By Howard J Elmer   This year marks the Jeep's 70th anniversary. First built in 1941 for the military, it did so well in battle that civilian versions followed, starting in 1945 with the CJ-2A. This light 4WD vehicle featured a tiny 134-cubic-inch I-4 engine, a manual T-90A transmission, Spicer 18 transfer case and a [...]

By Howard J Elmer   What if cars could “talk” to each other?  Perhaps they’d talk shop, but more likely, they’d make a point of saying “Don’t run into me!” At least that’s what Ford thinks, now that it is giving a voice to its cars with a new program called Intelligent Vehicles. This new [...]

By Howard J Elmer This is the second report on my current long-term tester, the Chevy Silverado 2500 4WD Crew Cab with a 6.5-foot box. My truck runs the newest 6.6L Duramax diesel that makes 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque. Coupled to this engine is the six-speed automatic Allison 1000 World transmission. The [...]

Steam Whistle Brewery combines classic muscle with environmental responsibility Story and photos by Budd Stanley The Steam Whistle brewery, like many small production breweries, is always looking to get the good word out to the public, and one way to do so, was to combine two passions. Company founder, Greg Taylor, while loving beer, also [...]

By Howard J Elmer   At an event (open to the public) just outside Toronto recently, Ford showed off its newest F-150 pickup with four engine choices. I didn’t go, as this was a demo I’d already seen. However, I knew the star of this show was going to be the new 3.5L V6 EcoBoost [...]

A 4WD icon for 60 years Story by Budd Stanley, photos courtesy of Toyota   You really just can’t realize the effect that the Willys Jeep has had on the world until you start to look at how many vehicles have tried to capture the essence of the small, light 4WD. The year was 1941, [...]

Ram Surprises Plus More Power for Super Duty By Howard J Elmer   Chrysler’s Ram truck brand has been taking heat from truck buyers (and auto writers like me) for lagging behind Ford and GM in the power and capacity department. So, in a not completely unexpected move, Ram has released a mid-cycle upgrade of [...]

Howard J Elmer Most pickup truck evaluations take place in diners over cups of coffee. Owners trade stories about their trucks with one another, and are always quick to offer advice to the guy in the market for a new pickup. These tales cover the good and bad features of their trucks, stories that are [...]

In just our last issue, you read about the release and first test drive of the 2011 GM HD trucks. At the time, GM claimed the “best” titles in horsepower, torque, payload and towing capacity. But this supremacy...

There are big movements afoot at Chrysler these days. The company that filed for bankruptcy protection just last year, held a sense of uncertainty and gloom over the pentastar brands. However, they are about to break that trend with...