When Toyota offered to let us tag along on a 2010 4Runner durability test on the Rubicon Trail, we immediately accepted the invitation. Not only were we anxious to see the new, fifth-generation 4Runner, we wanted to see how it handled the granddaddy of all trails.inline_mediumwraptextright25586552/roadtests/129_0912_2010_toyota_4runner_review_rubicon_trail129_0912_01_z+2010_toyota_4runner_trail+front_view_mud.jpgTrue

San Diego, California, just a stone's throw from the US-Mexico border and sharing much of the terrain with our neighbor to the south, seemed like a logical jumping- off point to realize our urges to get behind the wheel of the most controversial truck Ford has ever developed. After all, most of the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor's off-highway capability, inspired by Mexico's Baja peninsula, was developed and tested in the Anza-Borrego desert, northeast of San Diego.inline_mediumwraptextright25584743/roadtests/129_0912_2010_ford_f150_raptor_first_drive129_0912_02_z+2010_ford_f150_svt_raptor+front_view.jpgTrue

To some of you, low-speed, technical dirt bike trail riding isn't your "cup of tea." When you "saddle up," it's for intense riding punctuated by eyeball-watering speed and nosebleed jumps. For you, there's the Suzuki RM-Z450.inline_mediumwraptextright30849807/roadtests/bed_toys/129_0911_2009_suzuki_rm_z450_motorcycle129_0911_02_z+2009_suzuki_rmz450+in_air.jpgTrue

The 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 may very well be the breakthrough product Chrysler has been looking for. It is a showcase for the company's new design philosophy, quality, and technology and quite frankly, one of the best vehicles Chrysler has ever produced. Four Wheeler has had a long history with the previous-generation Dodge Ram, including our 2004 Cummins-powered long-termer; our 2005 Power Wagon that became our Of The Year winner, then long-termer and now project vehicle; and finally the 2006 TRX4 that won our Pickup Truck Of The Year award before spending time in our fleet. It is safe to say that we consider ourselves experts on the Ram, and as such, we couldn't wait to get the 2009 version into our long-term fleet. In addition to a captivating new exterior design, the 2009 Dodge Ram also brings to the table a top-shelf interior and a coil-sprung rear suspension.inline_mediumwraptextright26576482/roadtests/bed_toys/129_0911_2009_dodge_ram_1500_trx4_review129_0911_01_z+2009_dodge_ram_1500_trx4+drivers_side_view.jpgTrue

How many times have you wished you could wheel every day? Throw some dirt after dinner? Crawl some rocks after work? Well, now you can, easily, with Traxxas' new four-wheel-drive Summit radio control (R/C) truck.

Alright, we didn't really wheel her over the infamous Mini-Rubicon. But we just returned from Top Truck Challenge XVII at Hollister Hills, where our long-term Jeep Patriot was put to work doing one of the things it does best, using its ample interior space to haul coolers and luggage for staff members, radios for the judges, and prizes and trophies for competitors. We also got a chance to spend some time tooling around in the dirt with the Patriot, and all told, she's a fun little runabout off the pavement.

Two-passenger ATVs are gaining a foothold in the marketplace, and one of those is the Can-Am Outlander Max 800R EFI LTD. The benefit of a "two-up" machine is obvious. Of course, critics will point out that a side-by-side can haul two people, so that market is already covered. Uh, not so fast. The beauty of a two-up ATV like the Outlander is that in addition to comfortably carrying two adults, the machine is shorter in length, narrower in width, and it weighs far less than a side-by-side. Like numbers? We compared the Outlander Max 800R EFI LTD to a couple of popular side-by-sides and found it to be more than 20 inches shorter, about 18 inches narrower, and around 850 pounds lighter on average. Additionally, it has a combined rack capacity of 300 pounds and a maximum towing capacity of 1,300 pounds, so it's on par with popular side-by-sides in that area too.

At the beginning of our test, we thought this was the end of the road for the Titan as we know it, but the original plans of Chrysler to build the next-generation Titan off of the Ram platform have been put on ice. This means that the current version will carry on for now, making our year with Nissan's biggest rig that much more relevant.

It was probably the last comment in the logbook that summed up our long term experience with the 2008 Hummer H3 Alpha--our 2008 Four Wheeler of the Year, and it read, "Sorry to see the H3 leave--one of the best vehicles we've ever had!"

Not everything in this world is about taking your truck over gnarly obstacles or piloting it through Yao Ming-deep mud bogs. Did we just say that? Well, some adventures involve the truck only to take you to your starting point (and, yeah, there could be some mud and rocks along the way). Once there, it might be a matter of unloading a dirtbike for exploring the skinny trails in the backwoods, or an ATV for heading off on a hunting expedition. Or maybe you prefer to use one of the two machines to blow off steam through competition. Here's a look at what you'll find in the ATV and dirtbike markets that fit those uses and more.

We've always felt the new Tundra is a solid pickup truck, big enough and strong enough for heavy jobs in the real world. The 5.7-liter V-8, in particular, has always stood out as a hot-rod power plant with advanced features.

Bottom Line
It was fascinating to watch the Chaser's manners as we drove into the Soggy Dry Lake area on the brutally rough Bessemer Mine Road. Even on the rock-dotted washboard surface, the Chaser stayed very composed and controlled thanks to the TASS suspension. This airbag-equipped independent suspension is impressive in every regard. We continued to be impressed when we got onto the curvy, rocky, off-camber trails. Our Chaser's 21 inches of ground clearance meant that if we got our tow rig over an obstacle, the Chaser was sure to follow easily because it actually had a bit more ground clearance than our tall Teal Brute. Also impressive was the Lock N' Roll hitch, which allowed the trailer to articulate freely over all types of terrain.

When I was a kid, there was one particularly long hill where my Dad would always shift our truck into Neutral and coast for a mile or so down the gentle grade. I'd seen him do it many times before it occurred to me one day to ask him why.

Dual-purpose motorcycles are awesome. Thanks to their on-/off-highway design, they offer the option of pounding pavement or tackling trails in one package. In addition, their street-legal status allows you to travel easily between trail systems that are separated by roadways. With a dual-purpose bike, you don't have too mess around with loading and unloading your bike just to legally travel to a trail a few miles away

What? No transfer case? Have we gone soft in the head? OK, probably, but we're no strangers to all-wheel drive. It wasn't too long ago that Audis, and Subarus, and even Tercel Wagons (?) graced our pages regularly, and as more manufacturers transition from truck-based SUVs to unitbody crossovers, we've tried to stay abreast of the latest developments in the new trends and technology. Go with the flow or be left behind, and all that.

This is the last report of our 2008 Pickup Truck Of The Year Winner, the Ford Super Duty. In the year of service it spent with Four Wheeler, our truck has been tasked to help people move, participate in desert clean-ups, towed various projects all over the country (including Colonel Mustard to Moab for Easter Jeep Safari), helped test trailers for our award-winning sister publication RV magazine, and gone wheeling from Pismo to Joshua Tree.

It used to be that a workin' man's best friend was his horse or mule. Today, we have machines like the new Polaris Sportsman XP 850. Feed it gas and it's at your beck and call. But make no mistake, it's an animal.

We received a last-minute invite this year to join up again with Rod Hall Racing and Team Hummer to participate in the 40th anniversary of the Baja 1000, and there wasn't a more suitable choice in our long-term fleet than our 2008 FWOTY winner, the Hummer H3 Alpha.

A year has passed and our FJ Cruiser has returned to Toyota, but not before we put nearly 15,000 miles on it. We learned a lot about Toyota's smallest Cruiser during its stay with us, but one of the most intriguing things we discovered was how well received the FJ has been by our readers, becoming one of the most popular single models in recent memory.

The folks over at Cub Cadet have always been go-getters. Most well-known for their lawn tractors, they pioneered easy-to-use automatic transmissions; they were the first to launch a Zero-Turn lawn tractor; and they were the first, and only, lawn tractor brand with direct shaft drive. Now the crew at Cub Cadet has attacked the utility vehicle market and they're making an impression there too with their newest model, the Volunteer 4x4D.

We just returned from a day in northern California testdriving the new Lexus RX 450h, and as you might expect, it's a rolling encyclopedia of new-car tech. We'll do our best to explain it all in thumbnails, but suffice to say, it's a capable and civilized alternative to your run-of-the-mill crossover rigs.

"Take the Titan." That is the usual response when it comes to a staffer needing a tow rig to haul some project around or pickup to move stuff around. Thanks to a powerful drivetrain and hearty underpinnings, our Titan is a champ when it comes to doing work around the office, or the home.

It's been a year since we took delivery of our '07 Wrangler Rubicon, and it's been a genuine learning experience for us. The JK had already won our admiration as our 2007 Four Wheeler of the Year, but that test only takes place over a few days. What would happen if we subjected the Wrangler to a grueling year-long curriculum of dirt, rocks, sand, dry wash, and miles of treacherous freeway driving?

Arctic Cat offers 19 different ATVs, but one in particular is a real attention-grabber. That model is the Thundercat 1000 H2. Why? Well, this ATV lays claim to having the largest-displacement engine in the industry. We don't have to tell you the benefits of that.

If you're into ATVs that go fast-no scratch that, really fast-then you may want to take a look at Yamaha's new YFZ450R. Yamaha's goal was to build the world's best all-around high-performance racing and recreational sport ATV, and this is what they came up with.