1980 Traveler Turbo Diesel
Category: The Scout is Fired
In 1980, the Scout line was euthanized by a company with goals beyond light trucks. The Scout was a Four Wheeler favorite over the years, but even as imminent death loomed, it wasn't discussed in the pages of the magazine. Most people really thought that something would save the popular line. The Traveler was an evolution of the Scout that came when IH killed off its light-truck line in 1975. The next year, two stretched versions, the Terra pickup and the Traveler SUV, took their places alongside the Scout II bobtail and were designed to replace the lost 1/2-ton pickups and Travelall. Four Wheeler staffers found the '76 Traveler good enough for a FWOTY award in '76. The final Scouts were offered with optional turbodiesels that offered mileage in the mid 20s or better. After a couple of failed attempts to sell the Scout line to other manufacturers, Scouts entered the realm of the orphan 4x4.
1981 Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler
Category: If Only We'd Known
When it debuted-ta-dah!-the Scrambler fizzled. It was a good idea that was marketed rather haphazardly as a midyear '81 intro. Many experts now say that if Jeep had pitted the CJ-8 directly against the early contenders in the minitruck arena, it may have had a better chance at success. As it was, production stopped in 1985 after only about 28,000 were produced. Fast-forward to today: These scarce rigs are being snapped up like candy at a sugarholics convention. Four Wheeler tested the Scrambler shortly after the March intro and published the results in the July issue. It was tested again in November, and one last time in '85. Until the hardcore types discovered that Scramblers made an almost ideal builder, they could be found at bargain prices.
1982 Dodge Power Ram 50
Category: Ram Who?
When the fires of the minitruck wars flared up in the early '80s, the quick way for American manufacturers to field an entrant was to rebadge an import. Dodge's answer was to offer a Mitsubishi-built unit, and the company didn't do badly with it. Four Wheeler appreciated its virtues enough to give it a FWOTY win. The little Ram had the benefits of a big 2.6L four or a sprightly-but-thrifty turbodiesel. It was nicely packaged and appealing. For those reasons, and many more, it lasted until 1993. The little Ram faded in stature alongside the many other entrants, but it really didn't deserve the total obscurity it lives in today.
1983 Chevrolet S-10
Category: They're Everywhere!
GM used the leeway that the LUV gave it in the market to field a totally domestic unit for '83. The basic platform encompassed both an SUV and a line of pickups. Both were successful and both lines have progeny living on today. The S-series added a new element: 2.8L V-6. It wasn't a big or particularly powerful V-6, but it beat all the mini guys for power. They were hot sellers, and when Four Wheeler staffers got hold of an S-10 Blazer late in '82, it was FWOTY time for the little Chev. The S-series, at least the original style, got ink at least four more times until it evolved in '94.
1984 Jeep Cherokee XJ
Category: The Jeep That Saved AMC
Besides being a trend setter, Cherokee was the rig that pulled AMC out of a flat spin just a few hundred feet off the hard deck. A wobbly AMC gambled the last of its resources on developing the XJ and the gamble paid off. By the time Chrysler came along to snap up the company in '87, AMC had gone from an emaciated giant to a gaunt, but recovering, one. The virtues of the XJ-lightweight, compact-yet-roomy design, superb suspension, and a trailworthy solid front axle-were not lost on Four Wheeler. The XJ won the FWOTY award in '84, and again after its facelift in '97, plus lots more praise along the way. The Cherokee model was retired in 2001, but you haven't seen the end of the Cherokee XJ.
1985 Toyota SR-5
Category: The Last Real Toy
Toyota 4x4 pickups soon jumped to the top of the import minitruck category. Many of the harder-core Toyota truck fans think the '85 was the best of the bunch. It is revered for being the last of the solid-front-axle trucks, and for also having electronic fuel injection. It's not clear if Four Wheeler staffers had that in mind when they gave it a FWOTY trophy, but they definitely liked it a bunch. They must have liked the IFS variant too, because it got Pickup Truck of the Year (PTOTY) for '89.
1986 Jeep CJ-7
Category: End of an Era
Many Jeep fans consider the last year of the CJ a sacred time. In fact, some of them stand reverently when it is mentioned, and give the stink-eye to anyone who doesn't. Their reasons have as much to do with how it happened, as anything else. The venerable CJ had spent several years under a media bombardment dealing with unexplained rollovers that most four-wheelers-indeed, most thinking drivers-took as unfair. In the end, AMC did the politically correct thing and killed it. Everyone in the automotive magazine biz did a story lamenting the end of an era. The tears soon dried, however, and Jeepers discovered that the replacement wasn't so bad, even if it had those goofy square headlights.
1987 Jeep Wrangler YJ
Category: Torch Carrier
When the Wrangler first appeared, some of the hard-core Jeep nuts had a little trouble seeing it through red eyes and gnashing teeth. It took a few years for the "real Jeeps have round headlights" bumper stickers to go away. With a little time, everyone soon realized that the YJ was a good unit with many improved features that lent themselves to modification. Maybe the CJ name was gone, but the torch was being carried by an able and worthy descendant. When you think about it, AMC was pretty clever about this transformation. They slung off the shackles of abuse without losing the core of what a Jeep represented.
1988 Chevrolet K1500
Category: Trend Setter (Dang-it!)
The year 1988 marked the beginning of the end for the solid-front-axle big pickup. The IFS 4x4 trend now has overtaken all but the Ford and Dodge HD trucks in today's market. Could it be this is why the big rigs with solid axles are so popular right now? Should Four Wheeler hang its head in shame for giving the '88 K1500 a FWOTY award? Perhaps, but Four Wheeler is nothing if not realistic. There is a world out there beyond hardcore 'wheeling and that world demands trucks with better manners. As enthusiasts, we are more willing to put up with somewhat-decreased street manners for benefits on the trail. That said, don't forget the billions of non-enthusiast Joe Schlabotnics out there who drive their pickups every day and want their trucks to be comfortable, safe, and predictable. Joe doesn't need any more trail capability than IFS offers. The K1500 answered those needs very nicely, and did so in a visually improved package with many new features.
1989 Range Rover
Category: Stiff Upper Lips
By 1989, the Range Rover had been in production almost 20 years. It first appeared on our shores (not counting some gray-market imports) in 1987 and was hailed as a benchmark in many ways, but one with a few shortcomings. The glaring ones, mostly in the horsepower department, had been eliminated by '89. As legend has it, when one of these luxomachines came into the Four Wheeler offices to be tested, the result would be subtle warfare over who got to drive it. The best part was that it also proved to be a very capable 'wheeler. As a result, it walked away with the FWOTY honors that year. Land Rover-built rigs have taken FWOTY honors two more times since, and have regularly gotten positive ink at Four Wheeler.