OVERVIEW:
4-Wheel & Off-Road was published by Petersen Publishing. It was dedicated to 4x4s and off-road trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Like its competitors, content included 4x4 performance modifications and technical "how-to's", off-road event coverage such as the Baja 500 and 1000, new vehicle evaluations, product evaluations, and travel and lifestyle stories.

This was a full format monthly magazine that competed against other similar titles such as Four Wheeler, Off-Road and Pickup Van and 4WD. Editorial staff were real innovators and kept content fresh with new ideas and features. These included:

OWNERSHIP:
The editors and staff rode a wave of changes as the title moved through various new owners. In 1998, the Petersen companies were sold to EMAP PLC to form EMAP-Petersen. Two years later, EMAP sold the Petersen titles to Primedia for $515 million. And then in 2007, Primedia sold its Enthusiast Media division to Source Interlink Media for $1.2 billion. Source Interlink evolved to The Enthusiast Network (2014) and then become the Motor Trend Group in 2018. The title ended in print form in 2020.

PUBLICATION DATA:
Petersen provided net paid circulation data to Oxbridge Communication's compendium, The Standard Periodical Directory, from 1991 to 2005 (the last year for which we have data). Annual print volume ranged from 550,000 to 900,000.

CONTENT COMPLETENESS:
A total of 505 issues was printed between March, 1978 through March, 2020. All images are complete.

INTERNET:
An internet presence was created and the URL added to the front covers starting in Apr, 2001. The site is now defunct: www.4wheeloffroad.com.