Off the Road Again!

World war two, somewhere in Europe. A jeep sits half in, half out of a shell crater, one wheel wedged pathetically under the chassis. A burly sergeant stands facing away, left hand over his eyes, right hand holding a .45 automatic to its hood. He is about to put the injured mechanical beast out of its misery. Such was the love of the World War Two GI for his faithful motorized mule—as depicted in that famous Bill Mauldin cartoon. The jeep (the name is an alteration of the initials G.P., which stand for general-purpose vehicle) carried food and supplies to the trenches and the wounded to safety. They served as command and reconnaissance cars, towed trailers and chased tanks. "It does everything," wrote war correspondent Ernie Pyle. "It goes everywhere. It's as faithful as a dog, as strong as a mule and as agile as a goat. It constantly carries twice what it was designed for and still keeps on going. It doesn't even ride so badly after you get used to it." Well, old Ernie would be happily bouncing in his grave if he could climb aboard one of the current crop of four-wheel-drive (4wd) vehicles that are bounding over the boondocks and burning up the highways. Today's machines are the most civilized, most comfortable, easiest-to-operate sports utilities ever built, and their appeal reaches far beyond the farmer/forest-ranger types who bucked aboard early postwar jeeps. They're ideal for anyone who wants reliable daily transportation, along with the security and freedom of 4wd for bad weather and for the occasional camping, hunting or fishing foray. They're ruggedly handsome, with quiet, opulent interiors and option lists as long as IRS forms. They seat you high above the traffic yet ride and handle more like modern (continued on page 210)Off the Road Again!(continued from page 137) cars than like the tall, tippy 4wds of old; and they're equally at home arriving at a country club or ascending a steep mountain slope. For our 4wd showcase, we've selected six very different vehicles. Four are domestic, two are Japanese. Sizes range from small to hulking, and base prices start at well under five figures. For work or play, off road or on, there's something here for everyone.

Chevrolet S-10 Blazer

The most striking thing about Chevy's new baby Blazer (and its near-identical twin, G.M.C. Division's S-15 Jimmy) is its eye appeal. Chevrolet stylists have created a beautifully proportioned little machine without losing the broad-shouldered ruggedness that goes with the sports-utility territory. Also impressive are the S-10's carlike ride and handling characteristics; and Chevy's new fully automatic Insta-Trac (standard with 4wd) lets you shift from two- to four-wheel drive on the fly at any speed. A 2.0-liter, 83-horsepower four-cylinder engine and four-speed manual transmission are standard, but most buyers will prefer the optional 2.8-liter, 110-hp V6 for extra zip at a small sacrifice in fuel economy. Five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions are available, and E.P.A. economy ratings range from 21 mpg city, 30 highway for the base 4wd model to 19 city, 29 highway for the V6 automatic. Prices start at about $9700 with 4wd.

Dodge Ramcharger

Chrysler Corporation's Dodge Ramcharger is an old-school sports utility—big, muscular and macho. So that no one misses the point, a mean-looking ram's-head hood ornament comes with the optional chrome grille, and the tailgate says dodge ram in big chrome letters. At 185 inches on a 106-inch wheelbase, it's the largest, heaviest and roomiest of our domestic vehicles. It carries the highest pay load (1445 pounds) and comes with the biggest engine—a 5.2-liter, 143-hp, two-barrel V8. Four-speed manual transmission is standard; three-speed automatic and a 167-hp, four-barrel, 5.2-liter engine are optional. Don't look for much in the way of fuel economy (13 E.P.A. mpg city, 17 highway with 4wd), but if getting there and getting the job done in style and comfort are top priorities, this may be your choice. The 4wd version starts at $11,000.

Ford Bronco II

Like G.M.'s baby Blazer and G.M.C.'s Jimmy, Ford's Bronco II is derived from the company's new-for-'82 down-sized pickup. It's intentionally more trucklike and traditional than the competing General Motors products, so Ford's millions of satisfied light-truck customers will feel instantly at home. Styled to resemble a shrunken Bronco, it also looks much like a miniature Ramcharger with its egg-crate grille, wrap-over quarter windows and one-piece lift gate. It's shorter than the baby Blazer by a foot overall and carries more standard equipment (including a 115-hp, 2.8-liter V6 engine and a split, fold-down rear seat), so, at about $10,000, its base price is higher. Four-speed manual is standard, five-speed manual or three-speed automatic optional. There is no four-cylinder engine as yet (maybe later this year) and no 2wd version. E.P.A. ratings for the standard 4wd, four-speed-manual, V6-powered model are impressive at 20 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway.

Jeep Cherokee

Ever since American Motors purchased the Jeep company 13 years ago, it has introduced new models and upgraded and improved its sturdy Jeep vehicles on a slow but steady basis. The introduction in the mid-Seventies of a revolutionary full-time 4wd system called Quadra-Trac gave higher-priced Jeeps a significant advantage in ease of operation. Since 1982, A.M.C. has offered as an option Selec-Trac, a development that allows switching to fuel-saving 2wd and back to 4wd (when stopped) at the flick of a cockpit switch. Still, the Jeep line has been around awhile; hence, the all-new, down-sized Cherokee and Wagoneer being readied for introduction late this summer. They are not derived from a pickup truck, and they will have some advantages over their G.M. and Ford competitors. Although five inches shorter than the small Blazer/Jimmy, for example, the new Cherokee/Wagoneer will have a bit more usable passenger room. Use of pedestal-mounted front buckets (similar to those in the A.M.C./Renault Alliance) and placement of the folding rear bench ahead of the rear axle give five-passenger capacity as compared with the competition's four. Cargo area behind the rear seat also will be larger than that in any current compact sports utility.

A new 105-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder standard engine should be E.P.A. rated in the 24-mpg city, 30 highway range with four-speed manual transmission. A 2.8-liter V6 built by G.M. will be optional, and both five-speed manual and three-speed automatic will be available options with either engine. The two-door Cherokee's doors are extra long for easy rear-seat access, and the luxury, family-oriented Wagoneer will be the only four-door in this size class. Look for a starting price of about $10,000 when these new Jeeps hit showrooms in September.

Mitsubushu Montero

After long supplying Chrysler Corporation with high-quality Japanese cars and trucks (Dodge Challenger, Colt and Ram 50, Plymouth Sapporo and Champ), Mitsubishi last year established a U.S. dealer network of its own. The first brand-name Mitsubishis here were the front-drive Cordia coupe and Tredia sedan and a turbocharged Starion 2 + 2 sports car. Then the new importer surprised the sports-utility market in April with a slick little 4wd called Montero. This is the smallest of our showcase six (157 inches on a 93-inch wheelbase) and the least expensive (about $9200), despite its long list of standard features—radial tires on styled, spoke wheels; an outside spare-tire mount; protective skid plates; a fold-down rear seat; a unique suspended driver's seat; plus more. It has a perky, squared-off look, and its high (9.3-inch) ground clearance, short overhangs, 2.6-liter overhead-cam four-cylinder engine and short, sloping hood make it an off-road winner.

Toyota Land Cruiser

Toyota has been selling anvil-tough Land Cruisers in this country almost as long as it's been peddling cars. Although a bit on the primitive side in terms of comfort and amenities, Land Cruisers are built like bridge girders and are as reliable as tax increases, and they'll practically climb the sides of buildings if you can stay in the seat. They are powered by a low-revving, high-torque 4.2-liter six-cylinder engine (almost a carbon copy of Chevrolet's old-faithful straight six) that grinds out 125 hp through a heavy-duty four-speed manual transmission. They're intended more for serious off-road work and play than for on-highway cruising.

For 1981, the 108-inch-wheelbase Land Cruiser Wagon was redesigned into a more attractive, better-equipped package with a more comfortable and better-appointed interior, but the unbreakable chassis and power train were little changed. The massive, solid front axle still rides on heavy leaf springs, and the four-speed still cries out for an overdrive fifth gear. On the other hand, the new Wagon has the most ground clearance (9.4 inches) of our group and the second-highest pay load (after the similar-sized Ramcharger) at 1171 pounds. Starting price is about $13,000 for the Land Cruiser Wagon, while the smaller Land Cruiser Hardtop goes for about $10,000. E.P.A. economy ratings are 12 mpg city, 17 highway for the Wagon and 13/17 for the Hardtop.

Other Rough Riders

A few European 4wds are being imported by small firms that modify them to meet U.S. safety and emissions regulations and price them accordingly. These include the rugged British-built Range Rover wagon, powered with a 215-cubic-inch 3.5-liter V8 engine, and the much more advanced Mercedes Gelandewagen. Both are excellent off-road machines, but replacement parts aren't the easiest to come by. If it's exclusivity you want, you pays your money (prices for these vehicles range from about $25,000 for the Range Rover to about $45,000 for the Geländewagen) and takes your chances.

On the other hand, Japanese maker Isuzu—former supplier to General Motors of Buick Opel Isuzu econocars and Chevrolet LUV minitrucks—plans a September U.S. introduction of its 4wd Trooper. This 104-inch-wheelbase, two-door wagon looks like a cross between the Range Rover and the new down-sized Jeep Cherokee, and it's powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine driving through a four-speed manual transmission. Automatic-locking front hubs and a fair amount of additional equipment will be standard at a base price of about $10,000.

If you're not yet a 4wd enthusiast, you may wonder why anyone would want to own such an animal. Well, there is the safety factor (great traction when driving in the wet and high seating for visibility in traffic). But, like the gentleman who buys a new racing Ferrari and then only commutes in it to his club, 4wd owners who never take their vehicles farther off road than their driveways still like to know that if they really wanted to, they could point their machine where mere mortal wheels fear to tread and go over the river, through the woods and right off into the sunset.

"The Dodge Ramcharger is an old-school sports utility—big, muscular and macho."

Off-Road Vehicles: Playboy's Picks