It's that time of year again. We've collected the vital information on every pickup, sport/utility vehicle, crossover, and minivan and put all the data into charts for you to sift through. You won't find this information anywhere else on the planet and certainly won't get it broken down as it is in these easy-to-see head-to-head comparison categories. Every important vehicle sold in the U.S. is here, with all the pertinent specifications and prices as well as our choices in each grouping. We lean more toward those vehicles with the most capable four-wheel-drive systems, and highest tow ratings and payload capacities along with those that offer a variety of strong engines. Of course, those priorities may not be yours. That's why we've listed all this data in a single issue. If you think fuel economy or pricing is more important, you can weigh your decision accordingly and make a different choice.

Do you spend every weekend working on your truck, whether you're fixing it up or making the paint shine? Is your ride legendary around town? Or is your rig the pride and joy people would need to see to believe? Whether your truck's a 20-year project or a sneaky torque machine, it's time to show it off. Use the form on this page to tell us all about your pickup or SUV--what you've done to it, what you use it for, and any great stories that involve your ride. And if you start by saying "It may not look like much..." let us know what cool technology hides under your pickup's clever disguise. When you send us photos, it would be great to see your vehicle in action: towing a boat or ATVs, working hard on the job site, in a cool vacation setting, or filled with friends on spring break (but keep it tasteful). All you need do is make sure you have the entry form completely filled out and photos shot to the best of your ability, then send them in.

Class B motorhomes, which are typically chassis-cab van conversions, combine the best of two worlds, blending the versatility of full-size van/chassis with many of the same features of luxury RVs. Not surprisingly, these motorhomes are a growing market segment in the RV industry.

Day 1: Hungry Valley - It Begains

The seven-passenger Hyundai Veracruz has raised the bar on what consumers expect in the premium, midsize crossover segment. For 2009, Veracruz adds Hyundai's USB/iPod auxiliary inputs, making it easier for customers to operate and listen to their iPods through the vehicle's audio system. Veracruz is available in two trim levels, GLS and Limited. The SE trim level has been deleted for 2009 and simplified into the new GLS Preferred Package, which adds the most popular SE features to create an even-better-appointed GLS. The 2009 Veracruz Limited is available with a monochromatic Black Diamond exterior with black leather interior trim.

GM General Manager Martin Walsh has spoken out today to tamp down rumors about Hummer. Official word from Walsh is that GM has not yet asked anyone for offers or had any discussions with potential buyers.

Due to multiple economic and marketplace factors, GM and Navistar will not renew their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), where Navistar will purchase GM's medium-duty-truck business. The MOU had expired, and the industry was waiting for news on the deal. GM will keep on running all aspects of its medium-duty business, including sales, service, and marketing support to GM dealers.

One of the industries leading names for truck bed protection, LINE-X, announced today that they are partnering with DiamondBack Truck Covers to introduce the new DiamondBack-X Truck Cover Reinforced with LINE-X available for Ford, Chevy/GMC, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan, and Mazda trucks.

Clarion Corporation of America announced the introduction of ClarionMiND, Clarion's next generation Mobile Internet Navigation Device. The ClarionMiND represents a revolutionary new product that combines connected personal GPS navigation and real-time Points of Interest (POI) with Internet based entertainment and full web browsing.

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company announced today that it will cut 600 full-time and part-time jobs and close 92 of its 742 company-owned stores in the U.S. This is a stark turn-around from July, when Goodyear had announced that second-quarter net income had risen by $75 million. However, the upswing was mostly attributed to rising international sales, which canceled out falling US sales. While sales were up 18 percent internationally, they were down 6.4 percent in the U.S.

Vacation to New Mexico with the wife and kids? In the long-term CX-9? "Sign me up," said technical editor Kim Reynolds, who took our award-winning Mazda to Cimarron and back, stopping along the way at Taos, the haunted St. James Hotel, the Petrified Forest, White Sands National Monument, Tombstone, and McDonald's. And what sort of transport did the CX-9 turn out to be for their 2500-mile excursion?

When's the last time you heard of a station wagon with 700 horsepower that'll do 211 electronically-limited miles per hour? Not recently? Not at all? Well, now you have. ABT Sportsline has managed to turn the already impressive 580 horsepower V10 Audi RS6 wagon into a 700-horsepower, fire-breathing beast with 590 lb-ft of torque on tap, up from 479 stock, that is supposedly still docile on the street.

Recent crash tests held by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on eight small crossovers and SUVs produced mostly good results. The IIHS tests vehicles with front, side, and rear tests, and then assigns scores for each test per vehicle. The top score is a "good" rating, with the marks of "acceptable," "marginal," and "poor" rounding out the rest of the scores.

July & August
Truck & SUV gear from such manufactures as Transfer Flow, Agri-Cover, Leer, and more!

Naming Pontiac's new sport truck took a Tame the Name promotion with more than 18,000 submissions, and the final decision couldn't have been made any easier. In place of sentimental favorites such as "El Camino," due to the truck's resemblance, the final decision rested on naming Pontiac's sport truck the "G8 ST."

When the venerable Model T originally began being produced on an assembly line, Henry Ford was famously quoted as saying customers could order the car in any color so long as it was black. While not at quite the same level today, in light of recent losses, part of Ford's restructuring plan involves simplifying the ordering process by reducing the number of combinations available to consumers. Having already announced that the upcoming 2010 Focus will come in 150 variations, a 95% reduction from the current model, now Dearborn is turning to its most-important new vehicle of the year, the 2009 F-150 pickup.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a recall notice today for 241 2008-model-year Honda Elements due to an improperly welded front bushing bracket on the rear suspension. NHTSA is advising owners of the recalled vehicles to stop driving them immediately until they have been taken to a dealer, inspected, and had any faulty components replaced free of charge, if needed.

As anticipated, GM has announced it will cut lease incentives on some of its vehicles in the U.S. as it did in Canada last month. Speculation about cuts has been floating around GM since Chrysler cut leasing altogether. After GM's jaw-dropping losses were announced a few weeks ago, most figured it was only a question of time before it started cutting leases. Today hot on the heels of yesterday's announcement to bring back employee pricing for everyone, GM makes the first cut, taking away incentives on GMCs, Pontiacs, and Buicks, with an exception for the Pontiac G6. GM won't say yet whether other brands will also be affected, but no one will be surprised if the lease cutting spreads.

It looks like this year's Detroit auto show will be a little less beautiful -- posting a $15.5 billion dollar loss for the second-quarter of 2008, to reduce costs GM eliminated an additional 5000 white collar jobs, suspended employee bonuses and stepped back from some leasing, while at the same time working to unload its struggling Hummer division. Now, however, it looks like the General is being forced to dump the really important stuff -- after just two years of existence, the star-studded GM Style event is being canceled, the victim of advertising budget cuts.

Ford had promised more Green vehicles and improved fuel economy throughout its line well before the first Escape was introduced for 2001. But it took until the 2005 model year for Ford to deliver its first hybrid on the familiar Escape platform, which itself received minor improvements for 2005.

It would appear that the debate over the merits and safety of "hypermiling" has taken a new turn decidedly in favor of the practice. The Alliance of Automotive Manufacturers announced a new initiative today called EcoDriving, a new nationwide effort to get Americans to save gas and reduce CO2 emissions.

Despite riding high on hybrid popularity and sales surpassing those of mighty GM, there is still a cloud hovering over Toyota's parade. Free-falling truck and SUV sales have forced even Toyota to cut back on production, and word comes today that previous efforts avoid losses have not been successful. On the bright side, Toyota has announced that it will not lay off its 4500 idled workers. That being said, the automaker is not really sure what it's going to do with them.

"California Stops" just got a lot more expensive. The city of Los Angeles has more than doubled the cost of a ticket for rolling through a right turn at a red light from $159 to $381. The city will uses red light cameras to issue failure-to-stop tickets for those who roll through the right turn at 32 of the city's camera-equipped intersections. Eight in ten red light camera tickets are actually for rolling through the right turn.

Ever since GM CEO Rick Wagoner revealed that his company would either sell or shut down Hummer in the near future, many have speculated on just who would actually want to buy the troubled SUV division. As time goes on and potential suitors continue to back away, it seems the answer may be...no one. The latest contender to tap out is India's Mahindra & Mahindra, who was said to be interested after losing out to rival Tata in the Jaguar/Land Rover sale. It looks increasingly likely that Hummer is heading for SUV heaven in the near future.

Chrysler has announced yet another new twist in its quest to get back on track. Senior Vice President of Design Trevor Creed has given notice that he will retire on August 31. Creed has been with Chrysler since 1985 when he came over from Ford as Director of Interior Design, and has been at his present post since July of 2000.