Tabla de contenidos para Issue #1 en ENGAGE4X4

Welcome to our first issue of Engage 4x4. And thank you for being here from the very beginning! Engage 4x4 is all about the ride, the destination, and the experience. We’re about the builders, the innovators, and the people like you and me who restore their ride in the shed at home. We’re about tech: embracing the future and celebrating the past. We’re about the nostalgia, heritage, and the search for the car you toured in as a kid. We look to the future and like what we see. So, you’ll get a great mix of new product coming from manufactures as well as restoration houses producing stunning builds along with the niche innovators breaking the mold. We take long, visually spectacular adventures with the growing community of explores and…

Bronco is collaborating with three of the leading off-road aftermarket companies to expand the growth of parts and accessories for customers to personalize their Bronco and Bronco Sport rugged SUVs. RTR Vehicles (a longtime Ford custom vehicle collaborator founded by Vaughn Gittin Jr), ARB 4x4 Accessories (Australia’s largest manufacturer and distributor of 4x4 parts and accessories since 1975), and 4 Wheel Parts (a leading off-road parts retailer, with a strong online presence and 95 locations across US) are developing parts for the summer launch of Bronco two- and four-door SUVs. This collaboration is on an all-new range of performance parts, beyond the current catalog of Ford-approved accessories for Bronco and Bronco Sport. Additional offerings include suspension and lift kits, custom wheels and body components, and performance driveline parts. Plus, an…

Some say that the sports utility vehicle started with the Chevy Blazer in 1969. Though, GM was slow off the mark, as Ford, for a few years, already had the Bronco in the market place, reacting swiftly when International Harvester released the Scout in 1961; and sold 28000 units in its first year. In America during the 1950s and 60s, there wasn’t much of market for passenger carrying 4x4s (or so the big three thought), the market had been served mainly by Jeep, and a few imports from Toyota, Nissan, and Land Rover. Chevrolet’s engineers looked at the Scout, Bronco, and Jeep; and concluded that they were somewhat agricultural, with little, if any, creature comforts. With the vast amounts of Americans having more disposable income, and a lot more leisure…

Based on a two-door Wrangler, the Jeep Orange Peelz concept pays tribute to the long-standing, open-air, fun-and-freedom lifestyle that makes the Jeep Wrangler a global icon. Mopar designers have vastly enhanced the Wrangler’s open-air heritage by removing side and rear windows, installing prototype JPP half doors and a custom removable one-piece Freedom Top glass sunroof. Off-road performance comes from the proven JPP 2-inch lift kit with FOX shocks that increases ground clearance. Just below the concept steel “high-top” fender flares are 17-inch JPP beadlock-capable aluminum wheels riding on 37-inch BF Goodrich KM3 mud-terrain tires with Mopar valve stem caps carrying the Jeep logo. Enhancing the look is a Satin Black 360-degree custom beltline graphic and Satin Black vintage Jeep fender badges, which further highlight the eye-catching Orange Peelz exterior color.…

Land Rover is partnering with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) to launch the 2021 Earth Photo competition – inspiring people to get out into the landscape and appreciate their surroundings. Earth Photo is an international photography competition that aims to promote environmental and geographical issues by revealing the stories behind the winning images and videos. Entries are now open, with exhibitions of winning and shortlisted images and videos in the summer and autumn. Earth Photo 2021 breaks new ground in a long partnership. Land Rover has worked with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) on fieldwork and expeditions for more than 40 years, providing vehicles and expertise; as well as funding, training and outreach projects. Laura Wood, Head of Global PR Brand & Partnerships for Jaguar and Land Rover,…

Nissan’s NISMO crew have hot-rodded the company’s four-wheel-drive Patrol wagon – with more power, fancier bodywork, and chassis upgrades. Better known for reworking the Japanese company’s sports cars, such as the all-paw GT-R and 350 Z coupe, NISMO has turned its attention to the big and bulky off-roader; specifically for Middle Eastern customers. The more sporting wagon also marks the 70th anniversary of the original Nissan Patrol. The factory said that this Nissan Patrol NISMO underlines Nissan’s heritage as a motorsport brand, and the Middle East’s long-standing love for high-performance vehicles. It’s been tailored to meet the needs of customers looking to stand out from the crowd: with premium luxury, increased performance, and better handling wrapped up in the one go-anywhere package. NISMO Chief Designer Mitsunori Morita said that the…

I never really appreciated how beautiful a desert could be until visiting Joshua Tree National Park. Previously, I would have assumed an arid desert could get a bit dull or repetitive, but I can guarantee that that is definitely not the case. Maybe it is a spiritual or mystical connection to the land, or maybe it is just the damn pretty landscapes; but it’s easy to fall in love with Joshua Tree. At just over two hours from Los Angeles, Joshua Tree is a popular holiday destination for those looking to disconnect and unwind. Being so close to LAX, it is also a great first stop for international visitors embarking on an overlanding trip around the United States. But be wary, it may also set a high bar for any…

This is the ex-Englishman who was the Chief Engineer behind the first Land Rover: the man who turned the vision of Rover’s Technical Director Maurice Wilks into a road-going, paddock-bashing four-wheel drive – in ten months. Today, Arthur credits the speed of the project – Wilks’ concept was a vehicle to chase defence contracts, and replace his farm’s Jeep – to Solihull factory teamwork, prompt decision-making, and an array of Rover car bits to pilfer. The modest Arthur said: “And I could pick people to do the jobs. I didn’t have to be all that good myself because I had a suspension man I could pull over (from the Rover car line), a steering man, and so forth.” But this Land Rover chassis was all-new. “The chassis made it possible.…

The latest Lamborghini SUV is named after an extinct breed of domestic cattle, that also sounds like an innocuous body part, or perhaps not so far from urine: the Urus. Or Urethra. Then, is it ‘your-russ’, ‘ooooo-riss’? Add a few letters, and you’ll get Uranus. Replace only one… and we’ve hit rock bottom. It’s fitting that it means fat cow, too – as the Urus uses the underpinnings of the Volkswagen Touareg and multiple VW Group SUV siblings, too. Ironically, it’s Lamborghini’s very own king of SUVs which has a Teutonic name: the LM002, the ultimate raging bull. Despite the clinical name, the ‘Rambo Lambo’, as it was dubbed after Sylvester Stallone bought one, appeared at the Geneva Motor Show, in 1982; and it is such a curveball, a left-field…

INDESTRUCTIBLE JACKET $645 Built to withstand extreme elements, Vollebak’s ‘Indestructible Jacket’ features shatterproof buttons, an anti-mosquito reinforced double collar, hidden passport pockets, and more. In colder temperatures, the Dyneema fibers will remain strong, making the jacket nearly rip-proof. Plus, the more you wear it, the warmer it will get–unlike a cold denim overshirt. www.vollebak.com AEROPRESS GO $31.95 For great coffee wherever you go, the Aeropress is among the most portable full-on coffee systems ever. Its flavor quality, according to career baristas all over the world, rivals that of cafe-grade coffee machines. The newer Go version packs down to the size of a mug, and you can use the case it comes in as a mug. That makes it the perfect coffee maker for camping, though be warned: everybody will want…

Land Rover’s Defender for the 21st century is a true off-road warrior, with heritage stretching back seven decades. The original Land Rover – a British four-wheel drive farm and military machine launched in 1948 – morphed into the Defender in 1990; yet the basics, while updated and upgraded through the seasons, remained much the same. That meant a ladder chassis, live axles, and square-rigged body. It also had levers for various controls, and a few comforts in a draughty cabin with sit-up-and-beg driving style; it was mighty capable off-road – if not always that comfortable for day-to-day duties. Nowadays, Land Rover have an all-new – already much-heralded – Defender range, with monocoque body, independent suspension for all corners, push-button technology to engage suspension and off-road settings with plusher, if still…

Once saved from the considerations of lip-licking African lions by a Land Cruiser, Jonathan Ward has a long-held appreciation for the Japanese four-wheel-drives. That was the day the avid explorer’s Land Rover was trapped in a Kenyan bog hole. “A pride of lions found us very interesting, especially when they realized we were stuck in the mud. A trusty Land Cruiser came and saved the day,” Jonathan recalls from the safety of his home in the canyons of Los Angeles. The man behind the ICON 4X4 business of coveted classic four-wheel-drives has high regard and deep understanding for the capabilities of Cruisers, the attention to detail, the build quality and the ethics of Toyota’s engineering. That led to Jonathan and wife Jamie starting TLC in 1996, catering for the Land…

Many mythologies embody orcas. One states that, during the winter, orcas morph into wolves and hunt on land; while, in the summer, wolves transform into orcas and dive deep into the ocean. Another interesting tale is that, being incredibly intelligent, they build houses and societies in the ocean. But my favorite story is that they are the deceased souls of humans, wandering the seas after death. Kasper Høglund is a photographer and adventurer, who lives out of his car. His life is more like the orcas, rather than us “city-living” humans: he spends a lot of his time traveling through the deep coastal fjords of Denmark, he forages and makes his own food, and, most importantly, he is free. A few years ago, Kasper was working at an elementary school…