off-road – Car-ED.com

Test Drive: 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon The Jeep Wrangler is the ultimate affordable off-road SUV. By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor, Car-ED.com | August 2018 What is this vehicle? Driving a Jeep Wrangler reminds you why this square-edged SUV has remained popular for so many years. A modern powertrain and numerous luxury touches make it far from being the bare-bones, rough-and-tumble truck it was decades ago. But there's a very simple and timeless core message that comes with the Wrangler. It was built to be rugged and to venture off-road, and no amount of marketing hype or commercialization can take away from the central charm of this solid-axle, square-edged sport-utility. Getting behind the wheel of a 2018 Wrangler Rubicon, the most adventure-loving trim level of an already very adventurous vehicle, shows how Jeep engineers have adapted the company’s most beloved model for life in the modern world. There are plenty of SUVs that handle better, stop faster, or accelerate harder than the Wrangler. It's true - sorry Jeep fans. There are also plenty that get better gas mileage, or offer fancier cabins with more space for passengers and cargo. Yet, at the end of the day, the Wrangler’s attributes – and if we’re being frank, also its negatives – place this Jeep in a field with no true direct competitors. It's a one-of-a-kind vehicle that, in a world of hashtags and trending topics, feels refreshingly individualistic. [...]

2019 RAM 1500 Rebel

2019 RAM 1500 Rebel RAM's budget answer to the Raptor By Randy Lioz, Editor, Car-ED.com | June 2018 RAM has a bit of Raptor envy. The Ford F-150 Raptor is seen as many as the ultimate off-road truck, with its upgraded suspension dampers, wild engine and bold wide-body styling. But it's an expensive proposition, with an opening ante over 52 grand, and rising quickly from there with a few option groups. So RAM thought it had a better idea: take a basic RAM 1500–all-new for 2019–and give it uprated Bilstein monotube dampers, knobby tires, and a look that sets it apart from the standard truck, and save the customer a heap-load of money. As Fiat Chrysler spokesman Scott Brown put it, "Owners wanted the lift and look," but they didn't necessarily want to go full-bore if they're not racing their truck through the desert on the regular. We got a chance to try it out off road at Calamigos Ranch outside Malibu. What is this vehicle? The RAM 1500 is the brand's full-size pickup truck, a rugged workhorse that also provides creature comforts. The 1500 is the brand's lightest-duty truck, with heavy-duty variants starting at the 2500 level. But that doesn't mean it can't handle a ton of weight...literally. It can haul up to 2,300 lbs. of payload in the bed, and tow another 12,750 behind it if equipped right. The RAM 1500 [...]