Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged serious 4×4
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Aug 14th
The Jeep Grand Cherokee might be taken as a sign that urban sprawl is consuming our wilderness. As the rugged spaces fall prey to the bulldozers, the vehicles designed to tackle uncharted terrain must evolve to fit the changing environment. Thus, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, redesigned for 2011, is more civilized and luxurious than ever.
With its new, smooth lines, the Grand Cherokee doesn’t look “Trail Rated,” but it’s still a capable off-roader. Jeep has combined on-road stability and off-road ability into a single package, and improved the Grand Cherokee’s safety, luxury and styling at the same time. New, more efficient engines, a terrain-management system similar to Land Rover’s and an new air suspension round out the package. More >
2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Jun 16th
The thing about the FJ Cruiser is that it’s not really bred for knocking about the city, even one with half-destroyed roads like Detroit. This means that its best attributes–mountain goat-like hill climbing ability, stable handling on uncertain terrain and a multi-mode four-wheel drive transfer case–could be more or less superfluous at best and cumbersome at worst. Thankfully, the FJ Cruiser manages to be an entertaining drive around town as well.
Introduced in 2006 as both a nod to the Land Cruiser’s off-roading heritage and a chance to give headaches to Jeep Wranglers, the FJ Cruiser has soldiered on without obvious changes. For 2011, a locking rear differential is standard on six-speed automatic-equipped models, and the FJ Cruiser’s annual Trail Teams Special Edition is available in Army Green with matching trim. That’s about all that’s changed. But change isn’t necessarily a good thing, considering that the FJ Cruiser has survived the collapse of the giants, as burly SUVs like the Hummer have fallen out of vogue and disappeared from the market. Of the hard-core off-roaders, this is perhaps the easiest to live with, considering its permanent hard top and four-door layout. More >
2011 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Mar 2nd
The Land Rover Range Rover Sport hulks quietly at the curb, looking like a bouncer next to the svelte performance cars parked near it. Land Rover’s hot-rod SUV doesn’t seem to have any idea what’s in store for it, but it looks like it’s confident it can take it.
Land Rovers are nothing if not confident, after all. The brand made its mark by becoming the motor vehicle of choice in places where there were no roads. In recent years, the luxury quotient has gone up dramatically, but Land Rovers have remained capable, unstoppable vehicles underneath the leather and satellite radio. The brand broke tradition slightly in 2005, when the Range Rover Sport debuted with a focus on on-road performance. The ante was upped for 2010, with new engines and improved chassis tuning. Has it succeeded? I’m about to find out, because Land Rover has agreed to let me take the Range Rover Sport for some hot laps around a real race track. More >