An Off-road Car Review: 1997 Land Rover Defender 90

The 1997 Land Rover Defender can be categorized as a rugged sport-utility car that used all over the world. There are some considerations that the LR Defender 90 is the last of the real Land Rovers with its solid axles and short wheelbase intact, not to mention that the Defender 90 is a great performance for the off-road enthusiasts. The Defender 90 features 3-inch lift, the skinny LT255/85R16 BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2 Tires to provide the off-roaders’ needs. Since the Defender 90 designed to provide the off-roaders’ needs, it has a reliable performance when it comes to rocky, bumpy, and muddy roads.
The 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 has a rubber floor mats and the seats’ covering are designed as washable fabrics. The 1997 version of Land Rover went through some upgrades, especially in engine. The 1997 models upgraded and cleaner-burning 4.0L V-8. The engine type yields 182 horsepower and 233 lb-ft of torque. Another new thing happens to the 1997 models is ZF four-speed automatic transmission which operated automatically and factory full-time 2-spd transfer case. The air conditioning for the Defender 90 is improved very well than the previous Land Rover models. It also loaded with a six-disc player, and also a brand new center console with an instrument cluster that operated automatically.
For the standard brakes, the Defender 90 has four-wheel discs along with four brake-piston calipers in front and two piston calipers in rear. The Defender 90 can be proven as a safe off-road car with its good three-point seat belts/shoulder harshness that can be used when the car went through a very challenging track on the way. However, the car has a disturbing high level noise. Even so, the noise is an understandable since the Defender 90 is a truck along with its high level noise. But overall, the car is recommended for the off-road enthusiasts since the design and the specs are perfectly compatible with off-road tracks.    

An Off-road Car Review: 2010 Nissan Xterra Off-road

 If you are Nissan enthusiasts, you will be familiar with the infamous tagline of Nissan Xterra, that is “Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.”  The tagline created by Nissan since years ago and it always applied to any series of Nissan Xterra. The car is a SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) which can be used as an off-road car and a comfortable daily drive car at the same time. There are four models available for the Nissan Xterra; they are the base-level Xterra X with 2WD or 4WD, the Xterra S 2WD or 4WD, the Terri SE 2WD or 4WD, and the Xterra Off-road with only 4WD and the choice lies in manual or automatic transmission.
Let’s take an example from the Nissan Xterra, that is the 2010 Nissan Xterra Off-road model. The shape of the Nissan’s four models looks similar with since the debute of the Nissan Xterra in 2000. Even so, there are still many additional items over the years of each new model that has been produced by Nissan. The interior of the Nissan Xterra Off-road consists of rugged gray fabric with red stitching that designed uniquely, reclining driver and front passenger seats, the rear lift gate and large side rear windows give the driver good view outside.
The 2010 Nissan Xterra Off-road equipped with electronically locking solid rear axle and a heavy-duty Dana axle for manual transmission. The manual transmission is a standard six feet behind the Xterra’s 4.0-liter v-6. It is also equipped with knobby BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires size 265/75R16 riding on 6-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels and compatible with ground clearance 9.5 inches, Blistein gas shocks, fuel tank, transfer case, and skid plates for the oil pan. For the automatic transmission of the 2010 Nissan Xterra Off-road comes with Descent Control and also Hill Start Assist.

An Off-Road Car Review: 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Moab Edition

This year, Jeep Wrangler launched another edition of its car named Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Moab in 2013.  For the off-roaders, Moab is exactly not unfamiliar name. The fact is that the Wrangler is named after the world most famous off-road destination in Utah called Moab. The Wrangler Unlimited Moab designed based on Sahara premium model and equipped with a Dana 30 front axle and 44 rear axle, Command Track transfer case, Trac-Lock differential, and new 245/75R17 Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor tires with Kevlar reinforcement. Those equipments are designed for the off-roading enthusiasts and provided them with great adventure. Besides, the uniqueness of the Wrangler and its performances on challenging tracks can catch the attention of customers around the world.

The exterior features of the Moab consist of 17 inch diameter of painted Rubicon aluminum wheel, premium winch front bumper with foglights intact and premium rear bumper, Moab decals in its Mopar Power Doom hood, standard premium soft top, a black fuel filler door, trail lamp guards, and many more. While the interior of the Moab consists of a steering wheel wrapped with black leather, black leather seats designed for the Moab that improved over the seats from previous editions,  electrochromatic rearview mirror with LED interior lamps intact, the Connectivity Group, seven-speaker audio from Alpine, Mopar slush mats, instrument panel grab handle with ‘Moab’ embossed on it, Iron Gray trim on the vent rings, and many more interesting and excellent interior features provided for off-road enthusiast. The audio system that attached to the Moab works very well to draw out the wind noise when the Moab at the highway speeds.  
The 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Moab edition is available in several colors, such as crush, dozer, rock, lobster, gecko, black and bright white exterior. It is also available as Wrangler with two doors or four doors.                

2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser: One of the Least Expensive SUV’s

For off-road car enthusiast, 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser is a highly recommended off-road car in midsize SUV and has a very reliable ability for off-roading. Despite the similar style with FJ40 in 1960s-era, the midsize SUV and its uniquely design and almost cartoonist looks represents the cool FJ cruiser with its rugged retro style. The SUV becomes an iconic of Toyota. It is reported that Toyota designed Toyota FJ Cruiser in 2013 after five-year hiatus in designing any FJ type. Even though the style seems quite old from front to end, but this SUV is a good performer off-road car and highly functional. It is because Toyota still maintains FJ philosophy for being a functional and straightforward rather than overly stylish off-road car.
The midsize SUV is a 4D off-road car and capable in having five passengers inside with maximum weight rating of 5.000 pounds. With a 4.0L V-6 engine, Toyota FJ Cruiser makes 260hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. Besides, the FJ Cruiser has 5-speed automatic electronically controlled transmission with intelligence (ECT-i) and P265/70R17 tires. The interior of the midsize SUV consists of air conditioning, four waterproof fabric-trimmed seats, a steeling wheel, skidplates, a rear door with mouthed full-size spare tire, and many more. The electronic devices in the midsize SUV will keep the driver company during the ride no matter where they are heading to, such as AM/FM/CD with the jack intact. The standard audio system includes Bluetooth hands-free connectivity with six speakers and its port for iPod or any other music players. Not to mention that a JBL 10-speaker premium system is available for used.
For the off-road car with amazing performance and uniquely design with impressive interior, it is surprisingly categorized as one of the least expensive SUV’s in 2013. Off-road car enthusiasts can have the midsize SUV with US $ 28,095.

An Off-Road Car Review: 2012 Yamaha Rhino 700 FI Auto 4x4 Sport Edition

For an ATV, Yamaha Rhino 700 FI Auto 4x4 Sport Edition that produced in 2012 has a very good and satisfying performance for its users.  Despite its size, this mini truck has its own plus points compare to any other ATVs or trucks nowadays. The riders can bring this Rhino to a road trip to desserts, rocky tracks, even mountains. Having a test drive, the Rhino has its own adventure during several road trips to Calico Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, Johnson Valley, and any other interesting places and so far the test driver of the ATV had fun during the challenging trips.
Even though the Rhino 700 FI Auto 4x4 Sport Edition shared several things with its predecessor called Rhino 700FI, the sport edition designed more stylish with its very reliable packages the drivers can get from a 4x4. Besides, the Rhino will be able to go through hard tracks where the conventional big trucks will not succeed. The thick bucket seats with a seat belt for each bucket are installed to make the users comfortable during the ride and can be adjusted as the drivers liking. The Rhino also has LED tail lights, aluminum door knobs, 7.3 inches of wheel travel for each corners, a parking brake, etc.
With a 686cc liquid/oil-cooled, four-stroke engine, Yamaha Rhino 700 FI Auto 4x4 Sport Edition provides excellent performance for the drivers anytime and anywhere they want. The engine has Ultramatic transmission with dual-range drive along with an industry-exclusive three-position On-Command In/Out 4WD. By pushing just one button, the drivers are able to change between 2WD, limited-slip 4WD and fully locked differently (front differential locked, center differential locked, and rear differential locked). However, the engine seems produce a disturbing noise because of the high rpm that the CTV seems to allow.