 We love manual transmissions. Unfortunately, over the past few years they have become increasingly less common. This has been the result of a combination of factors: Waning public interest, more efficient automatic transmissions, and fading margins. Purists like us will argue that there’s still something magical about rowing your own gears, and while true, it’s hit a point where automatics can do the job faster, heck a slush-box equipped Corvette is quicker than the stick version. Crazy. While there’s just shy of 100 2018 model year manual-equipped vehicles available on dealer lots, only three of them are pickups and eight are SUVs. It’s a shame, really, but there’s a real chance that we’ll see the manual transmission go extinct in our lifetime. Chevrolet Colorado Nissan Frontier Toyota Tacoma Fiat 500 and 500X Jeep Compass, Renegade, and Wrangler Kia Soul Mini Clubman and Countryman - Trucks-365 Staff
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 You have seen the video of drift legend Vaughn Gittin Jr. drifting a Ford F-150 Raptor around the Nurburgring in Germany right? Wait, you haven’t? Well lucky for you the team that put the original film together has released even more footage. There’s now the original cut, an extended directors edition, and a behind-the-scenes video. Seriously, we can’t get enough of it. The story goes like this… Vaughn travels to Germany with the intent to drift his Ford Mustang RTR around the famous race circuit. Weather had a different idea. With the Mustang shoot rained out the team, instead of scrapping the day, pulled out a Ford F-150 Raptor and sent Vaughn on his merry way. Being ever the skeptics that we are, we can’t help but wonder just what the team was doing with a Raptor in Germany to begin with, and if this wasn’t planned (or at least a back up plan) the entire time. Either way, the video is a fun and fresh take on traditional drift and Ring videos that us truck folks quickly grow tired of watching. It’s just a bummer the Raptor doesn’t sound more like the Mustang… because man that Raptor sounds awful! Check out the videos and a ton of behind-the-scenes photos below! - Trucks-365 Staff Source: Michael Crenshaw and Team RTR  We love donuts! Glazed, sprinkles, sugar, heck even plain donuts are amazing! What’s even more impressive are donuts made of smoke, dust, and tire rubber. As lovers of all things power, performance, and speed we would never turn down the opportunity to roast rubber. In celebration we’ve scoured the Internet and found a few folks who understand the true meaning of this special day. Whether it’s a high horsepower racecar, a beat up hooptie running on three cylinders, or a daily driver getting down in the dirt we love it all. Now let’s all sit back with some fried dough, bonus points if there’s bacon involved, and enjoy the hilarity that is National Donut Day! - Trucks-365 Staff duPont Regestry gets in on the action... https://blog.dupontregistry.com/features/dozen-exotics-national-doughnut-day-2018/ Car and Driver shares the fun... https://www.caranddriver.com/news/nissan-celebrates-national-doughnut-day-the-right-way The Drive teaches us how to do donuts... http://www.thedrive.com/news/21209/national-donut-day-is-time-to-make-the-donuts-the-gearhead-way AutoGuide gives us the ten best cars to do donuts in... http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2016/06/top-10-best-cars-to-do-donuts-in.html Hagerty lays down a history lesson... https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/keyword/donut-day And, best of all, LifeHacker shows were to get fat for free... https://lifehacker.com/where-to-get-free-donuts-today-1826482171  We've been talking about the impending Ford F-150 Power Stroke diesel engine for what feels like an eternity. Thankfully, it's finally here! Under the hood of the 2018 F-150 is an optional 3.0L V-6 diesel engine, which turns out 250 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque. Transferring this power to the ground is a 10-speed automatic transmission. When properly equipped it can tow more than 12,000 pounds, haul upwards of 2,000 pounds of payload, and achieve 30 miles per gallon on the highway. Ford recently invited the automotive press out to Denver, Colorado, for a first drive of this new powertrain. Here are the Top 10 first drive reviews from around the web! - Trucks-365 Staff Source: Ford Motor Trend www.http://www.motortrend.com/cars/ford/f-150/2018/2018-ford-f-150-diesel-first-drive-review/ Car and Driver https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2018-ford-f-150-30l-v-6-power-stroke-diesel-first-drive-review Road Show by CNet https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2018-ford-f150-power-stroke-diesel-first-drive-review/ Digital Trends https://www.digitaltrends.com/car-reviews/2018-ford-f150-power-stroke-diesel-review/ Autoweek http://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/2018-ford-f-150-power-stroke-diesel-first-drive-tow-machine Motor1 https://www.motor1.com/reviews/240602/2018-ford-f150-diesel-first-drive/ Truck Trend http://www.trucktrend.com/features/1804-first-drive-2018-ford-f-150-diesel/ Automobile http://www.automobilemag.com/news/2018-ford-f-150-power-stroke-review-first-drive/ The Detroit News https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/henry-payne/2018/05/02/review-ford-power-stroke-diesel/34492633/  Ram introduced its all-new 1500 back at the Detroit auto show in January, and has now held its first drive event for journalists. We’ve scoured the Internet and compiled a list of our Top 10 best first drive reviews. Check them all out and let us know what you think of this impressive new pickup from Ram! - Trucks-365 Staff  Volkswagen shocked us all this week when it unveiled a new mid-size pickup concept at the New York International Auto Show. The Tanoak is based on VW’s MQB or modular transverse matrix architecture and shares much in common with the Atlas SUV. Tanoak is two inches taller, 15.8 inches longer overall, and has a wheelbase that is 11 inches longer than Atlas. Drivetrain is a 3.6L V-6 that produces 276 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed transmission backs the V-6 engine and power is transferred to all four corners through a 4MOTION all-wheel drive system with Active Control. VW claims Tanoak will power from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 8.5 seconds, which is respectable but not earth shattering. Although the Tanoak is based on the Atlas SUV the similarities end at the B-pillar. The rear doors are blended into the body and hinged at the C-pillar. The rear of Tanoak is anchored by its low-hinged tailgate, that when opened extends the 64.1-inch cargo bed is lengthened by 26.1 to an effective length of 90.2 inches. Lighting is all LED and body accents are all reflective of the exuberant concept that it is. We love the idea of a Volkswagen Atlas based pickup. Even thought it’s just a concept we love the styling and list of available features. Hopefully this is a vision of what’s soon to come, and not just a fun exorcise for the auto show circuit. - Trucks-365 Staff Source: Volkswagen  We’ve surely all seen it by now. Chevrolet introduced us to its all-new 2019 Silverado 1500 back in January at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. When the sheets were pulled back there was an audible gasp from those in attendance at the grand unveiling. Applause soon followed and interest from those watching on the Internet skyrocketed shortly after the polarizing design found the light of day. So what happened? It would appear that designers and engineers at General Motors made the decision to design a new pickup that would last for many years, both in the styling department and efficiency. You see, a lot of what many see as questionable design was implemented for the sake of aerodynamic efficiency. The air curtains built into the front bumper are a prime example of this, as well as one of the main features that’s been criticized in the mainstream media. These “catfish gills” as they’ve been referred to by some actually work to direct airflow out and around the front suspension, helping the truck slip through the air with less resistance. The design is bold, with a large muscular grille and squared off fenders. The headlights give a weird nod back to Ford’s 2015 F-150 with a notch in the center of the unit, and the body accent line that runs through the bedsides is quite reminiscent of Toyota’s current Tundra. The rear windows also appear to draw inspiration from Chevy’s mid-size Colorado pickup. We’re still on the fence with this one. Admittedly, our first reaction was that of mild shock. However, as more models and trims are introduced and we begin to see the truck in its natural habitat, not on a show floor, we’re starting to come around. What do you think of the new 2019 Silverado? Leave us a comment below! - Trucks-365 Staff Source: Chevrolet
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