TDN NEWS: LIMITED SPECIAL EDITION KIA STINGER GTS ARRIVES THIS SPRING Since its debut nearly two years ago, the Kia Stinger has quickly become a crowd favorite, and at the New York International Auto Show, Kia Motors America gave driving…

So you really want a Raptor but you’re finding that to be a hard sell to the spouse. Well, the 2019 F-150 Limited offers Raptor-level power with the finesse of a luxury pickup.

Here are the facts: the average new-vehicle transaction price is up to nearly $37,000. But for full-size pickups that number is closer to $50,000!  And as you can see here, manufacturers’ believe there’s plenty of room to expand beyond that.  Ford says this Limited is the most powerful, luxurious and advanced F-150 ever.  If you’ve seen my Raptor reviews you know how highly I think of that truck.  But understandably, that’s more than most customers need.  So the Limited takes the Raptor’s high-output 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6, leaves its off-road shocks behind and takes the design in a more upscale direction to create a workhorse in a black tie.  You still get all 450 horses but its look is more buttoned up and its interior more boutique.

Twenty-two-inch wheels, power deployable running boards, a twin panel moonroof, unique Camelback leather interior, massaging seats…you get the picture. And with a 5 ½ bed, 1,200 lb. payload capacity and 8,000 pounds max towing, the Limited could easily be the ultimate family SUV.

The RAV4 is one of the best-selling vehicles in America and has even usurped the Toyota sales thrown from the Camry. And this all-new RAV4, designed with a higher level of athleticism and charisma, is a bolder, tougher SUV ready to go beyond the mall parking lot.

MSRP as-tested: $39,479

The smaller, midsize truck segment as it is now called is red hot again with a trio of new entries about to shake things up. But no matter what the competition throws at it the Tacoma is the mainstay best-seller.

In full disclosure, I own a Tacoma; a 2001 Prerunner that’s been in my family ever since I reviewed it for the show 18 years ago and then bought it out of the press fleet. So I have particularly high standards for this truck.  It has been the segment’s sales leader for 12 years running so I can’t really blame Toyota for their if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it approach.  But…

Ram 1500 Limited 2019 Review By Auto Critic Steve Hammes The pickup truck segment is no longer just about flaunting muscle and capability; far from it. For top-end models like this you’d better be bringing smarts and a heaping dose…