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.

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