Four Wheeler April 2019

Over the years I’ve owned some unusual four-wheel-drive vehicles. I don’t go looking for ’em, but for some reason they find me. An example is the ’84 AMC Eagle wagon I purchased in the early ’90s to address the needs of my growing family (and my extremely limited budget). The Eagle was based on the AMC Concord/Hornet platform, which had a long history of production. It’s said that the idea of fitting the car with a four-wheel-drive system came from Roy Lunn, the chief design engineer for AMC Jeep. Turns out, it was a very good idea. The Eagle was very successful for AMC, at least for the first few years. In 1980, Four Wheeler noted that the Eagle was “the beginning of a new generation of cars.” Among its many…

1973 K25 About a year and a half ago, my wife and I decided to purchase a truck and trailer and start “getting away from it all” a few times a year on our own and occasionally with my parents who own a 39-foot RV. This was not going to be a $100K setup of a new truck and trailer…we don’t have that kind of taste or budget. My dad and I had discussed going in on a Chevy/GMC K20, since we had both owned several through the years, but neither of us currently did and missed having one to haul stuff and tinker with. I talked with him, and he was open to the idea of it being “our” truck and my wife and I could also use it for…

THAT’S INTERESTING 2019 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy awards: fullsize SUV, Ford Expedition, and Ford F-150 for pickup. Ford and Mahindra will be collaborating/sharing powertrain and connect-vehicle projects, but in India only. For now. Ford’s also buddying-up with Avis Budget Group to make for better user experiences when it comes to vehicle rentals, and also when it comes to efficiency for that process via connected tech. Production on the ’19 Ford Ranger is officially in action. It’s happening at the Michigan Assembly plant that the Blue Oval invested $850 million into for building the pickup and also the ’20 Bronco. Which one of you did Ram want to know that its “Farmer” commercial turned 5 years old? They must think a lot about your interest in this commercial, as this news came in the form…

TIRES—THEY INTIMATELY HANDLE RELATIONS between your vehicle and the ground beneath, and they are a grippy necessity. Whether your needs require a dedicated off-road, mud-slinging, rock-hugging monster, or something black, round, and rugged that will get you to your next adventure destination, we have the answer all wrapped up in the next few pages with 42 new tires for your 4x4. FALKEN WILDPEAK A/T3W The Wrap: Any adventure, any weather. Falken’s tread pattern and silica compound allow the tire to excel in wear, winter, and wet performance—and have even earned the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake designation. How Big: 30- to 37-inch tires for 15- to 20-inch wheels Info: falkentire.com MILESTAR PATAGONIA X/T The Wrap: Bridging the gap between mud- and all-terrain tires is the Patagonia X/T. The tire is built to handle rough terrain while still keeping noise…

CHEVROLET HAS INTRODUCED THE ALL-NEW ’19 SILVERADO 1500 WITH A FRESH, SMALLER ENGINE, AND IT has also added to the off-road capabilities of the midsize Colorado pickup. We had the opportunity to drive the new four-cylinder Silverado and the dirt-savvy Colorado ZR2 Bison in Arizona. Come along as we give you details and first drive impressions of these two trucks. Silverado 2.7L I-4 Turbo A fascinating feature in the ’19 Chevy lineup is the availability of a four-cylinder engine in the fullsize Silverado. Its 2.7L displacement is similar in size to what you might typically find in a midsize pickup. However, Chevy packs the intake charge of this engine with a turbocharger and does some other tricks to derive 310 hp and 348 lb-ft of torque from this new powerplant that’s built…

IT’S THE CAR SHOW TO END ALL car shows! It’s the Specialty Equipment Market Association (you might know it as SEMA) Show, and for 2018, it returned to Las Vegas, Nevada. For a bit of scale, laid down on its side, the Empire State Building could fit inside just one (there are seven) of the SEMA halls where 162,000 attendees come to ogle 2,400 exhibiting companies. The general public isn’t allowed in, but those in the industry are invited. We swooped in with cameras blazing to document the SEMA Show, including the many show vehicles—from the Big Three automakers to specialty fabricators—looking for the zaniest and most capable rigs we could find. Read on for a look at what was seen at SEMA this year. Red Cummins Panel Truck The folks at…