The rain started before I fell asleep and hadn’t let up, even as I sat up in my tent and began to pack up my gear eight hours later. This hadn’t been much of a problem during the night; the sound of each drop hitting the polyester rain fly drowned most of the background noise and helped lull me to sleep. My home for the next three days, an alpine green Gazelle hub tent, kept me dry all night, showing no signs of leakage, and seemed a long way from becoming waterlogged. Though now that it was morning I had to leave my tent behind, hop into a prototype Nissan Frontier Pro-4X and continue along the Mojave Road. Most of the Mojave Road sits on National Park land known as the Mojave National Preserve, but this wasn’t always the case. Prior to the passage of the California Desert Protection Act in October of 1994, the same act that created both Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks, the Mojave Road was vulnerable to destruction and development, and with it the history of this section of America. A little over thirty years prior, in 1962, a young conservationist and future historian named Dennis Casebier began field work on the Mojave Road, back then known as the 'Old Government Road' on maps. By the mid-eighties he had published several books on the historical importance of the road, the beginning of a conservation effort that would span the rest of his life. It was one of these books that was responsible for this trip. Found in the basement of the library at the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association’s (MDHCA) headquarters in Goffs, California was a box of thin, red hardcovers, with no markings on them other than the title, embossed in gold: Nissan on the Mojave Road. In 1983 Casebier guided a group of Nissan employees, a photographer and some journalists from familiar outlets (Autoweek, Motor Trend, and Fourwheeler Magazine, to name a few) along the 130-mile road in 1983½ Nissan 720 pickups. Each truck was armed with CB radios crackling with Casebier’s voice lecturing as they made their way over the trail, a drive through history. It was in the same spirit that we were on this trip 40 years later, though more than a few things had changed. The voice over the radio wasn’t Casebier’s, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 86, but that of Sean Holman, Director of the MDHCA. And instead of two-door 720s, we were sitting comfortably in the latest generation Frontier Pro-4X preproduction vehicles that Nissan PR managed to save for a bit longer before they inevitably met their crushing end. The trucks were familiar; they were quite literally the same exact trucks I had driven on the launch in Sundance, Utah back in August of 2021. Back then they represented the end of Covid lockdown, my first trip out of the state in over a year. Now, they would be taking me on a whole new adventure. For more visit www.autoblog.com #nissan #nissanfrontier #frontier #offroading #truck #pickup #vlog #overlanding
TranscriptThe 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander adds another three-row SUV to its line-up that fits between the smaller Highlander and the larger truck-based Sequoia. It features styling closely related to the RAV4, with a wide stance and crisp lines. Three powertrains are available including a non-hybrid turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder, a hybrid …
The 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 is a big, lovable luxury beast. Under the hood, it’s packing a biturbocharged 4.0-liter V8 making 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, propelling this three-row SUV from 0-60 miles per hour in a swift 4.1 seconds. But it’s not all about speed. With an …
The winner of Autoblog’s 2023 Technology of the Year competition is Mercedes-Benz’s Dolby Atmos audio system. It defeated a number of impressive other new technologies like BMW’s Theater Screen, Ford’s Remote Rev and more. Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio has been present in theaters and home theater setups for quite some …
The 2023 Lotus Emira is finally here! Arriving now in limited quantities after multiple supply-chain delays, this V6-powered First Edition gets 400 horsepower out of its supercharged Toyota engine, which is mated to an old-fashioned, six-speed manual transmission. The engine's mounted in the middle -- right where you want it …
The 2024 Honda Ridgeline is getting the TrailSport treatment along with a number of key interior updates for the entire lineup. The big news is obviously the new Ridgeline Trailsport, which adapts many of the same elements of the all-new Pilot TrailSport and the recently revealed updated Passport TrailSport. That …
The Maserati MC20 represents a rebirth of the Maserati brand. It’s the Italian marque’s supercar and represents a true flagship product that will get folks excited about every other new Maserati on its way. Everything about the two-door coupe, from how it looks, to how it drives, passes the supercar …
For 2024, the Honda Passport picks up some improvements for the off-road focused TrailSport trim, as well as a style-focused Black Edition. The TrailSport's upgrades include all-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels as well as retuned shocks, springs and anti-roll bars for better off-pavement performance. The Black Edition is the new …
The 2024 Honda Prologue will be Honda's first widely-available electric car available in the U.S. While it is based on the Chevy Blazer EV, it has a number of unique qualities, starting with its unique exterior and interior styling that are much cleaner and more reserved than the Chevy. Honda …
The 2024 Acura Integra Type S is the Acura branded variant of the Honda Civic Type R. It gets the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission with 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. It does have a number of differences, though. The design is different with a …
The F150 is a significant refresh for 2024 and features a new tailgate, bed dividers and an updated design. The tailgate can now swing out -- Ford joins the tailgate wars with Ram and GM -- and the headlights give the F150 a fresh look. The Tremor and Raptor are …
Ford brought three trims of its refreshed 2024 F-150 to the Detroit Auto Show, including the Tremor, Raptor R and Platinum. The Tremor shows off Ford’s fancy, new Pro Access Tailgate and a new modular bumper with a Ford Performance winch kit on it. Meanwhile, the Raptor R showcases Ford’s …
The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD is the most extreme Mustang and also one of the most extreme road cars ever made. Its body is largely made out of carbon fiber, and it's rocking a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 under its hood that is promised to make over 800 horsepower. Ford created …
The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 4Matic SUV is a very pleasant luxury EV to pop around in, and while it isn’t particularly sporty to drive, it sure is a relaxing space to spend time in. The EQE SUV is a similar size and class as the gas-powered GLE, though its …
