The Power Wagon positively churns through hostile terrain, the HEMI singing a song of unembarrassed horsepower, yet the steering remains responsive even with all three differentials locked up.

If you’ve got the urge to put down the $32,090 for your own Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, just remember this: don’t keep it on the pavement.

We never thought there was much of a gap in Lexus’ luxury SUV lineup.  The RX300 fulfilled the needs of the buyer who wanted a midsize sport-ute that could tool around town like a car, and the LX470 took care of the large end of the market, as well as offering the Toyota Land Cruiser’s off-road ability combined with great freeway manners.  What more could one ask for?

Apparently, Lexus thought of something.  For 2003, an all-new sport-ute is shoehorned into the lineup right between the RX300 and LX470.  Called, perhaps …

Land Rover’s Freelander has been a best-seller in Europe since its introduction in 1997, but the British off-road specialist hasn’t chosen to import it until recently.  As the smallest Land Rover ever sold in the U.S., the Freelander is playing to a new crowd.  Unlike the premium-priced Range Rover, the Freelander is right in the thick of the compact and mid-size sport-ute market.  Thanks to the off-road prowess implied by the Land Rover name, the Freelander’s natural enemy is the popular new Jeep Liberty.  For 2004, Land Rover is even …

Volkswagen’s latest step in its steady march away from the bare-bones, low-budget cars that made its reputation forty years ago takes it into the realm of sport-utility vehicles.  You might be surprised to find that the Volkswagen of SUVs is actually a luxury truck that competes more closely with BMW and Lincoln than with mass-market best-sellers like Ford and Chevy.

Then again, you might not.  After all, the new-for-2003 Volkswagen Touareg (say “tour-egg” and you’ve got it about right) is directly related to another SUV newcomer; the Porsche Cayenne.  It’s a …

The Toyota 4Runner is one of the original sport-utes.  This off-road station wagon has been around since 1985, and old 4Runners are a common sight on the trails, sharing mud space with Jeep Cherokees and even older Toyota Land Cruisers.  In the face of much-improved competition from all corners of the globe, the 4Runner has been redone from the ground up for 2003.  It’s bigger, more powerful and more comfortable, for starters.  Don’t worry, though, it hasn’t lost its off-roading spirit.

With the Camry-based Highlander available to woo buyers who never …

How tough is the Mercedes G500?
When the inattentive teen in the gargantuan Chevy Suburban pulled out of Home Depot’s lot and into the path of the big Mercedes SUV I was driving, I braked as hard as I could.  My imagination immediately pictured the ensuing collision, which I expected would put some deep scratches in the G500 and reduce the Suburban to an acre of navy-blue metal confetti.

It wasn’t a completely absurd expectation, either.  The G500, officially available in the United States for the first time this year (versions were …

For years the undisputed king of luxury off-roaders, Land Rover’s Range Rover has been outshined in recent years.  That’s why it’s completely redesigned for 2003 with the goal of putting it back on top.  In recent years, challengers like Cadillac’s Escalade and Lexus’ LX470 have been knocking at the gate with similar levels of luxury and off-road ability.  Land Rover has finally acknowledged that it’s not the only game in town any more, and improved the Range Rover accordingly.

The new luxury SUV has more than just Cadillac, BMW and Lexus …

You wouldn’t know it at a glance unless you’re a serious Land Rover fan, but the Land Rover Discovery has been updated and revised yet again.  As the rest of the revered off-road breed is modernized, with the arrival of the all-new Range Rover this fall and the new-to-America Freelander, the familiar Disco has been upgraded to keep with the times.

The Discovery has long been the flag-waver for Land Rover’s off-road superiority.  The legendary Camel Trophy off-road competition features Discoveries exclusively.  As such, the Discovery is a bit of a …

As sport-utility vehicles grow in popularity they move farther and farther from their utilitarian roots, sprouting carlike features and pavement-friendly suspensions that are no better in the mud than a Corolla’s.  In the face of this evolution, Jeep would like to remind you that its 4×4s, which arguably started the craze in the first place, are still far from civilized.  And that’s a good thing.  To this end, two special-edition Jeeps hit the showrooms in 2003, and neither of them has grocery-getting on its mind.  The Wrangler Rubicon and Liberty …