For far too long the American market has enjoyed Toyota’s retro 4×4, which to be perfectly honest is the only Jeep-like vehicle that has caught my attention in a long time. Sensing that perhaps South Africans might be interested in a solid offroad vehicle with great street-cred, they’ve just launched it here. Yesterday in fact. We’ve got all the details and pictures here:

With styling cues from the original FJ40, such as the white roof, single round headlights and even sporting an original TOYOTA badge, the FJ cruiser is here to make you nostalgic for Land Cruisers of old.

With solid Land Cruiser underpinnings, the FJ is a serious 4×4, as opposed to a not-s0-serious 4×4 designed for the horrors of shopping centre car parks and climbing the curb at your daughter’s hockey game.

Four variants are available at launch, all sporting a 4.0 litre V6 petrol engine. Let’s get technical for a minute here.The powerplant is good for a rather massive 200kW (at 5600rpm) and 380Nm (at 4400rpm). With Toyota’s clever iVVTi (Intelligent Variable Valve Timing) operating all 24 valves, torque and power is spread nicely across the rev range.

In normal road mode, power is sent to the rears. Selecting 4×4 mode will send power to all four wheels through the transfer box, through the five-speed automatic transmission. The five speed auto box is equipped with Toyota’s AI Shift control with Flex Lock-Up, which measures road conditions, power requirements and driver inputs to adjust gear selection and gear changes to best deliver on driver intentions. Of course, low range is available. What did you expect?

Angles are important when offroading, apparently. You’ve got 34 degrees upfront, a breakover angle of 29 degrees and a departure angle of 30 degrees. Translation: you can drive up and down steep things. Ground clearance is 245mm on the FJ’s standard 17inch wheels and rubber.

We’ll be driving the FJ soon and let you know what we think of it. Prices below followed by a gallery.

Prices for the full range of Toyota FJ Cruiser in South Africa

FJ Cruiser:                           R435 500

FJ Desert Cruiser:            R450 400

Nudge bar with mounted driving lamps, all weather carpets, tow bar, rock rails, and Desert badges – Limited Edtion in Sandstorm colour.

FJ Trail Cruiser:                 R451 700

Roof rack with integrated driving lamps, black spare wheel cover, tow bar, all weather carpets and Trail badges – Limited Edition in Grey Metallic colour.

FJ Sport Cruiser:               R457 300

Raven black model with leather seats, chrome detailing on bumper, high mounted air intake, door handles, side mirrors, radiator grille, carpet set, FJ scuff plates and Sport badges.

Hyundai has long sweated over their exceptional auto designs, with their new concept car truly embracing their penchant for fluidic sculpture. By combining the latest technology with an urbanized vehicle, Hyundai have shoehorned their brightest ideas into the Curb. By casting aside notions of box-like urban runners, the Curb maintains its own style while showing no apparent shortcomings. The lead designer was quoted as saying that Hyundai wanted an ‘urban tough’ luxury truck.

A 1.6-liter gamma inline-four marks the basis of the Curbs powertrain and an additional turbocharger boosts output to 175HP. The dual-clutch gear system ensures that 50km per liter is achieved in the city, with 60km per liter possible on the highway. 22” Michelin wheels keeps this beast stuck firmly to the road; these wheels are further customised with orange-coloured tread patterns.

As for the advanced technology, we can one day look forward to the Curb treating us to exhaust vents that slide open to display a bike rack, an LCD display that completely replaces rear view mirrors, as well as three-holded A-pillars which improve cornering performance.  This Hyundai Concept is unlikely to be in any car dealers until 2015, according to the manufactures. For now, we will simply have to enjoy the glamour shots of the Curb on the showroom floor.

The Snake Series pickup is made on the lines of the (2003-2008) Ford F-150 and has Alcoa Shelby wheels as well as black stripes colored on the red model. The hood is custom made and the model comes with a 5.4 liter engine which gives us 475 hp. In addition to this, it will also feature 6 piston brakes. When it comes to the suspension of this beauty, it has been stiffened and decreased by 3 inches (7.6 cm) to make the ride a lot for enjoyable.

A number of aerodynamic and optics mechanisms are added in the kit and include custom front fascia, carbon fiber splitter, mesh grill and grill surround, bender vents, brake cooling ducts and Super Snake badges for looks. As for the interiors, it comes with a leather finish with Shelby logos quite prominently placed on the floor mats and headrests.

Reports suggest BMW will soon offer a three strong line-up of 4x4s – the X3, X5, and a vehicle that will bring yet another new acronym to the market – Sports Activity “Coupé” – in the form of the beefy X6

Spy photographers have managed to capture images of engineers testing the heavily-disguised prototype vehicle. Simultaneously, several artist impressions have appeared on the web, including these ones – which were published by Motor Forecast.

If the spy shots and mockups are anything to go by, the X6 will feature looks that are not too different from that of Mercedes-Benz’s low-slung “four-door coupé”, the CLS.

It’s been suggested that the X6’s roofline plunges downward after the B-pillar until it intersects with the rising waistline (cleverly obscured by the black tape in the spy shot of the prototype’s rear), giving the newcomer a coupé-like profile… That styling approach may have resulted in the most form-over-function SUV design to date.

Other notable aspects of the aggressive styling is the supersized “kidney grille” and a prominent roof spoiler. An anticipated disadvantage of the plunging roofline might be decreased headroom for rear occupants and severely compromised luggage space.

Under the bonnet, we could probably expect a choice of engines similar to the X5’s. A 3,0-litre petrol engine producing just over 200 kW, a 3,0-litre diesel engine producing around 170 kW and the range topping 4,8-litre V8, with over 260 kW. Rumour has that BMW’s award-winning 3,0-litre twin-turbocharged straight six will make an appearance and aficionados are obviously keeping their fingers crossed for a V10.

Sharing its wheelbase with the X5 should mean that the X6 will ride on double wishbones and feature Adaptive Drive – adjustable damping and anti-roll bars. By virtue of its lower centre of gravity, the X6 will be expect to handle better than the X5.

Although BMW AG has been reluctant to share details about the X6, a concept of the new “SAC” will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. It is believed the X6 will go into production in 2008 at BMW’s Spartanburg plant in the US.

Besides the driver skill there are quite a few other ingredients needed before drifting can be achieved with a SUV. Building on the success of 2006 whereby Gatebil built a 634 bhp E90 3 series BMW taxi, they have come up with the perfect recipe once again for another bizarre project. Well the first ingredient is definitely a very large 7 seater SUV in which case the Volvo XC90 fully qualifies this criterion. Remove all the 4×4 functionality to leave it rear wheel drive. Slap in a huge American V8 motor caple of pushing out 787 bhp with 1010 NM of torque. Then lower the suspension and add 22 inch wheels. And voilà, the perfect SUV drift machine and probably the fastest taxi in the world as well.

Source : Gatebil

First seen at this year’s Detroit Motor Show, the Trailhawk is not only an amazing looking machine, but gives a clear indication of how Jeep wants its cars to drive in the future.

Based on a stretched Wrangler platform and powered by an efficient 3.0-litre diesel, the all-wheel-drive four-seater looks typically tough. However, it promises to deliver a driving experience that will be more refined than any of its predecessors.

In fact, bosses at Jeep were keen to use the words ‘highway cruiser’ when talking about the Trailhawk’s road manners. It’s clear this is intended as a vehicle that’s comfortable to ride in, but is also packed with off-road ability.

With all of that in mind, the Trailhawk obviously has a lot to live up to – but it’s important to remember the huge newcomer is more than a mere flight of fantasy. Although it’s described as a concept, the Trailhawk is an important milestone in the development of Jeep’s new generation of SUVs.

Drivers can expect future models to use a lot of the Trailhawk’s styling cues – not least its sporty profile and aggressive looking nose. Inside, the highlights include a Citroen-style fixed-hub steering wheel and a centre console which features movable storage bins and armrests.

Unlike some of the firm’s past concepts, the cockpit keeps clutter to a minimum, and comes with a central dial to control cabin functions, similar to BMW’s iDrive system. There’s also a basic sat-nav set-up, and neat instruments that glow blue once the engine has been turned on.

But perhaps the biggest surprise is the upmarket look and feel of the materials used to trim the seats and dashboard. Cabin quality has traditionally been a weakness in Jeeps, a fact that the company acknowledges. Overall, the improvements shown by the Trailhawk’s neatly executed cabin give cause for optimism. With the detachable roof panels removed, the Jeep’s overall appearance is imposing and dramatic, and the thick T-bar roof provides a feeling of solidity.

With the engine purring and the scenery rushing past, there’s no doubt that the open-air Trailhawk has a great deal of appeal.

Sadly, despite the success of the design, the practicality of the roof is less impressive. The lack of a clever storage solution for the removable roof panels means that, while they can be stored haphazardly in the boot, Jeep admits that it would be best to leave them in the garage. Not ideal in a country with a climate as changeable as the UK’s!

But when it comes to surprises, the biggest is under the bonnet. As the exterior makes such an impression it’s only natural to assume that this US giant will be powered by an equally spectacular V8 engine.

The firm’s powerful 6.1-litre HEMI would surely have been the obvious choice for a concept that’s as muscular as the Trailhawk. But instead, Jeep has chosen to fit its 3.0-litre, 215bhp diesel. As a sign of changing times among American car makers – and with petrol approaching four dollars a gallon during our trip to the US to drive this car – the Trailhawk’s engine couldn’t be more appropriate.

But the best news of all is that drivers shouldn’t have to wait too long before they can sample the Trailhawk for themselves. It’s tipped to reach the road as the Grand Cherokee in around two years’ time – and 4×4 fans have a lot to look forward to, whether they intend to drive the car on the road or not!