Cars & Trucks
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ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Yakima SkyBox Pro 12 Onyx rocket box.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Saris Bike Porter Trunk 3 bike rack.
By Stephen Regenold They are touted to combine the “versatility of a utility trailer” with attributes found in a haul-behind unit made for gear. SPACE Trailers, a new company based in Burnsville, Minn., has a neat product in its hitch-ready equipment haulers, which come in three…
Automakers are back with a vengeance—serving up the most advanced, fuel-efficient, and intelligent crop of new cars and SUVs we've ever seen. Additional reporting by Roman Mica and Michael Sheena.
An old, non-electric classic. Photo courtesy of Flickr. The U.S. Marine Corps recently purchased two electric Newton trucks from Smith Electric, TreeHugger.com reports. The trucks will be used at Camp Pendleton, CA, the largest training facility on…
Why It’s CoolNot everyone can reach a rooftop storage box, and even those who can might not be in the mood to clean-and-jerk gear into place after an epic outing. Enter this hard-shell hatchback add-on. » Mounting is easy—the Terrapin connects with your trailer hitch and has its own taillights.
Why It’s CoolA pickup is great for hauling many kinds of things—kayaks, lumber, muddy mountain bikers—but is surprisingly ill-suited to bicycles. Even trucks with pre-drilled fork mounts in the bed leave you with a wheel to tie down and no storage room. The Rec-Rac changes all that. Twin C-shaped clamps,…
Why It’s CoolFully a third of new vehicles sold today come with factory-installed roof rails. This is good. But far fewer come with bars. Not so good. Happily, there’s now the Crossroad system, for adding crossbars to any existing rails. » The installation is straightforward—if you can’t work one of…
Why It’s CoolThe sleek new Platinum Pro holds up to 21 cubic feet of gear and opens from either side, but here’s the important part: I got this sucker out of the box and locked on the roof in less than two minutes, all by my lonesome. » The arched…
Tired of storing a rooftop box that hogs garage space like a boat? This soft-sided carrier manages a vanishing act when not in use, thanks to a hybrid design that employs individual molded supports. The water-resistant Ranger attaches securely to your rack and delivers 12 cubic feet of space,…
The HighRoller’s universal attachment accommodates all wheel sizes from a 29-inch downhiller to Junior’s 20-inch Huffy. Bonus: The tire clamp eliminates contact with your bike’s frame, preventing ugly rub marks on that candy-coat paint job. yakima.com…
Sure, you can manhandle your 17-foot sea kayak onto the roof and ding your car in the process—or you can load it effortlessly and dent-free with the SlipStream. It incorporates a roof-long base-and-roller system that attaches to most racks. The movable cradles eliminate boat-car contact, make solo loading easy,…
From car to curb to camp, this seven-cubic-foot soft-sided carrier does it all. With integrated straps and a nonabrasive quilted bottom, it attaches securely to side rails or crossbars. Tuck-away shoulder straps make it easy to schlep an expedition’s worth of gear through airports. Water-resistant construction keeps rain out.
This easy-loading hitch rack keeps two bikes—of any shape or size—secure and separated. And it folds out of the way for hatchback access. thule.com…
Mobile Repair Stand This is a pretty smart add-on. By using one of the four adapters (price includes one), you can easily turn your Saris, Yakima, Thule, or, of course, Kuat hitch-mount rack into a bike stand. The clamp is totally serviceable if a bit finicky, and you can adjust…
The Trunk Rack, Evolved I’ve never been a big fan of trunk-mount racks—the clips and straps loosen and need to be tightened or, worse, scratch your car. The brand-new Raceway is different; it attaches via an easy-to-adjust ratcheting cable system that (so far, anyway) has yet to loosen or scratch…
Top Box It’s pricey, yes, but it’s also the Rolls-Royce of rocket boxes. The sleek design helps decrease wind drag and preserve gas mileage, yet its 15 cubic feet of storage still easily fits five pairs of skis. And the solar-powered internal light that automatically comes on when you open…
Photo courtesy of Flickr. The Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion set a Guinness World Record for “the longest distance traveled by a standard production passenger car on a single tank of fuel,” TreeHugger.com reports. The Passat began its trip…
A giant bus that straddles two lanes of traffic, letting cars pass beneath it, will be tested in Beijing’s Mentougou District, China Hush reports. The Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Co., Ltd unveiled the bus at…
Dung beetles have been around for thousands of years but the one on the streets of Britain is a whole new insect. Well, not exactly. British sustainable energy company…
The best thing about the auto-industry shake-up? A sudden glut of well-priced, fuel-efficient, and adventure-ready cars and trucks.
By Stephen Regenold You may think of Case Logic Inc. as a company that makes briefcases for laptop computers. (I did, at least.) But the Longmont, Colorado, company, which is owned and operated by Thule, has a line of organizational products that stretches from GPS…
If you're not in the military, driving a Humvee can be considered a waste of gas, but lovers of the all-terrain vehicle can soon start thinking green. EnerDel is teaming up with the U.S. Army to develop four possible lithium-ion battery systems to power the Humvee.
DC Co-founder and Rally Team Driver, Ken Block, has partnered with Subaru to make the world's fastest cat track setup for backcountry access. You can check out the test run in the video above. Via Transworld Snowboarding. –Dave Costello…
An electric bus has made its debut in D.C., where it is expected to be a new form of emissions-free public transportation, Treehugger.com reports. Proterra and Altair Nanotechnologies are behind the new vehicle, and they…
Prince Edward Island is a good place to drive a wind-powered car, according to TreeHugger.com. Harold Smith lives there and owns a 20 Kilowatt wind turbine, which powers his Toyota. Prince Edward is flat and windy, and it has to import fuel, so wind-powered cars…
Stunt man, X Games Gold Medalist and Rally America champion Travis Pastrana will attempt the unthinkable this coming New Years; setting the world record for the longest distance jump in a rally car. Pastrana will attempt the jump at this years New…
By now, you may have heard the ruckus about how Hybrid cars are too quiet, which has safety experts worried that people won't hear them coming. The good news (uh, maybe), reports the New York Times, is that Hybrid automakers are…
Electric cars may be good for the environment, but they might not be so good for pedestrians. The Washington Post reports that the cars are so quiet that they have become a potential hazard for people who don't hear them coming as they're walking…
SUVs are shrinking, hybrids are everywhere, and diesel is suddenly back, with true eco-credentials. The adventure fleet has never had so much variety. Let us get you up to speed.
I need to transport two adult bikes from Ohio to Vermont on a 1996 Honda Civic Sedan. One bike is an old-fashioned cruiser style that doesn’t have a detachable front wheel. I’d prefer not to spend a fortune on a rack. Any suggestions? Sarah Columbus, Ohio
What roof rack do you recommend for a Porsche Cayenne if I buy a Trek tandem? Are there any rear-mounted racks for tandems? Rich San Diego, California
I’m looking for a hitch-mounted bike rack. Any stand-outs? And does the anti-sway device on the new version of the Thule Expressway work as well as the old zip-stick method? John New York, NY
I looking for a bike rack to transport four bikes from L.A. to the Sierras on my Ford Expedition SUV. One bicycle is an oddly fred full-suspension Diondback XSL Comp, one a standard mountain bike, and the last two kids' bikes. I figure a roof rack is too high off the ground to be practical so I thinking hitch-mounted. My dilemma is that it seems you must choose between a fre clp (works for all but the full-suspension rig) or a tray type that secures the wheels (not sure if it will take a kid-sized bike). I would prefer something that does not require tools or steroids to remove. Sean Los Angeles, California
I own a 1994 Isuzu Trooper SE that has a moon roof and a factory luggage rack. I looking for a roof rack system to carry bikes. I've looked through Thule and Yakima online, and wondered if I could use the existing luggage tracks and buy towers to go with them and then the bars. I really want something for the roof, not a tire or hitch mount. WD Ray Columbia, South Carolina
Hop on (HUH?), rev up (WHAT?!), and take a trip (I can't HEAR YOU!) deep into the hillbilly heart of West Virginia, where gas-huffin' ATV motorheads churn through the Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Area—a private preserve devoted to the joys and sorrows of four-wheeling. (ARRRRGHHH!)