RideLust

The Dakar Rally is one of, if not the most grueling off-road event in the world. It pits teams from all over the globe in a race that covers every type of off road terrain there is. Mud and gravel, to some of the largest sand dunes in existence make up a course that will test the constitution of every team member. The vehicles and competitors that run this race are as hard as they come, and their preparation is almost as grueling as the event itself. Vehicles are forced into conditions the likes of which would disable a production vehicle in a matter of minutes, thus these competition vehicles are engineered to the max. The above shows the Czech Dakar Team testing for this years Dakar Rally (currently underway). Their weapon of choice – a Tatra 815 4×4 truck that is powered by a massive Caterpillar diesel engine. This is not some little runabout, but a full on off-road beast that is capable of taking mass amounts of punishment. Watching the Czech Team sling this thing around like a slot car is simply astonishing and something that I think everyone will enjoy.

Source: Dakar.com

I guess it’s true when they say that, “necessity is the mother of invention”, but I have to wonder what this guy was thinking when he pulled this stunt. Isn’t it funny how we sometimes throw caution to the wind in an effort to get from Point A to Point B. I know in my past I may have done some less than favorable things on the road, things that I look back on now and think, “WTF was a I thinking?” This guy though, he’s taking it to an all new level. Apparently the tire on his trailer blew out and instead of waiting for a spare, he figured he’d just show some initiative and wedge a birch tree under the trailers axle. The scary part is, that the trailer is actually towing straight and true. Now while I don’t condone behavior like this, I do have to hand it to this guy for thinking outside the box.

Source: Streetfire.net

PRO’s: Great ride, wonderful handling, massive amounts of room for the entire family and or entourage.

CON’s: Cramped drivers cabin, only partially adjusting steering wheel, high price.

FINAL THOUGHT: A full size American built luxury SUV, that can hang tough with the world’s best.

It’s over 18 feet long, has up to 137 cubic feet of cargo space and with an interior that rivals most high end luxury sedans, it’s one of the nicest SUV’s on the planet. Meet the 2011 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum, the Big Dog of American SUV luxury. When I first picked this baby up from GM’s Manhattan storage facility my first thought was – Dear God is this sucker big, but as you’ll see, its size can be very deceiving. The Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum makes no bones about its in-your-face styling and the fact that it dwarfs everything else in the SUV world. It’s a favorite amongst celebrities, athletes and or anyone who wants to make a statement. As for me, I was just amazed at how good it actually was for its size.
Read More…

Thumbs Up: First class interior, reasonable ride quality for a heavy-duty truck

Thumbs Down: Loaded up with more chrome and farkles than I like

Buy This Truck If: If you’re a Mopar guy and need a heavy duty truck, this is it

Heavy duty pickups are a lot like assault rifles: most people can go their entire lives without needing one, but when you do require one, nothing else will do. Maybe it’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal on a vintage race car and enclosed trailer, or maybe your brother in law just bought a serious fishing boat, or maybe a generous neighbor left you a 40 foot fifth-wheel travel trailer in his will. You won’t be towing any of those things very far with a half ton pickup, so you’ll soon be in the market for a heavy duty three-quarter ton truck. You’ll want to check the box for the diesel motor option, since towing serious loads requires torque, and lots of it. Fuel economy with a diesel is quite a bit better as well, which is one more justification for spending the additional money upfront.

Read More…

We here at RideLust have given you lots of useful information on surviving the zombie apocalypse, but I have to give props to this video tutorial created by the guys at Mighty Car Mods. Not only does it show you how to build the ultimate zombie mobile (from materials at hand), but it also gives you useful information on weaponry and, um, sourcing food (not for the faint of stomach). Overall, the advice is solid, but I’d disagree on a few key points (like cutting a hole in the roof). A stand-up gunport is of limited use (ever try to make a head shot from a moving vehicle?), and it just gives zombies one more point of entry. Personally, I’d advise against it, and I’d advise against taking out the windows before you screen them. Tempered glass (behind metal screening) still offers reasonable protection from bodily fluids and zombie intrusion. I say leave it in.

Read More…

2004 Ford Bronco Concept

The Ford Bronco, a truck that to me holds iconic status. Back when I was a kid I remember seeing these suckers all over the place and while I’ve never owned one, these bad boy Ford’s have never left my radar. Growing up as a kid in the 1970′s and early 1980s I’m somewhat partial to the Gen III Bronco’s, meaning those that were built between 1980-1986. You see for me, these trucks still look, act and feel like a real truck should and were, in my opinion, the last ones built before Ford took the Bronco in a softer direction. The last of the Broncos rolled off the assembly line in 1996, a time at which smaller more compact trucks like the Jeep Cherokee and new Ford Explorer were beginning to hit the market.
Read More…

When Ford released their Raptor off-road truck last year it pretty much made every other factory off-roader completely obsolete. You see that thing has the ability to tackle just about anything the desert can throw at it, while at the same time coddling you in air-conditioned, cruise controlled comfort. It’s big, hairy chested and aside from its optional great pumpkin’ orange paint job, is pretty damn cool. Because of this manufacturers like GM and Chrysler have been put on scramble alert to try and bring something to market that can compete with Ford’s off-road hammer.
Read More…

The 2011 Ford Explorer was one of the most eagerly awaited new vehicles of the past decade. Ford did extensive market research before starting their re-design, since the Explorer has a 96% name recognition in North America, on par with brand icons like Ford’s own Mustang and F150. With the SUV segment currently at 32% of industry sales (and growing faster than the other segments), Ford simply could not afford to get the new Explorer wrong. Focus group after focus group told them what the Explorer needed and what it didn’t need to have, and the results surprised more than a few people.

Read More…

Back in the day 4×4 trucks and SUVs weren’t all the rage like they are today. Families would cart themselves around in station wagons or big sedans, while service industry vehicles would sometimes need to be modified to fit their needs. One such vehicle was the Chevrolet Apache pick-up truck that was built from 1957-1959. Heavy off-road use meant that these trucks were generally modified by a company called NAPCO (Northwestern Auto Parts Company) and fitted with new 4-wheel drive systems, that would ensure that they could be used in the harshest of conditions. The above NAPCO promotional video is quite long at about 10 minutes in length, but it shows the capabilities of these modified trucks as they tackle some pretty tough terrain. The video narration is actually quite cheesy, but watching these trucks do their thing is quite impressive. One thing that you must remember is that these old trucks were simple vehicles with no electronics to speak of. That meant fixing them in the event of a problem was a fairly easy task, which not only made them desirable back then, but today as well.

Source: NAPCO4x4.org

I just got back from driving Ford’s new Explorer, both on road and off, but I can’t tell you anything about it until next Monday. For now, I can tell you that the Explorer’s base engine, a 3.5 liter V6, has received a best-in-class (midsize SUV, V6 engine) fuel economy rating of 25 MPG highway. To put things in perspective, that’s 25% better fuel economy than the outgoing V6, which only managed 20 MPG on the highway. The 2011 motor makes more power as well: last year’s 4.0 liter V6 only managed 210 horsepower and 254 ft lb of torque, while the 2011 mill manages 290 horsepower and 255 ft lb of torque, thanks in part to Ford’s Ti-VCT variable camshaft timing system. Sometimes, technology is our friend.

Read More…