Awesome Off-road

Audi presents a concept sportback designed for adventure. The Activesphere has a sleek design and off-road capabilities. In packs Quattro all-wheel drive, a height-adjustable air suspension, panoramic glass windows, autonomous driving, and a gesture control system that pairs with augmented reality glasses.

Bruder’s rugged camper is designed for overlanding on the most challenging terrain. It rolls on 37″ wheels, and its suspension offers 12″ of travel, while its lightweight body handles temperatures from -22ºF to +140ºF. Its climate-controlled cabin operates off-grid thanks to battery packs and roof-mounted solar panels.

We’ve witnessed first-hand how car companies test the suspension setups on new vehicles. They also use computer simulations with realistic physics models. This video from ExtenPro shows how various vehicle suspensions might handle on a punishing course they set up in the vehicle simulation game BeamNG drive.

After teasing us with a concept car, Lamborghini is producing its rally-capable Huracán Sterrato. The AWD supercar is powered by a 601 hp V10 engine and has had its suspension lifted by 1.73 inches to increase ground clearance. It rolls on all-terrain tires and has badass body cladding and fog lights. Just 1499 will be produced.

Porsche is showing off photos of an incredibly cool custom 911. This lifted, AWD version of their sports coupe is outfitted for rallying across some of the world’s most treacherous terrain. After more than 300,000 miles of testing in extreme conditions and 6,000 miles off-road, the car will debut at the 2022 L.A. Auto Show.

Mad Media’s Blade Runner and Road Warrior-inspired cinematic product film envisions a dystopian future where people flee cities and set up camps. The tribes put down their weapons and battle it out in their UTVs to win resources. At the heart of the film is an awesome custom-built UTV known as The Orion Car.

Volcon’s electric pedal-assisted bicycle is ready for just about any terrain. It has four drive modes, ranging from urban cruising to high-speed off-roading. Its high torque motor offers up to 750 watts of power with a top speed of 28 mph. It has a full front and rear suspension setup and hydraulic disc brakes.

Jeep’s all-new electric SUV is offers outdoor adventures in blissful silence. Jeep says the 4×4 has the chops to cross the daunting Rubicon Trail, enabled by a traction management system, e-locker axle tech, skid plates, all-terrain tires, and tow hooks. Like the Wrangler, you can open its roof and remove its doors.

This unique folding scooter features a flexible frame and suspension system that can lean up to 40 degrees. Its dual front wheels and springs provide stability and absorb shocks, while its hydraulic disc brakes stop with confidence. The 250-watt EU version tops out at 22 mph, while the 500-watt US version can hit 25 mph.

SHERP is known for their short-wheelbase all-terrain vehicles. Their regular models are designed to carry people, but their electric SHERP UGV can be operated remotely, making it ideal for search and rescue, firefighting, forestry, and surveillance tasks. Its massive low-pressure tires can be inflated and deflated remotely.

Road America may be famous for its 4-mile road course, but tucked away at the eastern edge of the complex is a gnarly off-road park that’s been used to test the mettle of everything from Wranglers and Broncos to Raptors. Last week, we ran those trails in something very different, the 2023 Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic.

This new addition to the Polaris General XP 1000 side-by-side UTV line offers the same versatility and capability as its brothers but at an entry-level price point. It has a 100-hp 4-stroke DOHC engine, on-demand AWD, 14″ of suspension travel, a 4500 lb winch, and a 600 lb capacity dump box. It comes in 2- and 4-passenger configurations.

Despite its acceleration abilities, the Tesla Model S is a relativelt tame-looking car from the outside. But that all changed after The Real Life Guys got their hands on one. The German YouTubers took a Model S and converted it into a Model T by lifting it more than two feet and equipping it with tank tracks. Turn on subtitles.

The Sherp is one of the most capable all-terrain vehicles we’ve seen.It can handle all kinds of muddy and wet terrain, but how does it do in the city? Grind Hard Plumbing Co., Rich Rebuilds, and Electrified Garage attempted to drive one to Boston via the Charles River, but their journey was not without its problems.

This powerful electric off-roader is one of the concepts headed to the 56th Moab Easter Jeep Safari. Its axial-flux electric motor cranks out 625 hp and 850 lb-ft. of torque, silently and effortlessly traversing rocky terrain. It’s 12″ wider than a stock 2-door Wrangler and has a 3″ lift kit, 20″ wheels, and massive 40″ all-terrain tires.

If a factory Ford Bronco isn’t enough for you, Apocalypse Manufacturing can set you up with an custom truck based on Ford’s hard-to-acquire off-roader. This insane mod adds a third axle, a truck bed, a 4-inch lift, custom wheels, 37″ all-terrain tires, and more. The first one hits the auction block 4.9.22 at Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach.

This insane vehicle started life as a Lamborghini Huracan, but now has an off-road suspension and an LS engine swap. B is for Build and the car’s owner Chris Steinbacher teamed up with Mint 400 and Mad Media head honcho Matt Martelli for a look at the car as it took to the desert for initial shakedown testing.

The Ranger Raptor is coming to the US and Europe, rocking a twin-turbo V6 making 392 hp and 430 lb-ft. torque stateside or 284 hp and 362 lb-ft. in Europe. Both are mated with a 10-speed automatic. It has FOX 2.5-inch internal bypass shocks, an active exhaust system, and is ready to conquer all terrain with power and confidence.

Ford Performance amps up the already impressive Ford Bronco with a model fine-tuned for high-speed desert hijinx and rock crawling. It packs a 3.0L twin-turbo V6 that makes at least 400 hp, a Raptor HOSS 4.0 suspension system, and rides on 37″ all-terrain tires. It’s also a whopping 9.8″ wider than a base 4-door Bronco.

Reporting for Pickup Truck Plus SUV Talk, automotive journalist and friend of The Awesomer, Micah Wright headed to the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon for an up-close look at some of the weird and wonderful custom SUVs, trucks, and vans on display on the show floor. That Daihatsu Midget truck is bonkers. Watch part two here.

Baja 1000 champ Alan Ampudia is back with a sequel to his epic trophy truck stunt film AMPD. This time, he drove through Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to catch some crazy air, kick up lots of dirt, and show off sponsor Toyo Tires’ rugged Open Country A/T III tires.

While it’s unlikely to be more than a showpiece, we appreciate Lexus’ chutzpah with the reveal of their ROV (Recreational Off-highway Vehicle) Concept. The upscale 2-seater differentiates itself from other UTVs by running on clean-burning hydrogen that propels a custom 1-liter direct-injected engine.

Like many 4×4 fans, we’ve been dying to get behind the wheel of the new Ford Bronco. Well, we finally got our wish times two with a chance to drive both the 2-door and 4-door versions in the same week. Suffice it to say, we were blown away by the SUV’s design, ride, and capabilities in both on- and off-road settings.