Land Cruiser 1958 Review: A Less Expensive, Stripped Down Off-Roader
Nov 14, 2024
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Land Cruiser 1958 Review: A Less Expensive, Stripped Down Off-Roader
At first glance, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk doesn't look much different than it's brothers in the lineup, but once you begin to look deeper it becomes more intriguing. There are bold red tow hooks popping out on the front, a black stripe covering the hood, better off road tires, and it rides a bit higher. Inside though are all the things I liked about the Grand Cherokee that we reviewed previously. What Jeep has done is created the Grand Cherokee that it should have made before... and I loved driving it for the week that they let me borrow it. For this trip, we set out to the Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells - part of greater Palm Springs for an epic adventure on and off the road.
Buick is a car brand that has almost universal name recognition in the United States (and likely much of the world). Unfortunately it suffers from a perception problem that it is "and old man's car" and they've even embraced that with the "That's a Buick!?" marketing campaign. I'll be fank - when I was invited to Palm Springs earlier this week, there wasn't a single car in their lineup that I was excited to drive. However, I accepted the invite because I really love working with GM and the company has treated me VERY WELL over the past couple years. What I discovered after spending some time listening, feeling, and driving a few different vehicles was that this is a brand that is worth considering if you are looking for what they describe as, "Attainable Luxury."
It's no secret that the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 is my absolute favorite off road truck right now. This truck is the Goldilocks of trucks designed for off road adventurers looking for a an OEM experience that can deliver style and performance as well as still performing well on-road as well as off. Our previous adventure with the ZR2 though ended up getting preempted by a freak snowstorm as we were traveling through the mojave desert. This time though would be different. Instead of freezing temperatures in the mountains, we were braving 120+ temperatures at near sea level near Ocotillo, California. In retrospect, a jet black truck in the bright sun with those temperatures might not have been the best idea. Luckily this was more than just an ordinary truck and it stayed nice and cool with the AC blasting!
The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the most iconic cars in the world. Since 1953 it has captured the minds of men (and women) around the world for it's style and performance but also for being a fabulous example of American automotive design ability. While there are other American-made sports and muscle cars - none come close to the way Corvette combines performance and style into a lifestyle that is larger than just another fast car. However, few people actually get to experience how amazing this car really is since at highway speeds and on regular roads it's just a great looking car that turns head and goes fast. That all changed for me when I got invited to spend a day with Chevrolet driving a few different versions of this American icon around the track at the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School in Pahrump, Nevada - just outside Las Vegas.
Generally the SUV space is pretty boring today and this is especially true among midsize crossovers. This space has been dominated by generally bland vehicles that are designed to eek out that extra MGP and be as inoffensive to the most potential buyers. Chevrolet already has a fantastic stable of vehicles in this space including the Trax, Equinox, and Traverse. While these each fit their niche well, what was missing is something that buyers can have an emotional reaction to. I want to feel emotionally drawn to a car and be able to have fun driving it - while still satisfying my needs for space and capability. That's exactly what the 2019 Chevy Blazer does and why they invited me to join them as one of the first people to drive it.
How to you make the Cadillac Escalade is already an SUV with attitude and is one of my favorite luxury rides. Now it's gotten a bad-ass upgrade from the folks at AddArmor who turned it into an absolutely stunning executive protection vehicle. I dream of one day rolling through the streets in one these but for now I'll just have to be satisfied by the photos...
When people ask me why I like minivans so much for road trips the answer is easy - they are practical, drive nicely, and park easily. I'm not always looking for the most stylish and technology filled solution when my objective is getting from here to there with a bunch of bags and people. On a recent road trip through the Eastern part of Florida's Everglades with the all-new 2022 Kia Carnival I was extraordinarily impressed since not only did it have everything I expected from a minivan... it also looked great and had plenty of creature comforts too.
Since its debut nearly two years ago, the Kia Stinger has quickly become a crowd favorite, and at the New York International Auto Show, Kia Motors America gave driving purists yet another compelling reason to check out Kia’s highest performing sport sedan. Limited to just 800 units, the special edition Stinger GTS punches up its on-road prowess with a newly developed dynamic all-wheel drive system (D-AWD) that inspires more spirited driving. With sport-inspired styling elements including genuine carbon fiber parts and a splashy new color that demands even more attention, the limited edition GTS is the one automotive enthusiasts will be lining up to drive.
Nothing lasts forever. There will always come a time when we need to say goodbye to our beloved vehicles, no matter how heavy our hearts feel. Whatever your reasons are for selling, you have a responsibility to both the buyer and your car. However, your car has to be in tip-top shape so that it is in a good position to fetch those dollars you need to part with it.
Pickup trucks are useful things to have around. Especially heavy-duty trucks like the Ram 2500. This big, burly, towing machine has a maximum tow rating of 17,980 pounds (about 9 tons). So when Ram Truck asked us if we wanted to test drive their 2018 Ram 2500, we immediately started looking around to find something to tow. Anything larger than a jet ski or a teardrop camper would do. We ended up with a huge pontoon boat and a fun day on the water with the Wyoming Air National Guard!
Driven by Cadillac’s latest turbocharging technology and building on more than 15 years of performance credentials, the first-ever 2020 CT4-V and CT5-V were unveiled today, expanding choices for the brand’s V-Series performance sub-brand.
When it comes to taking care of your family family, things like good looks and raw speed tend to fall aside and safety features become a primary concern. This is your family care after all and while how fast you can take that corner might be important with your weekend car, there are other more important things when it comes to taking care of your kids and making sure that they can get back and forth to school, errands, and of course the all important summer family road trip.
The Ford Explorer is one of my absolute favorite SUVs since it first debuted in 1991. It has represented a sense of American style and freedom as the ultimate road trip vehicle able to adeptly transverse paved and unpaved roads. Now in it's sixth generation the Ford Explorer has added a new version to the line - the Ford Explorer ST. A performance version that we had the opportunity to spend a few hours with last week in Park City, Utah.
Ford is doing something special for drivers looking for something different than the typical SUV. With the launch last year of the Ford Edge ST they introduced a new segment, the "Performance SUV" and along with that they created an entire driving experience designed specifically for those owners. To give us a taste of what it was like, they invited us to experience exactly what Ford Edge ST owners will on a one-day school in Park City, Utah. With a combination of driving some of America's most beautiful roads combined with instruction by awesome instructors and a chance to safely test features of the Edge ST, this was a pretty awesome experience.
Bondurant School of High Performance Driving announced today the addition of a new drag racing program, breaking new ground as the first of its kind to offer professional drag racing instruction to the public behind the wheel of the most powerful street legal cars in the world on July 27 and August 17, 2019, with additional courses being announced in the coming weeks. Courses are limited to only 16 students per class and cost is $1,999 per driver.
We all know that proper tire pressure is essential to keeping your daily driver safe and efficient on the road, but it's just as important when off road driving too. However, the difference in this case is that what's correct for the pavement - may not be right for the terrain you're setting out to explore. Since most of my off road adventures have been with a fleet vehicle with tires that quite honestly aren't always ideal for true off roading, I'd never really considered "airing down" or what the proper pressure even should be. My main concern was simply leaving it at the manufacturer's recommended specs. While that's a great theory, it has resulted in multiple situations where I got stuck in sand, lost traction where I might not have with the proper pressure, and of course the dreaded flat tires.
We were in attendance a few days ago as guests of Chevrolet for the unveiling of the 2020 Corvette Stingray. To call this C8 Corvette simply an "All New Corvette" would be to under-appreciate the massive departure from the previous generations. Since it's inception, the designers and engineers have dreamed of an attainable, American, mid-engine car but haven't quite been able to make that dream become reality. Now, they have. This is a vehicle conceived of by our fathers and for some - our grandfathers but for it to continue being an American icon, it needs to be our dream car and that of our children. Hopefully, that will become a reality when the 2020 C8 Corvette Stingray debuts this fall. They've done a huge amount of investment to truly make this an amazing vehicle that is more than just faster, let's take a look!
Chevy is doing a slow reveal of possibly the most hotly anticipated car to hit the roads for the 2020 model year. A few weeks ago we were on hand for the reveal of the hard-top Stingray C8 Corvette and now they've released an even more awesome looking convertible version. Check it out...