The idealized Hemi engine, on Memorial Day weekend, in return of V-8 power in the Wrangler Unlimited has swelled interest even beyond the multitude of Jeep enthusiasts.

The new 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392 has arrived with the 6.4-liter Hemi of 470 horsepower and torque, 8-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.

The Jeep’s timing and obvious offroad chops have drawn attention from the Ford followers awaiting arrival of the new Bronco. Those two will meet head-on into the fall and winter 4X4 seasons.

Both will ably handle whatever the outdoors has to offer, yet may often serve as cushy, well-mannered family haulers.

It has been 40 years since a V-8 block was mounted beneath the hood of a Wrangler/CJ – that was a 304-cubic-incher (150 horsepower) in the American Motors’ days of 1981.

Fire up the 392 and, instantly, the rumble of the new, dual-mode exhaust with quad pipes will entertain. Early morning, it may wake a neighbor or two. A performance exhaust button will turn it off or on again.

Bronze tow hooks front and back adorn the bumpers and a functional hood with hydro-guide induction system cools the engine and boosts performance. It has locking axles front and rear.

Wrangler’s new 392 has an inch lift over a standard Rubicon and 2-inch over the standard Wrangler, creating a very high step-in level. Once inside, large, firm, comfortable front seats of stitched leather are heated and roominess of the four-door 4X4 is appreciated.

Jeep’s Sky One-Touch power soft top roof, with touch of a button, opens from the windshield header to the cargo area, a $2,000 option. The slide system appears better-built and of probable longer-lasting service than the one used 10 years ago on the Liberty.

Handy are tie-down slides in the cargo area, even on the inner side of the tailgate. Spare is mounted outside on the tailgate.

Impressive-looking on the Jeep’s 17-inch wheels are beadlock-capable rings that help lock the tires’ outer bead to the wheel. Brake rotor diameters are 12.9 inches at all four corners and Fox aluminum-bodied, 2-inch-diameter shocks are upgrades. Tires are B.F. Goodrich All-Terrain LT 285/70R17s.

The big Hemi in the big four-door Wrangler carries one of the lower EPA estimates of 13 in the city and 17 on the highway. My overall driving showed a 17.2 average.

The Rubicon 392, built at Toledo, Ohio, shows a sticker price of $78,740, including the two-grand for the sky top and $595 for an integrated offroad camera. Among standard items are Uconnect navigation, Alpine audio, Google Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and automatic headlamps.

Chrysler launched its first Hemi V-8 70 years ago in its 1951 full-sized sedan, and soon added them in DeSoto and Dodge. Chrysler’s second-generation Hemi in 1964 was driven to Richard Petty’s first big Nascar win, as Plymouths finished first, second and third.

Fortified with a new offroad package called Tremor, the Ford Ranger ventures into the wilds of the west against roughest of terrain and toughest of weather.

With Tremor, the Ranger is a competitor of the Chevy Colorado ZR2, Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, Nissan Frontier Pro-4X, Jeep Gladiator and GMC Canyon.

The 2021 Ford Ranger SuperCrew 4X4 Tremor, a compact/midsize pickup delivered to me, in 422 miles averaged 21.8 in overall fuel mileage; its EPA estimate is 19 mpg. Fuel tank is 18 gallons.

It performs with a turbocharged, 2.3-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine generating 270 horsepower, 310 lb.-ft. of torque and tied to a 10-speed automatic transmission with the stop/start feature.

When properly equipped, the Ranger’s tow rating is 7,500 pounds. Maximum payload is 1,860 pounds, highest among the compact pickups.

Preparing the Ranger on the road for off-the-road adventure is as simple as twisting a dial for four-wheel-high range or four-wheel-low, then pushing a TM button (terrain management) in the middle of the dial and moving from Normal into Grass/Gravel/Snow or Mud/Ruts or Sand.

It was tested among sagebrush, sand and mud, into dips and draws and ascents, as well as two drives to Denver and back home.

But, basically, purpose of the review is to detail the new Tremor package, which emphasizes a lifted suspension, achieved through offroad Fox 2.0 monotube dampers, tuned front coilover and redesigned rear multileaf springs.

A wider stance, benefitting from Continental General Grabber all-terrain LT 265/70R/17 tires, has improved the Ranger’s handling. The Ranger Tremor’s 9.7 inches of ground clearance is almost an inch more than the standard SuperCrew 4X4.

The turbo boost provides excellent acceleration and highway passing capability. Some occasional jerkiness is felt during upshifting or downshifting in lower gears

A convenient hoop-style step rail is positioned at each of the four doors. The 5-foot-long box with spray-in bedliner has a remote lock for the tailgate.

Inside, fairly firm front bucket seats are finished in a suede/leather combo. The rear seating is all leather; it is a little short on legroom. The navigation/audio infotainment screen is easy to use.

With a near-$5,000 tab added for the Tremor additions, this Ranger’s sticker price soared to $48,100. Base price for the Lariat SuperCrew 4X4 is $38,785.

Besides the Tremor buildup, other options included Bang & Olufsen audio, rain-sensing wipers, rapid red exterior finish, the bedliner. Among safety items are adaptive cruise, forward-sensing system, cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping, precollision assist and reverse sensing.

The Ranger nameplate on the Ford compact pickup dates back to early 1982, when it was introduced as an ’83 model to replace the imported Ford Courier. From 1987 to 2004, the Ranger was the best-selling compact pickup in the U.S. It was discontinued after 2012, then introduced as 4^th-generation Ranger for the 2019 model year. The fourth-gen Ranger is built in Wayne, Mich.

The recently arrived 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, somewhat surprisingly, felt comfortably refined in its week in my possession. On sale for three or four months, it does battle with the Jeep Cherokee and Compass and others, leaving the bigger Bronco, due out this summer, to contend with the larger and tougher Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.

Speaking of Jeep; heading my way was a new Wrangler Rubicon 392 with a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 engine. The spread of a crack in the glass after a rock hit the windshield turned the driver around back toward Denver. “Oh, no,” was my response to the call informing me the Jeep wouldn’t be delivered; “Oh, wow,” I responded to the next bit of info which was that in its place, the driver would bring me the new Ford Bronco Sport.

The return of the Ford Bronco is one of the most anticipated new-car arrivals in many months. The Bronco Sport will compete with, in addition to the Jeeps, the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester. It shares underpinnings with the Ford Escape; the Sport’s wheelbase is 105.7 inches and overall length 172.7 inches.

The big Bronco, expected to show up this summer as a 2022 model, will be almost a foot-and-a-half longer than the Bronco Sport.

I drove the Bronco Sport to Longmont, then followed Colo. 66 and U.S. 36 with numerous curves and a long climb to Estes Park. It was rainy with heavy fog most of the way. The all-wheel-drive Bronco maintained good grip from its all-terrain tires; adding interest was dialing in Sport mode, which increased throttle response, quickened shifts and steering, while the 11-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system programmed V-8 engine exhaust sound.

The descent back to Greeley came via Big Thompson Canyon and its twists, most of which were nonbraking maneuvers after dropping into 4^th and even 3^rd gears while using the Sport’s paddleshifters.

The Sport performs with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine of 250 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque. It is tied to an 8-speed automatic transmission, shifted from a rotary dial on the center console. Near it is a second dial, smaller, labeled G.O.A.T., which stands for “Goes Over Any Type of Terrain.” It will move between Normal, Comfort, Eco and Sport modes, with terrain settings for slippery, sand, mud/ruts and snow.

Base engine for the Sport is a 1.5-liter, turbocharged 3-cylinder of 181 horsepower and 190 lb.-ft. of torque. The Bronco’s doors and top are removable.

Base price for the Ford Bronco Sport 1^st Edition 4X4 is $32,500. A list of optional items pushed the sticker price to $37,545. The Bronco Sport is built at Hermosillo, Mexico.

The 120-mile run through Estes averaged 26.4 miles per gallon; overall for the week was 22.8. The Sport’s EPA estimate is 21/26.

The small, smooth ID.4, the one that temporarily put the “t” in Volkswagen, is no joke.

It is a well-designed, fully electric SUV crossover that VW expects will emphasize the brand’s focus on electrification.

The ID.4, along with another recently introduced EV, the Ford Mustang Mach-e, are worthy challengers for established electrics Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona, all of which produce range expectations of 220 to 260 miles.

VW officials expect the ID attraction to spill over even against sales stalwarts of the internal-combustion crowds, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. That’s a best-case scenario.

Volkswagen estimates a range of 250 miles for the ID.4. That range will vary, depending on weather and terrain, and certainly on highway speeds.

Jan and I drove from our home in Greeley to Panera Bread at I-25 and 144^th Avenue for coffee with Kurt and Tammy Wells. Speeds, first on U.S. 34, then south on I-25, varied from around 65 to 78 miles per hour for a distance of 44 miles, yet the range reduction was 55 miles. On the return drive, we drove east on 144^th to Colo. Blvd. road, then north to Greeley on 55-mph roads, a distance of 41 miles, which reduced the range by only 31 miles.

Monday morning, with 90 miles of range remaining in the ID.4 and needing a quick-charge for a drive into Denver, I pulled into Greeley Volkswagen. Not much was stirring inside the dealership, except for the friendly face of Carlos Jimenez, sales manager.

“Sure, we can give it a charge,” said Jimenez, who was surprised to see it pulled in and parked. There are few yet on the road. Jimenez asked for the ID’s key, got in and drove it 50 feet to the next-door building, Greeley Nissan, and with the help of a representative of that business, began the recharge. In 40 minutes, the VW’s range was boosted from 90 to 190 miles, plenty for my need that morning. Range capacity for the ID.4 is 250 miles.

I discussed with Jimenez the effect of highway speeds upon the little electric model. Jimenez explained how regenerative braking can expand the range in town driving. The Greeley Volkswagen sales team, with the dealership’s first ID.4, for several days in town shifted from the D (drive) gear to B (battery) which meant using the regenerative braking gear on deceleration; they attained 311 miles of range, a big gain over the estimated 250.

Jimenez, who worked in Boulder prior to coming here, said that city was much quicker to embrace the hybrid/plug-in/electric movement, but that there is growing interest now in the Greeley area and that he expects the VW entry to be very competitive.

We drove, rather quickly, for 74 miles to our destination in Denver, using 83 miles of range. After lunch at the New York Deli, we chose a much slower return route on U.S. 85. In 63 miles, the ID.4 gave up only 54 from its battery pack range. The car’s regenerative braking pressure is increased by moving the shifter from D to B.

That 82-kWh battery pack, beneath the floor of the passenger area, weighs a bit more than 1,000 pounds. That swells the curb weight of the ID.4 to a hefty 4,659 pounds. In size, it is almost 5 inches shorter than Volkswagen’s compact crossover, the Tiguan. It is built in Mosel, Germany.

The ID.4 is rear-wheel drive; its 201-horsepower electric motor sits over the rear axle. An all-wheel-drive version of the model will be introduced later in the year. The VW is a good handler, very quiet and offers a comfortable ride. Its infotainment center is somewhat difficult to command, even with its voice connection.

The ID.4 can be recharged fully in 7 ½ hours with 240-volt power. An overnight charge with 120-volt will add 40-50 miles or so of range.

The ID.4 1^st Edition is the upper trim level for the model, and carries sticker price of $45,190. Lesser-priced versions are Pro and Pro S.

Early last week, about the time I received the ID.4 for reviewing, a Volkswagen press release said the company planned to change its brand name in the North American market to “Voltswagen” (thus, the reference to the ‘t’ in Volkswagen at the start of this column). “It was an April Fool’s joke,” VW said later.

The twists of Rist provided a delightful start to Christmas week 2020 for Jan and me aboard the 2021 Mercedes AMG GLS63 sport ute.

This big full-sized beauty belies its size in  driving the narrow, curvy roads of Rist Canyon from Masonville to Bellvue in Larimer County on Sunday morning.

Following a brief stop at the Stove Prairie School, we continued several miles down the road before a photo stop and opportunity for a short visit with Jeff and Michele Yarberry.

From Masonville to Stove Prairie to Bellvue, I drove in Sport mode, using 3^rd and 4^th gears manually for best control of the big Benz on the narrow curves, up and down the hills. Fuel mileage average was 17.1 miles per gallon.

AMG’s hand-built 4.0-liter biturbo V-8 engine with EQ boost produces 603 horsepower, 627 torque with a 9-speed automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive. The mild-hybrid EQ boost improves efficiency and performance at the same time.

Considering that power, along with AMG Active Ride Control suspension, AMG Dynamic Select drive mode, AMG multi-spoke forged wheels at $4,450 extra and AMG silver brake calipers, surely the sticker price won’t be a shocker. How about $149,740?

AMG is the high-performance division of Mercedes and independently engineers, manufactures and customizes M-B products.

The Burmester 3D Surround Sound system is a $4,550 optional add, and there are a carbon-fiber engine compartment cover, three rows of seats (sunshades for the middle row), and panorama roof. All three rows of seats are heated, as are the armrests and door panels, but you know what? The steering wheel is not heated.

The GLS is one of the finest seven-passenger sport utes in the country, with an exceptionally smooth ride and one of the most effective, least obtrusive stability control/curve control/lane-keeping assists of any on the market. Large, thick headrests can block driver vision to the rear side.

The Mercedes rides on a wheelbase of 123.4 inches, is 205 inches in overall length, with curb weight of 5,800 pounds. It is assembled in Vance, Ala. Engine and transmission are built in Germany.

Forty years ago, Mercedes-Benz previewed the first driver’s airbag and seat belt tensioner, cutting-edge safety innovation. A limited number of S-Class sedans were delivered with the new technology, a joint development between Daimler-Benz AG and Bosch.

This ushered in the triumph of a restraint system which was quickly adopted by many automotive manufacturers across the world.

The airbag and seat-belt tensioner were available in 1982 as optional extras for all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. By 1992, the driver’s airbag was standard equipment in all of the brand’s models, followed by a front passenger airbag as standard in 1994.

Honda for the 2021 model year has toughened the look of its Ridgeline compact pickup, long noted for excellent ride quality.

Tired of hearing little praise for the Ridgeline’s other characteristics, Honda execs ordered a redesign of the front, from the A pillar forward.

In addition to a larger and more bold grille in the restyling, prominent fender flares were added, HPD alloy wheels were finished in bronze and a new rear bumper shows off dual exhaust ends.

Maximum towing capacity, though, remains at 5,000 pounds, lowest among the seven compact pickup competitors. Several other makes exceed 7,000 pounds.

“Ours is not the most robust in its class, but we feel it’s more than enough for what segment customers might tow,” is a Honda statement, perhaps pretentious.

At a stop at Daltile out on E. 42^nd Ave., Denver, a forklift operator loaded 830 pounds of shower wall and floor tile into the bed of the Ridgeline. Payload for the truck is class-leading 1,583 pounds, so even adding the weights for Jan and me, left 400 or more pounds of freight capacity. Bed size in the Honda is 60 inches long and 50 wide; beneath the floor at the rear is a deep-well trunk, with drain.

The performance from the Ridgeline in carrying the load was very good; beneath the hood is a 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 with variable cylinder management, 9-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Paddleshifters are linked to its push-and-pull electronic gear selector.

It maintained 75-miles-per-hour speed on I-25 when called for; its adaptive cruise was right on with distance control in the busy lanes of the highway.

Fuel mileage average for a week of driving, split equally between in-city and on-highway, was 22.1 mpg, with a 19.5-gallon fuel tank; its EPA estimate is 18/24.

The Ridgeline is of unibody construction, with MacPherson strut front shocks and multilink rear suspension. The four-door pickup is 210 inches in length on wheelbase of 125.2 inches. Curb weight is 4,510 pounds.

Beginning price for the Ridgeline AWD Sport is $37,665, with sticker price of $42,035. Base prices for the three higher trim levels are $40,465 for the RTL, $43,595 for the RTL-E and $45,095 for the Black Edition.

Among items included as standard for the Sport trim are Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration and Bluetooth hands-free link, LED headlights with auto-high beam, dual action tailgate and remote engine start.

Also standard are lane-keeping assist and road-departure mitigation, part of the Honda Sensing safety and driver-assistive technology.

Compact pickup competitors of the Ridgeline are the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, Jeep Gladiator, Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma. First-quarter sales were

• 66,449 for the Tacoma,
• 24,166 for the Ranger,
• 24,083 for the Colorado,
• 18,882 for the Gladiator,
• 12,570 for the Ridgeline,
• 10,780 for the Frontier and
• 7,144 for the Canyon.

The Ridgeline is built at a Honda assembly plant in Lincoln, Ala.

Out-of-the-ordinary body styles showed up on a couple European luxury imports sent my way.

They’re the 2021 Audi A6 allroad quattro wagon and ’21 Mercedes AMG E53 two-door coupe.

The outstanding products are German-built – the Audi at Neckarsulm near Stuttgart, the Mercedes up north at Bremen near Denmark.

For the A6 allroad, it is a return after an absence of 15 years from U.S. showrooms. It’s not to be confused with the Audi A4 allroad, for the A6 is 7 inches longer, 400 pounds heavier and runs with 6-cylinder power to 4-cylinder for the smaller allroad. (A base version of the A6 can be bought with the 4-cylinder power).

A very smooth, strong, turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine, tied to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with quattro all-wheel drive, develops 335 horsepower. It averaged 25.3 miles per gallon in a combination of city/highway drives. It rides on Continental 245/45R20 tires.

The lengthy allroad sits low and offers an easier step-in than the SUV crossovers so popular today.

Among features are air suspension for added comfort and a lifted ride height (even an inclinometer to measure the vehicle’s tilt/roll/pitch angles), automatic soft-close doors, an upper 10-inch touchscreen for infotainment and navigation and lower 8-inch for climate control, Bang & Olufsen sound, 360-degree camera, automated emergency braking and lane-departure warning.

A $4,500 Prestige package raised sticker price of the Audi A6 allroad to $71,990. It included dual-pane acoustic glass, head-up display, rear cross-traffic alert, cooled front seats and heated rear seats, manual rear-side-window sunshades.

A chief competitor for the A6 allroad is the Volvo V90 crosscountry wagon.

AMG E53 Coupe

The sleek AMG E53 is a true coupe, with two doors and slope back.

Performance is built around a turbocharged inline-6-cylinder, enhanced by Mercedes’ AMG unit, and producing 429 horsepower and 384 lb.-ft.  of torque. Move the 9-speed automatic shifter into Sport mode, kick it a bit and enjoy breathtaking results.

The electrified inline-6 is supported by an EQ Boost, generating power for the 48-volt system, combining a starter motor and alternator in an electric motor between the engine and tranny/4Matic all-wheel drive. An electric auxiliary compressor builds immediate torque for acceleration until the exhaust-gas turbo takes over.

The Benz’s grand interior offers form-fitting black buckets of perforated leather trimmed in red, with metal-weave embellishment across the dash cover.

Noontime one day we met friends Ted and Shirley King for lunch at Cheddars in Northglenn, heading in on U.S. 85 and back to home base via I-25. Riding on 19-inch Michelins, the Mercedes averaged 22.6 miles per gallon (EPA estimate is 21/28).

Options boosted price of the E53 from base of $76,250 to sticker of $86,460. Among them were a heated performance steering wheel in nappa leather, performance exhaust, heated and ventilated front seats and driver assistance package of assists in steering, lane change, emergency stop, braking and blind-spot alert.

The role of gas/electric hybrids is fast-moving past its traditional major-domo status toward key player for several manufacturers in the intensely competitive automotive field.

The Honda Accord is an example. It is determined to “go the distance” in the face of the incessant decline in midsize-sedan sales.

As several makers either have abandoned or plan to abandon that part of the market, Accord and its principal rival, the Toyota Camry, go “full speed ahead” with expansion and advancements midsizewise.

The Accord Hybrid, in particular, has made great strides in 2021, based on a more brisk throttle response and an impressive rise in fuel efficiency, a combo that can’t fail, at least in today’s market.

While the traditional Accord is powered by a 1.5-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder, the Accord Hybrid is more powerful with its naturally aspirated 2.0-liter, Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder and electric motors. The hybrid operates with 20 more horsepower, 40 more lb.-ft. of torque and is far more fuel-efficient. It has a fuel-tank range of up to 600 miles.

This advantage even against the fact the curb weight of the hybrid, with its battery pack and assorted equipment, is 3,446, 200 pounds heavier than the standard Accord.

A two-motor hybrid system – one for propulsion and the other a generator/starter motor – is seamlessly switched between EV electric, hybrid and the internal-combustion engine for maximum efficiency and necessary power.

With a switch to sport mode, the driver very quickly feels the increased tempo and responsiveness from the powertrain.

Aided by an easy 100-mile drive into Denver and back, the Accord averaged 44.4 miles per gallon in overall use in my possession. Its EPA estimate is 44 in the city and 41 on highway. The transmission is continuously variable and emits some whine on aggressive acceleration demands. The 6-speed manual transmission has been dropped for the Accord.

The big four-door is comfortable and roomy, and its trunk is a generous-sized 16.7 cubic feet. For 2021, updates were made to the Accord grille, LED headlights, foglights and radar unit integration, along with rear-seat reminder and low-speed braking control.

The Touring is the most upscale of the four trim levels for the hybrid. Lesser equipped are Base, EX and EX-L.

The $37,435 sticker price for the Accord Hybrid Touring includes remote engine start, walk-away auto lock, heated and ventilated front leather seats and heated rear seats, premium audio display with navigation/Buetooth/wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration, wireless phone charger, head-up display and power moonroof.

Honda Sensing security includes adaptive cruise control, collision-mitigation braking, lane-keeping assist and road-departure mitigation.

The Accord sedan was introduced to the U.S. market in 1976 as a ’77 model and the Accord Hybrid was added in 2005.

The 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat is the most powerful SUV in the country; well, most powerful in the world, I guess. Its supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi Hellcat V-8 generates 710 horsepower and 645 lb.-ft. of torque. It will attain 180-miles-per-hour speeds and tow 8,700 pounds.

So, what was it doing in Estes Park on a Saturday afternoon in December?

It carried Jan and me west out of Greeley, through Loveland and into Big Thompson Canyon past the Dam Store. Oh, my gosh, the roar of the exhausts between the rock walls of the Narrows, even at the relatively tame miles-per-hour pace, was awesome (in my opinion). On up the canyon I drove, paddle-shifting between 4^th, 5^th and 6^th gears to keep pace in the busy line of automobiles.

The silver-colored Durango, with the under-hood valve covers of orange hue, a favorite for Hemis 60 years ago, rolled into a somewhat nostalgic scene along Estes Park’s Main Street, almost defying the facts of the country’s pandemic. Happy shoppers, it seemed, some masked, some not, in and out of the stores and filling the sidewalks; lots of packages and shopping bags.

Our only departure of the Hellcat was a couple miles above the village, long enough for a photo of the Durango, then slowly back through Main Street and eventually, back home.

In a setting far from downtown shoppers on another day, I clocked a 4.2-seconds 0-to-60 time in the Durango. This was a blink-of-an-eye slower than a 3.9-seconds time I recorded with an ’18 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk with a 707-hp Hellcat engine.

For the ’21 Durango, this is the year of the Hellcat, and the only year; it won’t be available in the Dodge SUV after the 2021 model year. Hellcat engines were originally offered only in the Dodge Charger and Challenger models, later added to the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and this fall to the Ram TRX and Durango.

While base price on the Durango Hellcat is $80,995, sticker price soared to $93,150 with optional Laguna leather seats, full-speed forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, rear DVD, suede headliner, Harman Kardon sound and red seat belts.

The week preceding the Hellcat testing, I drove the ’21 Dodge Durango R/T AWD model, sticker priced at $66,650. Since the R/T was equipped with the 360-hp Hemi V-8, this indicates a sizable chunk of the $27,000 difference in price from the Hellcat is the 710-hp engine.

One of the toughest of Land Rovers, after a 23-year absence from the U.S., is back.

The Land Rover Defender 110, for which roots date to the original LR in1950, fits the role of terrain tamer and is pitted against Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser, Mercedes Gelaendewagen and a couple others as super offroaders.

Built on Land Rover’s new all-aluminum D7x platform, the Defender is equipped with a powerful turbocharged, inline-6-cylinder of 395 horsepower and 408 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with selectable driving and offroad modes. In Sport, tap shifter up or down for manual-mode swiftness. A direct-front camera aids its 4X4 prowess.

The Defender is built on a lengthy, 119-inch wheelbase; yet, in overall length it is the shortest of the six Land Rover/Range Rover models. From shortest to lengthiest overall are the Defender at 170.2 inches, the Range Rover Evoque at 172.1, the Land Rover Discovery Sport 181, Range Rover Sport 192.1, Land Rover Discovery 195.1 and the flagship Range Rover 196.9.

The five-passenger Defender sent my way was finished in tasman blue, a color particularly well-suited to the structurally tough-looking sport ute, with white top. The classic blue color was used on Range Rovers from 1982 to ’87. In restyling, the square body of old has given way to a new grille and softening along the sides. The back end is chopped off at the rear corners as though to retain a bit of the traditional squared-off appearance.

With Jan, Bill and Kathy Allen aboard, I headed the Land Rover out northeast on a Saturday afternoon on a smooth drive (air suspension) 75 miles along Colo.  392 and 14. We slowed only on arrival at our destination, Stoneham and Dewey’s Bar and Grill, where we joined Jon and Nancy Weaver and Will and Jody Kulp of Greeley for dinner. On leaving a couple hours later, I visited with two other couples from our area who had driven to the “prime-rib specialty house,” Ron and Madge Randell of Greeley and Darrel and Debbie Dilley of LaSalle.

Overall fuel-mileage average for the Defender was 20.3 mpg; its EPA estimate is 17/22. Premium fuel is recommended. Its 360-mile test included another drive – to Denver – and lots of stop-and-go city maneuvering.

Added to that was some offroading to get a feel for the Defender’s Terrain Response system, which is engaged by touching a button on the center stack, then pushing in the driver-side heater temperature control knob (yes, that is correct) and dialing in the proper terrain setting among normal, rock crawl, mud and ruts, grass/gravel/snow, sand and wade, for traversing low-spot water in roadways or small streams.

The turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 is very responsive, plenty strong; yet, for the 2022 model year, Land Rover will add a 518-horsepower, supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine to both the 110 and the 90 two-door.

From a base price of $63,275, the 2020 Defender 110 SE climbed to sticker of $71,025 by adding adaptive cruise with stop-and-go, heated steering wheel and washer jets, configurable terrain response, electronic active differential, Goodyear Wrangler 255/60R20 tires, satellite radio and premium cabin lighting.

British-based, the Defender is built in Slovakia.