When Toyota first revealed the FJ Concept, enthusiasts the world over pretty much begged them to build this retro off roader. And so, build it they did and they stayed true to the concept, adding in lots of cool details along the way. Stylistically, funky details abound from side marker lights to dash vents and roof rack to body colour inserts around the center controls. This thing really is cool.
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We’re not about political correctness here in The Garage, but we try not to offend anybody. Let’s face it though, any time you combine the terms off roading and HUMMER, you are bound to offend a few greenies. Oh well. I have to admit that one of the trucks I most wanted to like on off road day was the brilliant orange HUMMER H3. I’m a pretty flamboyant guy and what could be more obnoxious than a dayglow HUMMER with honkin’ big off road tires & giant tow hooks?
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Few auto manufacturers have the experience with hard core off roading that Land Rover does. From safari to desert racing, Land Rover vehicles have seen it all. Along the way, LR staffers have been preparing drivers for the the challenges that lay ahead of them. Who better then to lay out the off road test course at the IMPA test days than Land Rover? After setting up the course, the LR contracted crew took us journos through a quick individual tour of the course. Once you had received a little white sticker on your pass that indicated you had a clue about off road driving, you were let loose on the trails.
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So here I sit, enjoying a luke warm JW Dundee’s Pale Bock and an ice cold piece of leftover pizza while I sort through a few of the 294 photos I took today. Suffice it to say there is no better way to spend a work day than testing 4×4 trucks up and down a ski hill. That said, it is a work day and it’s been a long tiring day. Cocktails start in about a half hour. My work never ends!
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The Porsche Cayenne has had more than a few detractors since it’s inception, with many feeling that there is no reason for an SUV with 911 lineage. Porsche is determined to show the world that the Cayenne is a winner in it’s own arena. But what exactly is that arena?

This is no shopping mall autocross, this is the Transsyberia Rally. Beginning this morning, 25 rally prepped Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberias will begin the 7000 km trek from Moscow’s Red Square to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbataar. There are no over privileged soccer moms on board these Cayenne’s, with names like Rod Millen and Armin Schwarz at the wheel. There will be some serious stage action.

To cope with that action, the Cayenne’s have received more than a bit of beefing up from the big guys at Weissach. Mods include full roll cage, upgraded air intake and body sealing (for water crossings), additional lights and rally tires. As would be expected, each truck carries a full complement of navigational electronics to make sure the crews find their way.

The event runs until August 17 and will be covered live through the Porsche web site. You can also check back to The Garage, as we’ll keep readers up to date as we receive details.

Porsche press release and more photos after the break
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Today’s news from Nissan indicates that they are dedicated to continuing to build vehicles that are competent in off road conditions, with the introduction of a new Extreme Off Road testing facility. The 2.3 Hectare off road park will be used by engineers to safely test trucks under controlled conditions. Those big brain guys get all the fun!

Another photo and press release after the break
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PUCKER FACTOR: the direct effect caused when the severity of one’s actions exceed the limits of rational thought.

The incident had a pucker factor of 10. The moment the laws of physics threatened to punish me for testing the boundaries, my nether regions clamped up tight as a vise.

I have joined the Southern Ontario Xterra Club for their 2nd Annual Adventure Weekend. 3 days of trail riding, biking, swimming and loads of great food while camping on crown land directly beside lovely Cooper’s Falls. Located on the border between the Muskoka & Kawartha regions, the Cooper’s Falls area is the entry point to a network of trails that lead across the rugged Canadian Shield. It has been a hot, dry summer so the trails are dry & dusty with the occasional puddle of mud caused where small rivers once crossed the road. For the most part, the trails are pretty tame, with only the occasion bump from a rock touching the bottom of the truck. There are some sections however that require the assistance of spotters to guide the drivers over large chunks of rock that look poised to break any vehicle that dares try to pass. It was on one of these sections where I became verklempt.

I was driving a 2003 Nissan Frontier, the pick up truck brother of the Xterra. The truck is more that a foot longer than the Xterra, which actually helps it when climbing these steep steps of rock. But the problem with the extra length is that the back end sticks out farther and tends to get caught up when coming back down these same hazards. And so it was that when I approached a whale sized rock with a nearly vertical drop off, that I decided to take the easier path down. I chickened out & took the simple route. Of course the simple route involved sweeping wide to the right to avoid a large rock on the left, while traveling so slowly the speedometer does not even move. I had watched an Xterra take this route and it was a piece of cake. Where life became difficult was when the longer truck took up more space on the hill and suddenly the road fell away from below the left front wheel. The truck dropped so fast that I thought for sure it would roll over, until a quick thinking Xterra owner jumped on the back bumper. The drop stopped and the truck teetered on the edge while balanced on 2 wheels. When it became clear that we had some stability, I crept forward until a third wheel touched the ground, and then the fourth.

The rest of the ride was smooth sailing and was rewarded with a cold swim beneath Cooper’s falls, a cold beer, a great meal and good times with some new friends. Next time maybe a shorter vehicle will help prevent another dose of Pucker.

This article originally posted on an old site I owned which has been retired.