2000 Chicago Show: Trucks and Stuff

CHICAGO — If there were a buzzword from this year’s Chicago auto show, it’d be trucks. Not only are trucks and sport-utes still trendy, but in terms of sales, they’re clearly taking center stage.

Joining them at this year’s Chicago show were the next wave of utility — hybrids and crossover models that mix and match the attributes of two or more vehicles, anything from sedans and sports coupes, to minivans, station wagons, SUVs or pickup trucks.

Here’s a closer look at some of the newest offerings we found most intriguing in Chicago:

Toyota Tacoma Double Cab

2001 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab

Toyota’s newest "hybrid utility" is designed to attract younger buyers to the brand with its versatility and aggressive image. Tacoma Double Cab is scheduled to go on sale in October: it will be offered in SR5 and Limited trim levels with an available off-road package, in either the two-wheel drive PreRunner series with four- or six-cylinder engines, or as a 4x4 powered exclusively by the 190-horsepower six.

The Double Cab stands tall, with eleven inches of class-leading ground clearance, and has a 61-inch cargo bed, which the Japanese carmaker boasts is six-and-a-half inches longer than Nissan Frontier. Its four, large conventional doors open to a well-appointed and roomy interior with a 60/40 fold-down rear bench with three-point outboard belts. A

new StepSide Tacoma, a Tacoma Pre-Runner and a supercharged Tacoma 4x4 also shared the stage in Chicago with the Double Cab.

Last month, at the Detroit auto show, Toyota unveiled Sequoia, a full-size sport-utility vehicle. The V-8-powered Tundra-based SUV will be built alongside the Tundra at Toyota¹s production facility in Princeton, Ind. Toyota also announced that two all-new sport-utility vehicles will debut at the New York Auto Show in April — we’re guessing they’d be the 2001 RAV4 and a Double Cab version of the Tundra.

Nissan Frontier 2001

2001 Nissan Frontier

Although this compact has only been on sale since 1997, the 2001 Frontier receives a complete exterior facelift, numerous interior upgrades and now is fitted with the most powerful V-6 engine available in its class. A new 210-horsepower supercharged engine (up from the current model’s 170 horsepower) with 240 lb-ft of torque will be available on all V-6 King Cab and four-door Crew Cab models.

While this freshening of the Frontier was originally slated as a facelift, the 2001 Frontier has all-new front-end styling, with new front sheet metal, fascia, bumper, headlights and fog lights, in addition to new fender flares, tailgate cover, and bigger wheels and tires. A dramatically new look, which Nissan design engineers describe as being "ballsier, with a lot more testosterone going for it" is achieved with its tougher front-end styling cues that look like a "boxer’s punch," according to Nissan design guru Jerry Hirshberg. The look includes a substantially raised hood integrating the front bumper without a traditional cut line, and unique divot holes outlining the wheel arches, which fasten the fender flares to the truck.

The interior is also freshened with a new steering wheel, gauges, instrument panel cover lighting, interior fabrics and colors and new leather, along with a new audio system lineup, with available in-dash six-disc CD changer and remote steering audio controls. Also new is a standard tailgate lock.

The 2001 Frontier, which is available in 14 models and three trim levels, will go on sale late summer with the supercharged version available soon after. The Frontier is built by Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation U.S.A., in Smyrna, Tenn.

S10 and Sonoma

2001 S-10 Crew Cab/GMC Sonoma Extended Cab

General Motors showed off the four-door version of its compact S-10, a new variant that will come out as a 2001 model this fall. Late to the party with four swing-out doors, the new GM pickup is offered initially only as a 4x4 version with the Standard Insta-Trac system that activates by pushing a button, along with a 4WD low gear and an "increased capacity" suspension. There will be a similarly equipped GMC Sonoma version.

These two new models join the lineup of long-cab, short-bed pickups that meld the passenger space of SUVs with the cargo capability of a pickup. With a rear bench seat in the new models, there is seating for five. Both use the General’s 4.3-liter V-6 that produces 190 horsepower, mated to a four-speed automatic transmission.

Ford Ranger Edge

2001 Ford Ranger

After 13 years as best-selling compact truck, Ford is giving the Ranger some serious changes for the 2001 model year — but still, the Ranger will continue to offer a pair of small swing-back rear access doors, rather than the more traditional swing-out version.

New sheetmetal, more power and a new series – the Edge – headline the changes for the new model year. Under the hood is Ford’s 4.0-liter V-6, which produces 205 horsepower and 235 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 45 more horsepower and 10 more lb-ft of torque over the previous V-6. The new engine is mated to a new five-speed, adaptive shift, automatic transmission or a heavy-duty five-speed manual. Chassis refinements include revised front suspension tuning and a sound package with standard four-wheel anti-lock brakes. The 2001 Ranger also features Ford’s new Belt Minder system, to remind occupants to buckle up, along with safety-belt pretensioners. An optional bed extender is also offered.

Edge Bed

Built to join the "Built Ford Tough" truck lineup is the new Edge, with a rugged new image designed for customers with a more active lifestyle. Styling cues include a hood bulge, a monochromatic exterior color treatment, front tow hooks, painted silver wheels, washable flooring and a higher ride height. This boutique model is available in 4x4 or 4x2 versions with the standard V-6 engine and five-speed manual transmission. The 4.0-liter SOHC V-6 with automatic transmission is available.

Buick Rendezvous

2002 Buick Rendezvous

The first truck-based vehicle in 80 years built by this General Motors division, the Rendezvous is a luxury touring sedan designed as a "youth-oriented runabout." Built off of GM’s minivan platform, the seven-seater, with an optional third-row seat that can be folded for increased cargo-carrying ability, has attractive styling that looks very similar to the Lexus RX 300 and Benz M-Class.

Versions include the base front-wheel-drive CX and the top-of-the-line CLX, with the all-wheel-drive Versatrak (an on-demand system) and traction control as options. Powered by a 3.4-liter V-6, with 185 horsepower, Rendezvous comes with standard ABS, dual front and side airbags and has space in the center console to hold a laptop computer, a special holder for purses and charger for cell phones and can hold 4x8 panels in the rear. Rendezvous goes on sale in the first quarter of 2001, as a 2002 model, while its mechanical twin, the Pontiac Aztek , introduced recently in Detroit, will go on sale this summer as a 2001 model.

Chevrolet Traverse

Chevy Traverse

Making its world debut at the show, Chevrolet calls its Traverse concept vehicle the "reinvention of the family sedan." Combining truck utility and sedan comfort, Traverse was designed with command seating, all-wheel-drive, a 4.5-liter V-6 engine, towing capacity of 5600 lb, and rear seats that travel nine inches fore and aft and can fold down and provide a flat load floor, giving enough room to haul a 4x8 piece of building material. A "Smartback" tailgate system combines the attributes of a hatchback and traditional tailgate, with the ability to open for general-purpose loading, as well as to lower for fold-flat loading of heavier items.

High-tech features of the Traverse include a Compaq C-Series 2010C personal computer integrated into the center of the instrument panel and removable for portable use, along with multifunctional communications technology, and the General Motors OnStar navigational/information system.

Pontiac Piranha pic

Pontiac Piranha

This four-passenger concept combines the virtues of a sport-utility vehicle with the styling and proportions of a sports coupe. Piranha has a dual-colored exterior with a wide stance and athletic, muscular cues with 18" wheels in front and 19" wheels at the rear and ribs that run along the length of the body. Back doors open rearward to an interior designed for customization and flexibility. Fabric on the door and instrument panels zips off and on, allowing personal choice of colors and look depending on mood, along with a single-throw fabric sunroof panel that opens from side-to-side between the fixed roof rails.

Utility comes in the form of 58.2 cu ft of cargo-carrying ability, when the rear seat is removed and the unique lightweight rear tub that serves as a trunk, a cooler and a removable storage bin. The Piranha becomes truck-like when the tub is removed, with a floor panel that extends to provide more load space or that flips up to become a tailgate.