| 1. | Honda Accord |
| 2. | Toyota Camry |
| 3. | Chevy C/K pickup |
| 4. | Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee |
| 5. | Honda Civic |
| 6. | Oldsmobile Cutlass |
| 7. | Ford F-series pickup |
| 8. | Ford Mustang |
| 9. | Dodge Caravan |
| 10. | Toyota Corolla |
4xWebThat passing fad called the Web that many of you dismissed years ago as a whim of the geek club is now one of the largest industries. It's no secret that you can find anything you want and plenty that you don't just by logging on.
In between all of the chat rooms and online shopping opportunities, there are also quite a few off-road Web sites worth checking out. For the next several issues, we'll be keeping an eye on 4x4review.com in particular and letting you know what you can find by checking them out right now.
In general, you will normally find 4x4 product reviews, tech articles, want ads, new-vehicle reviews, outdoor product reviews, event coverage, and a worldwide club listing. The company also offers a free newsletter.
Two new features should be up by the time you read this: the start of a long-term review on a 2000 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck, and a 10-bolt beefing article. The Web site intends to test the truck on- and off-road. The truck they have is a crew cab with a 7.3L Turbodiesel engine. The 10-bolt article will be in three parts and will show you how to make the most of the common corporate axles. In the first month, they will evaluate Offroad Design's chrome-moly axleshafts. Follow-up articles will include a rear 10-bolt buildup with Randy's Ring and Pinion Yukon axleshafts, a Detroit Locker, and an over-the-axle truss. So log on and check them out.
ML55 AMG: the fastest sport/ute on earth. No, really, we mean it this timeOK, you may think we're suffering from a bout of the boy who cried wolf, since we were all beside ourselves over the impressively fast numbers of the '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited, but the Mercedes-Benz ML55 AMG is putting out big time. The "55" refers to its 5.5L V-8, a variation of the E55 and European S55 models. It's also based on the new-generation M-B 5.0L V-8 found in the '99 SL500 car. That means this M-Class makes 342 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. Yowzer! The Mercedes suits have clocked it at 0-60 in less than 7 seconds. That'll get 'em to the mall in no time, huh?
The ML55 has a driver-adaptive electronic five-speed auto transmission, the four-wheel-drive system common to the M-Class, and Brake Assist, which can tell when the driver is stomping the brakes in panic mode and then applies full braking boost faster than the driver can. The ML55 is also the lucky beneficiary of the facelifted interior that all 2000 M-Class SUVs received. In addition to that cleaner, less-cheap styling, the 55 comes standard with a navigation system.
Political & Environmental Beat*Houston has jumped ahead of Los Angeles to be the smog capital of the United States. (Congrats, Houston. You get a crappy NFL team and the smog title.)
*According to the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA), the National Park System includes 378 areas throughout the U.S., and below are the 10 most endangered. We've included examples of the problems. For more info, check out www.parknet.org or www.npca.org.
*Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. A northern access road that would run through 80 miles of the park's wildlands is too costly, as well as a threat to wildlife.