The Argo, a very recent addition to the Federation arsenal, is the first wheeled vehicle I can remember seeing in ST. It looks like it would be hella fun to drive, but only moderately useful.
What we see(features and capabilities):
It seems to fit the role of a light-combat/scout/support vehicle. It fits three people, two front and one rear, seems to be a front-engine (based on the vehicle's design), four-wheel drive (evidenced by the front axles visible in several shots), offroad-type light truck. It bears a resemblence to a HumVee or Jeep, with a readily visible heavy duty suspension and large tires and high ground clearance, and as such, probably serves a similar purpose. It appears capable of relatively high speeds (~100km/h), and Picard seems to have no difficulty driving it (probably an automatic, heh
).The rear seat doubles as a turret for a vehicle-mounted phaser cannon, which seems to pack quite a wallop (greater than that of a phaser rifle). We see it fire fairly rapidly (3 shots in under a second at one point) and a single shot easily destroys a pursuing vehicle. It seems to only be able to be aimed towards things behind and to the sides of the vehicle, calling its possible role as an assault vehicle into doubt. It is possible that the phaser cannon can be removed and fitted into a notch in the roll cage for forward fire (I could think of no other reason for the notch being there), but this is never done, and is likely not the case.
The vehicle's chassis is apparently fairly robust, as it is pelted repeatedly with bullets and seems to suffer no or superficial damage. In any case, its performance is not impacted (no mention of fuel tank/cell rupture, tire damage, or the like). It does, however, carry very little armor for protecting the vehicle's occupants, so it would probably be of little use in a heavy ground campaign.
Conclusion:
The Argo is an interesting vehicle, but its main use is probably that of a support role. It is probably most useful when transporters are unavailable (like due to an ion storm, as was in the movie), and shuttlecraft would be detected, but speed and stealth would be paramount. It is capable offroad and has modest supporting firepower. I doubt it could stand up to any but the lightest of Imperial vehicles, however, because it simply doesn't have the armor for it.
Final verdict: It may not be the most useful of vehicles, but I'd sure as hell like to go tear-assing across the Mojave desert with one.
