4x4 On Road in USA

Colorado

Ron meets me at the airport and invites me to his home and family. Unfortunately my luggage gets misplaced in Minneapolis and I only have a tiny emergency bag with a toothbrush and comb :)

In the morning a little bit of snow had fallen. I feel I have brought something precious with me from Iceland! Weather in Colorado seems similar to what it is often like in Iceland.

The truck looks nice. It has leather seats and a nice stereo.

Ron spends the day showing me around Denver. Of course we take a look at a 4 wheeling shop. In front of the shop we see this typical "American" style off road truck. This is a heavily lifted Toyota Hilux. It looks rugged and ready but a bit too high and lacking proper fender flares.

This old pickup truck with only a little bit rust showing is still going strong.

A friend of Ron's specializes in older military trucks. Like this six wheeled Volvo truck.

Ron had plans on buying this Volvo truck and fix and rebuild it for his own use. It has enough room for his whole family and should look nice on 38 inch tires!

Early Sunday morning I start my long drive. Fog has settled in and it is chilly outside. The plan is to get on Interstate 70 and head east.

As I drive on the fog lifts and I can enjoy the Colorado landscape.

I make a small mistake in taking Interstate 76, but realize my error, buy a map and take the country road to get on I-70.

On the Highway

The first day I soon get out of Colorado and into Kansas. Not much to see - endless fields for hundreds of miles. I drive on all the way to Topeka Kansas where I find a place to stay for the night.

Big trucks are driving on the Interstate highways. I imagine the drivers are as close as you can get to original cowboys. They wake up early and drive the whole day.

2010 Toyota Landcruiser Prado Three Door Official Revealed

Toyota's next-generation LandCruiser Prado is out to prove that "less is more" with the introduction of sporty three-door versions for the first time in Australia.

Aimed at a younger buyer seeking recreational off-road fun, three-door Prado will be sold alongside five-door models from the November introduction of the new Prado 150 range.

The three-door model has the same distinctively LandCruiser-like Prado face of the five-door, featuring a three-dimensional vertical grille.

Its roof and rear-quarter sheet metal are unique, though the back door - which bears the spare tire - is shared with the five-door version.

A higher break-over angle, courtesy of the shorter wheelbase, provides three-door Prado with the ability to travel over steeper peaks than five-door.

Lower weight for the three-door versions is expected to translate into even better real-world acceleration - as well as a small improvement in fuel economy and emissions*.

Another key benefit of the three-door is its strong towing capacity of three tonnes (braked)^ - 500kg more than the already-impressive five-door.

Toyota Australia's senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said three-door Prado was a valuable addition to the local range.

"Prado three-door will be the ideal vehicle for couples who want a vehicle for its sporty styling, as well as Prado's legendary towing and off-road abilities," Mr Buttner said.

"Even more than new five-door Prado, the three-door will definitely attract buyers who previously have not considered a sports utility vehicle," he said.

"Specification levels will be high across three- and five-door ranges, with several flow-down technologies from Lexus and from LandCruiser 200 Series.

"New electronic features will take Prado's off-road ability to new levels for Toyota, catering even for those new to off-road motoring.

"Handling, stability and ride comfort have been raised to new heights."

All next-generation Prados in Australia will have seven airbags, vehicle stability control, traction control and anti-lock brakes.

Alloy wheels and Toyota's Smart Entry & Start, which provides keyless entry and ignition, are also standard.

Prado first arrived in Australia in 1996 and quickly secured a firm foothold in the mid-size SUV market.

To the end of September this year, Australians have bought almost 149,000 Prados.

The 150,000 milestone is expected to be reached in the first month of next-generation sales.

It was Australia's best-selling SUV overall in 2008.

The medium SUV segment has grown markedly in recent years with sales more than doubling from just 33,468 in 2002 to a record of 75,485 last year.

This year, the segment has basically moved with the overall industry average.

2010 Toyota Tundra

Motor Sales (TMS) U.S.A, Inc., today announced that a new work truck version of the 2010 Tundra full-size pickup truck will make its U.S. debut at the 2009 San Diego Auto Show.
The Tundra Work Truck Package is aimed at commercial truck buyers in industries such as farming, ranching and construction, who require a tough no-frills truck with exceptional cargo and towing capacity.
The new Work Truck Package will be available on Tundra 4x2 and 4x4 Regular and four-door Double Cab models in standard and long bed configurations. It will be available with a V6 and two V8 engines including Tundra’s powerful 381 horsepower 5.7-liter i-Force V8, with a towing capability of up to 10,800 pounds.

Designed to deliver only the features commercial truck buyers need to get the job done, the Tundra Work Truck Package will be offered at a discount. Tundra models equipped with the Work Truck Package are expected to carry a discount that will range from $550 to $655 less than the truck's standard manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), depending on the model. Final pricing of the Work Truck package will be announced shortly before the vehicle goes on sale in the Spring of 2009.

On the outside, the Tundra Work Truck Package will include black bumpers and grille surround, replacing chrome. Power mirrors are replaced by manual outside rearview mirrors.

Inside, the truck comes with easily washable vinyl bench seats and rubber floors. To appeal to target buyers, several Tundra standard personal-use features have been replaced or removed. Tundra's standard silver instrument panel and HVAC controls are replaced by basic black and include voltage, oil pressure and warning lamps in place of gauges. Lighting in the ignition key ring and the glove box are removed along with map and door courtesy lamps. The package also excludes cruise control and the remote keyless entry as standard features, although separate Work Truck packages will be offered with these features.

Fuel efficient and innovative vehicles power Toyota sales in September

Canadians looking for innovative vehicles that adjust to ever-changing lifestyles continued to turn to Toyota and Lexus last month, leading to best ever September sales records for several models.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) sold 17,569 Toyota and Lexus cars, SUVs and trucks in September (down 9.4% from September 2008).

    -   Toyota sales of 16,065 (down 11.1%) included a new best ever
       September for Toyota Trucks, at 5,626 (up 16.4%).