When we are looking for a sport utility vehicle that can negotiate the urban jungle as well as the real jungle, the 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser TRD (Toyota Racing Development) is an outstanding option. This descendant of rugged Toyota off roaders is no longer a one trick pony and has added urban practicality to its impressive off road reputation. Toyota has made the FJ Cruiser TRD a utilitarian option that can do both jobs supremely well whether it is navigating the parking lot at the supermarket or crawling over a sand dune in the Sahara.
Of the different versions and options offered for the vehicle, we picked the the 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser with the TRD package because it offers quite the bang for your buck ($33,461). For that price, we got a genuinely brilliant off roader that can seat five adults, but more importantly, receives a sportier feel with TRD 16-in. 6-spoke alloy wheels and hefty BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires. Then there’s the TRD-developed, high-speed–tuned Bilstein shocks for extra support.
The FJ is a relative newcomer to the market (introduced in 2006) . Now, the FJ is aiming to tackle the suburbs as well the trail. Let’s see if the FJ can truly be the best of both worlds.
There has been a pretty busy period at the Project Kahn design center. Only this months we have seen lots of updates packages for model from Audi, Land Rover or Porsche. Today is time for another Land Rover model: the Discovery.
For the exterior updates the tuner is offering an impressive styling package consisting of front and rear arch spats, front and rear bumper unit, twin mesh grille, side vents, L.E.D running lights, lowered sports and exhaust system and privacy glass. The final touch has been given by a new set of wheels, size 22"with simple clean lines, soft organic surfaces on the edges of the spoke and a purposeful mechanical center.
For the interior the tuner is offering its clients the possibility to express their own individuality whatever they want. The tuner announced they can design a vehicle with an exterior and an interior to suit the exact specification of the customer.
The Land Rover Range Rover Sport is entering the 2012 model year with updates made to both the exterior and interior, but more importantly, more power and reduced emissions. The model comes equipped with a new ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox with rotary gear shift selector and paddle shift and, for the first time, gets a Dual View touch-screen. The Autobiography and Limited Edition get revised interiors and an enhanced design.
"The enhancements to the 2012 Range Rover Sport will ensure this car retains its position as one of the most economical and dynamic high performance SUVs on the market today. With greater levels of diesel engine efficiency, lower fuel emissions and exciting new features, the Range Rover Sport continues to live up to its reputation for power and refinement," said John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Sport.
One of the beautiful things about being a host of Top Gear – among other things, of course – is the chance to get behind the wheel of some of the most insane machines on the planet. Whether it’s a high-powered go-kart or a sports car dressed as a gypsy tent, there’s no shortage of vehicles that can escape the sharp eyes – and impeccable driving – of Clarkson, Hammond, and May.
But of all the cars that they’ve driven in their time as Top Gear hosts, there’s a good chance that they’ve never seen anything quite like the Marauder. Built in South Africa by the Paramount Group, the Marauder is quite arguably the baddest, meanest, and gnarliest set of wheels we’ve ever seen.
The gargantuan machine was even featured in the pilot episode of Top Gear’s 17th season, where folks from the Paramount Group asked Richard Hammond to drive the vehicle in some of the most impossible stunts known to cars. There’s no shortage of cupcake stunts here; the car was driven over, around, and just about all other directions to determine whether it can live up to its name as the world’s toughest vehicle. It even went through a McDonalds drive-thru so Hammond could order a burger and survived a lion attack.
Yesterday’s running of the Indianapolis 500 - the 100th anniversary of the inaugural race - will go down as one of the most dramatic auto races in the series’ long and illustrious history.
23-year old rookie J.R. Hilderbrand already had the race won until he lost control of his car and crashed at the very last turn before the checkered flag. Hilderbrand’s misfortune paved the way for Dan Wheldon to make the pass just before the caution came out, leading to a stunning win that left everybody at the Brickyard and all those watching on TV shocked and completely speechless.
But that wasn’t the only notable item to happen during the weekend. Just before the start of the Indy 500, the long-awaited world-record jump attempt by Team Hot Wheels, dubbed "Fearless at the 500", finally took place. The team’s "Yellow Driver" - later revealed to be Top Gear USA’s own Tanner Foust - drove a specially prepared truck down a 90-foot ramp before blasting off into another ramp, clearing 332 feet through the air and setting the record for the longest jump of a four-wheeled vehicle in the world.
For everybody who’s ever had dreams of riding a stunt like this - we know we did at one point in our lives - Foust’s record-setting jump was a surreal moment, one that probably saw a lot of kids doing their own "world record jumps" in the backyard of their homes after watching the spectacle.
If you missed the whole thing, you can check out the video that Hot Wheels released of the jump in its entirety.
The Jeep Wrangler is not only one of the most capable off road vehicles ever made, but also one of the most historically significant. The first Jeep vehicle to wear the Wrangler badge actually appeared in 1987, yet its roots go back to the 1941 Willy MB Army Jeep. That quarter ton vehicle carried the United States military through conflict after conflict essentially until invention of the HUMVEE.
Today, the Wrangler remains a favorite amongst the off-roading crowd and tends to be heavily modified by many. The new 2011 Jeep Wrangler body has given this classic vehicle a new lease on life, especially as far as the interior goes. These off road behemoths can now become capable on the outside and full of comfort on the inside. Hundreds of parts and accessories companies exist for the Wrangler, but the most complete and radical designs have come from a young company by the name of Hauk Designs.
If you have been in the off-road marketplace then the name River Raider Off Road may come to mind and this new full service company has come out of that. We recently spoke with Kenny Hauk of Hauk Designs and talked to him about the various models that the company now builds for its customers. He mentioned that the custom designed and fabricated parts that River Raider was building became so popular that his customers were asking to have their Jeeps completely built by the company. The current business plan features three distinct models each with a myriad of options to choose from.
Hit the jump for more details on the Hauk Jeep Wranglers.
The second special edition G-Class to mark the last leg of the Mercedes model is called "Edition Select" and will be based on the long-wheelbase G 500 Station Wagon. The price for the package is €6735, or $9950 at the current exchange rates.
The new "Edition Select" model will be offered in a two-tone paintwork that combines designo mystic white, palladium silver metallic, thulite red metallic, or obsidian black metallic. It will be further distinguished by new bumpers, obsidian black AMG side flaps and exterior mirrors, running boards, and a spare wheel cover with a 3D Mercedes-Benz star in stainless steel. Finishing off the looks are black 18-inch light-alloy wheels in a 5-twin-spoke design with size 265/60 R 18 tires, carbon-fiber look inserts in the protective strips, an underguard and an AMG sports exhaust system.
The interior of the special edition will add high-grade two-tone upholstery in a porcelain/black designo leather and chrome trim on the selector lever, seat adjustment controls, and loudspeakers in the front doors. Black leather will also be used on the dashboard, armrest, door handles, and parking brake lever, while the inner door panels are lined with gathered leather. Mercedes is also offering a designo wood trim in black piano lacquer, while the steering wheel and selector lever are in a leather/piano lacquer combination with contrasting topstitching.
The Mercedes G-Class is entering its final phase and to mark the event, the company has launched the special edition BA3 Final Edition. It will be based on two different variants of the offroad vehicle - the G 350BlueTEC model or the G500 model - and will be priced at € 90,511.40 ($134,463 at the current rates) for the G350 and €100,685.90 ($149,577 at the current rates) for the G500.
The BA3 Final Edition will be distinguished by AMG flared wheel arches, a new set of 5-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels, a 3D Mercedes-Benz star in stainless steel, and an AMG radiator grille in a 3-louver design with chrome highlights. Further distinction will be claimed with an electric sliding/tilting sunroof, metallic paintwork, rear mudflaps, carbon-fiber look inserts in the protective strips, an ultrasonic reversing aid, and a tire pressure monitoring system. On the interior, Mercedes has added functional ambient lighting, chrome highlights on the frame and selector lever cover, seat adjustment controls, and loudspeakers in the front doors. The front seats will be covered in black leather combined with burr walnut wood trim, while the steering wheel and selector lever get high-grade wood plus leather.
The list of standard equipment will include a convenience telephone system in the armrest with a universal interface for various mobile phone cradles, extended telephone functions, a charging function, and an external aerial for optimum reception.
Before there was a Typhoon package for the BMW X5M and X6M by G-Power, Hamann had already dressed up the Mercedes G55 AMG with a different package with that same name. The original kit came with a massive aerodynamic kit, as well as two different performance upgrades. Now, Specialty Car Craft has taken the modified G55 and tuned it even further for Anton Kasabov, a three-time World Martial Arts Champion.
There aren’t many details on the modified tuning package, but the original kit came with optimized air flow, two LED daytime running lights integrated in the front spoiler, a roof spoiler, a newly designed rear skirt with the integrated diffuser, and a 13-part exterior set made of carbon fiber (radiator grill, headlight protective grid, mirror cases, door handles, air inlets in the side wings, bonnet air blind). The exterior is draped in a black paint job with red highlights all over the car, including on the hood, grill, tires, etc.
Specialty Car Craft and Anton Kasabov would be insane not to incorporate the two engine options included in the G55 by Hamann. That package allowed customers to choose from either a mild 35 HP upgrade, or the more appropriate HM 600 performance kit that provided the 5.4 Liter engine with a blower to produce 600 HP and 576 lb-ft of torque. This upgrade allows the gritty SUV to go from 0 to 60 MPH in 5.1 seconds and hit a top speed of 162 MPH.
If you’re interested in modifying your G55 to look like Kasabov’s, well that’s just too bad. Specialty Car Craft constructed this makeover specifically for the martial arts master as a one-off project.
Jeep knows how to strut its stuff when it comes to special editions for their rugged lineup of vehicles. We’ve already seen a number of them primed and ready for the 45th Moab Jeep Easter Safari, but the New York Auto Show is getting its own special models, one of them being the Wrangler Mojave. The Mojave pays tribute to the well-known and rugged Mojave Trail and it will go on sale at a starting price of $29,195, excluding the $750 destination fee.
The new Mojave edition is based on the Wrangler Sport and features a unique desert theme inside and out. The exterior features a body-color hardtop and fender flares, "Mojave" and lizard decals on the hood and rear, the Sahara model’s side steps, and a new set of mineral gray 17-inch wheels shod with 32-inch tires. There are three colors to choose from: Sahara Tan, Bright White, and Black combined with a black fuel filler door and taillamp guards.
The interior follows in the desert theme with dark saddle leather and a lizard logo embossed on the front seats. There is also a unique driftwood surrounding the vents, front-passenger grab handle, steering-wheel spokes, and door-handle inserts.
