Mid-size pickups are now bigger than full-size used to be .... When is big only mid-size? Well, today, when in the truck world mid-size means big, just not huge, like a “full-size” pickup. Case in point the mid-size Ford Ranger, which is actually two-plus inches longer and has a wheelbase 7 inches longer than a... Continue Reading →
2021 RAM TRX Crew Cab 4×4
Devilish T-RX ready to crush Ford Raptor sales ... Tell someone you’re driving a 702-horsepower pickup and they look at you like you’ve grown horns from your noggin and said 29-cent gas is back. But it’s true, the Ram 1500 TRX Crew Cab packs a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8, the same used in both the... Continue Reading →
2020 Ford Expedition Max Platinum 4×4
Expedition Max redefines big luxury truck ... There’s big, and then there’s Max. In this case Max is Ford’s new Expedition Max, as if the original Expedition weren’t large enough. Apparently it was not. The Max is nearly a full foot longer than the original’s 210 inches and this special Burgundy Velvet Metallic ($395) test... Continue Reading →
2020 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X Crew Cab
New engine improves Nissan's compact pickup ... I’d been looking forward to testing Nissan’s 2020 Frontier compact pickup since hearing about its upgrades at the Chicago Auto Show in February, just before the Covid lockdown. A Zoom update this spring further stoked my curiosity. I much prefer compact pickups to the big boys and Frontier... Continue Reading →
2020 Lexus GX460
Lexus GX460 a bit of a throwback, but that's OK ... A few years back we drove an old Toyota RAV4 loaner while our car was in the shop. The RAV had no power windows, just cranks, and a radio with six buttons, no screen. It felt refreshing and fun to drive. So why not... Continue Reading →
2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
4Runner TRD Pro a muscular drive ... My wife calls Toyota’s 4Runner a manly man’s truck, and it certainly is. Tall, muscular looking, big tires and wheels, a hood scoop, a husky luggage rack on the roof and an engine that growls along with knobby tires that rumble on the road. Yes, manly and a... Continue Reading →
2019 Nissan Pathfinder SV AWD
Pathfinder SV rocks on the simple side ... For those looking for a mid-size sport-utility truck or crossover with a third-row seat, it’s possible you’ve chosen the most competitive segment for your vehicle search. That’s where this week’s perfectly fine Nissan Pathfinder finds itself. After more than 30 years on the market Pathfinder is a... Continue Reading →
2018 Ford F-150 4×4 Supercrew Platinum
F-150 Platinum is both a work truck, luxury hauler ... Ford’s F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in the United States because it’s both a muscular work truck and a macho man’s luxury family hauler. That dichotomy is precisely represented by this week’s test vehicle, the upscale F-150 Supercrew Platinum. Anytime you see the word platinum... Continue Reading →
2017 Toyota 4Runner 4×4 TRD Off-Road Premium
Tough Toyota 4Runner is anything but a TRD ... Let’s face it, you’d better have a pretty strong, competent vehicle if you’re going to give one of its models the TRD moniker. We all know what that sounds like, but in Toyota’s case it means Toyota tough, as in Toyota Racing Development. And that’s why... Continue Reading →
2017 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum 4WD
New Nissan Pathfinder more civilized, comfy ... My Navy son had a Nissan Pathfinder years ago and it was a true sport-utility truck, built on a truck chassis and able to go off-roading with the other utes of the day. Pathfinder has been around now for 30 years, but those trucklike days are gone as more... Continue Reading →