Automotive Reviews

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Rivian electric truck closer to debut via test drives

The much-anticipated, pending electric truck Rivian will begin its introduction to the public this summer when customers who have preordered the R1T model will be invited to test drive it. With its national tour, the carmaker seeks to educate its buyers about the pickup truck’s major features. Tour dates will be announced soon. Rivian has detailed its truck, rated with an 11,000-pound towing capacity, will be positioned between a mid-size and full-size truck and will comfortably seat five adults. A trailer hitch is located behind a cover and is accessible by removing two screws. According to the manufacturer, the R1T is 18 feet, 1 inch long and 7 feet, 3 inches long with side mirrors out. A standard cab Ford

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Toyota Tacoma legacy: No. 1 million set for Mecum Auctions

Well into its mid-20s, it’s time for a Toyota Tacoma celebration. One truck fan may get the biggest gift — the one-millionth unit of the iconic small pickup truck. It was assembled Oct. 4, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas, and has been driven only 158 miles. The truck, which may reach a value of $100,000, will be for sale during Mecum Auctions‘ three-day presence at Monterey Auto Week, Aug. 12-14. A 1995 Toyota Tacoma cost between $17,000 and $19,000 new. Carrying lot #R285, the Army Green TRD Pro model will come with a letter from Toyota verifying its production number. That should help to solidify its value, as will the fact that this thing is nearly factory fresh. Toyota Tacoma:

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Electric truck wars: 9 manufacturers ready to charge

Changing nearly as fast as gas prices, there’s seemingly constant news in the electric truck market. More manufacturers are debuting EV pickups while others have plans to do so in the not-too-distant future. At least nine manufacturers are in the electric truck business, led by Tesla and Rivian. Here’s a synopsis of arguably the top-two most anticipated EV trucks and a list of the manufacturers currently in the market. Telsa has plans to offer Cybertruck. Company founder and CEO Elon Musk changes his mind often. But the pending slate currently includes a tri-motor with all-wheel drive, a dual-motor AWD model and a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive. Electric trucks ready to charge Prices were announced starting at just under $40,000. The tri-motor option

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Future of U.S. mail delivery going postal again

Electric vehicle startup Workhorse, the only company among three finalists to submit an all-electric mail delivery proposal, has filed an official protest after losing the bid to make the U.S. Postal Service’s next-generation vehicle. The USPS instead gave the contract in February to defense contractor Oshkosh. It said its new postal truck is designed to run on gas and electric drivetrains. The contract could be worth $6 billion. The Ohio-based company filed a sealed bid protest in the US Court of Federal Claims. The result of the high-profile court fight could have an impact on how and when those vehicles switch over to electric power. President Joe Biden said he wants electric vehicles throughout the federal fleet. Mail delivery future

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Wiggy wheels, faulty cameras give Ram pickup trucks troubles

Welcome to the world of recalls Stellantis! A few months into its tenure, the new owner of Fiat-Chrysler has made two dubious announcements. First, the new owner of Ram announced the wheels of more than a half-million of its Ram pickup trucks can fall off. And now comes word, more than 140,000 Ram trucks have recalled because their backup cameras may stop working when the vehicle is in reverse. The problematic wheels prompted the manufacturer to recall 510,000 Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickups and Ram 4500 and 5500 cab-chassis vehicles from 2012 to 2021 and mostly from North American have been recalled. The trucks in question have dual rear wheels and flanged lug nuts. Stellantis said some service and owner’s manuals

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2024 Honda Prologue SUV

The 2024 Honda Prologue, the first in a pending lineup of battery electric vehicles, will debut in less than three years as the carmaker continues to target its goal of a fully electric fleet by 2040. Few details of the sport utility vehicle were revealed in the recent announcement, but Honda said the Prologue will operate on GM’s Ultium batteries. It will be available in the United States and Canada. An all-electric Acura SUV will also debut in 2024. Honda previously announced its plans for its vehicles in the second of this decade to operate on a new “e:Architecture.” Honda Prologue Begins BEV surge Besides its 100 percent fully electric goal by 2040, Honda says its shorter-term goal is 40

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2021 Honda Accord Hybrid: The best gets better

In its sixth decade, the Honda Accord is part of a small fraternity of vehicles that changed the automotive industry. Unveiled in 1976, the Accord was joined by the Toyota Camry six years later. The vehicles’ rivalry has continued since, with the carmakers’ healthy competition a constant in the always-in-flux family sedan segment. Key Takeaways Six decades of evolution pay off: The 2021 Accord Hybrid continues Honda’s rivalry with Toyota Camry, now in its 10th generation with refreshed styling and a sport sedan personality. 212-hp hybrid system erases stodgy reputation: The combined four-cylinder gas engine and electric motor deliver adequate power while achieving an estimated 43 mpg combined. Manual transmission is gone: Honda joined the growing manufacturer trend of eliminating

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New pickup trucks pricey? Sure. But bargains abound

In case anyone hasn’t noticed, pickup trucks have become increasingly expensive. With extensive option packages, several new pickup trucks more than $100,000. But considering the new Ford Maverick, soon debuting as a 2022 model, many pickup trucks are still reasonably priced. The Maverick is already upsetting the industry since it will undercut the current cheapest pickup truck, the Toyota Tacoma, by more than $4,000. Of course, payload, towing capacity, model year and many other factors make the list of the current cheapest pickup trucks skewed. But via dollars alone, Ford has put the other manufacturers on notice: the pickup truck battle is on. Pickup Trucks: Bargains Abound As for the Maverick, here’s what $21,490 as starting price will buy: The

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Ford Lightning electric pickup truck pricing revealed

The Ford F-150 Lightning, the manufacturer’s recently announced electric truck, with be priced at just under $50,000 with its optional extended-range battery. Ford previously released a base price of $39,974 for the 2022 pickup truck. The newly announced detail has exactly a $10,000 premium for the trim with an estimated 300-mile range. The prices don’t include a yet-to-be-released destination fee and details of a potential $7,500 EV tax credit and other incentives. The Lightning is built with the same military-grade aluminum-alloy body as the gasoline versions of the F-150. However, a different frame helps accommodate the battery packs. Ford Lightning Trim Prices Revealed The base version of the F-150 Lightning Pro has 426 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque and

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Ram pickup trucks’ dilemma: wheels can fall off

Stellantis, the new owner of Fiat-Chrysler, has made a dubious announcement — the wheels of more than a half-million of its Ram pickup trucks can fall off. As such, the manufacturer announced 510,000 Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickups and Ram 4500 and 5500 cab-chassis vehicles from 2012 to 2021 and mostly from North American have been recalled. More than 500,000 Ram pickup trucks have been recalled because the wheels can fall off. Ram Pickup Trucks Have Loose Nuts The trucks in question have dual rear wheels and flanged lug nuts. Stellantis said some service and owner’s manuals had the wrong torque specifications for tightening the lug nuts that hold the wheels to the hubs. If the nuts were tightened too much,

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Buying bland beige works best for pickup truck resale value

If you want the best resale value after owning your pickup truck for three years, buy beige. And don’t buy brown. According to the analysis of iseecars.com the online automotive search engine and research website, beige pickup trucks have the lowest average depreciation of any color. A beige truck with a new price of $45,272, has an average resale price after three years of $37,097, or an 18.1 percent depreciation. After comparing the prices of more than six million new and used cars between 2017 to 2020, iSeeCars.com has determined which colors help, hurt, or have minimal impact on a vehicle’s resale value. “A vehicle’s color is among the primary considerations after shoppers have decided on a make and model,”

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PREVIEW: 2022 Kia Telluride gets upgrades, new pricing

Prices and upgrades have been announced for the 2022 Kia Telluride, the increasingly popular sport utility vehicle. Introduced as a concept car in 2016, the vehicle debuted in the spring of 2019 as a 2020 model. Named after the town of Telluride, Colorado, the SUV is the largest vehicle Kia has manufactured in the United States. Kia Telluride: Top Sales, Awards Among other accolades, the Telluride was named the 2020 World Car of the Year as well as SUV of the Year. The large SUV had a 28 percent increase in sales from 2019 to 2020. It was the 11th best-selling SUV in the United States in 2020 among the nearly 50 large SUVs offered.   For 2022, the Telluride

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2021 Hyundai Venue seeks home in crowded SUV family

Now in its second model year, the Hyundai Venue is the smallest sport utility vehicle and seventh sport or adventure offering in the company’s stable. It fills a niche the South Korean manufacturer has deemed important. But it’s hard to fathom. Since the carmaker already offers the Ioniq, Kona, Palisade, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe and Tucson, does it need the Venue? It’s marketed as a mini or sub-compact, entry-level SUV with a healthy chunk of features and superior gas mileage for its segment. It’s matched against more than dozen competitors, notably the Kia Soul, Mazda CX-30, MINI Cooper Countryman, Nissan Kick, Subaru Crosstrek and its Kona sibling. Hyundai‘s pedigree is constantly improving, but competition between two family members? Is it

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2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat reigns in SUV jungle

Being the biggest, baddest or fastest means a lot in the automotive industry. The 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is the most powerful sport utility vehicle ever made. It has a few horsepower nod over the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. What’s difficult to determine is why the designations are important. The SUV Hellcat is newly designed to join the other Hellcat sedan offerings. It’s aggressive-looking but not particularly handsome. But multiple badges (side views of an angered wildcat) vault it into a roadshow. The design derives from the name of the American Grumman F6F Hellcat, the main Navy fighter in the second half of World War II. A Hellcat also means “witch” or “a violently temperamental person.” If it’s an important

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No computer chips for new trucks, top dollar for old trucks

Across the country, but notably in states like Texas where pickup trucks reign, supplies of new trucks are surprisingly thin. The reason? Car parts, particularly computer chips, are in rare supply. As a result, vintage Ford and Chevy pickups from the 70s and 80s are selling for 10 times more than their worth before the Covid-19 pandemic. So hold off selling that old pickup truck to the first person who offers $5,000 take it off your hands. It could be worth $50,000. In several states, according to several media reports on Drive.com, Ford is storing thousands of new Ford F-150 pickup trucks at the Kentucky Speedway and in parking lots in Detroit. The shortage of chips is preventing the trucks

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2021 Cadillac Escalade: powerful, plush, pricey

A year after the Lincoln Navigator debuted, General Motors launched the Cadillac Escalade, the luxury brand’s first sport utility vehicle. It was 1998 and a quick rivalry began between the makers of gas-guzzling apartments on wheels. The behemoth auto segment has since expanded. A half-dozen others are in the mix, the GMC Yukon to the Chevrolet Suburban, the Toyota Sequoia to the Nissan Armada. Powerful and optimally comfortable, road giants largely get left alone. The new Escalade is 17 feet, 6 inches long, 6 feet, 7 1/2 inches wide and 6 feet, 4 inches tall. It weighs nearly 6,000 pounds. Some Escalades seat eight passengers; second-row captain’s chairs cut the capacity to seven in other models. Big and bad, there’s

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