Archive for October, 2009

SofTopper Convertible Truck Bed Shell

Truck bed toppers (also known as camper shells or “truck caps”) are popular because they allow truck owners to haul tools, gear, and even dogs in the truck bed while keeping them dry. At first glance, toppers seem like a really smart accessory. Why wouldn’t you want to turn your pickup bed into a really big cargo area? The answer is that toppers need to be removed sometimes in order to haul tall or bulky “stuff,” and that removal can be a real pain…so a lot of truck owners don’t like them.

ARE (among others) makes dozens of varieties of truck toppers for personal and commercial use.

The primary style of topper is a full-on cab extension that meets or exceeds the height of the truck’s roof and is made of fiberglass , composite material, or aluminum. Depending on the material and features, toppers can be range from cheap ($300-$500 buys a cheap and ugly work-truck topper) to expensive ($2500 can buy a painted-t0-match topper with a door that replaces the tailgate). Most toppers come with a rudimentary lock and are installed using good old C-clamps, only some are high-tech affairs with comprehensive security features and bolt-on attachment.

The typical topper is too heavy for one person to remove safely, and unless you’ve got some sort of nifty topper storage system in your garage, toppers are a pain to store when not in use. Obviously, someone has come up with a solution that is easy to remove and easy to store…

Consumer Reports Declares Tundra and Sequoia Most Reliable for 2009

While it’s true that Consumer Reports uses an awkward and fundamentally flawed metric (vehicle owner surveys + historical data) to determine their reliability scores, it’s always nice to see some good press for the Tundra…especially when all the recent talk has been about Tundra frame rust concerns.

Consumer Reports has said that the Tundra and the Sequoia are the most reliable vehicles in their respective classes. Of course, Consumer Reports’ acknowledgment of the Tundra comes with a caveat – they’re only recommending the V6 Tundra as most reliable…the 4×4 V8 Tundra is actually cited as the “least reliable Toyota model.”

Doesn’t it seem a little impossible for one version of the Tundra to be the most reliable pickup in it’s class when another version of the Tundra is Toyota’s least reliable model?

Honda President Says Big Engines Are Dead. Seriously?

While Honda makes everything from power tools to robots to mini-jets, an argument could be made that Honda is an engine company. Every major product line features some sort of fossil-fuel powered motor, and their worldwide success would seem to suggest that Honda knows a thing or two about building a great engine.

Honda President Takanobu Ito doesn't understand American car culture.

However, when the President of Honda Motors, Takanobu Ito, says that the era of big powerful engines is dead, his understanding of the US auto market should be called into question. Here’s the exact quote:

Survey – Can Toyota Build A Great Sports Car Again?

Remember when Toyota had a sports car? When I say “Toyota,” by the way, I don’t mean the entire company that encompasses Scion and Lexus. I mean Toyota – the company that used to offer the unbelievable Supra. Somehow in the last 4 years Toyota completely stopped making sports coupes. Now, they’re talking about bringing back the Celica.

Is this the next generation of the Toyota Celica?

However, with a long list of recent sports coupe failures, does Toyota still know how to make a sports car?

Kiwi PLX Gas Saver – Boost Your Truck’s Gas Mileage

Earlier this week we talked about winter gas mileage and why the cold weather hurts your MPGs. Today, we’re talking about a series of electronics called the Kiwi PLX Gas Savers.

Kiwi's little MPG gas saver

Fact: In-dash fuel meters with instant gas mileage readings have been shown to improve gas mileage.

Oddly enough, most hybrid vehicles (with their super-efficient powertrains) have in-dash fuel economy displays. Most pickup trucks (with their super-inefficient powertrains) don