Michelin Launches 4×4 Latitude Cross

In the first week of June, Michelin held the dealer launch of its latest 4×4 tyre, the multi-purpose Latitude Cross – a tyre designed for 65 per cent road and 35 per cent off-road use. Over the course of the week, 90 dealers from around the UK and Ireland attended the event which was based at Ansty Hall Hotel near Coventry. Each day started with a presentation on where the new tyre fits into Michelin’s existing Latitude 4×4 range. After that, the dealers were given the chance to experience the new product themselves. A Land Rover Defender 110 and two Freelanders, two Toyota Hi-Lux pick-ups and two Volkswagen Touaregs were utilised to show the full range of the tyre’s on and off-road capabilities.

Using a rally-style road-book, the route to the off-road test area was a mix of A and B roads, and some green lanes which gave the opportunity to experience road handling characteristics and to warm-up on some easy off-roading. After a brief lunch-stop it was on to the off-road test area to put the tyres through their paces and compare them with some Michelin and competitors’ products.

With a 4×4 instructor in each car, the first test using the Land Rover Defender was to show the tyres’ abilities on fairly severe terrain and to give everyone a chance to become acclimatised to the off-road course before the comparison tests began using the other vehicles.

The Volkswagen Touaregs and the Toyota Hi-Lux pick-ups were used to compare the Latitude Cross with equivalent products from Pirelli and Bridgestone, while the Freelanders were used to compare the tyre to the Michelin Latitude Tour HP – a tyre designed for road orientated 4×4 vehicles. All the tests gave the drivers the opportunity to see the performance advantages offered by the new tyre.

The day concluded with a drive back to the hotel along the A46, which gave everyone a chance to experience the tyres at higher speeds on the dual-carriageway, and a final debrief before heading home.

Following the event, Steve Dolby, Michelin product marketing manager, said, “The dealers were very impressed with the overall performance of the new Michelin Latitude Cross. They felt that it gave off-road performance comparable to or better than competitors’ all-terrain products but without the noisy, imprecise on-road driving experience normally associated with tyres designed for increased off-road use.”