Just Say No To Blurring Lines
Standing tall and proud the Explorer in no way tries to blend into the ranks with the ever increasingly popular crossover vehicle. The Explorer was one of the first SUV’s to define the segment and bring it to its prime. Then gas jumped over $3 per gallon and the weak kneed suddenly lost interest in filling the 25+ gallon fuel tanks these barges carry. Read more…
There was a time when “compact truck” really meant “claustrophobic, micro-sized, knee-crunching truck that should only be bought by anorexic contortionists.”
But today’s compact trucks — well, there’s nothing compact about them. Read more…
Truck Driver Wanna-bes Rejoice: No CDL Required
Above all else, Ford consistently does one thing well, and that’s build pickups. We’re not talking just any pickups, but giant, imposing trucks with a commanding presence that the other guys just can’t match. In fact, it’s darn near semi-like in one of these things. You sit about eye level with fellow truckers, you occupy almost as much highway, and you burn fuel at a rate that would make even a Saudi cry. No doubt about it, one glance at the features and you’ll know the latest generation of Super Duty pickups is made for one thing: hard work. But there’s more to the story than an impressive spec sheet. What did we learn after a week in the cab? Well, we had a newfound appreciation for good coffee and for Ford’s latest heavy-hauler. Read more…
Soft-Roading
About mid-April, DaimlerChrysler dropped off a new Grand Cherokee for us to run around in. So, unlike any good soccer mom (more like dad), we loaded up and hit the trails with our V6-powered runabout. Nope, no HEMI in this dude. Someone back at DCX PR headquarters missed the page on the order sheet titled: Options. Read more…
Hey, This Thing Only Seats Five!
A few years ago, when the “XL-7” descriptor first showed up attached to Suzuki vehicles, it represented a special stretched version of the Grand Vitara small SUV. The longer wheelbase made room for a third row of seats that brought the seating capacity to, you guessed it, seven. The ability to seat seven passengers in a vehicle roughly the size of a Grand Cherokee and sell it in the low $20,000 range was a unique strategy that put Suzuki on the forefront of the race to stuff a third row of seats into every SUV larger then a RAV4. Read more…
Until now, it’s been easy to compare the Mercury Mountaineer to its near-identical twin, the Ford Explorer.
Mercury’s new 2006 Mountaineer, though, would make a better comparison with the bigger Lincoln Navigator.
The Mountaineer is still based on the same platform as the Explorer. It looks pretty much like the Explorer, has the same amount of space as the Explorer and is even assembled in the same factories as the Explorer — Louisville, Ky. and St. Louis, Mo. Read more…
This Isn’t Your Typical Vee-Dub
There might be a cute face on the front of this one, but there is no Bug hiding behind that smile. Underneath that gentle demeanor is more grunt than any Yank bargained for. At least according to the spec sheet. But numbers don’t contact the pavement, rubber does. So what happens when a homegrown Red, White, and Blue farm boy gets behind the reigns of a German steed on western soil? Read on and find out. Read more…
You’ve got to love Jeep. At a time when most SUVs are becoming watered down, carlike “crossover” vehicles, the Jeep Liberty is staying true to its roots as a real off-road machine.
Jeep probably could have sold more SUVs if the Liberty were designed for shopping malls and freeways — places where comfort takes precedence over ruggedness and off-road dependability — rather than building an SUV to tackle the Rubicon Trail. But Jeep continues to look to its heritage, making the biggest changes for 2005 to the Liberty’s most rough-and-tumble model, the Renegade. Read more…
Thinking Green
This truck is greener than just its paint job. Is it an environmentally minded full-size pick-up truck, or a multipurpose workaday vehicle capable of getting you to the work site and powering your tools? How about both? Who has ever heard of such a thing, I can’t imagine. This all sounds appealing to me, but unless the badge on the side says Prius, don’t expect any of your tree-hugging buddies to embrace it. Interested? Read on, I’ll explain. Read more…
I Never Thought A $60,000 Brick-On-Wheels Could Be So Cool
There are few things that can increase your “coolness” factor as much as driving a Hummer. Wearing P. Diddy’s bling bling while having Heidi Klum draped on your arm might come close but to gain true “King of the Scene” status from your peers you need to arrive in the latest and greatest plaything of the rich and famous. For the last several years that has been the Hummer H2; the more civilized brother to the Hummer H1, which is itself, just a civilized version of the Humvee used to move troops in and out of harm’s way around the world. It may not be the prettiest thing in the world but it’s sure to get you recognized. If that’s what you want then read no further because the H2 is your ride. If, however, you are interested in how this brute rides, drives, stops, and goes then you’ll want to keep reading. Read more…
