Off-road vehicle
Off-road vehicles have gained popularity through competitive events such as the annual Dakar Rally,[2] which challenges drivers to navigate diverse and extreme terrain across multiple countries.
[3] The system employed a caterpillar track with a flexible belt instead of interlocking metal segments, which could be fitted to a conventional vehicle, turning it into a half-track suitable for rough or soft terrain.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Kégresse returned to France and the system was used on Citroën cars between 1921 and 1937 for off-road and military vehicles.
The Antarctic Snow Cruiser, a large wheeled vehicle designed 1937-1939 under the direction of Thomas Poulter, was intended for transport in Antarctica.
While the project incorporated novel features, it faced operational difficulties in the harsh Antarctic conditions, eventually leading to its discontinuation.
[citation needed] After World War II, a huge surplus of light off-road vehicles like the Jeep and heavier lorries were available on the automobile market.
Early off-road vehicles, like the U.S. Jeep Wagoneer and Ford Bronco; the British Range Rover; and the Japanese Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrol, and Suzuki's LJ series; featured bodies similar to those of a station wagon but on a light truck-like frame, with four-wheel-drive drivetrains.
[5] Most off-road vehicles are equipped with low gearings, allowing the operator to optimize the engine's available power for slow movement through difficult terrain.
[citation needed] Sport utility vehicles have a higher center of gravity,[7] making them more prone to rollover accidents than standard passenger cars.
[8] In the United States, light trucks (including SUVs) account for 36 percent of all registered vehicles and are involved in about half of all fatal two-vehicle crashes with passenger cars.
[9] Government policies that aim to protect wilderness while allowing recreational ORVs have been a subject of debate in the United States and other countries.
commercial vehicles used for off-roading include four-wheel-drive pickup trucks and SUVs such as the Ford F-Series, Jeep Wrangler, and Toyota Land Cruiser, among others.
