Automotive News

Don’t let the Covid-19 pandemic ruin car-buying dreams

COLLABORATIVE CONTENT Vehicle ownership is one of the most significant financial plunges any of us are likely to make. Second only to homeownership,  car-buying can be a massive commitment and often essential to our work, recreation and other lifestyle demand. But ownership dreams have come to a halt during the last year because of the global coronavirus. If you thought of upgrading or buying your vehicle, odds are your plans were delayed or perhaps canceled. With jobs, family and other components of life at risk. After nearly a year of COVID-19, not much has improved. While vaccines are now available for certain segments of the population, but the economy is still suffering, jobs are still are risk and there’s no

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2021 Ram 1500 TRX: Massive power, performance, prestige

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, the latest of the brand’s four straight years of Truck of the Year honors by MotorTrend, is in production at the manufacturer’s facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It’s now also available to consumers. Powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine, the top speed for the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, the industry’s most performance-oriented, half-ton pickup truck, is 118 mph. It has 702 horsepower, 650 lb.-ft. of torque and 0-60 miles per hour performance in 4.5 seconds. The Ram 1500 won the prestigious truck title in 2018 and 2019. The Ram Heavy Duty took top honors in 2020. Adorned in exclusive Anvil exterior paint, the new Ram 1500 TRX is VIN No. 001, a launch

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Fighting A Speeding Ticket in New York? What You Need To Know

COLLABORATIVE CONTENT Attending traffic court can be frustrating and annoying. The experience of getting a speeding ticket or another kind of citation isn’t pleasant.  The anxiety of going to court. The disappointment of paying the fine. It can be time-consuming and stressful, particularly for someone traditionally employed. A significant problem is those getting speeding tickets often don’t have the proper information to resolve the matter. For example, there are ways to challenge a traffic ticket before going to court. Point To Be Noted When you get a traffic ticket, make sure you address it on time. You can pay your ticket fine online or in person. If you feel you have been wrongly accused, you can take it to court.

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NEW TRUCK PREVIEW: 2022 Ford Maverick or Courier?

Ford will return to the United States compact pickup truck market with the 2022 Ford Maverick. Or could it be called the 2022 Ford Courier? By any given name, the base model will use a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, according to several automotive website reports. The engine is also featured in the Transit Connect model and generates 162 hp and 144 lb-ft of torque. Slotted below the Ford Ranger, the Maverick or Courier (or another name) will have unibody construction, with a similar look to the Honda Ridgeline. It will be a four-door-only vehicle, according to several automotive sites. A 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbo engine will be optional, with 181 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque and with all-wheel optional. Some reports

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GM recall woes: 624,000 trucks, SUVs

Faulty seat belt brackets have prompted a recall of 624,000 pickup trucks and SUVs from the current and past two years General Motors’ brands. The issue affects model-year 2019-21 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks as well as model-year 2020-21 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 and GMC Sierra 2500/3500 pickups. GM recall woes: faulty belt bracket The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL SUVs are also being recalled. Vehicles affected have 40/20/40 split-folding front bench seats. Vehicles with front bucket seats are not being recalled. The issue: The seat belt bracket may not be secured to the center-seat frame. If the bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not restrain the occupant in the front-center

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2022 TRUCK PREVIEW: All new Toyota Tundra

With a more aggressive-looking front bumper and cutaways underneath the headlights, the all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra is expected to follow the path of the modern-looking Toyota TRD Pro models. The Tundra has had minor upgrades for years. But the 2022 edition will be all-new with a bigger payload, larger towing capacities and different interior and exterior looks. The new mid-size truck is expected to feature the manufacturer’s latest truck chassis, which will include high-strength steel and other lighter-weight materials. Current 1,730-pound payload and 10,200-pound towing figures will be improved upon. 2022 Toyota Tundra: No More V8 According to internet reports, Toyota will discontinue the Tundra’s V8 with a V6-only powertrain. Less powerful new Tundra models will feature naturally aspirated 3.5-liter,

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#165, 2020 in car news: COVID-19, new Corvette, recalls

There’s never a dull moment in the automotive industry. Car news never stops. Competition is intense. The emerging electric vehicle market continues to emerge but with its future unknown. Recalls aren’t going away anytime soon. And how consumers buy and sell vehicles is further transitioning from in-person sales to the online marketplace. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything. Overall, the automotive industry, just like most businesses, endured a turbulent 2020. Car News Abounds The Weekly Driver reported on much of the car news . . .  recalls to bogus speed records, an iconic sports car’s mid-engine revelation to a record sales in the vintage car sales market. Bruce Aldrich and I discuss on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast.

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2020 Lexus RC F: Strong luxury sedan, rivals stronger

Introduced in 2015, the Lexus RC F is the third vehicle in the Toyota luxury brand’s performance-oriented lineup. Like its sedan, SUV and speed-geared siblings, it has plenty to offer. The Lexus RC F has aggressive styling, 19-inch wheels, quad exhaust tips and a carbon-fiber roof panel. The engine is a naturally aspirated 472-horsepower 5.0-liter V8. It has Brembo brakes, improved and more aggressive suspension tuning and is rear-wheel drive. Key Takeaways 472-hp naturally aspirated V8 resists the turbo trend: The 5.0-liter V8 pairs with Brembo brakes, 19-inch wheels, a carbon-fiber roof, and quad exhaust tips for a 4.3-second 0-60 run. $64,900 base escalates past $80,000 as-tested: Optional Navigation ($2,725) and Premium ($5,350) packages drive the total beyond $80,000, bringing

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2021 Toyota Supra: looks great, rough road ahead

Two decades after its original production ceased, a new old sports car re-emerged 18 months ago. Few consumers noticed the Toyota Supra. Less than 3,000 of the 2020 fifth-generation offering, a collaboration between the Japanese automaker and BMW, sold. The revised 2021 edition offers promise for a new wave of buyers interested in the luxury sports car first unveiled in 1978. A full year of sales will more than double the estimated 3,000 purchases from the vehicle’s initial six months back on the market in 2019. It’s encouraging considering the final year of the Supra’s initial tenure in the United States in 1999 resulted in only 24 sales. Toyota Supra gets second chance The Supra was all the rage in

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Michigan truck owner: Have new 2-lane bowling alley, will travel

Terence Jackson Jr. has endured the COVID-19 pandemic with innovation — the world’s first mobile bowling alley and lounge. It’s built inside a 53-foot semi-truck trailer. Jackson, 34, spent two years working on the project and despite further delays because of the virus launch Luxury Strike Bowling on June 15. The private bowling alley on wheels is equipped with two lanes as well as a sky loft that can hold as many as 15 people. The trailer includes two 25-foot lanes, an automatic ball return, automatic pin-resetters and digital scorekeepers. Elevated seating for an 80-inch theatre screen is complemented by LED Lighting. Limitations exist but aren’t prohibitive. Lanes are shorter. Bowling balls are about the size of grapefruits, weigh between

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It’s the time of the year to thank the U.S. Postal Service

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” has long been associated with the American postal worker. The phrase’s association with the U.S. Mail originated with its inscription on New York City’s General Post Office Building, which opened in 1914. Perhaps second only to an ice cream trunk heading toward you with an upbeat jingle, mail trucks are always comforting. Yet, the U.S. Postal Service always seems wrought with controversy. Postage is going up — again? Mail is lost and stolen or delivered to the wrong address. More recently, the postal service was criticized for not distributing election ballots quickly enough. U.S. Postal Service still relevant And

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Toyota Tacoma, Tundra claim top honors among used trucks

Toyota claimed top honors for best midsize and best full-sized used trucks, according to the latest analysis of iseecars.com. The online automotive search engine and research website based in Massachusetts helps users find and compare cars for sale. Whether they are driven for business or pleasure, pickup truck drivers want a rugged and capable hauler, the site explains in its latest survey. Beyond performance, the best used trucks are proven to last long and retain their value so drivers can save money for their next pickup truck purchase. Toyota used trucks claim honors The Toyota Tacoma scored an overall rating of 8.2 out of 10 among mid-sized trucks It was ranked #1 in value retention, #2 in longevity and received

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Odometer fraud on the rise; stricter rules begin in 2021

Manipulating odometer readings is a well-known automotive fraud. Government agencies have attempted to curtail the cheating for years, but it’s getting worse. The increased practice has become so prevalent, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will engage stricter regulations beginning January 1, 2021. Beginning with the new year, disclosures will be required for every transfer of ownership for the first 20 years, beginning with Model Year 2011 vehicles. Model year 2010 and older vehicles will continue to be subject to the previous 10-year disclosure requirements. They’re exempt from extended Federal disclosure requirements. Odometer cheating rampant The U.S. fleet of vehicles is, on average, older than ever. The NHTSA finalized this rule late last year to address an increase in

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Commuting during the COVID-19 pandemic

COLLABORATIVE CONTENT The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for many people to re-think their approach to commuting. While the government has been busy focusing on encouraging people to use public transport more, the pandemic questions whether this is the safest approach. After all, the problem with public transport is that there are a lot of people in a poorly ventilated space. This invites the spread of many different types of disease, including COVID-19.   Add the fact that a minority of people are refusing to wear masks and you could find yourself on public transport with someone not wearing a mask, despite the fact that it’s recognized as a valid level of protection. Your dilemma is then whether to

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Diesel pickup truck drivers know how to cheat — a lot

Cheating on diesel trucks emissions standards is widespread throughout the United States. The results of a recent study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Enforcement Division detail the removal of emission controls from more than 550,000 diesel pickup trucks around the country in the past decade.   States without regular vehicle inspections have the highest percentage of diesel trucks with defeat devices. North Dakota has 18.6 percentage of defeat devices. Idaho (15 percent), Wyoming (14.2), Maine (13.5) and Michigan (13) are also high on the cheat list. California, which has strict enforcement of emissions standards, has a 1.8 percent of non-compliant diesel trucks. It’s the country’s lowest cheat rate. Pickup truck drivers cheat for several reasons Owners who

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Last-minute holiday gifts for auto buffs

Using a gas can properly is simple, except for when it isn’t. Spilling fuel is never a good thing. Scepter believes it has curtailed potential problems with its SmartControl containers. Available in one to 14-gallon sizes and in different colors, Scepter makes polyethylene containers equipped with a user-controlled flow valve to direct the amount of fuel being dispensed. With three other varied items, the containers make good last-minute holiday gifts. They’re also ideal canisters in which to add another gift or two for an automotive enthusiast. $16.99 to $230. www.amazon.com. Holiday gifts abound for car enthusiasts The Scepter containers work as promoted after a brief learning curve. Press the lever with your palm to unlock the child safety feature. Squeeze

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