A Half-Century Of Four Wheeler

Dec. ’82

New Vehicles That Broke Ground
“One of the first four-wheel drive cars to be chosen for thorough road testing by the Four Wheeler is Toyota’s Land Cruiser.”—Feb. ’62, “Our First Year”

“The biggest news this spring for four wheelers everywhere was the introduction of a V-8 engine by Jeep. This announcement, long awaited by Jeep enthusiasts, marks the first eight-cylinder engine ever to e offered in the Jeep lineup of back country rigs.”—June ’65, “Jeep’s New V-8”

“Toyota Motor Company, second in world truck imports, also has its interest in passenger imports, rating sixth in passenger car imports in the United States. Between the two lies the Toyota Land Cruiser, a hybrid truck/passenger vehicle...”—Apr. ’70, “Toyota L/C”

“The Hurst/Jeepster Special will feature a performance and dress-up package aimed at the younger segment, as well as those who feel young, in the four wheel drive market.”—July ’70, “Jeepster”

“Although the Bronco hasn’t changed visually, it does have optional power steering and an automatic transmission for the first time in history.”—Sept. ’72, “Four Wheelin’”

Dec. ’65, “Way…Way…Way off the Road”

“For pickups, one of the most important changes in ’73 is the removal of the fuel tank from the cab interior.” —Oct. ’72, “Chevrolet Preview: See the U.S.A…”

“If you aren’t familiar with those names…you soon will be.”—Mar. ’74, “What’s a Ramcharger? What’s a Trail Duster?”

July ’72, “Fetching Four Wheelers from Foreign Shores”

“The big news at International is in their engine changes, new standard electronic ignition and snazzy brand-new exterior color schemes.” —Jan. ’75, “International ’75: Great New Features”

“When we first picked up the little CJ-5 we experienced a bit of culture shock—suddenly it was 1944!”—June ’77, “’Plain Jane’ CJ-5”

“Gas prices and the EPA just might make the Sinpar Renault a 4x4 dream in the 1980s!”—Jan. ’79, “French 4x4 Connection”

“One of the big introductions at Ford for 1979 was the full one-ton pickup, the F 350.” —Jan. ’79, “1979 Ford F 350 Pickup”

Feb. ’74, “4x4 Dune Bus”

“What if you could have the reliability of a Mercedes-Benz engine, the styling of a Land Rover and a unique 100% differential lock on either axle, all in one truck?”—July ’79, “Mercedes-Benz 4x4”

“A new market is emerging—the family four wheel drive market.”—Sept. ’79, “The Eagles Have Landed”

“Now, before we have Toyota, Datsun and every mini truck buyer in the country down our editorial throat, there is something to be said about the import trucks. They are great!...They have also forced domestic manufacturers to change direction and start producing what America needs to meet the future.”—Apr. ’80, “Four Wheelin’”

“The long awaited Datsun four wheelers are here! Well, almost—after nearly a year of anticipation, Four Wheeler Magazine managed an exclusive preliminary preview and road test on the first Datsun 4x4 to enter the country.”—May ’80, “Exclusive Preview Datsun’s 1980 Four Wheel Drive Pickups”

“Almost one year ago, to the day, we were sitting around the art department here at Four Wheeler…wondering if the idea of a 4WD passenger car would ever really catch on with the public.”—Sept. ’80, “Preview: AMC’s New Eagle SX/4 & Kammback”

“But what about trucks? IH came back with a super efficient Nissan tubodiesel in ’79-80 models that averaged 21 mpg. And Chevrolet is hard at work for an ’82 model year introduction of an all new 6.2 liter diesel mill for light duty trucks.”—Apr. ’81, “Four Wheelin’”

“This is the story of a vehicle who’s time has come.”—Aug. ’81, “Subaru Hatchback”

“The old Dodge Power Wagon never reached the same fame as other trucks that fought in WWII, and it seems as if the latest generation of Dodges is just as overlooked.”—June ’84, “1984 Dodge W250”

“Suzuki pioneered a whole new class of vehicle when it introduced the Samurai, the micromini-4x4.”—Jan. ’87, “So What Happened?”

“Introduced in 1979, the Toyota 4x4 pickup helped alter the state of recreational four wheeling.”—May ’89, “Joy Toys”

“In 1979, the biggest Wrangler Radial you could get was 32.4 inches tall. A brand-new GMC Jimmy cost $6,870; a CJ -5 cost $5,582 with lots of options, and a Ford F-150 Flareside shortbed cost $6,470 with a 351 V-8, CB radio, automatic trans, air conditioning, and Trac-Lok.”—Dec. ’89, “Random Input”

Feb. ’94, “No Two the Same”

“Little did we know that he Explorer would turn into the most successful new vehicle of the nineties.”— Jan. ’92, “100% Over, 50% Gone”

“Based on what we saw, the Mercedes approach will be quite gratifying to those who demand multiple capabilities from their sport-utility—which is another way of saying that people who really do use their 4x4s for the purpose they were intended will appreciate the Mercedes.”—May ’97, “Mercedes M-Class”

“Several testers commented that it couldn’t be a diesel because there seemed to be no black smoke trail or horrible stink emanating from the tailpipe.”—Sept. ’97, “1997 Chevy Suburban 6.5 TD”

“GM engineers have dipped deep into the Hummer styling well, deep into General Motors parts bins, and finally, deep into their own imagination and commitment as engineers and enthusiasts…”—Sept. ’02, “2003 Hummer H2”