***DUE TO SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, WE ARE A BIT BEHIND ON FWOTY BLOGS***

Seven testers, six vehicles, two cameramen, a couple of coolers (yes, filled with Dr. Pepper - thanks Bossman) and a whole lotta gear came together at 7am in our Los Angeles office parking lot, ready for the week of testing ahead. Who would be the victor? Vehicles from Hummer, Jeep, Nissan and Toyota were representing their respective brands in hopes of carrying on the tradition by becoming the next winner of the 2007 Four Wheeler Of The Year.

With an early morning group meeting out of the way, the team saddled up in all of our gleaming 2008 vehicles and headed for California Speedway in Fontana, California for track testing.

At the track we performed our typical acceleration (0-60, 1/4-mile) and braking (60-0) tests. It was at the track we truly were able to appreciate the monster engines in this test, such as the Grand Cherokee's turbo diesel, the Land Cruisers 5.7L V-8, and the tire shredding Pathfinder's 5.6L V-8, creating what was quite possibly the fastest accelerating group in the history of FWOTY. Braking performance on some of the vehicles were equally impressive.

From the track to our hill climb test location in Johnson Valley, we got a taste of the power of these vehicle while climbing the Cajon Grade and the capability of the vehicle's various four wheel drive systems, while climbing up our loose and rocky hill climb.

With dry lake bed photography complete and the sun setting fast, we took inventory of our long day and headed off to the hotel for dinner a good night's rest. After all the next several days will be full days.

A couple of observations: No front solid axles, one IRS suspension, two rear lockers, four V-8s, one turbo diesel, three vehicles with rock rails, only one with running boards. And get this - 2,135 lb-ft of track ripping torque!

--Sean
Four Wheeler - Tech Editor