Off-Roading

Here's how to be one of the first to drive the new Land Rover Defender in the U.S.

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Nov 12, 2019, 2:20 pm

The Land Rover Defender has debuted and it's getting ready to go on sale in the U.S.

Photo courtesy of Land Rover

Land Rover doesn't just make adventuremobiles. They also make luxury lifestyle transportation solutions. As capable as a Land Rover SUV is, it's also as stylish.

The idea behind that blend is the anthesis of the 4xFAR live music festival event. 4xFAR combines lifestyle, culinary, adventure, and music experiences on January 18-19, 2020 at the Empire Grand Oasis in the Coachella Valley.

"The new Land Rover Defender is an iconic vehicle reimaged for the modern era. We've created the 4xFAR Festival to introduce the Defender back to the U.S. in a fresh and exciting way by bringing together a unique experience combining adventure, culinary arts, and music in an unforgettable weekend," said Kim McCullough, Vice President of Marketing, Jaguar Land Rover North America.

4xFAR event poster Land Rover will host the 4xFAR festival, where event goers will be the first in the country to drive the new 2020 Land Rover Defender.Photo courtesy of Land Rover

The festival was created in honor of the arrival of the 2020 Land Rover Defender on U.S. shores. Alongside the traditional lifestyle elements, event goers will be able to test out the Defender on a purpose-built off-road course, alongside the full range of current Land Rover vehicles. There will also be displays of Land Rover heritage vehicles and parking corrals for Land Rover Club members.

The musician lineup is impressive. The line-up is led by Grammy-winning Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals with Mark Ronson & Q-Tip, as well as two-time Grammy nominated live electronic duo Sofi Tukker. The unique programming continues with former The War on Drugs frontman turned solo artist Kurt Vile and the Violators, and British-Japanese electronic house producer Maya Janes Coles. Additionally, Young The Giant, English songwriting prodigy Mahalia, surf-rock icons Tijuana Panthers, synthesizer expert LP Giobbi, and Brighton's Chappaqua Wrestling join the lineup. More artists will be announced closer to the event date.

An adventure area will include workshops in slacklining, rock climbing, yoga & mobility, mountain biking, campsite mixology, navigation & wilderness safety, along with other demos and activities throughout the weekend.

Celebrity brand ambassadors including professional volleyball player Gabby Reece and big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, the United States Equestrian Federation and the United States Ski and Snowboard teams will be at the event.

There will also be activations from art and design companies, interactive photo moments, VIP amenities, and exclusive branded and curated goods and apparel.

Tickets for the event start at $185 and can be purchased at www.4xfar.com.

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New Truck

Jeep launches Texas-themed 2021 Gladiator only for Lone Star State buyers

A new Texas-themed version of the Jeep Gladiator is on the way.

Photo courtesy of Stellantis

Jeep has brought the Gladiator's off-road chops to the trails of the Lone Star State. The 2021 Jeep Gladiator Texas Trail is another of the the traditional of special edition vehicles for Texans who occupy the nation's largest truck market. It's the first time Jeep has offered a unique-to-Texas truck.

The new model builds on the Gladiator Sport S trim adding 17-inch Mid-Gloss Back Aluminum wheels wrapped in 32-inch mud-terrain tires, four-wheel drive, standard side steps, and the Trailer Tow Group. The Gladiator Texas Trail has a unique hood and decals that feature the year 1836 in the graphic as a nod to the year of the Texas Declaration of Independence. It also wears a black hardtop, black leather seats embossed with the Texas Trail graphic and comes equipped with the Technology Group and Convenience Group packages.

2021 Jeep Gl The vehicle is ready to be fully accessorized to the buyer's wishes.Photo courtesy of Stellantis

2021 Jeep Gl

The Texas-themed model features the buyer's choice of Jeep's new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 engine that's rated at 260 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque or the tried and true 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 power plant, which achieves 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.

Jeep has badged each of the models with Trail Rated status. To achieve this status, Jeep vehicles must pass extreme off-road capability challenges.

The Gladiator Texas Trail is available in 10 colors: black, white, Snazzberry, Granite Crystal, Sarge, Nacho, Hydro Blue, Firecracker Red, Billet Silver, and Sting-Gray. Jeep recently introduced a Snazzberry-colored Wrangler.

Each Gladiator comes with the Jeep Wave customer service program, which includes three years of maintenance, 24/7 phone/online support, trip interruption/first-day loaner coverage, and VIP access to Jeep events.

The 2021 Jeep Gladiator Texas Trail has a starting MSRP of $40,435 (plus $1,495 destination) and is currently available at Texas dealers.

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In-Car Tech

Lexus Teammate advanced driver assist tech debuting on 2022 LS 500h

New driver assist technology is coming to the Lexus lineup later this year.

Photo courtesy of Lexus

New Lexus Teammate driver assistance technology will debut on the 2022 Lexus LS 500h later this year. Its availability is constrained to all-wheel drive models.

The technology was developed based on the Mobility Teammate Concept. This automated driving concept is unique to Toyota sough to enhance communication between drivers and cars, "enabling them to reach out to each other for mutual assistance". The concept sees cars and humans interacting and partnering rather than having automation take over for drivers. This approach allows drivers to enjoy the experience of driving but allowing the vehicle to take over some functions of driver's duties at times. In this way, the tech works as both guardian and chauffeur.

2022 Lexus The company's flagship sedan will get the technology first.Photo courtesy of Lexus

2022 Lexus LS 500h

On the 2022 Lexus 500h, Lexus Teammate will offer two functions: Advanced Drive and Advanced Park.

Advanced Drive is design to "accurately detect driving conditions to plan and execute acceleration, braking, and steering commands to maintain the vehicle within the lane, follow other vehicles, change lanes, navigate certain interchanges and traffic jams and overtake slower vehicles." It's a Level 2 functionality that "allows for driving on limited-access highways with partial hands-free, eyes-on-the-road operation".

This description makes it sound a lot like the suite of lane keeping, lane centering, and adaptive cruise control technology that Hyundai offers rather than true Level 3 technology that General Motors's Super Cruise delivers.

Lexus will show operation of the technology on a screen with information displayed like this.Photo courtesy of Lexus

Advanced Park operates similar to how the Genesis GV80's hands-free parking assist technology works. The Lexus tech automatically controls steering, acceleration, braking, and gear changes with parallel parking or backing into a parking space. It uses a combination of 360-degree sensing technologies and a bird's eye view display to perform the task while allowing the driver to monitor progress.

"We are very proud of Lexus Teammate, which is the culmination of five years of close collaboration between our technical centers in Japan and the US. We conducted simultaneous development and rigorous testing in both markets with the goal of achieving industry-leading advanced driver assistance functionality," says Derek Caveney, executive engineer at Toyota Motor North America's Integrated Vehicle Systems team.

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