Coolest Clean-Up
And we're not talking just about the snow on the ground. The Deschutes County 4-Wheelers from Bend, Oregon, together with nearly 100 volunteers from other 4WD clubs, the Forest Service, and a local motorcycle club, spent a chilly day cleaning debris from the Cabin Butte, Coyote Butte, and Horse Butte areas. Members cleared away some 25,000 pounds of trash, including 12 household appliances, a cab-over camper, and an entire trailer full of tires.
We applaud the efforts of these dedicated 'wheelers, and we're glad they shared their photos with us. If your club sponsors a clean-up day, let us know about it. Send photos and info to Cool Clean-Ups, 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, or e-mail us at 4wheeloffroad@primedia.com. Digital photos need to be high-res, please (at least 4x5 inches at 300 dpi). If you can get us info about your clean-up at least four months in advance, we'll run the date in our events calendar.
Toyota Freshens 4Runner
Toyota's midsize SUV gets a new look and interior revisions for '06. The facelift includes a new grille, front and rear bumpers, headlamps, foglamps, and taillight clusters, plus new "overfenders" (we think that means fender flares) and lower body cladding. To better differentiate the various 4Runner models, Toyota has added details distinct to each trim level, such as a unique smoked chrome grille, tubular rack and steps, and 17-inch wheels for the Sport Edition; standard 18-inch wheels for the Limited; and chrome door handles for the SR5. Interior upgrades include new rear-seat entertainment and navigation system options across the model line. Mechanically the 4Runner remains unchanged, available with either a 236hp 4.0L V-6 or 260hp 4.7L V-8.
Coolest reading places in Uniform
John Carlton, a civilian contractor working in Iraq, sent us this photo of his '85 pickup parked under the Crossed Sabers in Baghdad. "I tried to get one with me and a couple troopers in it with a magazine, but the sabers are about 100 feet tall, so the picture didn't come out quite like I planned. If nothing else you can use it to tell people that this is the same truck as the project Army truck before y'all worked on it."
This Just In
* Automotive News reports that GM will restyle its fullsize SUVs and pickups for the '07 model year and will offer new powertrains in the trucks, including hybrid systems. A restyled Hummer H2, based on the fullsize truck GMT900 platform, will arrive in '08. Look for an SUT version of the H3 in '08 and a regular-cab pickup model in '09. Also coming in '09 are revamped Colorado and Canyon pickups.
* The Golden Eagle is back! After being away for more than two decades, Jeep's Golden Eagle package-complete with screaming chicken hood decal-is available for the Wrangler. In addition to the graphics, Golden Eagle Wranglers are equipped with a Dana 44 heavy-duty rear axle, special golden 15-inch Ravine alloy wheels, and 30-inch tires.
* Soccer moms, take note: Mindful that car and SUV buyers may be buying its new Mega Cab Ram, Dodge is equipping the big truck with a host of carlike amenities, including a sunroof, reclining and folding rear seats, tinted back glass, and a full-screen navigation system.
* You've no doubt seen the human toll Hurricane Katrina exacted on the Gulf states; now wrap your brain around this statistic: Carfax Inc. estimates the hurricane damaged anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 vehicles in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. As folks down there rebuild their lives, the to-do list will include replacing lost vehicles, and experts are warning that unscrupulous sellers may try to pass off storm-damaged vehicles with what's termed a "washed" title. According to Automotive News, vehicles damaged or totaled by the storm should have that noted on their titles, but scammers can clean those records off a title by selling and reselling the car through several states, because some motor vehicle departments don't retain the damage or salvage notation. As usual, if the deal is too good to be true, walk away.
Environmental & Political Watch
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed higher fuel economy (CAFE) regulations for light trucks which, if approved, will begin to take effect later in the decade. The multitiered program sets new mpg standards in six categories that are based on vehicle size. The DOT is using a vehicle's "footprint," or its wheelbase multiplied by its track width, to categorize trucks. The plan gradually raises mileage standards between 2008 and 2011 and makes smaller vehicles achieve higher numbers than larger ones. For example, the smallest trucks will need to average 26.8 mpg in 2008 and up to 28.4 mpg by 2011. The largest trucks will go from an average of 20.4 mpg in 2008 to 21.3 by 2011. Under the current regulations, the single, all-encompassing light-truck CAFE standard for 2006 is 21.6 mpg, and 22.2 mpg for 2007.
The goal here is to make people-hauling "trucks"-SUVs, minivans, and crossovers that were unheard of when CAFE standards first took effect in the '70s-as fuel efficient as people-hauling cars. Fair enough. However, the proposed standards apply only to trucks up to an 8,500-pound GVW, which means the true gas guzzlers are exempt. And since the standards are based on size, what's to prevent a maker from stretching a thirsty truck to push it into a less strict size category?
Here's the real kicker: The Department of Transportation estimates these new regulations "would save approximately 10 billion gallons of fuel over the lifetime of the vehicles sold during those four model years." Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times, that works out to about 25 days of U.S. gas consumption at current rates. If that's all we're netting, why force the truck makers to jump through these hoops?