton

It's all about the wining and dining.  It's stuff like this that ruins the credibility of the ajac.




Sent from my Vic20 using Java Moose

[Snowman]

You guys should really do these tests in Alberta or BC, we have lots of offroad areas that dont require you to truck in sand and gravel to make obstacles. Plus, you can take said vehicles on mountain roads to see what they are like. Need a heavy load to test trailering capabilities, no problem, Ive got a few friends with gooseneck trailers and players choice of offroad buggies, water tanks or bobcats for weight. 

Agree 100% There are many off road areas a few hours drive north of the GTA that could facilitate the test. Groomed gravel mounds is not even close to reality 

Testfest is not in Ontario Wine country by accident! Can't have those AJAC members roughing it you know.
Railton

It's all about the wining and dining.  It's stuff like this that ruins the credibility of the ajac.




Sent from my Vic20 using Java Moose

Exactly. When the manufactures dictate the terms and conditions of the test then there is no credibility.....Zero. AJAC must set the rules and if one or two don't show up then clearly they are concerned their products won't measure up. The readers will see though that and focus on what vehicles that were there.  "X did not offer vehicles for the test as they had concerns" Print that, and grow some. If not then all AJAC will be perceived is another advertising outlet for the manufactures who buy their way in.

[rrocket]

You guys should really do these tests in Alberta or BC, we have lots of offroad areas that dont require you to truck in sand and gravel to make obstacles. Plus, you can take said vehicles on mountain roads to see what they are like. Need a heavy load to test trailering capabilities, no problem, Ive got a few friends with gooseneck trailers and players choice of offroad buggies, water tanks or bobcats for weight. 

Agree 100% There are many off road areas a few hours drive north of the GTA that could facilitate the test. Groomed gravel mounds is not even close to reality 

Testfest is not in Ontario Wine country by accident! Can't have those AJAC members roughing it you know.
Railton

It's all about the wining and dining.  It's stuff like this that ruins the credibility of the ajac.




Sent from my Vic20 using Java Moose

Exactly. When the manufactures dictate the terms and conditions of the test then there is no credibility.....Zero. AJAC must set the rules and if one or two don't show up then clearly they are concerned their products won't measure up. The readers will see though that and focus on what vehicles that were there.  "X did not offer vehicles for the test as they had concerns" Print that, and grow some. If not then all AJAC will be perceived is another advertising outlet for the manufactures who buy their way in.

Great posts, guys.   

AJAC is a joke.  Period.  Always has been.  Heck...even American auto websites make fun of it.

[Fobroader]

I think for the most part, you could shame most of them into providing vehicles wherever you wanted them.....that way you wouldnt have to build dirt berms in a parking lot for an "offroad" test  I mean didnt GM just have a big truck test in Alberta?? Not saying its gotta be done here, just saying you could do it somewhere where its not obvious that its just a "lets blow smoke up the manufacturers a$$" session.....