Autoblog

In Iceland, the leviathan you see in the picture above is called a "jeep." Here in the U.S., it would be called a massively tricked out F-350 Super Duty, or probably just "monster truck." The 6,000 members of Iceland's 4x4 club use them to explore the barely reachable sections of the island nation, trusting 4-foot-high studded tires and a bevy of custom modifications to get them back to civilization.

The problem is that Icelanders are having their own currency issues, with a free-fall even worse than the dollar's being just the start. When gas is almost $8 per gallon, that puts a fill-up somewhere around the $500 mark. And that puts a hurting on everything -- especially when you have to spend even more money getting your truck hauled out of the ice it just fell through. Not that any of this really stops them, because, well, there isn't much else to do in Iceland. So follow the link and check out the trucks in the slideshow. It's big-wheel badness.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

The F-16 is inherently unstable and cannot fly without computerized nannies to keep it aloft. As AWD systems in cars get more complex and can do more things more quickly, one wonders if there will come a time when we'll be absolutely unable to drive without gizmos to make sure rubber stays on road. Torque vectoring is the next step in AWD, its contribution being that it can get power to any wheel nearly instantly without having to use the brakes or cut power.

Most current AWD control wheelspin by braking a spinning wheel or cutting the power from the engine. Torque vectoring is achieved by using redesigned differentials that can distribute power to the wheel or wheels that have traction. That means that wheels don't need to be stopped, and even better, you won't suffer from a sudden loss of power as you're negotiating an unexpected loss in traction. The systems in use now or being developed work on FWD, RWD, and AWD cars, and can get power to any wheel or combination of wheels. Ricardo's system can do so in a tenth of a second.

We drove Acuras with SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) earlier this year on an ice track in Montreal, and the difference is remarkable. Where other SUV's stopped in the middle of an icy corner either due to braking or power loss, the Acuras maintained their lines almost at speed. Mitsubishi has used the technology for almost a decade now on its Lancer Evolutions, and Audi and BMW will be joining the party later this year with new systems from Ricardo and ZF.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

Click photo above to view a gallery of Tundra shots

I wanted to hate this thing. Toyota? Taking on the last bastion of red blooded American pickups? Yeah, right! The domestic manufacturers have kept cranking up quality, capability and refinement levels - who's this upstart think it is, anyway? Not only has the Tundra garnered a metric crapload of commentary, it's ugly. Okay, not to everyone, but it reminds me of that time I got sand in my eyelids. When a Tundra Limited Double Cab unexpectedly arrived wearing a rather appropriate shade of Herman Melville white, I was primed to register severe intestinal discomfort. Dang.

According to an article in Italiaspeed, it seems you may be able to equip your next prancing horse with all-wheel-drive.

What's being called "insertable 4x4" can be equipped in both Ferrari's mid-engine and front-engine vehicles and will only be activated if the computer senses a loss of traction. However, unlike systems utilized by Lamborghini, Ferrari drivers can choose between traditional rear-wheel- and the four-wheel-drive when and where they wish.

The new system functions much like a conventional gearbox, however, a secondary clutch is joined to the crankshaft, which will only be engaged when the system detects a slide or excessive wheel-spin. When it does, power will be sent to the front wheels to right the vehicle. According to the article, the system works very well, however the all-wheel-drive system can only be active for a short amount of time at high speeds, as mechanisms in the system are prone to overheating. Whether or not this problem will carry through to the production models was not addressed in the article.

When it comes to outright traction, all-wheel-drive is clearly the dominating drive train, however, with the additional weight and complexity of the system, we hope that Ferrari is willing to take the inevitable flack that will come from their core clientele of drive train traditionalists.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

Click to enlarge

The Ford Transit has for decades been the standard working horse of Europe and much of the rest of the world – the F-150 for our friends across the pond. The versatile work-a-day hauler was recently named Van of the Year by a pan-European panel of automotive journalists. (Why didn't they ask us? Just 'cause we can't find "Yurp" on a map doesn't mean we don't have an opinion!)

Ford's upping the ante and making a versatile vehicle even more versatile by offering the van now with four-wheel-drive. Mated to a 140-hp 2.4-liter turbodiesel through a six-speed floor-shifter, Ford expects the surefooted Transit to find its way into the garages of police departments, park rangers and rescue workers (among others) who'll undoubtedly find its enhanced capability to make for a handy tool.

(Press release, hires pics after the jump after the jump)

[Source: Ford UK]

Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off its upcoming line-up of 4MATIC S-Class sedans. 4MATIC is, of course, the name for Mercedes' all-wheel-drive system, and the range-topping über-sedan will offer it mated to a number of engines to give the well-heeled a host of choices for uncompromised traction in whatever conditions they may come across.

4MATIC will be offered globally on the S320 CDI, S450 and S500 sedans, although they've yet to announce which of these models will be sold in the North American market. Based on the current American line-up, it'd be safe to assume we'll only get the S550 4MATIC.

Mercedes claims the AWD V8 sedan, despite the extra weight, will accelerate in the same 5.4 seconds it takes its rear-wheel drive counterpart to hit sixty from a standstill, and will only suffer a minor increase in fuel consumption.

The V8-powered 4MATIC models are on sale in Europe now in both short and long wheelbase versions, while customers will have to wait until December for the S320 CDI 4MATIC. Another gas-powered V6 model, the S350 4MATIC, will arrive by mid-2007.

(Official press release can be found after the jump)

[Source: Mercedes-Benz, eMercedesBenz]