Amber Turner, a Suzuki Samurai owner, off-road-enthusiast-turned-welder, and King of the Hammers (KOH) racer, is familiar with life-altering changes. She’s forged a path toward career success via purchasing her own 4×4 for $500 and working on it by herself.
On Aug. 27, 2019, we lost one of the most influential and endearing off-road automotive greats: Jessi Combs. Her encouragement and influence helped women excel in their non-traditional careers, take chances on new paths, and retain resiliency to forge ahead and face challenges head on.
Little did G. Denny Ghiringhelli know that a military Jeep his father bought in the early 1970s would play a pivotal role in his life decades later. The bone-stock 1953 Willys M38A1 became a true part of his family in an incredible way.
We’re seeing change: electric vehicles, or EVs, are starting to become prolific in the marketplace. Electric AWD and 4×4 adventure rigs are starting to make appearances on the trail. Let’s take a look at EV off-roading and all-electrics: their past, their current state and what’s to come.
My experience piloting an all-electric 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro SUV in the desert was mind-bending. To date, I’m one of a select few who have driven a fully electrified vehicle in a major competition. My navigator and I partnered with Volkswagen of America to pilot a newly released AWD ID.4 EV over 1,400 miles of desert terrain to compete in the 2021 Rebelle Rally.
Off-road enthusiasts globally are eagerly awaiting INEOS Grenadier updates, especially those from the United States and Canada. We recently got a chance to go off-roading in an INEOS Grenadier prototype in Hambach, France—the only outlet from North America to do so.
I open the door of our trusty steed, a 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe plug-in hybrid 4×4, and grab our helmets. We’re part of the longest off-road rally competition in the United States, which boasts approximately 1,600 miles of dirt, sand, rock, and other unforgiving desert terrain. We’ve been tasked with safely navigating the nation’s most remote desert region to find the finish line.