2010 Modified Toyota Tacoma Pre Runner Crew Cab Pickup 4-door 4.0l Black on 2040-cars

Auto blog

24 Hours of Le Mans live update part three

We tasked surfing journalist Rory Parker to watch this year's live stream of the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. What follows is an experiment to experience the world's greatest endurance race from the perspective of a motorsports novice. Parker lives in Hawaii and has an associates degree in dropping f-bombs. For Part One, click here. Part Two is here. Really hoped I'd be able to grab an hour or two of sleep before the sun rose over Le Mans. Dark dark dark, couldn't figure out what was going on. Commentators struggled at times as well. But I couldn't do it. Endurance racing is just too exciting. Grabs my attention with both fists. Screams, "watch these men DRIVE!" A neighbor invited me over for drinks. Told him, "Can't do it, gotta watch Le Mans!" Maybe not exactly. I'll admit, at times my attention wandered. I did a load of laundry. Ate some snacks. Half listened to the commentary. Threw a hump at my wife. I learned that Patrick Long, driving #88, is big brother to Kevin "Spanky" Long. Spanky's a bit of a legend in the skate world. Always weird how top notch talent can run in families like that. Kind of surprised I've never heard that before. Worked for a skate mag for a years, met Spanky a handful of times. Someone must've told me that he has an older brother who drives race cars. Dash cams at night are scary. High powered headlights in the P1s reach almost 300 meters. Cars outrun that distance easy. Seems like they're just steering into the black and hoping for the best. But that can't be the case. People'd be dropping dead let and right. Very amused by how the guys in GT are like, "Dude, stop flashing your fucking lights before you pass." But the LMP's are all, "Suck a dick! I do what I want." Top three stayed neck and neck nearly all night long. As the sun gets ready to creep back over the horizon the top three are separated by only eleven and a half seconds. Toyota 5 and 6, Porsche 2. Audi 8 is two laps behind Porsche, beleaguered 7 is dealing with constant trouble eleven laps from the front. GTE Pro sees Ferrari 82 in first, Ford 68 and 69 right behind. To win you've gotta drive perfect, build perfect. Fours cars retired so far. I'm beginning to appreciate the endurance aspect a little more fully. Only really considered the drivers at first. The mental and physical stress driving these cars at these speeds at length would inflict. But keeping the damn things running is the real deal. To win you've gotta drive perfect, build perfect.

Minivan Comparison | Sienna vs Odyssey vs Pacifica vs Sedona

The minivan segment is fresher than it's been in years, possibly decades. The 2021 Toyota Sienna is a completely redesigned model with a bold new look and standard hybrid powertrain. Both the Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica were refreshed for 2021 with updated styling, upgraded tech, and in the case of the Pacifica, newly optional all-wheel drive. Only the 2021 Kia Sedona soldiers on without changes; it's still a solid van despite its advanced age and relatively few people buying it.  Usually when we put a comparison like this together, we have to pick and choose which vehicles to include (mostly because we can't do some 15-car spreadsheet without utilizing 4-point font). In the case of minivans, there are only four. That certainly makes it easier to research and cross-shop in person without worrying that you might be missing out on something. It also makes it a bit easier to go beyond the usual spreadsheet and dig a little deeper than normal into the competitors. Let's take a brief look at each. 2021 Toyota Sienna The Sienna is completely new for '21 after going a decade with only updates. Its exterior style is more expressive than before, but it's the new cabin that really impresses — it's far more car-like in appearance, but still offers the expected amount of abundant storage and functionality. Mechanically, the big news is that every Sienna is now a hybrid. Though down a bit on power compared to everything else, its 36 mpg combined (or 35 mpg with all-wheel drive) crushes everything but the Pacifica plug-in hybrid. This exceptional fuel economy and its far-sliding, big-kid-friendly second-row seats are its main selling points, but in every other respect, it's fully competitive.  Read our full 2021 Sienna Review 2021 Toyota Sienna View 41 Photos 2021 Chrysler Pacifica The Pacifica gets its first comprehensive set of upgrades since it was all-new for '17. The front end has been restyled, all-wheel drive is now an option and there's a new Pinnacle range-topping trim. The big news, however, is its technology offerings. Every Pacifica now comes standard, as the Odyssey and Sienna do, with a comprehensive array of driver assistance technologies. Every trim also gets Chrysler's latest UConnect infotainment system with a larger, 10.1-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Toyota increasing Yaris Hybrid production to 222,000 this year in France

More fuel economy means more factory workers and more production for Toyota's most popular model in Europe. That simple equation explains why the Japanese automaker is boosting annual production of its gas- and hybrid-powered Yaris compact vehicles at its French factory. The new number will be about 222,000, a 15 percent increase. To do that, Toyota will need to add about 500 workers to bring its total there to more than 4,000, UK's The Green Car Website says. Vive le Toyota! Toyota updated the European Yaris in the middle of 2011 and added a hybrid version later that year, the model has many fans across the pond. It helps that they hybrid is rated (using the friendlier European standards) at a whopping 81 miles per gallon, a tremendous number for a car that costs approximately $26,000. Toyota could soon have a bit more room in the small hybrid segment, since it was reported recently that Honda would discontinue European sales of its Insight and CR-Z hybrids soon. That decision was made easier because of increasing competition from Toyota, which boosted hybrid sales in Europe last year by 43 percent. In contrast, both the CR-Z and Insight experienced more than a 60-percent plunge in European sales in 2013.