It makes perfect sense. The number-one pickup-truck market in the country ought to be where truck makers want to make a statement to the most important potential truck buyers in the U.S. Will the State Fair of Texas be as significant as the Detroit international auto show? Probably not, but it's still the best place to find more truck people per square foot than just about any other place on earth. And you can bet that's why Toyota chose San Antonio as home base for its new full-size pickup truck. Naturally, that means Ford, Chevy, and Dodge had to do something special in Texas this year as well. For truck buyers and truck makers, the State Fair of Texas is ground zero. Expect more battle to be fought here in the future. What follows are a few of the highlights.
Toyota Tundra
Information is slowly trickling out from Toyota about its new light-duty pickup truck, but it did take the opportunity at the fair to show two versions we hadn't seen before: the regular and double-cab longbeds. Offered in two-and four-wheel drives, these configurations are meant to service the needs of the commercial tradesman. In fact, Toyota has already made Tundras available to companies that develop and design parts and pieces for the commercial industry. This new double cab with the eight-foot bed will make the Tundra the longest pickup truck in Toyota's lineup. We're hearing the Tundra will offer three engine choices: the 4.0-liter V-6, an updated 4.7-liter V-8, and a high-tech DOHC 5.7-liter V-8 with variable valve timing. Toyota is hoping these particular configurations will be popular with foremen, supervisors, and owner-operator tradespeople, but in order to do that it's going to have to get its maximum towing capacities up (right now the Ford F-150 wins with a 10,500 rating) as well as getting some decent power out of its V-8. It'll need to at least match 350 horsepower and 375 pound-feet of torque. Look for a head-to-head test in our next issue.
Jeep Stick in the Mud
What better way to enjoy the last humid days of summer than by rolling in the cool mud for a chance to win a brand-new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited? A few brave mud-slingers brought the phrase "stick-in-the-mud" to life as they raced through a giant pool of mud at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas during the Jeep--Stick in the Mud challenge for the chance to win a new four-door 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Participants scoured the pool filled with 14,000 gallons of mud for hidden sticks to earn points. More than 2600 people registered for a chance to compete. The winner? Hemero Perez, who racked up the most points rutting around in the mud.