If you had to go through the entire history of Jeep, it is really hard to pick a favorite. Sure, the easier answer is the Wrangler, but many more love the previous Cherokee. Still more love the CJ-7, Scrambler, Commanche, and Renegade of the past. If there is anything that Jeep does better than name its vehicles it is making them, and one of the most desirable SUVs of its time was the Grand Wagoneer– a big ute that is set to make a comeback.
If you have been paying any attention to BoldRide in the last year, we’re fans of what the folks at Jeep are up to. From diesel powertrains, to straight-up track-ready SUVs, they have had few, if any misses in the Fiat-owned era. Perhaps this affection stems from the fact that I am a Jeep owner, and hail from New England, where Jeeps are outnumbered only by Subarus. Regardless, of our loyalties, we were recently given the opportunity to speak with the CEO of Jeep, the appropriately named Mike Manley. At a recent conference at MIT (more on that later this week), we sat down with the Jeep boss to talk diesels, Wranglers, and the future of the brand.
For some, a pickup may be a nice luxury and a means to tailgate and camp, but for many more, the truck is an everyday necessity. Look at any worksite, and you will see plenty of pickups of all sizes and configurations, supporting the men and women who work at those job sites. These pickups power our economy, our infrastructure and for many, are in integral part of our way of life.
But with more concern over how we consume fuel and dispel carbon emissions, where does that leave the pickup? That is the question that we took to Ford, surrounding their incredible Atlas Concept. We had the chance to talk to Eric Peterson, F-150 Marketing Manager, and were curious as to how Ford landed on the look, formula and features of the Atlas. We also wanted to know about the future of the Ford trucks and the segment as a whole.
I’ve seen It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World at least 300 times since the age of six, and for years, I was convinced that the vehicle Terry-Thomas drove was a Land Rover. The Willys Wagon he actually drove just seemed so, well, “British,” I guess, especially with Lt. Col. Algernon Hawthorne behind the wheel.
As a proud previous owner of a first-generation Toyota 4Runner, I can speak to the credentials of a true SUV with go-anywhere potential. And go anywhere I did. The 1984 Toyota 4Runner that I once wielded was a true beast, and the feeling of content in driving through the sand, mud and snow was nearly matched by the moment of approval staring at the rugged 4Runner sitting in the driveway, covered in the terrain of choice that day.
The point is, you have to earn it, which is a notion this Toyota of Australia ad inadvertently violates:
As the hours and days pass from what has been a chaotic time following the Boston Marathon bombings, more details begin to emerge regarding how authorities were able to identify, and eventually track down Tamerlan and Dzkokahr Tsarnev. We brought you information on some of the vehicles used in the Boston Manhunt, but perhaps one of the most instrumental vehicles was the Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV that the duo hyjacked. According to a report by Autoweek, the onboard safety technology in the luxury SUV may have been used to track these two on their night of mayhem, the eve of April 19.
Do you recall the original Toyota 4Runner? The trusty 4×4 has not only been on the short list for off-road enthusiasts but it could be argued as the catalyst for the explosion of the compact Japanese SUV craze of the 80′s and early 90′s. That fad can largely be credited for the mass expansion of Toyota and other Japanese automakers through that time. Well, the 4Runner has been four-wheeling its way through history, and the fifth-generation 2014 Toyota 4Runner is essentially one of the last vestiges of that Japanese SUV rush. The rest have all gone crossover.
In the mid-2000′s, Acura had a wonderful stable of sedans and crossovers, and was poised to take a run at Lexus for the Japanese luxury throne. Then, they went and blew it all to hell with one little grille. It started on the 2009 Acura TL, and was met with general distain from the automotive community. Rather than heed the criticism, Acura went ahead and added the repugnant design feature to most of its lineup. Finally, it appears that there is hope that we are leaving the shield-grille era for the Japanese automaker, in the form of the 2013 Acura SUV-X Concept.
The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is arguably one of the greatest vehicles ever devised. Have a hard time believing that? What other vehicle can go more places around the world right off the dealer lot? Yeah, your Veyron can’t handle the frozen tundra, neither can your Pagani decimate the untamed regions of the Rockies. The Raptor is a vehicle to rule over all others, and with the 2014 Ford SVT Raptor Special Edition, it just got better.
Let’s all be very honest about something– fans of the new Jeep Cherokee have been few and far between. Listen, when we heard that Jeep was reviving the Cherokee name, we were excited…then we saw the design. We were not alone in our derision of the mid-size crossover. Automakers have been getting better and better about addressing criticism and this is no different for the Cherokee. According to Chrysler, the exterior of the Cherokee will be overhauled before the first one ever rolls off the assembly line. This is progress.
Please enter your accounts email address to receive a new password.
Welcome aboard. You are almost ready to be a part of the Bold Ride community, but first we need to check your email address.
An email has been sent to Email. Please check your email and click on the link to verify.
Be sure to check your spam folder, just in case...
Almost Done !
Choose your new Bold Ride Screen Name
Perform your advanced search with the options below:
You can also browse directly by car type for more ways to discover the Bold Ride library.
This particular image was uploaded through our community or contains copyrighted images. In order to protect photography from unfair usage we do not allow them to be viewed in multiple sizes. However, there are tens of thousands of images here that you can view at various sizes.
Are you sure you want to remove this ride from your favorites?
