Proof that the sun doesn’t always shine in California.

Way back in the early Nineties, Toyota made their first foray into the North American style of work trucks with the T100. Traditional truck buyers were less than enthused by the T100’s lack of V8 power and lesser capabilities and few buyers switched showrooms. Toyota followed up the T100 with the first generation Tundra, which was much better received. It was a true full size truck. This new truck was still down on power when compared to the traditional domestic work horses, but the driving experience was beyond the competition. With the latest redesign, Toyota has brought the Tundra to the forefront of truckdom with true 2 door work trucks and high end 4 doors for the boss and his family.

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Having the 2008 Ford F-150 in The Garage this week is a bit of a double edged sword. On the positive side, we are in the midst of moving my step father and I have some lumber to pick up this weekend for a new deck. On the slightly frightening side, gas is $1.09 a liter (roughly $4.36 a gallon) this week here in the Toronto area.

As many readers may be aware, the 08 F-150 is nearing the end of it’s production run, with the all new 09 model waiting in the wings. This late model test will serve us well when we test the replacement in the next few months. So far, it is a great looking truck that has tons of seating room. The kids even commented on how wide the rear seat is. Out back, our tester has the full complement of cargo aids, from lockable storage bins to cross rails and a cool divider to keep stuff from sliding around.

Check back over the next couple of weeks as we let you know what life is like with Ford’s bread and butter hauler.

This year’s CIAS began in style with the annual Chrysler media dinner, during which the 2009 Dodge Ram made it’s Canadian debut. It was pretty cool watching Chrysler’s VP of Ralph Gilles (who also happens to be Canadian) describe the process that went into developing the new Ram. Hearing that they worked with existing truck owners to learn what they want was encouraging, as is the fact that Gilles seems truly excited about the finished product. A quick glance around the interior showed lots of neat, functional features that will be appreciated here in The Garage. The truck on display was a base model, but you would never know it from the quality of materials used on the inside.
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I love Kevin Kelly’s Street Use blog, as he comes out with some of the coolest automotive hacks. This time it’s an old stake truck converted to a barge with the use of steel drums, with the propeller being powered by the truck’s engine. It’s use? Why ferrying Cubans to Miami of course.

In Part 1 of the Dakota road test, I mentioned that this was a perfect work truck. Big enough to be effective, yet small enough to park in a normal spot. I must admit that in traditional short cab pick ups, the close proximity of the rear glass has always felt a tad confining for me. The extended cab Dakota eliminates this issue as the extra length in the back of the cab makes it feel much roomier for the driver and front seat passenger.

The back seat, obviously is just for little ones or small cargo. Our boys loved the small, forward facing jump seats. Our 7 year old had a bit of a tough time finding a handhold on the way up, but thought the seating position was fun. Likewise, our 9 year old couldn’t wait to show off the cool red truck to his buddies. Our 13 year old didn’t even try.
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North Dakota Car Insurance free quotes

What good is a pick up if it won’t do any work for you? Not much really, but the Dakota SXT extended cab that we’ve had for the past week in The Garage was more than happy to do what little work we asked it to when we made a trip to the local Home Depot.
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It’s always nice when a road test can be done in nice sunny weather. Not only do you get the best pictures, but you can explore a vehicle’s performance. When the vehicle being tested is more about real world utility though, perhaps a bit of inclement weather is just what’s needed to show the real world character of the vehicle. We’re driving a 2008 Dodge Dakota SXT this week and as luck would have it, old man winter decided to deal an early dose of the white stuff.

Our extended cab tester model comes with utility and cargo packages, which means it has all the goodies needed to make this a solid work truck, with extra seating in the back for the kiddies. Even with flex fuel capability, the 4.7 L V8 puts a whopping 302 horsepower through a 5 speed automatic transmission. That 5 speed is a good thing, as this truck is tow ready with a 3.92 rear end with limited slip. I shudder to think what fuel economy would be like with an old school 3 speed! As it sits, the Dakota is rated to tow 7,100 pounds, making it a perfect choice for the club racer or contractor who doesn’t want a full size truck.
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That’s right, we’ve got a big red truck in The Garage this week. The weather in Tdot today would have Noah scrambling to load up the animals, so you’ll just have to wait for our usual bevy of images.

The truck we’re driving is an extended cab, 4×4, 302 horsepower flex fuel model that looks tough as nails. So far, the ride is truckish enough to remind the driver that it is a work truck, but comfy enough to stay relaxed in the rainy day Toronto traffic.

The boys love the jump seats in the back and Dad loves the fact that Dodge used their head and included an Aux jack for my mp3 player. Oh yes, the V8 sounds killer, just don’t press the loud pedal too aggressively in the rain!

Later in the week, we’ll have a proper review of the Dakota.

The American International Auto Dealers Association has reported on findings by AutoPacific that studied which cars are more masculine or feminine by nature.

If you end up on the opposite end of the gender scale from your God given attributes, it might be time you traded in your current drive before neighbors start talking.

King of macho appears to be the testosterone laden Chevy Silverado heavy duty pick-up. Statistics show that 93% of truck buyers are men. The clincher for the Silverado lies in the stat the 9 out of 10 heavy duty pick-ups on the road are owned by manly men. And those dudes love the Silverado.

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