Ford's F-150 may be the US' best selling vehicle, but now the pickup has been drafted into police service. The 2018 F-150 Police Responder is the first pickup to be pursuit-rated, good for chases at sustained speeds of 100 mph. Meanwhile, Ford has sent the truck back to the engineering lab to get a full makeover for active duty.
Mercedes-Benz might not be the first automaker you'd think of adding a pickup truck to its range, but nobody told the brand new Mercedes X-Class that. Unveiled today, the newest addition to the German company's line-up promises not only all the utility and flexibility you'd expect from a pickup, but with the driving dynamics and luxury drivers of vehicles bearing the three-pointed star expect. Unfortunately, there's also some bad news.
We've known for some time now that Mercedes-Benz was entering the world of consumer trucks with its new X-Class "luxury pickup," but so far all we've seen is a pair of concept vehicles that were shown off last fall. That will change later this month as the truck's official debut is scheduled is scheduled for July 18th. To build up the hype, the German manufacturer has released a new teaser video that almost gives us a clear look at the pickup's final design.
Ford promised something different with the 2018 Expedition and 2018 F-150, and that's coming under the hood. The upcoming SUV and truck will pack an all-new V6 engine, Ford has confirmed today, in addition to adding an updated turbocharged engine with the most power of an EcoBoost so far. It's part of what the automaker says is a push to coax more economy out of its bigger vehicles.
At some point growing up, most kids spent some time playing in sand or dirt with big yellow toy trucks — more thank likely those from Hasbro's Tonka Trucks line. Those with fond memories of those times are just who Toyota is looking to appeal to with its latest concept: a 2016 HiLux pickup designed to resemble a life-sized Tonka Truck. Outfitted with plenty of off-road gear, it looks just as if a kid's toy was brought to life.
A new self-driving truck startup, Embark, has revealed its first autonomous vehicle, and is set to begin testing in Nevada. The company has eschewed the typical self-driving fare of passenger vehicles, despite many rivals focusing their development attention there, and instead predicts that long-distance haulage will be the place AI drivers make the biggest splash. Most importantly, perhaps, it's not threatening to make all truck drivers redundant as a result.
Nissan has added a King Cab to its 2017 Titan and Titan XD trucks, offering space for six as well as a 6.5-foot bed. Building on the 2017 Titan and Titan XD Crew Cab and Single Cab models launched last year, the new truck increases cabin space considerably. However, that can be used for more than just people, with Nissan offering a brand new option to the full-size pickup segment.
Ford has taken its super-truck, the 2017 F-150 Raptor, to China, cashing in on the growing appetite there for unusual Americana. Chinese buyers are getting a special version of the Raptor especially designed for the market, complete with a tweaked example of Ford's EcoBoost engine. Initially, only one body-style will be offered, however.
Like a phoenix from the ashes, Ford is resurrecting the beloved Bronco nameplate, as well as promising to return the Ranger to the US market. The news, shared at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2017 this morning, was light on details but heavy on promise, with midsize truck and SUV fans finally getting the news they'd been hoping the Blue Oval would give them for some years now. Don't expect instant gratification, mind.
When the best-selling truck gets updated, plenty of people take notice, and so the 2018 Ford F-150 looks set to get attention at the Detroit Auto Show this coming week. Keeping the aluminum-alloy body that proved so controversial - and, indeed, still is fairly divisive among truck fans - the 2018 F-150 gets a revamped front and rear design, in addition to new engine options including a turbo-diesel. Meanwhile, the tech levels have been boosted, too.
I’ve waited nearly a year to drive the all new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor unveiled at last year’s North America International Auto Show (NAIAS). Twelve long months. As I found at high speed among the sand dunes of Anza Borrego in Southern California, the wait was well worth it and Ford did not disappoint. No mere publicity stunt to give the F-150 a sales halo, the new Raptor more than exceeded my expectations.
The future of American trucking is hydrogen-electric, ambitious startup Nikola Motors claims, and we've now seen the 1,200 mile range semi it thinks will start the revolution. Unveiled this week, the Nikola One may look at first glance like a traditional diesel truck, but under the skin it's a very different story. A smarter powertrain, connected cabin, and longer running on a single tank of fuel - paired with doubly-ambitious hydrogen fuel network plans - could make this the revolution hauling has been waiting for.
