TN's Best Midsize Pickup Truck Stories of 2016

As part of our year in review, Torque News would like to offer some of our best pickup truck stories from the past year or so and a bit of perspective on why the vehicle and the story were of more interest than usual.

Nissan Frontier - Defies All Odds
The past two years have been a sales shootout between GM's Colorado and Canyon vs. the Tacoma. Both GM and Toyota did all they could to increase capacity. Lost in the coverage of these two giants was an even better story. The basically unchanged, old-school, tough as nails Nissan Frontier put up huge sales numbers in the middle and late parts of 2016. Our Denis Flierl explains in “New” Nissan Frontier Continues to Pull Hard Before Major Makeover."

Honda Ridgeline - Just Better
This being the year of the midsize, we would be remiss if we didn't point out that the new Honda Ridgeline does almost every single thing better than the entrenched competitors. It hauls lumber and drywall better, its is safer, it has modern headlights that actually work well and it is quicker and more fuel efficient. This story by Parks McCants is just the tip of the iceberg. As you read Parks' story keep in mind he has owned every major brand of pickup made in America: "Honda effectively reinvents midsize truck segment with 2017 Ridgeline"

Tacoma Tows Like a Full-Size
Torque News is fortunate to have an editor in Patrick Rall who tows daily on his farm. Patrick hooked up the Tacoma to a horse trailer to see how it handled at its max towing capacity. What he found should raise a few eyebrows. "The 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Works Like a Half Ton"

Diesel Advantage?
Are diesel engines bettter for towing? Yes. Are they more fuel economical? Maybe not. We did the deep dive and simple math so many publications just ignore to find out if there is a meaningful fuel economy advantage to having a diesel truck. "2016 Toyota Tacoma Gas Engine vs. Chevy Colorado Diesel - Fuel Costs Comparison"