The Ram Laramie Limited -- a $45,000 luxury truck -- debuted at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. We were too busy checking out the Mossy Oak edition to catch it on the floor, but if this video is any indication, we missed something cool. I mean, why else would this lovely lady be snorkeling up to a deserted beach in night-vision goggles?
Oh, because it will be one of the stars of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition? Fair enough.
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Categories: Ram,Trucks
I'm going to spoil the 2012 Chevy Silverado Super Bowl ad for you: Zombies do not swarm at the end only to be turned to goo by a fleet of trucks picking them off like it was Grand Theft Auto meets Shaun of the Dead.
This commercial needs a sequel now. With zombies. Lots of zombies. You know the Raptor could handle a zombie attack.
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Categories: Chevrolet,Trucks,Videos
At last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, Erin Riches and I spent far too much time around the Mercedes-Benz Actros on display. In person it is spectacularly imposing.
I thought maybe, just maybe, if I moved back to the East Coast I could have enough land to park this thing and justify it as a daily driver. I did not, however, think about using it as a taxi. And if I had, I wouldn't have been clever enough to pick up employees of Volvo and MAN -- competing big-truck makers.
This is the kind of thing you can do when you have a giant budget and a solid sense of humor. Next time: Unimog to shuttle around former Hummer execs.
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Categories: Mercedes-Benz,Trucks
At last year's Chicago Auto Show, Dodge rolled out the 1500 Tradesman. It was one of the favorites of the show thanks to a super-simple formula: Lots of power, solid chassis, no frills, low price.
For $22,780 you got a 5.7-liter Hemi cranking out 390 horsepower and 407 pound-feet of torque, a 26-gallon fuel tank (with the 6-foot bed, 32 with the 8-foot bed), manual windows, heavy-duty cooling, folding tow mirrors, all-season tires and a choice of 5 exterior colors. It was great.
This year Ram is going the opposite direction with the 2012 Ram Laramie Limited. We're estimating that this version of the 1500 will start around $45,000 and include leather seats, ambient cabin lighting, remote start, back-up camera, "navigational radio," adjustable pedals, 20-inch wheels from the Laramie Longhorn, full-leather cockpit, piano black trim and a gauge cluster with needles finished in liquid graphite and the words "Designed in Detroit" imprinted on them.
I think I'd still prefer a Tradesman or two.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Dodge,Trucks
We are still incredibly in the dark on this one. These are the best spy photos we've seen to date on the 2014 Chevy Silverado and we still know virtually nothing. We're starting to see how the new almost best-selling truck will shape up with a wide, flat front that almost looks like the C/K from the mid 70's (except with a bumper). We've seen retro sports cars hit the mainstream, is it time for a retro truck? All of this, of course, is pure speculation and that camo could be hiding anything.
What we do know is that this truck has to live up to an extremely high bar. The current Silverado is an exceptionally good truck -- especially with the 6.2 -- that still looks fresh. Beyond that, the Ram 1500 has coil springs and a great ride paired with a strong motor, Ford is doing good things with EcoBoost and V6 technology and Toyota, well, they still exist in the truck market. Chevy's also going to have to design this one to work with the tightening fuel-economy regulations that kick in in 2017.
See anything noteworthy we missed?
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Categories: Chevrolet,Spy Photos,Trucks
A friend and I were driving the other day when we stumbled across a raptor out in the wilds of Santa Monica. It was one of the new ones I told them. I could tell because it had the front camera.
"Front Camera? What for? It's got a windshield."
"Rock crawling. Not hitting stuff when parking."
"Rock crawling? In a Raptor? It's not made for that. What a stupid thing."
I kindly direct him, and everyone who doesn't think Raptors can tackle the tricky stuff, to watch this video of some Raptors taking on Hell's Revenge trail in Moab, Utah.
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Categories: Ford,Trucks,Videos
L.L. Bean -- special editionizer of Subarus all over New England -- has just rolled out a new special edition for the company's 100th anniversary: The Bootmobile.
The 13-foot high, 20-foot long Bootmobile is based on a Ford F-250 Super Duty is currently on its way from Brunswick, ME to New York City to kick off a tour of major US cities. The design is based on L.L. Bean's Hunting Shoe, the item that started the whole thing.
While all of L.L. Bean's boots are handmade, this one took some extra prep as it is 20.5 times larger than a real one, though it is true-to-scale. L.L. Bean points out that if this were a real shoe it would be a size 767 and the approximate height of the wearer would be 143 feet. The laces are 12-strand braided mooring rope with a towing rating of 106,000 pounds.
Bootmobile video after the jump. Before you comment, though, beware that disparaging the boot is a bootable offense.
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Categories: Miscellaneous,Trucks
That quarter-inch of snow should provide enough padding for the landing.
(Language warning: Cursing ahead. Mute won't change the awesomeness here.)
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Categories: Trucks,Videos
This guy, Tim Cameron, solves problems while driving the same way I do: more throttle. The difference, though, is that he's driving an insane tube-frame buggy with a built 620 horsepower, 7.4-liter LSX 454 crate engine (with a power-glide transmission with 2k rpm stall) on 43s through the woods like a madman.
Seriously. A mad man.
Here's a list of things yelled in the office -- over the roar of that motor -- while we watched it 11 times: "That thing is just indifferent to everything!" "I'd wear a helmet and eye protection." "He's really good with the rear steering." "He just felled a tree with a buggy!"
Without a doubt this is the best video I've seen in 2012.
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Categories: General Motors,Trucks,Tuners and Modifications
In an interview with journalists at the Detroit auto show yesterday, Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne confirmed plans for a new Dakota pickup. He also noted that there's a "better than 50 percent chance" that it will be a unibody truck.
If you consider that bad news, maybe this will cheer you up: Marchionne also said that diesel power is a likely option. With a diesel engine now confirmed for the Grand Cherokee, Marchionne said it only makes sense for the company to spread out the cost over multiple models. Thankfully, that's expected to include the Wrangler as well.
Categories: Chrysler,Detroit Auto Show,Diesels,Ram,Trucks
As much as I respect real off roading, the kind that involves rocks and cliffs and skill and planning and thinking ahead, mud-bogging is more my thing. I like hobbies where the solution to problems is more throttle. Mud bogging is also Mark Wattam's thing. Mark Wattm is from Cato New York and wants to open up a mud bogging facility because that's what you do in a town with 2,000 people.
Well, as things often go in small towns, the people are complaining. And unlike normal city council meetings and public forums, this one reads more like an episode of Parks and Recreation. When asked about the environmental impact, Wattam replied "It's all hard fill. We aint a nuclear plant. He followed up with "I don't want to die with $10 in my pocket. I'm trying to build an empire."
Besides being a fun local car-related story, this is a thin excuse for me to post some mud bogging videos!
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Categories: Trucks,Video Games
Ford's 5.0-liter Coyote V8 is one of the best engines in regular production these days. In normal trim it cranks out some 412-horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. If you want to get sassy with the redline and tuning, like they do in the Boss, it manages 444.
The Coyote, though isn't limited to the Mustang, Ford even jams it into the F-150. In that usage the F-150 makes 360 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque. But any truck guy worth his bedliner will tell you that enough power never is and that's why Roush is introducing a new supercharger system for the F-150. The F-150 Supercharger 5.0L Tuner Kit will be available early next year for 2011 and 2012 Ford F-150s and features a Roush R2300 TVS supercharger, upper and lower intake manifolds, twin 60mm throttle bodies, high flow intake, air-to-water intercooler, fuel rail and all brackets/wires/hoses/clamps. To get to the magic 700 number the kit features bolt-on supercharger pulleys.
Price? $6,199.99. Available in California? No. Video after the jump? Yes.
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Categories: Ford,Trucks,Tuners and Modifications
Following the engine revamp in 2011, it looks like the Ford F-150 is due for a styling update for 2013. As it stands the truck isn't exactly old, it got a full redesign in 2009.
The new look we're seeing here has a less blocky front end with smaller slats that appear to be trimmed in chrome. Sort of like the Accord Crosstour. Currently, the Harley Davidson edition and the XLT offer similarly slatted grille designs indicating that this is either going range-wide, or that we're looking at an XLT.
Beyond that, camo over the headlights shows that they're working on the Tetris-block look of the current lights.
A slightly tweaked Ford SVT Raptor was also caught...
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Categories: Ford,Spy Photos,Trucks
According to a report in Automotive News, the next-generation of the Nissan Titan has been delayed until 2013. After the earthquake in Japan, Nissan was forced to reallocate its engineering resources in an effort to get its existing plants back up to speed.
Nissan officials didn't give a firm commitment on the timing of the Titan, only saying that it would be out for the 2014 model year. Expect to see a more well rounded truck that includes multiple drivetrains this time around as the current truck has been stifled by its lack of model combinations compared to its domestic competitors.
Automotive News
Categories: Nissan,Trucks
The Grilled Cheese Truck and I have a difficult relationship; they want to sell me delicious grilled cheese sammiches, and I want to eat ALL of the sandwiches. I can spot the truck from 500 yards and nothing but a divided highway will keep me from my gooey prize. But now I may have something new to look out for: a Nissan NV instead of the tried-and-true food truck shape.
The Grilled Cheese Truck is working with Nissan (and the Coolhaus truck -- overrated and not-frozen-enough ice cream) to show the scope and potential of the NV by serving grilled cheese at the L.A. Auto Show Press Preview Days.
This isn't the first time automakers have turned to food trucks to show their wares: At last year's L.A. auto show, Mercedes-Benz brought out Sprinkles and its Sprinter-based mobile cupcake delivery van.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Nissan,Trucks
From the looks of these spy photos of the 2013 Ford F-150, it would appear that Ford is well aware of what year it is and how long it's been since Chevy released a new Silverado.
Yesterday we had the first spy photos of the 2014 Chevy Silverado, a new truck we'll see sometime in 2013. Ford doesn't want to give up the sales lead anytime soon, though, and one of the ways they'll be competing for your attention is with a facelift of the F-150.
This new look is a slightly less brawny clone of the heavy-duty Ford trucks and includes the big, bold bars across the grille and what looks to be more chrome in the headlights. People love chrome.
Compare this F-150 against the 2011 F-150 and the 2011 F-350 after the jump.
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Categories: Ford,Spy Photos,Trucks
The current Chevy Silverado debuted in 2007 and is still a favorite with truck buyers. Strong powertrains (we especially like the 6.2-liter, 403-horsepower V8 hooked to the 6AT), great ride and a good-enough interior have kept the Silverado in the running while the other trucks got complete redesigns more recently. Both Ford and Dodge stepped up the game with strong motors, near-luxury interiors and serious strides in ride and fuel economy. EcoBoost? Coil Springs?
But now it's Chevy's turn to be the newest kid on the block. These images prove that Chevy is hard at work on the 2014 Chevy Silverado. The biggest difference we can spot is the new greenhouse. Beyond that, all we have are rumors. GM engineers are apparently unhappy with the look of the current truck, saying that it looks too feminine compared with the other trucks. More chrome and a beefier front end are the rumored fixes.
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Categories: Chevrolet,Future Vehicles,Spy Photos,Trucks
There are few cars from this era that I covet more than the 1991 GMC Syclone. It's fantastic. Look at it! Not only is it visually spectacular, but it's fast, too. The pushrod 4.3-liter V6 was turbocharged to 280 horsepower -- a figure that is widely considered underrated. It's so cool we even gave it the number 7 spot in our feature of the 25 best V6 powered cars.
As good as that engine would have been in an S10, adding AWD really pushes this truck over the top. Without it, hellooo burnouts. You might as well be driving a Grand National...not that there's anything wrong with that. Hooked up to a light truck with all-wheel-drive, this thing was capable of sprints to 60 in the low 5s and quarter-mile runs right around 14-flat.
It turns out that Jay Leno feels the same way about the turbocharged pick'em'up. He bought one new and still keeps it in his epic collection. The video is long (10:53) but worth it even if you're not a big Leno fan.
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Categories: GMC,Trucks
Here's a random, end-of-the-day video find: Mazda of Australia shows you how it conducts simulated animal-impact tests to ensure that its accessory bull bars for the BT-50 are up to snuff. (The BT-50 is of course one of those cool, world-market compact pickups that would cost over $30,000,000 if Mazda decided to absorb the chicken tax and sell it in the U.S.)
Crashing into animals is a real possibility in Australia, or at least we imagine it is after reading what Bill Bryson has to say about this country-continent, and to that end, the bull bars for the BT-50 are engineered to ensure "the vehicle remains mobile even after a heavy animal impact" -- you know, in case said heavy animal tries to come back to finish off your BT-50.
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Categories: Mazda,Trucks,Tuners and Modifications
With a marketing-friendly name like TRD T|X Baja Series, this off-road-themed Tacoma is not a concept, but a pre-production version of an eventual production vehicle. It makes its official debut at SEMA next week, and come late spring, it will be the most elite off-road-themed truck in the 2012 Toyota Tacoma line.
The Baja package will be offered as an enhancement on the existing off-road package, which already sets a four-wheel-drive Tacoma up with a locking rear differential, upgraded suspension and skid plates. To this, the Baja Series adds 265/70R16 BF Goodrich T/A KO tires (same tire model that's on the Ford F-150 Raptor), bead-lock wheels with... wait for it... a gun-metal finish, and a modest suspension lift.
Toyota says ride height is up nearly 2 inches in front and that there's an extra inch of suspension travel. Bilstein race shocks feature 60mm pistons. In back, there's a 1.5-inch increase in travel, plus Bilsteins with 50mm pistons and external reservoirs to ensure consistent damping performance in severe conditions.
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Categories: SEMA Show,Toyota,Trucks,Tuners and Modifications
