Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged serious 4×4
2005 Hummer H2 SUT
Dec 8th
Go ahead and hate the Hummer H2 if you feel that you must. With a growing backlash against SUV prices fueled (no pun intended) by rising gas prices, it’s an easy target. Rather like hitting the broad side of a barn, in fact. Bear in mind, however, that Hummer has never pretended to be in the business of producing family vehicles or suburban-bully SUVs. The Hummer H1 and H2 exist to be the most capable off-road vehicles available for sale. Ambitious neo-Yuppies who buy H2s as ego boosters and never take them off pavement are giving these trucks a bad name, to be honest.
To underscore its capabilities, Hummer introduced the newest iteration of the H2, the SUT, to the motoring press by taking the trucks to Moab, Utah, an off-roading mecca. There, we drove the trucks on some of the most challenging trails to be had—most of which were marked very clearly, “Stock Vehicles Not Recommended.” The H2 had no problem tackling slickrock slopes and stepped hills of boulders that conventional wisdom considers to be the province of specially modified trail trucks. I drove H2s up some hills that were almost too steep to walk up. More >
2005 Volkswagen Touareg TDI V10
Oct 31st
Volkswagen’s fantastic Touareg has garnered its fair share of awards and attention since its introduction last year. This summer the Touareg added a new trick to its impressive resume: torquey, efficient diesel power.
The Touareg diesel was available in Europe from the beginning, but VW brought it to the U.S. to show its commitment to diesel. The five-valve per cylinder 5.0 liter V10 is a direct-injection turbodiesel. The simplified injection system reduces the amount of clatter and soot produced, and the Touareg TDI is quiet on the road. It’s also powerful; it’s hard to argue with 310 horsepower and 553 foot-pounds of torque. Fuel economy is improved by about twenty percent over the V8 Touareg. Volkswagen’s 4XMOTION four-wheel drive system provides power to all four wheels. The Touareg TDI can tow up to 7700 pounds. More >
2010 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor
Jul 4th
You can practically hear the hard-edged, distorted guitar chords the moment you turn the key. Just looking at the Ford SVT F-150 Raptor, it’s clear that this truck is made of the same stuff as Mountain Dew commercials and extreme sports. Heck with a massively widened track, beefy suspension components exposed for the world to see and tires that were made for jumping over stuff, the Raptor IS an extreme sport.
The Raptor springs from the id of Ford’s Special Vehicle Team. Traditionally known for pavement-rippling sports cars, SVT has gone for overland speed with this truck, which is inspired by high-riding desert racers. The Raptor isn’t just a styling exercise, either–this truck is designed to pound through merciless off-road terrain–and to do it at high speed. Ladies and gentlemen, don’t try this at home. More >