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In the motorcycle world, Scramblers are all the rage. Rugged-looking street bikes that also perform well off-road. The Triumph Scrambler kicked off the craze in 2006, with its high pipes and knobby tires. It was a modern take on a model it offered in the 1960s, and now many other manufacturers have followed its lead, including Ducati, Indian and BMW.

In stark contrast to the gaggles of car-based crossovers roaming our streets, the SUV world also has its fair share of Scramblers. Trucks like the new 2020 Toyota 4Runner Venture Special Edition: rugged looking, full frame 4x4s that perform well both on- and off-road. And like the bikes, they're all the rage. Jeep Wrangler sales are through the roof. There's a new Ford Bronco on the way. Finally. And last year Toyota sold more than 130,000 4Runners.

Last year was a big one in the world of performance cars, thanks largely to the arrival of the Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray and the new Toyota Supra. While the two have vastly different engines and roughly $10,000 separating their MSRPs, they are both huge fun to drive and are also very capable on a circuit.

You've seen this particular Toyota 4Runner before because it was the subject of the first Suspension Deep Dive I wrote for Autoblog. It's still hanging around my driveway and available to make the occasional repeat appearance because, well, it's mine. I chose the TRD Off-Road for a couple of reasons, some of which will come into play on my Flex Index ramp.

First, it's the only model other than the TRD Pro that comes with a push-button locking rear differential, electronic crawl control and multi-terrain select. Second, it can cost as much as $10,000 less than a TRD Pro, particularly if you're content with cloth seating and no sunroof, as I am. I used some of the money I saved to buy the third item: an option called KDSS, the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. Importantly, this clever option can only be fitted to a TRD Off-Road; it's not even available on the TRD Pro.

Only Acura knows why its flagship RLX sedan is still on sale; every year that we had occasion to remember the RLX — which wasn't every year — seemed like a good year to let the car die peacefully. Automotive News reports the deed is finally done, or rather, will be at the end of 2020, when Acura discontinues the model that started with the RL in 1996. Honda told U.S. dealers yesterday that in other markets like Japan, the four-door will continue to sell as the Honda Legend. Honda's comment to AN included, "With SUVs leading the luxury market, the highly successful RDX and MDX now serve as volume leaders of the Acura brand," and, "We will further strengthen our sports sedans, consistent with the performance-focused direction we have been taking Acura over the past four years."

Speaking of the devil, the RL and RLX — and Acura as a brand — never got out from under the weight of the Legend sedan, that ancestor being the second of Acura's three albatrosses after the original NSX and the Integra. The RL never equaled the Legend's worst year of U.S. sales. The RLX, a combination of arousing performance under anodyne styling costing premium German money, might have performed the same feat viz the RL, but the RL sold less than 5,000 units here for the last five years of its life. The RLX has only exceeded 5,000 sales once, in 2013. Last year, 1,019 units found buyers. 

Isuzu’s D-Max GO2 pickup truck is a special project meant to showcase how easily a regular D-Max can be turned into an extreme off-roader.

In rural Poland, an unidentified motorist celebrated Easter by launching a third-generation Suzuki Swift off a roundabout and into a building owned by a church. The jump was captured by a security camera.

Polish news site Remiza published the 20-second video on its official Twitter account. The resolution is on par with what you'd expect from a security camera, but we can clearly see the gray, four-door Swift approaching the roundabout way too fast about eight seconds into the clip. The driver seemingly tried to make an evasive maneuver, but it was too little, too late. He went straight where the road didn't.

The Japanese government is considering the postponement of the Imperial couple's visit to Britain amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Arrangements have been underway for the couple to spend about a week in the UK on a state visit in early May.

Not long after the 2021 Toyota Supra was unveiled for the U.S. market, it’s been revealed that 2020 models are available with a $1,000 discount until the end of this month.

This 2020 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road would spend more time on boats than off road. The Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail tires would be more noteworthy for their elevated road noise than their puncture resistant design or severe snow rating. My selection from the Multi-Terrain Select system among Mud & Sand, Rock & Trail and Snow was always "none of the above." Admittedly, then, driving from Portland, Ore., to Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. with a few ferry trips along the way is hardly a tall task for the RAV4's new, most-rugged trim level.

Part of me knows this is a bit lame (or a lot), but the rest knows that if you're really game for serious off-roading, no amount of upgrades to a RAV4 will make it a great choice. You'll find better approach/departure angles and a 4WD Low setting in a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, while a used 4Runner would be the obvious Toyota alternative for similar money. That said, the new-for-2020 RAV4 TRD Off-Road has plenty of appeal, especially for folks who like the idea of a rugged, off-road ready SUV but know that A) they're unlikely to take it off-road much and B) appreciate the RAV4's superior fuel economy and family-friendly space. Basically, folks like myself.

A local politician in Japan has apologized for selling thousands of face masks via online auctions at a time when they are in short supply due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Hiroyuki Morota, a member of the Shizuoka prefectural assembly, offered the apology at a news conference on Monday.

Thirteen crew members of a freighter are missing after the vessel collided with a fishing boat and sank off the northern Japanese prefecture of Aomori on Saturday.

Coast Guard officials say the 1,989-ton cargo vessel, "Guoxing-1 ," notified them that the ship was taking on water after a collision with a fishing boat.

E-girls member Washio Reina has kicked off her solo project 'Rei.' Her song "Call Me Sick" has been picked up as the theme song for the movie 'Shosetsu no Kamisama: Kimi to Shika Egakenai Monogatari' to premiere on May 22. 

E-girls recently announced that they would disband after this year. At the same time, Washio had announced that she would be starting her activities as a solo artist. Directed by Kubo Shigeaki, 'Shosetsu no Kamisama' will star Sato Taiki (EXILE, FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE) and Hashimoto Kanna.

Toyota has just released a teaser image for the Chicago Auto Show, and it should get the attention of off-roaders. It shows a tan Toyota Tacoma cruising through a dirt road, indicating that the company has off-road variants coming. While the image suggests a Tacoma, it won't just be the midsize pickup getting special or updated models. The company released a statement alongside the image: "The forecast for the Windy City looks sporty and outdoorsy,  with a touch of nocturnal mischief as Toyota debuts new variants to the portfolio." We're rather curious about the "nocturnal" part. There may be some new lighting features on some of the off-road models. Toyota introducing rugged or special-edition trucks and SUVs at the Chicago Auto Show is becoming something of a tradition. Last year it brought the RAV4 TRD Off-Road, Land Cruiser Heritage Edition, Sequoia TRD Pro and updated Tacoma. The year before that featured a bunch of TRD Pro updates.

Friday marks six months before the world descends upon Japan for the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In a span of 17 days, thousands of athletes will compete in a record 339 events across 33 sports.

Preparations are gaining momentum. The new National stadium officially opened on New Year's day. Built inside Tokyo's urban greenbelt, it's earned the nickname "the stadium in the forest."