We are continuing our look a the top trucks of 2011 with the Nissan Frontier. The Nissan Frontier is a full size truck that comes in five different trims. All of them designed for the no nonsense working man. They Each body style has a variety of options that mean business.

The five trims are S, SV 4Cylinder, SV 6 Cylinder, Pro 4X, and the SL. The S comes with a either king or crew cab. The king cab comes with a 2.5 liter engine while the crew cab bumps that engine size up to 4.0. The difference in the SV4 and the SV6 is the engine size while the SV6 offers a long bed for hauling. Pro 4X is just a beefed up version of the SV6. Finally, the SL has a crew cab with roof rack and style.

It has been just over a year ago, I wrote a Auto Recon for the Toyota Tacoma. The reason why I am looking a it again is because the Tacoma is rated in the top 10 of pick up trucks.

The Toyota Tacoma does not come in one trim for a weekend hauling/camping. When I visited clicked on the Tacoma website I noticed four sizes with similar body styles. Toyota labels each size as Regular Cab, Access Cab, Double Cab, and X Runner.

Don’t worry, the difference is more than cab size between each trim. The wheel base ranges from a modest 109.8″ for the Regular Cab to 127.4 for the other three trims. I thought it was interesting the payload capacity on the Regular Cab is 1350, the Access Cab is 1510, Double Cab is 1430, and the X Runner only carries 895 pounds. The biggest trim of the Tacoma model load capacity is the least.

The Ford Taurus is most likely one of the most enduring cars in the Ford line up. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year. The Ford Taurus has been in almost continuous production for more than 20 years. It was in back in 2004 the Ford Taurus made its debut on the NASCAR circuit  in the 2004 Daytona 500. Today, we are in the 6th generation of redesign.

Under the hood is a 3.5 liter V6 with two engine packages. The 24-valve DOHC Duratec V6 produces 263 horsepower. While the 24-valve DOHC Duratec V6 put out a whopping 365 horsepower. Both trims deliver power to the wheels by a 6-speed electronically controlled automatic overdrive.

The Chevy Cruze is another one of the many new cars that are designed for fuel efficiency. The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has only been on sale in the United States since last September. The Cruze is actually a replacement for the old Chevy Cobalt.

The hype around the Chevy Cruze is calling it a worthy competition  to Honda, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Nissan. Time will only tell if the Cruze will live up to it and taken seriously for a compact car.

Chevy Cruze is slightly larger than the Honda Civic in size. The Civic’s wheelbase  is 106.3 in with an max width max w/o mirrors 69.0 in. Where the Cruze has a wheelbase of 105.7 inches long, 70.7 in. wide.

The Hyundai Sonata is another one of those family cars that I have seen driving down the street more and more. I have not seen or read much about it in the news. So I thought it would was time to investigate this vehicle a little more.

The first generation Hyundai Sonata was introduced in South Korea in June of 1987. Then it was in Canada in September 1987 as a 1988 model. Hitting the United States the following year. Since then the Sonata has gone through four evolutionary changes. Each an definite improvement over the previous one. In that time the Hyundai Sonata has racked up an impressive list of awards.

The Jeep Patriot has a long heritage that dates back to the 1940′s and World War II. The Patriot hit the street as a small sports utility vehicle in 2007. It was first seen at the New York Auto Show in April 2006.

The Sport model comes with 16-inch steel wheels. It comes with a load of luxury items like steering wheel, air-conditioning, a four-speaker, and CD/MP3 player.  Definitely not my dad’s or grand dad’s jeep.

The Dodge Caliber is another one of those compact crossover vehicles. The Caliber comes only as a compact hatchback/wagon. The rear seats fold in a 60/40 split.

Under the hood you will find a 2.0 liter 158-horsepower four-cylinder engine.  The Rush model comes with a 2.4 liter 172 horsepower inline 4 cylinder. All models come with five speed manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The Honda Fit is another one of those little sub compact cars that came into being to easy the strain on our wallets because of high gas prices. The Fit is akin to the sportier Honda Jazz. Introduced at the time of high gas prices the Honda Fit is a subcompact four door hatchback.

The first-generation Honda Fit was available for just two years: 2007 and 2008 model year. The base model came with air-conditioning, a tilt-and-telescoping steering column and a four-speaker audio system with a CD player and auxiliary audio jack are standard. The Sport model added larger wheels, sportier exterior trim details, cruise control and a six-speaker audio system with an iPod-friendly USB port. In addition Fit Sports can with an optional touchscreen navigation system and stability control.

I know that in different parts of the United States, different types of vehicles are more popular than others. When I first came to Idaho 4 wheel drive trucks were more popular than regular cars. The Ford Fiesta is a rarely sighted in Idaho. It was not until scanning through an automotive website that I found the Ford Fiesta was still being made.

I was amused to find the number of websites devoted to the history of the Ford Fiesta. Ford-Fiesta.info has a nice little phone gallery along with showcasing the history of the Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta was originally launched in 1976 through out Europe. Then in 1978 the”Americanised” version made its debut in the United States. Where it was marketed as a subcompact car.

I was asked to do an auto recon on the Acura TL while at a local social networking event, by one of the attendees. He was looking at buying one, but wanted to know more. I chose the TL model line because it close to mid range of all the Acura models.

The Acura brand has been around since 1986. Acura is a division of the Honda motor company, that is sold mostly in the US, Canada, and Hong Kong. Marketed to those who want luxury and performance in the car they drive.