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New Toyota Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado/Canyon fight for midsize truck dominance

Sam Wedll has been driving his Toyota Tacoma pickup on the rugged roads of Northern California for seven trouble-free years, racking up almost 100,000 miles, so he’s interested in the redesigned version of the truck coming later this year. He paid $34,000 for his truck in 2016, loading it with plenty of options. HeÂ’s eyeing the new gas-electric hybrid Toyota Motor Corp. is going to offer, but Wedll, who does his own repairs, isnÂ’t interested in paying luxury prices. “The hybrid is pretty interesting to me because I like the idea of the fuel efficiency,” says Wedll, 47, a casino operations manager in Blue Lake, California. “IÂ’m just trying to save some costs wherever possible.” The Tacoma, known as the Taco to its legions of loyalists, is the leader of the pack in midsize pickups, one of the fastest-growing auto markets of the past decade. With outdoorsy weekend warriors and do-it-yourselfers looking for a truck that could fit in their garage, sales of midsize pickups more than doubled from 2010 to 2020. General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., which abandoned the market segment when sales slowed early this century, returned with new trucks to take on the Tacoma, which has dominated the medium truck market for almost two decades. Although it's easy to predict that the most lushly appointed versions of the new Taco could approach $50,000 (prices wonÂ’t be announced until later this year), Toyota insists it isnÂ’t backing away from budget buyers even as it rolls out fancier trucks. The current Tacoma starts at $28,030, and the company says affordability is critical to its success. In fact, Toyota will continue to offer the Taco with an old-school stick shift. The Tacoma controls 42% of the midsize truck market and outsells FordÂ’s offering 4 to 1. ThatÂ’s a role reversal from the full-size pickup market, where FordÂ’s F-Series has ruled the road for 46 years. Tacoma sales in the U.S. surpassed 237,000 last year, more than twice the number of GMÂ’s No. 2-ranked Chevrolet Colorado, according to consultant LMC Automotive. But as growth in the overall segment slows, the midsize market is developing into more of a turf war, with manufacturers vying for the sweetest highest-margin spots. “This segment is likely past its prime growth spurt,” says Jeff Schuster, president of the Americas for LMC Automotive.

2016 Chevy SS gets new face, clears throat

Chevy is tweaking the SS once again for the 2016 model year. While the changes might be minor, muscle sedan enthusiasts shouldn't need any more excuse to love the Bowtie brand's performance sedan. The 2016 Chevy SS benefits from revised front-end styling that incorporates new vertical ducts designed to direct airflow over the front wheel wells. It also gets new LED lighting and new functional hood vents to make it look even more aggressive than the current model. Although the 6.2-liter V8 carries over unchanged from the existing version – churning out 415 horsepower and an equal amount of torque – a new dual-mode exhaust promises to be both quieter at lower speeds and angrier-sounding at higher revs. And of course you can still get it with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. In any event, it should also look the business with its new 19-inch alloys as well. Related Video: 2016 Chevrolet SS Designed for Performance DETROIT – Building on the performance-oriented updates made to the Chevrolet SS last year, the 2016 model features several exterior enhancements that reinforce its presence on the road. A revised front fascia features new, vertical ducts at the outer edges to direct airflow over the front wheel openings to improve aerodynamic efficiency. The fascia also incorporates new LED signature lighting, while new, functional hood vents and new-design 19-inch cast-aluminum wheels contribute to a stronger appearance for the rear-drive sports sedan. "The 2016 SS design changes more fully express the true driving character of the sedan while further enhancing the car's overall performance," said Todd Christensen, Chevrolet Performance Car marketing manager. What hasn't changed is the SS's unique blend of performance, comfort and spaciousness. It features a 6.2L V-8 engine under the hood and turns out an SAE-certified 415 horsepower (310 kW) and 415 lb-ft of torque (563 Nm), and offers a six-speed manual transmission or a paddle-shift six-speed automatic transmission. A new, dual-mode exhaust system for 2016 complements the V-8 engine with quieter performance at low engine speeds and a more muscular engine note at wide-open throttle.

How easy is it to rebuild a Chevy small block V8?

Chevrolet's famous small block V8 stands as one of the workhorse engines in American auto history, with its variants going into vehicles from hot rods to pickup trucks. But do you know that you can fully disassemble and completely restore one of these mills in just under four minutes? Well, as long as there's some assistance from time-lapse photography, that is. Hagerty created this short clip showing a dirt-covered small block turning from a frog into a prince. Thankfully, the time-lapse doesn't speed the process up too much, and it's still easy to see how all of the principal parts fit together. With all sorts of sensors and software helping to drive the modern automobile, viewing the internal combustion engine in its purely mechanical form is still fascinating. Related Video: