Author Archive for Jason Lancaster
Jason Lancaster is the editor and founder of TundraHeadquarters.com. He has nearly a decade of experience on the retail side of the auto industry, and another decade of experience of the part and accessory side of the industry.
Toyota Prius Plug-In to Get 107 mpg For Less Than $27K
2012 Prius Plug-in. 107mpg. Under $27k.
Despite already having the best-selling and best-known in the marketplace, Toyota is poised to deliver a superb upgrade to the existing Prius sedan. In 2012, the new Prius Plug-In will debut, and it is estimated to be capable of 107 miles per gallon. This increase in fuel economy from the existing Prius sedan (currently rated at 50mpg combined) is due to the larger lithium ion battery in the new Prius Plug-In, which will be able to operate the Prius in electric-only mode for as many as 15 miles before the gas engine starts running. Compared to the existing Prius – which only has 2.5 miles of electric-only driving distance – and it’s no wonder that the new plug-in Prius will have a higher rating.
What makes this 107 mpg rating even more amazing is that, even with the dramatic increase in mileage, the cost of the Prius Plug-In will largely be unaffected
Low Range Off-Road 2nd Annual Road Show September 10th
Suzuki and Toyota off-road enthusiasts – if you live in or near Provo, UT – or if you’re looking for an excuse to go to Provo (and really, who isn’t?), then mark Saturday, September 10th, 2011 on your calendar for the 2nd annual Low Range Off-Road Show ‘n Shine & Swap Meet.
VIDEO: Stupid Idiots Ruin Trucks with Tug-O-War
I’m a Tundra fan, but I definitely wouldn’t mind having a cool lifted 80’s domestic pickup with a big block and a gigante (pronounced he-gone-tay) set of mudders. That would be a fun truck to own.
What I’m saying is, you wouldn’t see me ruining my truck like the Rhodes scholars below…
About two years ago, I railed against the stupidity of “tug-a-truck” competitions because ultimately they’re about destruction. While one driver appears to win, the truth of the matter is that both trucks are damaged by the competition. As you can see in the video above, something broke on the truck on the right at the 16 second mark. At 18 seconds, the shirtless referee starts waiving off the “competition”. Nearly 7 seconds later, the other driver finally becomes aware that his buddy’s pickup is destroyed.
What, exactly, was the point of that little exercise? The loser just ruined hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of parts and accessories. The “winner” just ruined someone else’s vehicle…and truth be told, the winner also strained some of the components in his truck’s powertrain, suspension, and frame. How these strained parts will hold up long-term is a question mark – one that the winner brought upon himself.
The Eliminator Project Begins – Initial Dyno Test
The Eliminator started out as a phone call. Mark, a contributor to the site, had a chance to get his hands on a nice little used 2007 Tundra regular cab 2wd with the big motor and only 57k miles. The question was, would I interested in putting the time in to making this an official TundraHeadquarters.com project truck?
I said, “Uhh…ya. Let’s do it.” Little did I know it would become the biggest TundraHeadquarters time-soak ever. Bigger than writing/editing posts and moderating comments. Bigger than heading to SEMA in 2010. Little did I know that not one but two different companies would promise parts but then never deliver.
But listen to me complain.
Thanks to the generous contributions of BedRug, Extang, DynoMax, Belltech, and AIRAID, plus generous help from Mountain States Toyota, we have a nice little dropped Tundra with even more power than a factory truck at our fingertips. Of course, mad props to Mark for making this happen and doing so much to move it along. Very grateful for that too.
Here’s our initial dyno test data:
Ford and Toyota Reach Hybrid Agreement – Who Wins?
Straight from the “you’re not gonna believe this one” news pile, we learn today from CNN.com and PickupTrucks.com that Toyota and Ford have agreed to co-develop hybrid systems for trucks and big SUVs. From CNN:
Rivals Ford Motor and Toyota Motor announced an agreement Monday to work together to develop a new hybrid light truck. The agreement is expected to produce hybrid rear-wheel drive pickups and SUVs sometime later this decade. The agreement brings together Toyota, which has been a leader in hybrid technology, with Ford, which still has a leading position in the pickup and SUV portion of the market, where hybrids are still less common.
Over at PickupTrucks.com, Dave Thomas writes:
If there was any doubt that new fuel regulations would make an immediate and widespread impact on the automotive industry, it evaporated this morning. Today, Ford and Toyota announced an agreement to jointly develop — as equal partners — a new hybrid drivetrain specifically for light trucks and SUVs. This new technology would go on sale by the end of the decade.
Let that soak in for a moment…Ford, arguably the world’s leader in pickups, working with Toyota, arguably the world’s leader in hybrids. Why?
