Pickup Trucks - KickingTires

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

In this week's most-watched video, PickupTrucks.com Editor Mark Williams offers the Cars.com sister site's first impressions of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado. Williams recently had an opportunity to tow, carry payload and even do some off-roading at Knibbe Ranch outside San Antonio, Texas, and our No. 2 video features more of the Silverado from that visit. In third place was the debut of our new 2014 Mazda6 video. Check out what else was popular:

1. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado: Impressions
2. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado
3. 2014 Mazda Mazda6
4. 2013 BMW 135is
5. 2014 Acura MDX

By Matt Schmitz | May 18, 2013 | Comments (0)

Car Promises That Weren't Kept

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Ever wonder what happened to events in the auto industry that were supposed to occur but didn't? You might have seen a news story on a site like ours of a promise by an automaker that sounded legitimate with lots of potential, but in the end a decision was made and it never happened. We look back at a few from the past decade.

Lotus' New Lineup
Think back to November 2010, when Lotus unleashed its soon-to-come lineup into the lower halls of the Los Angeles Auto Show. The niche automaker had four near-production sports cars — the Elite, Esprit, Elan and Elise — plus a four-door concept called the Eterne. All five came fresh from the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The reception in America was phenomenal; Lotus even slapped model years as early as 2013 on some of them.

Turns out we were California dreamin'.

By Kelsey Mays | May 16, 2013 | Comments (0)

PickupTrucks.com Drives the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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The Silverado 1500 got a more sculpted looking exterior and upgraded interior materials for 2014; three new powertrains round out the big updates to Chevy's pickup truck. Our friends at PickupTrucks.com recently drove the new model and while they admit it's not the perfect truck, it's "probably the single biggest model improvement over the vehicle it replaces in a long time." Click here for the First Drive.

By Jennifer Geiger | May 9, 2013 | Comments (1)

PickupTrucks.com: 2014 Chevy Silverado Adds High Country Trim, Texas Edition

Aiming to compete with premium trim packages offered on Ford and Ram pickup trucks, Chevrolet has introduced the High Country package and Texas Edition on the 2014 Silverado. High Country offers exterior flourishes like unique colors, chrome inserts, projector headlamps and body-colored bumpers, as well as a host of interior upgrades. Available engines include a 5.3-liter V-8 boasting class-leading 16/23 mpg city/highway and a 6.2-liter V-8. The automaker says the Texas Edition will be limited in availability for two trim packages and is a nod to the dominance of Texas in full-size pickup sales.

Check out the PickupTrucks.com links below for more details and photos.

By Matt Schmitz | May 6, 2013 | Comments (2)

GM Expands Safety Alert Seat to 2014 Sierra Lineup

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Sometimes drivers need a little kick in the pants to keep them focused on the road — literally. GM's Safety Alert Seat does just that. The system, which sends subtle vibrations through the seat bottom cushion to alert the driver to potential road hazards, will be optional on the 2014 GMC Sierra.

The Safety Alert Seat works with other safety systems such as rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and forward collision alert systems. For example, when the lane departure system detects lane wandering without a turn signal, it sends a pulse to the left or right side of the driver's seat.

GM says the new Sierra, which goes on sale this summer, has "available advanced active safety features never offered to full-size pickup truck owners." We first tested the Safety Alert Seat on the Cadillac SRX crossover; it's also available on the ATS sedan. According to GMC spokeswoman Kelly Wysocki, the Chevrolet Silverado will get the system as well; she couldn't comment on its availability in other GM vehicles, however.

To read about Cars.com editor Kristin Varela's experiences with the system in the SRX, click here.

By Jennifer Geiger | April 30, 2013 | Comments (0)

2013 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn Edition: Gorgeous or Gaudy?

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There are many faces of the 2013 Ram 1500 pickup — plenty of powertrain options, grille designs, exterior colors, trim levels, cab choices and bed lengths. None of them stand out more than the Laramie Longhorn edition.

The 1500 was redesigned for 2013, with new powertrains, revised styling and a big jump in interior quality. The top-line Laramie Longhorn model is joined by the base ST (fleet only), Tradesman, Express, SLT, Big Horn, Lone Star, Outdoorsman, Sport, R/T and Laramie. The Longhorn could also be called the cowboy edition. What sets it apart from the lineup — aside from its starting price of $45,580, including a $995 destination fee — are loads of Western-inspired details.

Customers can choose between Cattle Tan or Canyon Brown perforated front and rear leather seats, which are embellished with a tramp-stamp-esque scroll on the back and bottom cushions. They're finished with contrast-color piping and thick saddle-like stitching. The seatbacks again evoke a saddle, with leather-flap map pockets complete with buckles. Rich burled walnut wood trims the interior, a stark contrast to the kitschy plastic barbed-wire pattern molded into the front and rear floor. There's also plenty of Longhorn badges embossed throughout the cabin, both in the leather and metal belt-buckle-style ones in the floor.

Is it over the top or the picture of luxury? Check out the gallery below and decide for yourself. Cars.com photos by Robby DeGraff.

By Jennifer Geiger | April 19, 2013 | Comments (8)

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Ram 1500

13Ram

With its gigantic step-in height and heavy doors, it's clear that the Ram 1500 Express Quad Cab wasn't designed with families in mind, but that didn't stop Cars.com Family reviewer Courtney Messenbaugh from loading her kids into it. With its Hemi V-8 engine, Courtney said she had a fantastic time blowing by all kinds of family-friendly cars on the highway. Ram's Quad Cab has seating for six, though backseat legroom was tight for adults.

2013 Ram 1500 Family Review

By Jennifer Newman | April 5, 2013 | Comments (2)

PickupTrucks.com: GM Releases 2014 Silverado, Sierra Specs

Cars.com's sister site PickupTrucks.com notes that GM's announcement of performance specifications on its new half-ton pickups follows the automaker's tendency to feed us only morsels of info at a time. There's still plenty to chew on for those hungry for the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra now that testing is completed on a new 5.3-liter V-8, one of three optional engines. According to reported figures, the half-tons will lead their pickup pack in fuel economy, payload and towing capacity — while preliminary pricing shows modest increases and in some cases none at all.

Check out PickupTrucks.com for the details.

By Matt Schmitz | April 1, 2013 | Comments (1)

Recall Alert: 2013 Nissan Titan, NV Commercial Van

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Nissan is recalling 2,180 model-year 2013 versions of the Titan pickup truck and NV commercial van due to a problem with the transmission shift lever, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured from Jan. 22 through Feb. 20, 2013 (check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb) and have faulty steering column-mounted transmission levers. In these vehicles, chemicals from the manufacturing process may cause the brake shift interlock device to malfunction, allowing the shift lever to be put into Park without depressing the brake pedal. This could lead to an accident.

This is the second recall in two weeks for Nissan's NV commercial van.

Nissan will start notifying owners on Friday, and dealers will inspect and replace the affected parts for free. Owners can call Nissan at 800-647-7261 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

By Jennifer Geiger | April 1, 2013 | Comments (1)

Shelby Raptor: Photo Gallery

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If the Ford SVT Raptor pickup is too mild for you, Shelby American has just the truck: the 575-horsepower Shelby Raptor. Shelby calls it the ultimate monster truck and our friends at PickupTrucks.com agree — it's the perfect truck for a zombie apocalypse.