1978 Jeep Wagoneer. Amazing Survivor California Truck. on 2040-cars

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Happy 50th birthday, Jeep Wagoneer

The Wagoneer got the SUV on the radar of buyers looking for something capable, comfortable and rugged.
The Jeep Wagoneer was introduced 50 years ago, and it's that vehicle we have to thank for the herds of excellent crossovers and SUVs that make up our current automotive landscape. On a personal level, I have always loved the full-size Jeeps and their crisp Brooks Stevens styling, which aged well over their long tenure on the market. The SJs, as they're known among enthusiasts, were the Wagoneer and its two-door counterpart, the original Cherokee. The Wagoneers had become true luxury vehicles by the end of their run, which stretched form late 1962 as a '63 model all the way to 1991, when they were offered exclusively under the Grand Wagoneer nameplate.

2014 Jeep Cherokee: Fall colors tour [w/video]

The Trailhawk's rugged good looks were right at home against the backdrop of changing seasons. Regardless of where you choose to call home, you've probably seen, or at least heard, about the Pure Michigan ads, showing off all the splendor that the Mitten State has to offer. You can make fun of them all you want (several spoofs already exist), but as a native, I fully stand behind the idea that Michigan is a truly gorgeous place. The western coast along Lake Michigan and the northern half of the Lower Peninsula are seriously pretty, and vastly different from the southeastern area that houses big cities like Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, and so on. Beyond that, the Upper Peninsula is the closest you'll get to seeing vast spoils of untouched wilderness, and trust me – it's truly pretty. I've seen the world, but I still feel all warm and fuzzy every time I venture north to experience all the vistas that my own state has to offer. In the autumn months, the changing leaves in Michigan put on quite a display. Sure, this happens all over the world, but we truly embrace autumn in the Wolverine State, and practically every Detroit-based Autoblog staffer has gone on at least one fall colors tour to the northern Lower Peninsula to take it all in. That's exactly what associate multimedia producer Chris McGraw and I did just over a month ago, behind the wheel of our long-term 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The Trailhawk's rugged good looks were right at home against the backdrop of changing seasons, and we opted to capture the whole experience on video for this latest long-term update. The Tunnel of Trees is a picturesque stretch of Michigan's M-119 highway that starts just northeast of Petoskey. As you can see in the video above, the Tunnel of Trees is a picturesque stretch of Michigan's M-119 highway that starts just northeast of Petoskey and follows Lake Michigan's Little Traverse Bay. This winding road through the woods goes on for nearly 30 miles, largely unobstructed by neighborhoods, fueling stations, shops, or roadside fodder, and spits you out at the famous Legs Inn in Harbor Springs. (Top-notch Polish food, if you're hungry.) From there, you can either continue north toward Mackinac City and the Mackinac Bridge that connects Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas, or you can turn around and take in all the goodness again.

5 classic trucks and their polarizing modern revivals

EVs are helping eliminate Detroit's gas-guzzling problem. Some revivals of gas-powered classics are getting the EV treatment.  But not every revived model looks exactly like its original counterpart. We're in a new era of hulking Detroit metal, and you can thank EVs. Americans can't get enough of their big, beefy trucks and SUVs. But for many years, some of the biggest gas guzzlers fell out of fashion as gas prices rose and emissions regulations tightened. But in the past few years, some of the most iconic American truck nameplates have been brought back to life with electric motors, like the GMC Hummer. In other cases, as with the Ford Bronco, improvements in engine technology and more interest in rugged adventure vehicles made a gas-powered revival possible. Even some revivals that started as gas-powered, like the Chevy Blazer and the Jeep Wagoneer, are now getting electrified spinoffs. (Even if they don't always look quite as sleek as their original inspiration.) Here are side-by-sides of five classic American trucks and their modern counterparts. The Jeep Wagoneer 1975 Jeep Wagoneer and 2024 Electric Jeep Wagoneer SStellantis After a long wait, Jeep released its revival of the classic Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in 2020. Starting later this year, an electric version of the luxury Jeep SUV will join the Wagoneer lineup. The Chevrolet Blazer A 1973 Chevrolet Blazer and a 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EVGetty Images, General Motors The Chevrolet Blazer was first rebooted in 2019 as a sporty family SUV. The modern Blazer shares zero resemblance to its boxy, off-roading older sibling, but it has still managed to become one of Chevy's more popular SUVs in recent years. The Blazer EV came later, and was one of the first models GM built on its new Ultium battery platform. The Hummer A Hummer H2 and the 2023 Hummer EV pickup truckGetty Images, General Motors Once the poster child for Detroit's big, bad gas guzzlers, the Hummer got new life as an electric pickup truck in 2021. The Ford Bronco A 1971 Ford Bronco and a 2022 Ford BroncoFord Motor Co. After a rouge group of engineers and designers inside Ford spent years trying to breathe life back into the Blue Oval's boxy off-roader, the Ford Bronco was finally resurrected in 2020 amid a rise in popularity for rugged adventure vehicles. The Ford Ranger 1985 Ford Ranger and a 2024 Ford RangerFord Motor Co.