V6

With winter pretty much upon us, thoughts of warmer days take hold, and with them memories of various off-road adventures we have undertaken. Take the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium for instance, which serves as a time capsule both in the bright green foliage around it, and within the vehicle itself.

Ask yourself this simple question: Is this the golden age of performance automobiles? We tend to think so. Fuel prices remain relatively reasonable, engineering advancements have provided us with more forced induction solutions than we can shake a piston at, torque-vectoring is not just brake-driven but power oriented as well, and automakers are taking unassuming family cars and are making performance models out of them.

The first Mitsubishi that I ever came into close contact with was my dad’s Colt hatchback. Rebadged as a Dodge, the five-door was a daily-driven delight. With a manual gearbox, stellar fuel economy, room aplenty for baby seats, and nary a mechanical issue to be seen over multiple years.

When opportunity comes knocking it is often best to answer. Preferably with a hearty “Hell yeah!” and especially when it involves a Nissan 370Z that’s been converted into an over-sized snowmobile on steroids. This is exactly what happened to Nissan’s chief Truck and SUV Brand Communications specialist, Kevin Raftery; who upon accepting the offer to take the snow-throwing Fairlady Z out for a spin in the Grand Tetons, found himself assisting in the creation of Nissan’s latest video adventure.

Today’s tale begins with the background behind this crazy caper. Instead of going to Japan to visit my wife’s family like we normally do annually, they opted instead to come to the States this year. That’s all fine and dandy in my book, but there was one stipulation: They were flying into LA instead of Cincinnati, and all four adults and two children wanted to go on a “Wild West Road Trip.”

Truck buying trends have kicked into high gear in recent years, and as automotive enthusiasts we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. From TRD Pro Tacomas and the mighty Nissan Titan, to air-ride-equipped RAM 1500 Night Editions and the carnivorous Raptor, there is a lot to like on the market nowadays.

Vibrant, low-lined, and vintage inspired, the 370Z Heritage Edition hearkens back to a time when John Denver 8-tracks ruled the lower console, and vinyl wasn’t just for record players, but was a staple material for automotive interiors.

Oh Hyundai how you have changed, and dammit if I don’t love ya for it. A strange void within the automotive landscape has been filled, and after years of adaptation and gradually becoming a legitimate alternative to American, European, and Japanese machines, you have finally decided to tackle the all-imposing luxury market with your own spin-off.

When Acura resurrected its original mantra of “Precision Crafted Performance” some years back, most of us shrugged and didn’t think much of it. Without a glimmer of the Integra/RSX anywhere to be seen, and turbocharged technology only being bestowed upon the unobtainable NSX, the final portion of this catch phrase felt fairly misaligned with the company’s lineup.

Ford is celebrating 100 years of pickup trucks this summer, and to memorialize this momentous occasion The Blue Oval has rolled out a series of updated F-150 offerings that demand to be discussed. For 40 consecutive years, the F-150 has been the best-selling truck in America, with 35 straight years of that earmarking it as the best-selling vehicle in the market… period.

Lexus really wants America to shake-off those nagging sedan slumpin’ blues. But this task has proved far more daunting than previously expected. Despite releasing turbocharged powerplants and brilliant offerings like the insatiable GS F sport sedan, consumer interest in classically styled four-door vehicles has remained tepid at best.

Acura has found itself chasing the competition in the sport sedan segment for a hot minute now, something it wants to change with the recent reincarnation of its original slogan: “Precision Crafted Performance.” Whereas the first two words are easily instilled within the latest TLX, it appears that Acura is relying heavily upon technology, style, safety, and handling instead of diving headfirst into the deep end of the performance pool.

There’s no getting around it. The all-wheel drive Challenger GT is one hell of a unique spin on American muscle car culture. Vibrant buyer interest in all-wheel drive versions of the Charger have caused the iconic coupe to morph into a surefooted snowshoe hare, an animal that prefers stability and agility over brawn and bite, and quite frankly we love it.

You probably have family members that live in the middle of nowhere. One of those small towns where nothing much happens except for the occasional noise complaint about a garage band in the newspaper’s police blotter.

Over the years, Ferrari has made some incredibly sexy cars, and out of all of them, one of my all time favorites is the Dino. Rumors have swirled for a long time that Ferrari wants to bring the Dino nameplate back, and the best indication yet that the car will return has just been offered up by Ferrari CEO Amadeo Felisa.