RideLust

Well it’s official, the Ford Raptor is now the baddest dude on the block. Not only is he big, standing a few feet over his competitors, but he’s as graceful as a ballerina and as capable as a billy goat. Seriously folks, if you are looking for a jack-of-all-trades pickup truck, then this is your boy. Senior Editor of Jalopnik, Mike Spinelli, recently took to the rock lands of MOAB, Utah to test out just how capable the Raptor truly was. He spoke of its new torsen limited-slip front differential, its new grille-mounted camera with a wide-angle lens, and the fact that these two things together helped them get “straight up Oprah’s Butt”, a feet that is, without a doubt, an accomplishment for any man or machine. But hell, don’t take my word on how good this truck is, or Spinelli’s for that matter, just click through for the video and watch for yourselves.

Source: Jalopnik.com

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Let’s face it: if you’re a guy, you could look at giant, bouncing Tatras all day long. In fact, it’s really hard not to stare, and to call them “distracting” is a vast understatement. After all, who wants to get work done when you could be watching ten minutes of jiggling Tatra action on You Tube? Read More…

Whatever mad genius inside Ford’s SVT group was ultimately behind the development of the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, we salute you. No one else could have pulled off the idea of a hot-rod, off-road pickup truck, and sales have been brisk since the truck made its debut back in 2009.

There have been a few well-documented problems along the way, most notably a group of off-road enthusiasts who experienced bent frames after a high-speed desert run. Ford is quick to point out that the trucks were still drivable with a bent frame, but if a rear shock failed or tore loose, that may not have been the case. Despite the type of hoonage depicted in video ads for the Raptor, Ford insists that the truck isn’t bulletproof, and that if you hit something hard, at speed, damage will most likely result. Read More…

If you’re eagerly anticipating the upcoming release of Forza Motorsport 4 for the Xbox 360, we’ll give you the bad news first: thanks to EA Sports’ lock on Porsche cars in video games, Forza 4 won’t have a single stock Porsche vehicle in its list of cars. Unlike previous versions of the game, where EA licensed Porsche vehicles to Turn 10 for use in Forza, this time EA decided to lock down Porsche vehicles for use in their “Need For Speed” franchise only. Sure, that sucks, but you’ll still have access to RUF-tuned Porsches, just in limited quantities. You’ll also have access to the M12 FAV Warthog, carried over from the massively successful Halo series of first-person-shooters. Read More…

Image: Jaguar Land Rover

The Land Rover Defender is known the world over as a non-nonsense SUV that will get you anywhere you need to go. Period, end of sentence. It has no luxury aspirations, but it enjoys a rabid cult following that ranges from British farmers through explorers and adventurers to well-off suburbanites who like to portray the image of adventure. The Defender will get you to the grocery store, even if you have to take game trails or forge your own path to get there; in fact, long after the human race has been wiped off the earth, giant cockroaches will probably be driving the last remaining Defenders, at least until fossil fuel runs out. Read More…

The Jeep Wrangler is one of the few vehicles on the market today that can trace its roots all the way back to the 1940s. Following World War II, the civilian version of the Jeep CJ was launched, but it bears little resemblance to the Jeep Wrangler of today. Modern Jeeps come chock full of amenities like air conditioning and audio systems, while the original Jeeps has four wheels, an engine and two differentials. As for safety equipment, the original Jeep didn’t even have seat belts, let alone air bags. Read More…

The Mopar JK-8 kit, and a completed truck. Image: Chrysler Goup LLC

You can’t buy a Jeep Wrangler pickup, but if you have a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, $5,499, a paint booth, a welding rig and better than average bodywork skills, you can now build your own from a Mopar kit. Of course your local Jeep dealer would be happy to do the work for you, but I’m guessing that will be expensive. Read More…

Image: Daimler AG

It’s hard to believe, but Mercedes=Benz’s uber-utility vehicle, the Unimog, turns sixty in 2011. Originally designed for use in farming and agriculture, the Unimog has been produced in dozens of variants throughout the years and is embraced by military and civilian owners alike. In Germany, ‘Mogs are used for everything from roadwork through fire fighting, and you can’t drive through a German town without seeing a few in action. In America, most are ex-NATO military trucks, imported for their durability and go-anywhere capabilities. Unimogs, like cockroaches, will easily survive the end of the world. Read More…

I’d be the first to admit that this video is more hype than substance, but I’d also be the first to admit that I’d love to be behind the wheel of one of the Amaroks in this video. The VW Amarok, in case you don’t know, is their compact pickup truck sold almost everywhere except the United States. Why don’t we get it here? “Too expensive,” is VW’s reply, since it would have to start at about $30k in the states. That kind of money buys you a 4wd Toyota Tacoma, and it even buys you a full size pickup if you don’t mind skipping some amenities. The fact that the Amarok is available with both gas and diesel engines only makes me want it more in the States, and I have to think that there’s a market for a compact turbodiesel pickup here. Watch the video below, then feel free to start petitioning VW to import the Amarok TDI. Read More…

Image: Bremach USA

If you wanted a go-anywhere truck to haul you and your stuff out where the busses don’t run, Mercedes-Benz’s Unimog is perhaps the best choice in the world. What if you’re concerned with saving the planet, even after the zombie apocalypse, and you prefer your heavy duty 4×4 truck in EV flavor? Until now, you were out of luck, but Bremach is looking to change that with their T.Rex. Sure, you can still get it in fossil fuel versions (one variant comes equipped with a 6.0 liter Chevy V8), but tree hugging survivalists can also opt for a hybrid version, a compressed natural gas version or a full-on EV model. Read More…