While there’s no shortage of opinions about the use of nudge bars in urban areas, the fact is they’re one of the most invaluable low-speed Vehicle Frontal Protection Systems (VFPS) available to ute owners. Their lightweight construction and minimal outline is certainly no match for roos, boars and even wandering cattle in the outback.

However, they’re perfect for urban and inner suburban hazards like runaway wheelie bins and shopping trolleys, and even blind spot miscalculations that can make entering or exiting parking spaces a challenge. Proper engineering is the most crucial aspect of nudge bar manufacturing, with sturdy, yet low-profile design being the key to their ability to blunt frontend contacts while keeping unintended damages to a minimum.

Be that as it may, some bars are better engineered, and ultimately more effective than others. And fortunately for 200 Series Landcruiser owners, better engineering is precisely what they get with premium quality nudge bars from Melbourne’s Ultimate9.

Ultimate9 Nudge Bars Deliver Easy Landcruiser and Public Protection

From their rigid, form-fitting design, to their easy integration with Toyota’s broad array of integrated safety features, Ultimate9’s industry-leading nudge bar for 200 Series Landcruiser utes are the ideal solution for the most common everyday driving hazards. These laser-cut, 100% Australian-made bars have all the protective features Toyota owners expect, with the added assurance they need to safely navigate urban environments.

And with their long-lasting Dulux Mannex® Black textured powder coat finish, they’re a seamlessly elegant complement to the Landcruiser’s iconically sleek looks. Unlike most aftermarket 200 Series nudge bars, Ultimate9 bars are perfectly contoured to the Landcruiser’s frontend, and are designed to deliver maximum low-speed protection with only 100mm frontal projection.

A nudge bar’s ability to keep frontal projection to an absolute minimum is essential to reducing the unintended risks to pedestrians and smaller vehicles that are regularly attributed to nudge bars, and Ultimate9 bars are specially built around a core of rigid, yet flexible protective features that include:

• Fully welded over-bumper construction consisting of 6mm steel mounts, a 3mm steel nudge bar and a 1.6mm steel centre pan;
• Zinc-plated, corrosion-resistance tubing with black powder coated nudge bar and silver powder coated centre pan finishes; and,
• Nestled 30″ Ultimate9 LED light bar behind the nudge bar with access holes for attachments and adjustments.

Ideally, weighing only 26 – 30kg with the light bar, Ultimate9 200 Series nudge bars weigh less than a third of what high tensile, wrap-around 200 Series bull bars do. They provide the unmatched assurance Landcruiser owners need to be sure that vital frontend components like grills, radiators and intercoolers are protected from most urban perils, without also posing an unreasonable danger to the general public.

Seamless Nudge Bar Integration With 200 Series Safety Features

Let’s be honest: while ute owners can appreciate the added surity that VFPSs bring to navigating urban surroundings, they’re aware that nudge bars in particular are only designed to complement a vehicle’s own safety features. Luxury utes like the Landcruiser are exceptionally well distinguished in the area of integrated safety features, with the 200 Series alone boasting more than 10 primary frontal safety and driver-assistance systems. Owners, therefore, expect their nudge bars to supplement the 200 Series’ built-in safety features – not interfere them – which is precisely what happens with Ultimate9 bars.

Seamless, ADR-compliant integration with manufacturer safety features is central to Ultimate9’s nudge bar for 200 Series Landcruiser, and it delivers the following:

• Tested and certified for compatibility with 200 Series’ multi-stage full frontal, and front knee airbags;
• Support for Toyota front cameras and parking sensors, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) radar, and pre-collision and lane departure sensors; and,
• Accessory provisions for antennas and additional LED light bars with high beam adaptors.

Only Ultimate9’s 200 Series nudge bars offer the elegant styling and ADR-compliant functionality that Toyota owners want for their utes. And when mounted according to Ultimate9’s installation plan, owners can also rest assured that their 200 Series nudge bars won’t void any sections of the Landcruiser’s factory warranty.

ADR Compliance Makes 200 Series Nudge Bars Safe For Everyone

Make no mistake: even though nudge bars are infinitely more suitable for everyday driving than bullbars, their status as a VFPS still weighs heavily on their ADR-compliance. Everything from their orientation with the top of the bonnet to their compatibility with other frontend modifications has to comply with AS 4876 standards for VFPS safety, which covers a range of critical attributes that include:

• Nudge bar and bullbar conformity with the general frontal profile of the vehicle they’re being installed on;
• Compatibility of the bar’s mounting points with the vehicle’s attachment points;
• Safe bar height, wrap-around, offset and field of view distances;
• Ensuring the bar’s tubing and bracketing are free from any dangerous projects and corners; and,
• Mitigating any factors that could pose a danger to pedestrian safety or driver visibility.

Together with ADR 69 and ADR 73 guidance for VFPSs fitted to vehicles with integrated airbags or other frontal impact occupant protection systems, AS 4876 is the foundation of arguably the most thorough aftermarket frontal protection regulation methodology in the world. The reasons for their meticulousness are understandable, though.

Peak hour frontend prangs and late night animal collisions are unavoidable aspects of driving in Australia that make VFPSs an essential part of owning a ute. And while 200 Series Landcruisers aren’t completely exempt from frontend damage, owners can be confident in their Ultimate9 nudge bar’s ability to deliver the most efficient ADR-compliant protection available.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, while there may never be a perfect consensus on the broad suitability of VFPSs in urban environments, the reality is, they do make a measurable difference in frontend protection. Large, over-sized bullbars and roo bars aren’t the answer to everyday driving though, which is where Ultimate9 nudge bars come in, especially for Landcruiser owners.

Their industry-leading nudge bars for 200 Series Landcruiser utes offer the perfect balance of frontal protection against everyday driving hazards, without becoming a hazard themselves. Regardless of where a Landcruiser goes, it’s an aftermarket upgrade that’s well worth making.