Toyota sold plenty of small pickups prior to the Hilux's introduction in 1968, including the old-timey Stout and cartrucks based on the Crown and the Corona. The Hilux ended up being one of Toyota's all-time most legendary vehicles in company history, if not the most legendary, in large part due to its reputation for durability in low-intensity conflicts around the globe. You can still buy a brand-new Hilux, though not in North America; the commute-friendlier Tacoma replaced the commercial-grade Hilux starting with the 1995 model year here. While the first-generation Hiluxes could be purchased on our shores (and some were), the 1973-1978 second-gen trucks were the ones that really established Toyota as a major truck player in the American market. Here's one of those trucks, a very worn-out '78 in a Denver-area car graveyard.

The 2021 Honda Pilot carries over the same generation that dates back five years now, making it one of the oldest three-row crossovers on the market. Considering how many impressive new or redesigned entries have been introduced since then, it's surprising that the Pilot manages to remain as relevant as it does. Though certainly overshadowed, it's still an ultra-practical choice blessed with an abundance of clever storage, ample cargo capacity and a well-sorted driving experience that nicely toes the line between comfort and response. There's also the matter of Honda's long-standing reputation for reliability and resale value. 

Basically, the Pilot can be considered the most sensible of three-row family crossovers (though the Subaru Ascent sure comes awfully close). Of course, "sensible" often doesn't equate to "desirable" as the makers of plain black running shoes can attest. The Pilot is a bit frumpy to look at, and the rather plain interior design doesn't reach the near-luxury heights of the Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, Toyota Highlander or Mazda CX-9. Even the Pilot's five-passenger fraternal twin, the Passport, manages to be a bit cooler. But such things are in the eye of the beholder. While we think the Telluride and Palisade in particular are stronger overall choices, the Pilot is nevertheless a well-rounded crossover that'll make sense for many families. 

About a month ago, the 2021 Toyota Venza was revealed, reviving an old nameplate for the U.S. by rebadging the Japanese-market Toyota Harrier. It's a clean, handsome if somewhat inoffensive design. But if you're wanting a small to midsize crossover with more punch, the Japanese branch of TRD is launching a set of body parts to make the Harrier/Venza look more exciting.

The company just revealed its body kit and wheels, and they're branded GR for Gazoo Racing, just like what you'll find on the Supra and GR Yaris. The kit adds a deep, angular front lip spoiler, side skirts and large rear diffuser. The hatchback gets a little spoiler at the base of the window, and the outboard grilles get black panels to make them look larger. Unique 20-inch wheels and a red and black GR stripe down the side complete the package. None of these parts change the driving characteristics except maybe the lateral dampers offered, which TRD says helps eliminate vibrations, though we're a little skeptical.

TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development, but that doesn't stop the performance division from developing parts for Lexus products, too. One of those Lexus products it just released a set of performance parts for is the LC 500. The two-door coupe is our favorite Lexus for sale right now because of its excellent driving dynamics and stunning looks, so adding more performance is a good thing, right?

We'll stop short of saying it's a great thing for appearances in this particular instance. The parts shown here tend to muss up and clutter the LC's otherwise gorgeous design. That large rear wing, aero cowling above the rear seats and aero mirror cover all notch the aggressiveness up a level, but it makes the styling look a bit messier in photos.

Honda could be embarking on a new hunt for lap records with the 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition.

Many have their doubts about the Honda Ridgeline's unibody structure and independent rear suspension. Not me. I once drove the latest Ridgeline generation to Racetrack Playa, a geological wonder you may have read about in Death Valley. The trip there was a tooth-rattling 54-mile out and back journey on a badly washboarded dirt road, but thanks to its carlike unibody structure and independent rear suspension doing a better job sucking up the washboard at speed, the Ridgeline survived the trip much better than two off-road package trucks that tagged along. It may have returned with one slightly leaky rear shock, but the Tacoma TRD Off-Road and Nissan Titan XD Pro-4X suffered dramatic explosive failures of their rear shocks and irreversible heat damage to their front ones.

The Ridgeline's suspension has no equal in the pickup world when it comes to on-road ride and handling, and unlike the weird first generation's compromised bed, the new one's is longer and wider than any other midsize crew cab. It's got that trunk and two-way tailgate, too. By all accounts it's a great truck if you can admit you'll never take it to Moab. But Death Valley surprised me. Much like that original generation, the 2020 Honda Ridgeline is actually quite well-suited to some off-highway situations. Let's see if we can figure out why.

In the motorcycle world, Scramblers are all the rage. Rugged-looking street bikes that also perform well off-road. The Triumph Scrambler kicked off the craze in 2006, with its high pipes and knobby tires. It was a modern take on a model it offered in the 1960s, and now many other manufacturers have followed its lead, including Ducati, Indian and BMW.

In stark contrast to the gaggles of car-based crossovers roaming our streets, the SUV world also has its fair share of Scramblers. Trucks like the new 2020 Toyota 4Runner Venture Special Edition: rugged looking, full frame 4x4s that perform well both on- and off-road. And like the bikes, they're all the rage. Jeep Wrangler sales are through the roof. There's a new Ford Bronco on the way. Finally. And last year Toyota sold more than 130,000 4Runners.

The Suzuki Jimny would probably fit in the back of the Hummer H1, but make no mistake, this is a proper off-roader with all the bells and whistles, including a body-on-frame chassis, low-range transmission, short overhangs and four-wheel drive.

Last year was a big one in the world of performance cars, thanks largely to the arrival of the Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray and the new Toyota Supra. While the two have vastly different engines and roughly $10,000 separating their MSRPs, they are both huge fun to drive and are also very capable on a circuit.

When it arrives in showrooms this fall, the 2021 Acura TLX will be the first vehicle equipped with the new three-chamber front passenger airbag design Honda announced last year, reinforcing the automaker's commitment to infused the sports sedan with state-of-the-art safety bonafides.

As explained in the video above, the new airbag was designed and developed by engineers at Honda's R&D campus in Ohio and auto supplier Autoliv to mitigate the risk of severe brain trauma associated with angled frontal collisions. With its official launch in the 2021 TLX, the airbag will begin to be offered to other automakers through Autoliv.

Tesla and Panasonic have entered into a new three-year agreement for the manufacturing and supply of lithium ion battery cells at the carmaker’s Gigafactory in Nevada.

Nissan's board of directors is reportedly pressured by a team of current and former executives behind the scenes to promote Ashwani Gupta, the company's COO, to co-CEO alongside Makoto Uchida.

(Reuters) - Nissan's chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta, pictured above right, helped engineer the troubled automaker's latest turnaround plan. Now his allies are pressing the board to promote him to co-CEO to drive the new strategy, said four people with direct knowledge.

Thus far, Nissan's 12-member board has no plan to change the roles of Chief Executive Makoto Uchida or his No. 2 Gupta, the sources told Reuters. But the behind-the-scenes campaign, involving at least half a dozen current and former executives, points to continued tensions at the top of the Japanese automaker, which has had four CEOs in four years.

Honda is adding a few updates to its Pilot three-row crossover for 2021 that include introducing a new mid-level trim designation, making the nine-speed automatic transmission that was previously available on higher trim levels standard across the range, and giving the family hauler a $725 price increase. The entry-level LX now starts at $33,370, including the $1,120 destination fee. All-wheel-drive versions of each trim, which feature Honda's torque vectoring system, remain a $2,000 option, as before.

The new trim level is called Special Edition, or SE as it will appear on the liftgate badge. It builds on the EX-L grade, which adds features that include leather seats, second-row sunshades, a power liftgate and sunroof. Step up to the SE and you get 20-inch black wheels and trim like roof rails, grille, and front and rear skid garnishes. The only actual equipment upgrade is wireless phone charging. The SE grade is positioned exactly midpoint in the Pilot trim spectrum and starts at $40,080, including destination, for front-wheel-drive versions and $42,080 all-inclusive for all-wheel drive.