The sum ‘n’ substance Picture this, there are two ways of reaching your destination, one is the fresh and smooth piece of road that will take you there and the other one is the kind of terrain that you’d find on Mars, laden with deep crests and huge boulders. Which one would you choose? Obviously, the straight road, why would you want to break you back, right? But the 4Runner is such a mad, mad vehicle that it just makes you want to ditch the straight road, and attack the mountains head- on. Based on the Land Cruiser Prado, the body on frame constructed 4Runner is fitted with meatier teeth and the angular head and tail lights add to the angry look. With all the chunky bits it is equipped with, the overall size of the car is much, much bigger than the Prado. Under the massive bonnet lies a 4.0 liter 24-valve DOHC V-6 engine that blurts  [...] 

Ford has built many pick up trucks in their life span, each one of them was able to kick ass in their own way. They had it all, good power, good performance, reliability and all for a very reasonable price. Now, they are moving forward with the all revamped workhorses the super duty, F-series. The top dog Ford trucks all sport a more refined and refreshed look but the details on the outside are not very different from the previous top dog trucks. The size of the truck has been increased significantly, the F-series will now sport two thick bars chrome grill with the ford badge in the center. The headlights have been restyled while the bonnet and the bumpers have been beefed up. This restyling gives it a more road-train kind of look but the major changes are all underneath the bold and rugged exterior.  Under the hood, there is a brand new  [...] 

There was a time when, anyone mentioned Hummer, there would be some kind of emotion in them, and mostly happiness would be the common emotion accompanied by smile, because the Hummer was a monster vehicle that would make everyone’s day. In the case of an environmentalist, he would express anger or sorrow while the remaining few would express gut-wrenching fear. These displays of emotions were around when the hummer H1 was in its prime. Just the raw brutality of its power, the rugged looks and construction and the iconic symbol it became of the army, added to its charisma. That was in the past, since then Hummer has had a lot of financial problems and was thrown around in the business world like a rag doll. During this period it was able to produce two models for the civilians namely, the H2 and the H3. The H2 raised quite a few eyebrows,  [...] 

The Sum ‘n’ Substance I don’t know how Toyota do it, but they have some how managed to put out some of the worlds best  heavy duty vehicles. From the famous Landcruiser to the rugged Hilux or the Tacoma as some may call it, all these toys are more than capable of reducing ice-boulders of the Arctic to tiny little ice cubes and treat vast deserts like children’s sand box. You don’t believe me, check out the BBC Top Gear Polar expedition which was aired in 2007. The one hour documentary is sure to create a believer out of any one, because the Hilux not only reaches the magnetic North Pole, it was also able to drive back to civilization. In other tests, the Clarkson army has not only drowned the car, they set it on fire and also dropped a massive load on it. After all the madness and brutal bashing, the Tacoma was still able to start  [...] 

Sum ‘n’ Substance: You consider any vehicle, as matter of fact any mode of transport and read its review. You’ll notice that every single review will have one very hot question, “is it efficient? or does it have good mileage? or How much fuel does it drink? Is it practical? Or what are the savings on fuel?…you can beat around the how much ever you like but, it still asks the same damn thing. In today’s day and age, a vehicle is not judged by its looks and performance alone, the latest addition is the fuel consumption/economy/efficiency and how-many-plants-sprout-around-you as you drive along. Over the years, all pick up trucks have been  built with massive engines, obviously, they need to pull and carry loads nearly twice their weight, but these massive engines were gaping fuel drains. This was not a  problem back then, because  [...] 

Sum ‘n’ Substance Yeah, you read the title write, Porsche has announced the 2011 hybrid Cayenne S. Looks like all the manufacturers are turning to Hybrid technology to combat the soaring fuel prices. Even Lamborghini has joined the band wagon too, with a concept to be announced in 2012. while the average sports-car enthusiast might scream bloody murder, this is not Porsches first outing into the hybrid world. As a matter of fact Porsche was one of the earliest developers of the hybrid engine with the Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid. Built by Ferdinand Porsche nearly 2 centuries ago, the Mixte had four electric motors at its wheel- hubs and electricity was delivered with the help of batteries and a tiny generator. This was the concept on which many other companies like the Chevrolet volt, Cadillac Escalade etc followed. But since the mixte,  [...] 

Dodge has celebrated a lot of success with the Ram. every version of it, from quality to design to performance, was brilliant. Now, there is a 2010 version. Dodge just can’t seem to get enough of the Ram as they keep on releasing so many versions of it with tweaks and different body panels. Now what is the 2010 HD all about? Well, it is nearly the same, as the previous models, at least as far as the chassis is concerned and most probably dodge might have had to hit the drawing board to meet the new federal NOx emissions law laid down. So, under the swollen bonnet, there lies a 6.7 liter OHV 24-valve V8 cast-iron block that pumps out 383bhp at 5600rpm and manages a torque of 400 lb/ft of torque. This assembly is mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. There is an optional turbo-diesel I6 engine also available which puts out 350 bhp at  [...] 

Sum ‘n’ substance: The Colorado is a small- sized pick up truck, with a front engine 5.3 liter 16 valves V8 that pumps out 300 bhp at 320 lb/ ft of torque. This setup is mated to a four speed automatic transmission. Yes, I know that I killed the ‘surprise’ at the start, but that’s what this truck is, it that uninteresting, and if you look into the Colorado searching for surprises, you may friend are wasting your time, yes you can thank me later. Right from the design to its price tag, it’s downright ugly and boring. I don’t understand why Chevy would build something so mind- numbingly boring, are they bored to push beyond ‘new and exciting bracket’? Don’t get me wrong, the Colorado still has the Chevy feel to it, it handles just fine and the ride quality is good too, because it uses the GM ZQ8’s suspension system. The  [...] 

Sum ‘n’ substance What do expect when fords BAJA engineers toy around with the toughest pick up truck its ever built?  a jet fighter?…a tank?..close….its both and it’s called the Raptor. Yes, I am aware that it shares the name with a jet fighter , because it just flies on off-road terrain but, it is as tough as a tank. But  what propels this monster is a 5.4 liter V8, FFV engine blasting out a 320bhp at  390lb/ft of torque and will soon feature  a 6.0liter V8 blurting 400bhp at 400lb/ft of torque at 3500 rpm which is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. To tackle the toughest terrains, they have fitted, specially designed Fox racing shock absorbers which are three times more stiffer than the normal 2010 Ford F150, but they still provide a comfortable ride. The other changes include a wider track of 6.6 inches to fit  [...]