Truck Highlights from the 2015 NAIAS

2017 Ford Raptor
Ford had a great start to the Detroit Auto Show this year when its all-new 2015 F-150 earned the title of 2015 North American Truck of the Year. Ford followed up this news a few hours later with the unveiling of a number of high-performance vehicles, including a all-new 2017 Raptor and GT (sister site AutoGuide.com covered it in detail).

Off-road enthusiasts had been curious whether a new Raptor would be offered based on the new F-150 platform, and Ford was able to keep this news a secret leading up to Detroit. It turns out that the next-gen Raptor will be based on the F-150 but it won't return to Ford’s lineup until 2017. The new Raptor will benefit from a weight reduction of roughly 500 pounds and the addition of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which Ford says will produce more horsepower and torque than the current 6.2-liter V8 (411 hp, 434 lb.-ft.). The Raptor will also get larger 3-inch-diameter Fox Shox, a new Smart-Terrain Management System, and new All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires. There’s plenty to like about the second-gen Raptor, even if we do have to wait awhile.

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2016 Toyota Tacoma
Although we were given a sneak peek of the all-new Tacoma late last week, we didn’t get to see the 2016 truck in person until the world premiere in Detroit. Toyota went to great lengths to get the word out on its third-generation Tacoma, hosting a Live Feed of the unveil and a follow-up chat with Chief Engineer Mike Sweers.

Toyota has high hopes for its newest Tacoma, and why shouldn’t it after 10 consecutive years at the top of the mid-size truck market. We recently conducted our 2015 Mid-Size Truck Shootout, and although the Tacoma received high marks in a number of areas we did note were in need of some key updates. Toyota addressed some of our concerns, including a new motor, interior refinements (like dual climate control), and exterior updates that include a damped tailgate.

2015 NAIDA: 2016 Tacoma Video

The Tacoma will feature an all-new six-speed transmission, with both manual and automatic options, as well as a new 3.5-liter Hotchkins-style V6 motor to replace the previous 4.0-liter V6, though a 2.7-liter four-cylinder will still be offered. Toyota says these changes produce the most powerful and efficient Tacoma to date. The all-new Tacoma will also offer improved off-road performance on its TRD Off-Road models, offering new powertrain systems such as Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control. And while there are plenty of things we still don’t know – the 3.5-liter V6’s performance ratings, fuel, and pricing – we did get a few key questions answered about the future of the new truck. For one, there will be a TRD Pro version of the new Tacoma, though likely not until 2017. Sweers directly addressed the question of whether or not there would be a diesel option during the chat, explaining that they won’t be going that route any time soon. All in all, we’re excited to see such a renewed interest in the mid-size truck market, and Toyota’s new Tacoma certainly will bring a lot to the table in 2016.

More on 2016 Toyota Tacoma from Detroit

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