#Offroad
Ram Teases Inscrutable Truck
It’s the week to write about truck teasers, it seems. Perhaps tired of Toyota getting all the digital ink about shadowy references to future product, Ram dropped a post on Instagram suggesting they also have something up their sleeve.
Ford Launches Cool Off-Road App Only for Its Owners
Like a petulant child who won’t share their toys, Ford has released a handy smartphone app filled with crowd-sourced and professionally curated tools such as trail maps for off-road journeys – but the only ones who can use it are Bronco owners.
Talk about walling off your garden. Or off-road trail, in this case
Speaker’s Corner: Yet More Tacoma Teasers
We’ve spilled innumerable gallons of digital ink on the forthcoming Tacoma, partly thanks to an incessant stream of teaser photos but mainly because it is a hugely important product in a hot segment. But still – Toyota, if you’re listening, hurry up with the real thing, will ya?
This time around, we learn of a neat option ripped straight from the Book of Wrangler.
Jeep Thrills: Customers Snapping Up 4xe Off-Roaders
It hasn’t been too many flips of the calendar since Jeep rolled out their 4xe sub-brand, a moniker that denotes rigs as having a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Whilst more than one dusty corner of the internet figured Jeep-type customers would turn up their noses at such a proposition, recent sales numbers suggest the effort is actually doing quite well.
So long as one frames those numbers through a very specific lens, of course.
Weight, Don’t Tell Me: Chevrolet Rounds Out ZR2 Family With HD Variant
As is the wont of most brands, Chevrolet has decided to wring every single ounce of goodwill from a popular trim. Having first shown up on the midsize Colorado about five years ago, the ZR2 name quickly migrated to the Silverado half-ton and is now being applied to the mighty Silverado HD.
And it’s heavy. Real heavy.
Black Rifle Coffee Teams With BJ Baldwin, Creates Better Film Than Hollywood
Corporate tie-ups with successful gearheads aren’t new – witness any number of NASCAR sponsorships, for example – but those partnerships often just extend to a few photos of the star holding up examples of the product du jour and mugging for the camera.
That’s why it’s always a good day when the mashup results in a ten-minute film that's arguably better than some of the tripe trotted out by Hollywood.
Super Duty Raptor Not Off the Table: Ford
Just like the scientists at Jurassic Park kept coming up with new and increasingly terrifying raptors (weaponized heat-seeking Indoraptor, anyone?), Ford seems content to infuse Raptor DNA into most of the trucks it sells – even the mighty Super Duty, according to a fan forum.
Bucking Broncs: Ford Expands Bronco Sport Options
The "baby Bronco" Ford Bronco Sport doesn't get the pub that the Bronco does -- but based on what I observe driving around, it's been a sales winner for the Blue Oval. And while most are probably never taken off-road, Ford is offering more choice for those who want to take their Bronco Sports to the proverbial badlands.
Scouting Party: Revived Scout Brand Launches Website, Teases Front End
As a follow-up to our news on the same earlier this summer, Volkswagen has its sights on reviving the Scout brand name as its moniker for off-road EVs. Today we get a kinda-sorta look at the first model’s front end, along with a few other tidbits from their freshly launched website.
Lamborghini Announces Huracan Sterrato Reveal Date
Lamborghini isn’t known for its subtlety, so it’s hard to miss the signs when a new model is on its way. The automaker has teased an off-road version of the Huracan several times, and now Lambo has officially announced the release date for the new car.
Lunatics at Porsche to Actually Build the 911 Dakar
If you’ve felt something is missing from your new Porsche 911 – say, an ability to blast dunes or conquer snow and ice – then a variant scheduled for the L.A. Auto Show should be right up your alley.
2021 Land Rover Defender 90 First Edition Review – Expensive Capability
The last time I reviewed a Land Rover Defender, I commented on how I enjoyed its driving experience despite some very British electrical failings such as the radio going AWOL for half an hour.
I expected similar from the two-door version, and to my pleasant surprise, I got the good parts without any real gremlins or bugs.
2021 Ford Bronco First Ride - Love at First Glance
Last week marked the Ford Bronco’s 55th anniversary, with the model’s creator celebrating the momentous occasion by throwing an exclusive and socially distanced Bronco party in Holly, MI.
At this off-road soiree, Ford showed off its Bronco family adventure concepts, announced that 165,000 Broncos have been reserved since the July 13 reveal, and proclaimed that Austin, TX would be the first location of the Bronco Off-Roadeo (Ford’s spelling, not a typo) off-road adventure playground.
While all these pieces of information are great, they aren’t exciting enough to headline a Bronco Anniversary party. Instead, the headliners of this party were the off-road ride-alongs in the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport and the 2021 Ford Bronco 2-door.
Buy/Drive/Burn: American Family-hauling SUVs in 2005
At the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, Chevrolet announced the rebirth of the Trailblazer (note the spelling) for the 2021 model year. However, unlike its predecessor, it’s now a compact, three-cylinder CUV. The comments got a bit heated, pitting the GMT 360 version against its contemporary competition.
So let’s settle this. It’s time for a Buy/Drive/Burn in 2005.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser Liveth! For a Little Longer, In Japan, In Beige
Has there ever been a better time for a Toyota Tacoma-based, offroad-oriented, style-conscious SUV? It’s 2017. Americans are fully invested in the idea of riding high. Jeep is selling 17,000 Wranglers per month. At the other end of the spectrum, Toyota just sold a record number of RAV4s: more than 43,000 in August. In between, Subaru is selling more than 38,000 crossovers monthly.
As total industry-wide auto sales fell 3 percent through the first two-thirds of 2017, SUV/crossover volume is up 6 percent.
Toyota itself is selling more than 16,000 Tacomas per month, the pickup on which a potential second-gen FJ Cruiser would likely be based. That fact alone is likely a factor that limits an FJ Cruiser rebirth. Indeed, Toyota hasn’t sold the FJ Cruiser in the United States since the 2014 model year, having reached its end just as the U.S. SUV/crossover trend really broke through. Americans now buy 14-percent more utility vehicles than cars.
But the Toyota FJ Cruiser lives on, at least for a little while longer, if only in the Japanese domestic market. This is — say it in a movie trailer voiceover pitch — the Toyota FJ Cruiser Final Edition.
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