AEV Brute: The Ultimate Overlander?

[Yetters]

"So how is the Brute so far?"

Well this is my first real 4x4 so i have nothing to judge it from. Solid, dependable and a whole lot of fun to drive. Spent part of the weekend out in Rainbow Valley finding what trails I could, did not get into trouble, but I l know its sure to come. The build quality of AEV seems very solid and well thought out with the Brute being built for a purpose and not just for show. The AEV parts are well made and thought out with the safety of the driver seeming to be the main concern over looks, giving creed to the old motorcycle adage "chrome don't get you home". I am excited to start learning and exploring and meeting and making new friends, be them Jeep owners or not!

Yetters

 

[shays4me]

Indeed:

"Blah Blah Blah....You know this video should be decent with all these disclaimers. It is not legal to view this video in the states of California or New York"

LOL

What? You're not supposed to watch that! Guns have been found to kill people and cause cancer by the state of California, LOL!

 

[DEFENDERBEAM]

that was too much fun!

I liked the moving full auto MP5.

nice pelican ice chest. haha

 

[Littlehouse]

More fun with the Brute.

Note: Only DOT headlight were used in the making of this video

So awesome!

 

[Jurfie]

...what I was asking is if anyone here in the "JEEP" section would like to comment on the reliability of the AEV motors etc. I currently have a LX470 but maybe getting the jeep thing again. I am NOT a fan of Chrysler!!!! I had several jeeps and the last one had such a bad ECU problem I got jeep to do a lemon law buy back! So for me to get back into a Jeep will take lots of research.

"AEV motors" are either the stock Chrysler Pentastar 3.6L, a HEMI 5.7L VVT or a HEMI 6.4L VVT.

What year was your last Jeep? The 4.0L from pre-2007 was bulletproof, the 3.8L from 2007-2011 was controversial, and the early-2012 3.6L had cylinder head issues that resulted in a recall. So for since then, the 3.6L has been pretty solid.

 

[Yetters]

Nope

Guns. Guns are dangerous.

Now explosives?, in the right hands?

Well lets have a bit of "hold my beverage and watch this!"

Yetters

 

[91AzXJ]

It was the pocket knife that sent shivers down my spine!

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

Scott I love your reports on equipment. But on the dal kens tires I think you got it wrong. I have 73000 miles on them there not down to the wear bars yet I wanted a new set of tires. But I can't seem to wear these out. I would have sent this as a pm but couldn't figure out how. Would love to hear your eval on the. Nitto terra grappler. G2. The new BFG all terrain and an old favorite. Kelly Springfield safari. Just a request. Sorry about the high jack

 

[bjunc]

Pulling a zombie thread here, but I'd like to add my 2¢ because there seems to be more people in the "no way" crowd than I would have thought. I have considered converting my JKUR to a Brute, and asking AT pretty pretty please to create a Habitat similar to what they did for the Tacoma.

Imagine this setup on a Brute! To me, this the intersection of form and function in a NA overlanding vehicle (a la 78 series Hercules, and a 110 Icarus).



I will say though, I really would like a diesel option (maybe a Cummins through a company like Bruiser Conversions, or an EcoDiesel if that ever manifests...?). I know we don't "need" a diesel in North America, but as someone who has done portions of the TAT, I would have preferred to stay on the trails longer, and not have to get off the trails just to get gas. It's not a deal breaker though, so that's why I personally think the Brute (upfitted with some kind of habitat-esque setup) would be the ultimate.

 

[emkay]

check flippac.com, maybe the small model fits the brute bed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bjunc]

Thinking about this a little more, one thing that I think could have helped in the labeling of "ultimate", would have been a category rating system (say, out of 5 stars). So for instance, if I were to rate an overlanding vehicle categorically, it might look like this (out of 5, for a total of 30):

Capability / Versatility
Reliability
Style / Looks / X-factor
Maintainability / Service
Customization
Price

I'll keep my ratings private (unless someone asks nicely), but I will say that I went through the most common vehicles that came to mind, and the Brute came out on top (even with knocks for price). Also, I kept it contextually relevant to North America. My ratings would be different if it were for Australia, or say Africa.

Again, just my 2¢.

 

[Comanche Scott]

One of the many great comments Scott Brady made in this thread was that this vehicle has the ability to keep a person from having to turn around and go back because the trail is "too difficult".
Sometimes "going back" could mean an entire day of travel, or more.
So to me, that alone makes it a very valuable tool for all of us working stiffs.

While I think "Ultimate" is a very personal thing, there is a lot to like about the Brute.
I don't like to climb ladders, so the RTT limits it for me personally. A 6 foot bed with a camper shell would be "Ultimate" for me. But at the rate RTTs are selling, most people are willing and able to make the climb. :beer:

 

[Dan Grec]

For some reason I was thinking about this the other day.

Given it's the "ultimate" Overlander for North America - how many of them are being used as such?
How many have RTTs, fridges, stoves, camping and cooking gear mounted and are regularly used for Overlanding?

How many outfitted like that have run up the Alaska Highway or other similar "popular" Overland routes in North America?

I'm not certain, but I think to be the ultimate Overland Vehicle, said vehicle must actually be in common use as an Overlander, otherwise it's unproven.

-Dan

 

[bjunc]

For some reason I was thinking about this the other day.

Given it's the "ultimate" Overlander for North America - how many of them are being used as such?
How many have RTTs, fridges, stoves, camping and cooking gear mounted and are regularly used for Overlanding?

How many outfitted like that have run up the Alaska Highway or other similar "popular" Overland routes in North America?

I'm not certain, but I think to be the ultimate Overland Vehicle, said vehicle must actually be in common use as an Overlander, otherwise it's unproven.

-Dan

I think those are good points, and I know of very few instances (if any) of people upfitting a Brute for actual overland use (not just the promotional material AEV uses). That said, as a JKUR owner, it's not like I have to really use my imagination to see how going from a JKUR to a Brute would be an improvement (and plenty of people use the JKUR for overlanding, yourself included, right?). Especially with a canopy like the Tacoma Habitat. For me, that would be the ultimate (eh, maybe with a diesel too).

I have to think the reason we don't see them is because of the price. We don't see too many overlanding G-Wagons in NA either, but that doesn't mean they aren't a solid choice.

As someone who has done extensive overlanding in a Jeep, what would be your "ultimate"?

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

really and realistically

it comes down to just 2 Jeep or tacoma. both are capable both have tons of support, both are reliable and you can work on either yourself both can have flipped style arrangements. both are reasonably priced.While many will argue other very capable vehicles are out there most are more expensive or older or as cool as some rigs are just priced way out of site or like the vw synchro or the sports mobile pretty capable and either rare or pricey

Think of it this way you are out alone on a trail and a simple break occurred like oh say the bushing on the transmission linkage of MY jeep fails. what vehicle is most likely welcome along that can help you? simple a jeep or a tacoma

Just my thoughts