Chicago Auto Show

Upscale Look for Mainstream Trim

Second City Dominated by Refreshes

The Chicago auto show has traditionally been a significant one in terms of new debuts for trucks and SUVs, and this year is no different. There were several production debuts from Toyota and Chevrolet, and a sneak peek of what might be coming in the years ahead from Nissan.

The Chicago auto show may not have the same symbolic importance in the automotive world that Detroit, Los Angeles, Geneva, or Tokyo has, but that doesn't mean it's exactly flyover territory for those who follow the industry.

Still a Comfy Off-Roader and Still Expensive: he Toyota Land Cruiser has a well-deserved reputation as a go-anywhere off-roader, but today's version has gone a long way from the simple yet capable rock-crawler of old.

Ram buyers already have one Laramie-themed option for tarting up their trucks, but the truck-maker has announced another: it's the 2012 Laramie Limited, and it promises to offer the luxuries of the existing Laramie Longhorn trim but paired with distinctively different styling.

It's obvious enough that the Ram 1500 truck is already fit for the outdoors, but if it's still not outdoorsy enough, there's now the 2012 Ram 1500 Mossy Oak edition, which proved to be a hit for the 2011 model year. Ram is ready for another success story, and as a result, is bringing back the special-edition truck for 2012.

The all-new 2013 Acura RDX compact crossover was basically rolled out at the recent 2012 Detroit auto show, but in prototype form. Now, at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, we get to see the new RDX live and in its final production-spec trim.