Four Wheeler January 2016

Weeks ago Volkswagen got caught with its hand in the cookie jar and the U.S. government and greenie lawyers instantly had their panties in a huge twist. In case you missed it, the auto manufacturer was found guilty of programming its Audi and VW 2.0L diesel-equipped vehicles to sense when they were being tested for emissions. Bottom line, the emission devices ramped up during testing and laid back down under normal operational conditions. Yeah, VW cheated. Yeah, VW got caught. Yeah, VW is gonna get a huge fine levied against it for every vehicle that left the factory with that sneaky programming. Sometimes you gotta pay the piper. But not the stinkin’ lawyers. That’s right. The ink wasn’t even dry on the papers breaking the story before money-grubbing lawyers were circling…

PETE’S PASSING Thanks for sharing your story about your buddy, Pete. It made me smile and reflect on a close friendship I’ve had since grade school. I’m flying back to Colorado to visit tonight, and it reminded me to really cherish the time I’ll get to spend this upcoming week. I’m sorry to hear Pete passed. Your piece was a classy send-off. BEN ANDERSON SEATTLE, WA LAST AMERICAN STANDING? Your cover blurb questioning if the Ram 2500 with a manual transmission “was the last real American pickup” is very misleading. All Ram 2500 trucks are built in Saltillo, Mexico, so are in fact not the last American pickup by any means. All Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD vehicles are made in the USA at the plant in Flint, Michigan. And all Ford…

THAT’S INTERESTING The Jeep Wrangler will be staying in Toledo, Ohio, but it will move Cherokee production to another state, like Michigan. Mopar’s got a new tool. Heh, tool. It’s the Mopar Service Capacity Analyzer that allows the dealerships to do some kind of metrics hocus-pocus with this online tool to help them figure out whether they need to add more techs, more hours, more stalls, or more or less of anything to provide quicker/better service to customers based on projected service-lane traffic and such. Toyota is helping to provide $75,000 scholarships to 10 engineering and business college students. The Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Fellows Scholarship will focus on STEM and business academics. A survey done by Harris Poll for eDriving found that only one in three people would call their spouse or significant…

RESTO TANK Is your ’73-’81 GM pickup’s fuel tank rusted, leaking, missing, or dented beyond use from hardcore off-roading? Classic Industries now offers high-quality replacement tanks manufactured from zinc-plated stamped steel with a factory fit. Just remove your old wasted tank and plug one of these Classic Industries units in its place for trouble-free fuel storage and delivery. INFO: Classic Industries, 855/357-2787, classicindustries.com BUDGETRIGHT If you want USA-made GenRight quality at import prices, then listen now and hear us later. GenRight introduces its new, no-frills Fusion Series line of performance parts, kicking off with JK Wrangler front and rear bumpers. Available in either steel or aluminum, these high-quality parts offer all the fit, finish, and strength advantages you expect from GenRight’s “SignatureSeries” line of highperformance products, but without all the bells and whistles,…

THE THIRD-GENERATION ’16 TOYOTA TACOMA is here! We recently had the opportunity to talk with some of the engineers responsible for the all-new Tacoma and get seat time in the truck both on- and offroad. What we learned was fascinating. The midsize pickup truck segment is hotter than the Arizona desert in August, so this is a great time for Toyota to trot out the new Tacoma. The segment is a hotbed, due in part to the arrival of the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks. For the new Tacoma (designed and engineered in Michigan, tested and tuned in Arizona, and assembled in Texas or Baja, Mexico), the Toyota team made it structurally stiffer, more aerodynamic, more efficient, and more tech savvy than the 11-year-old truck it replaces. But here’s…

IT ALL STARTED WITH A PHONE CALL FROM A buddy: “Hey, I just bought a ’14 Wrangler Rubicon and wanna totally build it up. What parts should I use?” Now, you never want to recommend stuff to your buddies that are sure to cause problems, require a ton of maintenance, or fail in the field. We decided right there we’d spec out only the very best components in the industry for this one. And when he showed up in our driveway and we saw the color was Anvil Grey, well, the project name was a slam dunk. So to recap the Anvil project, we took a completely stock ’14 JK Unlimited Wrangler Rubicon to our friends at Jeeps R Us in Laguna Niguel to have only the most durable, solid, and…