Off-Road Vehicles

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2021 Jeep Wrangler (hybrid!) still best off-road

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe, the new hybrid trim, is available as a four-door in three high-end offerings: the premium Sahara, more premium High Altitude, and Rubicon, geared toward off-road excursions. The 4xe (pronounced “four by E”), engine combines a 270 horsepower turbocharged inline-four-cylinder with a 44-horsepower motor connected through a front-end accessory belt. A 134-horsepower motor replaces the transmission’s back-end torque converter. Key Takeaways Test car: the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4xe four-door, a plug-in hybrid with a 270-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder, two electric motors and an eight-speed automatic. $47,955 MSRP and $54,240 as reviewed. 14.0-kWh battery under the rear seats, with 22 miles of electric-only range and 370 miles total. 20 mpg combined on gas and 49 MPGe. Charging:

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Land Rover Defender, Ford Bronco as mini-RVs

GehoCab has taken its current expertise in off-load motorhome conversion in the Volkswagen Amarok into a far larger market for RVs. The German-based company has announced it’s reconfiguring its carbon-shelled, chassis-mount campers for installation in the Land Rover Defender, Ford Bronco and other popular off-road SUVs. The company’s goal is to create the lightest available off-road 4×4 campers. Gehocab makes carbon fiber modules for RVs Unlike typical bed-top and chassis-mount truck campers, GehoCab’s original Kora camper has a sleek, glossy carbon fiber construction. It has wide-stretched windows, flush integration with the base truck and color-matched paint. Now, GehoCab is designing two 4×4 motorhome modules, the compact Fiete and the larger Findus. The Fiete is compatible with the Land Rover and

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2015 Ford F-150: The best pick-up truck gets better

As the country’s best-selling vehicle seemingly since the model-T, the 2015 Ford F-150 could have been presented identically as its older siblings and still led the pick-up truck pack. But Ford decided not to rest on success, particularly as other manufacturers’ trucks are ever improving. Key Takeaways Test truck: 4×4 SuperCab with a turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 and a six-speed automatic. $37,005 MSRP and $43,480 as tested, with the $2,150 XLT package and $1,695 XLT chrome appearance package. 18 mpg city and 23 highway (20 combined). Engines: a base 3.5-liter V6, a turbocharged 2.7-liter V6, a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 and a 5.0-liter V8, with a six-speed automatic standard. Cab: Driving a large pick-up is immediately reassuring. Dislikes: Small and oddly positioned

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