PRESS RELEASE
November 1, 2006
Jeep
Wrangler Rubicon Wins Four
Wheeler’s 2007 Four Wheeler
of the Year Award
Los Angeles—Four
Wheeler,
the nation’s oldest and
most prestigious four-wheel
drive publication and part
of PRIMEDIA’s Enthusiast
Automotive Group, announced
that the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
has been named the winner of
its coveted Four Wheeler of
the Year award for 2007.
“In
a highly competitive test
group, the Wrangler stood
apart from the field,” Four
Wheeler editor Douglas
McColloch said. “Its
legendary off-pavement
abilities were never in
doubt, and the levels
of on-road performance
and comfort the new model
offers are superior in
every way over previous
versions of this vehicle.
In all, the new Wrangler
marks a quantum leap forward,
in both quality and utility,
for this fabled brand.”
This
year’s competitors
included seven new sport-utility
vehicles: The two-door
Jeep Wrangler Rubicon,
the four-door Jeep Unlimited
Rubicon, the Chevrolet
Tahoe and Suburban, The
Toyota FJ Cruiser, the
Hummer H3, and the Kia
Sorento. To qualify for
competition, a vehicle
must have four-wheel drive
capability, equipped with
a two-speed transfer case,
and must be either entirely
new or sport substantial
mechanical revisions from
a previous model year.
“The
amazing level of refinement that
has gone into the Wrangler has made
it a comfortable daily driver and
highway machine without affecting
its off-pavement prowess,” Four
Wheeler technical editor Sean
P. Holman added. “The new
Wrangler is even better than its
predecessor on the trail, and when
you include highway composure, luxury
appointments such as onboard navigation
and power windows and door locks,
and do it on a vehicle that still
has the open-air character that
Wranglers are known for, you have
a winning combination.”.
About
Four Wheeler of the Year’s
test procedures
Held
annually since 1974, the Four Wheeler
of the Year test is a week-long
competition: A 1,000-mile test drive
incorporating city streets and highways,
rocky trails, desert dunes and washboard,
gravel roads, and steep hill climbs,
at elevations ranging from sea level
to in excess of 7,000 feet. Vehicles
are tested for quarter-mile acceleration
and braking distances, and scored
on empirical data such as rear-wheel
horsepower, minimum ground clearance
and observed fuel mileage. Other
test criteria include on- and off-pavement
performance, interior refinements
and safety features, and exterior
fit and finish. Complete test results
and evaluations of all the vehicles
will be available in the February
2007 issue of Four Wheeler,
on sale December 26, 2006.
About Four Wheeler magazine
Now
entering its 45th year of publication, Four
Wheeler was
founded in 1962 and has a circulation
of 300,000 and a total readership
of nearly 2 million. The Four
Wheeler brand is comprised
of Four Wheeler magazine,
fourwheeler.com, Four Wheeler’s
Top Truck Challenge, Four
Wheeler TV, and Four
Wheeler’s annual
Four Wheeler of the Year and
Pickup Truck of the Year awards.
Source: Primedia Automotive Group
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