5 brutal SUVs for real men
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The very concept of an off-road car implies a brutal male character. Such machines are difficult to manage even on asphalt. A serious jeep must have a hardy engine, large wheels and a frame structure, which means it must have a considerable mass.
All this implies heavy transmission units with a large margin of safety and an impressive indestructible suspension. Absolutely nothing to do with automotive trends. Therefore, there are few such cars, and they have their own narrow circle of buyers.
UAZ Hunter
You can argue for an arbitrarily long time about the merits of all other passenger off-road vehicles, but only one of them stands out from the general series with its simplicity and unpretentious design, designed specifically to overcome off-road and nothing more. This machine is very close to its roots, which go back to the terms of reference of the Soviet Army for the development of a light artillery tractor.
The modern Hunter, without changing its uncompromising nature, nevertheless acquired a number of innovations. The body has lost its tarpaulin awning and has become all-metal, the modern engine meets Euro-5 environmental standards, power steering and brakes have appeared in the design.
After long attempts to create their own transmission, the plant nevertheless went to the use of Korean gearboxes and transfer cases made in China. Solid axles in front are already suspended on levers and springs, although there are springs in the back.
The most important advantage of the Ulyanovsk jeep can be considered the price. Hardly anyone else offers so much car for about 700 thousand rubles starting price. Moreover, this car can really be constantly operated off-road.
Mercedes Gelandewagen
The biography of this car is similar to the UAZ. The same original idea of a universal army vehicle. It can be considered the merit of the manufacturer that the general contours of the harsh body have been preserved for forty years of production, despite constant improvements and the approach of the car to civilian life.
Permeability indicators remained unchanged. The rarest case in the world automotive industry, when the car is equipped with a full set of locks in the transmission, it is possible to rigidly connect the wheels of both axles and close the center gear. This is rarely done even when tuning SUVs, but here this is a standard solution.
Only one thing has changed significantly. The car has long been transformed from a mud-kneader into an object of prestige. Engine power in some modifications approaches half a thousand horsepower, and the price is more reminiscent of sports cars.
Land Rover Defender
The first concessions in the world of SUVs have unfortunately already taken place. In 2016, the English legend Defender was discontinued. But connoisseurs of the model are unlikely to be very saddened by this, since such machines do not age, and there are many of them on the secondary market.
Moreover, the car has a huge margin of safety and an aluminum stainless body. A hardy diesel engine, digesting fuel of any quality, has a long resource. Anyway, the high price of the car allowed few people to buy a new Defender.
General Motors Hummer
Of the entire family of Hammers, the Hummer H2 can be considered the most famous for motorists, only with its appearance reminiscent of the concept of an American military SUV. They have nothing else in common, but the H2 base itself is quite capable of inspiring respect. The brutal body is mounted on the chassis of Chevrolet Silverado heavy pickups. These are real working mechanisms for farmers.
Cars, too, have long been recognized as inconsistent with trends in ecology and economy and have been discontinued. But the very direction set by the design of the HMMWV multi-purpose transporter is unlikely to disappear. Clone production is already being done in China, and the Americans are not used to just ignoring entire sectors of the market.
Toyota Land Cruiser 70
Many consider this car, or rather, a whole series of cars, the best in all history. In one car, all the main technical solutions for the cross-country ability of civilian SUVs were combined with the true values of Toyota in terms of strength and reliability.
The car was taken out of production many times, but the demand for it was always such that it had to be renewed. They are still being produced. Fans of the "seventies" are not stopped by the price of an outdated car, comparable to the modern Prado.
