Infiniti’s biggest SUV is getting glow-ups for the track and for off-road duty.
Normally, a full-size SUV like the latest Infiniti QX80 is more at home on Rodeo Drive than it would be on the Rubicon or at Willow Springs. Nevertheless, the brand brought two such concepts to The Quail during Monterey Car Week — each showing a different direction of what the QX80 could do. That is, if Infiniti could be bothered to actually put either vehicle into production (and that largely would depend on feedback from this week’s event).
So, what exactly are we looking at here? One SUV is the Infiniti QX80 Terrain Spec, while the other is the Track Spec. Both names are pretty on-the-nose, so you don’t really have to guess at the company’s intent here. Again, both are just concepts for now, but both bring their own kind of flair to what is otherwise a handsome, if decidedly suburban family rig.
The QX80 Terrain Spec, as you’d expect, brings more rugged updates to the mix. Think along the lines of the Armada Pro-4X, but taking things a bit further. To that end, you do get the “Invisible Hood” view on the infotainment screen, as well as a set of unique wheels wrapped in chunky off-road tires and raised suspension. Fender flares, side-exit exhaust and a roof-mounted light bar with a rooftop tent help finish out the look. It’s meant to be an overlander, and perhaps a foil to something like the Lexus LX 600, which has an inherent reputation as a solid off-roader, even though it’s a luxury SUV first and foremost.
As for the Track Spec…Infiniti went harder than I thought they would here. See, the Nissan Armada Nismo makes 460 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine. And that’s great — but it’s only 35 hp more than stock. The QX80, on the other hand, isn’t screwing around: It makes more than 650 horsepower, according to the automaker’s claims, and a stratospheric 750 lb-ft of torque…from the same engine. Infiniti even says it made that power largely using stock internals. Its engineers upgraded the turbo system, fitting a beefier intercooler, new fuel injectors and a lower-restriction exhaust.
You also get Brembo brakes here (naturally) to rein things in, but it does make you wonder…why does the stock Armada/QX80 only make 425-450 horsepower? Yeah, sure, dialing up the go-fast factor that much does introduce practical concerns for fuel economy and reliability, but if Dodge can make a Durango SRT Hellcat work, can we at least get a nice, round 500 horsepower, Nissan?
At any rate, we’ll have to wait and see if elements from either of these concepts make it into production, either as a bespoke vehicle or at least through the accessories catalog. It’s unlikely we’ll see a 650-horsepower version in your local showroom, for example, but wheel and tire packages as well as bolt-on upgrades? That’s probably where we’ll see some updates at some point
Check this out! It’s the 2026 Ram Dakota Nightfall concept pickup that previews the new midsize truck for the South American market. It looks like a baby TRX. What do you think? Does it mean that it’s coming to the USA? Well… Let’s dig into the details.
First, let’s take a look at the concept truck. It brings back the beloved Dakota name. It has aggressive off-road styling that remind us of the larger Ram TRX (that is coming back for the USA market sometime soon).
This concept truck is indeed a body on frame vehicle and it is based on the Peugeot Landtrek pickup truck that is in-turn based on the Changan Kaicene F70 Chinese pickup truck. The wheelbase of these crew cab pickup trucks is just over 125 inches.
We reached out to Ram of North America and asked if this Ram Dakota Nightfall concept is a preview of the midsize that that we are supposed to be getting in 2027 or 2028. The answer was a simple “No.” Bummer! The styling of this concept looks spot on.
After further review, the wheelbase and the overall size of this South American pickup truck is a little too small for the USA / North American market. The new Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon have a 131-inch wheelbase. The wheelbase of the new Toyota Tacoma is 131.9 inches. The U.S. version of the midsize pickup truck needs to be bigger by most account, so we will have to wait longer to see what U.S.-spec Ram midsize truck looks like.
We have already been waiting for over 6 years for this, so our patience is growing thin.
Ford is recalling more than 100,000 F-150 trucks for potentially defective axle hub bolts.
If you own a 2023-2025 Ford F-150 with the Trail Tow Max Duty package and a 9.75-inch heavy duty rear axle, you’ll want to pay attention to this latest recall campaign. Ford told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in recently published documents that certain trucks may have an issue with the rear axle hub bolts, which may create a clicking noise and break due to fatigue. In total, the issue impacts 103,174 trucks.
Over time, if a rear axle hub bolt comes loose and breaks, they will no longer prevent micromovements between the hub splines and axle shaft splines. A combination of the micromovement and corrosion may result in the stripping of the hub splines and loss of motive power to the rear end, or cause a rollaway condition when vehicles are parked without the parking brake applied.
Before a bolt actually breaks, drivers may hear a clicking noise from the rear end. After a break, there may be a rattling noise, and Ford says the broken bolt head will be contained within the wheel center cap.
(Left image: TFL Studios; right image: Ford)
What’s the fix?
Ford says in its report to the NHTSA that affected 2023-2025 F-150s were built between January 2, 2023 and May 21, 2025. The automaker also breaks down how many trucks from each model year are included in the recall, based on which trucks have the Trailer Tow Max Duty package:
2023 Ford F-150: 44,922 units
2024 Ford F-150: 38,144 units
2025 Ford F-150: 20,208 units
The company started investigating the issue in June, when an increase of reports in broken rear axle hub bolts came to its internal Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG). It reviewed an earlier recall for the same issue on 2021-2023 F-150s with a similar package configuration, and found through vehicle owner questionnaires that at least 12 trucks with the condition were produced after the initial recall period. As of July 14, Ford says it’s aware of 194 warranty claims for broken rear axle hub bolts, describing stripped splines on trucks produced after the first (23S65) recall. No accidents or injuries related to the condition were reported.
The company introduced a new rear axle shaft assembly design with new spline geometry with a larger contact area and an M24 stud and nut for the hub into production in May 2025.
Owners will receive notifications in the mail about this recall in phases over the next several months, starting on August 18 and ending on May 22, 2026. Dealer technicians will replace the left and right rear axle shaft assemblies with the new design, free of charge.
The NHTSA recall number for this campaign is 25V-512, while Ford’s internal recall number is 25S82.
Ford announced its “Model T moment” in Louisville Monday — previewing its new electric vehicle strategy.
In the short term, automakers may be pivoting hard toward hybrids over fully electric vehicles, but Ford Motor Company is still investing significant time, money and marketing strategy into its next-generation EVs. In fact, the company just announced its new Universal EV Platform and accompanying production system, meant to create a “new family of affordable, electric, software-defined vehicles.”
The first of these vehicles, says Ford President and CEO Jim Farley, will be a midsize, four-door electric pickup. The company did not actually show any product Monday, but that gives us a small taster of what to expect. Supposedly, the Blue Oval will revive its long-defunct “Ranchero” name for this project, though Farley nor any of the other executives on stage confirmed that part of the plan at this point. Typically, neither Ford nor any other major automaker will comment on product beyond what they actually share in their release, and they did not share an actual name for this truck yet.
What Ford did share, in addition to the body type, is that this new truck will be assembled at Ford’s Louisville plant, and will launch around 2027. As part of the speculation surrounding the company’s application for a new Ranchero trademark last week, this date is more or less what we expected. A new revelation emerged, though: Ford is targeting a starting price of about $30,000. In other words, thousands of dollars lower than even the gas-powered Ranger. (I think I know what your reaction is there, and we’ll get to that in a moment.)
A more significant portion of today’s news, however, is that the Universal EV Platform will underpin a variety of vehicles, from trucks to small crossovers and most things in-between.
Strangely, and particularly in the interest of Ford touting “affordable” vehicles from this platform, its morphing graphic (shown below) does not seem to show a sedan of any sort. That’s in keeping with its decision to can your typical four-door passenger car from the lineup years ago, as Ford appears committed to sticking with crossovers/SUVs, vans and trucks. Again, we don’t have any confirmed product beyond the truck just yet, so we’ll have to see what else the company has up its sleeve in due time.
Ford says it’s investing $5 billion and creating nearly 4,000 jobs between expanding the Louisville Assembly Plant’s status quo of building internal combustion vehicles — and physically enlarging the plant by 52,000 square feet — as well as the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plant that will supply lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to support the electric side of the operation.
Farley did speak a little bit to the midsize truck we’re expecting and the platform its built on in some technical terms. For example, the new Universal EV Platform will reduce overall parts content by 20% versus a typical vehicle, use 25% fewer fasteners, have 40% fewer dock-to-dock workstations within the plant (to help scale production), and take 15% less assembly time per vehicle. Read: Vehicles will be less complex and be faster and cheaper to build. This vehicle will also supposedly have more interior space than a Toyota RAV4 and get from 0-60 as quickly as a Ford Mustang EcoBoost.
The company even plans to use single-piece aluminum “unicastings” in place of dozens of smaller parts. Ford says that enables the front and rear of the vehicle to be assembled separately, and that also offers up flexibility to build different kinds of EVs, all on the same platform, in the same facility. Other claims for this truck include 4,000 feet in wiring reduction and 10 kilograms in weight savings over its first-generation electric SUV.
An absolute winner, or too good to be true?
Instead of your traditional assembly line — which Ford pioneered with the Model T 122 years ago, hence the reference — the automaker plans to create an “assembly tree”. This process breaks out one long conveyor into three sub-assemblies that can run their own lines simultaneously, then join back together later on in the manufacturing process. Parts will travel down the assembly tree to operators as a full kit, with the fasteners, scanners and power tools needed for the job included, in the proper orientation for their specific task. Ford also touts ergonomic improvements as part of this process, reducing strain on workers and “allowing them to focus on the job at hand.”
Throughout the company’s announcement, reducing complexity through elimination of parts, connectors and wiring were a strong theme. By doing all that and breaking out the assembly process, the automaker contends they can boost quality and reduce costs at the same time, while delivering the most affordable vehicles that bring all the features its customers demand.
And if you were keeping score, those are all big and bold promises. In Louisville alone, Ford plans to invest nearly $2 billion (on top of the $3 billion for the Michigan battery plant) to bring the midsize electric truck and a future range of electric vehicles to life. In doing so, it will also secure 2,200 hourly jobs for Kentuckians working at the plant. To actually see it through and provide that shot in the arm for the local economy, Ford says the project is being supported by an incentive offer from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, though no further specifics were given with today’s announcement.
While one of Farley’s primary goals has been to improve Ford’s build quality over his nearly half-decade tenure, the company still has an uphill battle. So far this year, the automaker has grappled with 94 recalls of varying size and severity — more than the subsequent five manufacturers combined.
Its premise to offer a $30,000-ish vehicle with a lower five-year cost-of-ownership than a used Tesla Model Y that is practical, tech-forward, quick and easier to scale on a different process than what they’ve done for more than a century is certainly a bold move. The onus is on Ford to actually deliver, though, and we will keep a close eye on these developments to see when — and if — it can hit all those targets with its upcoming midsize truck by the targeted 2027 on-sale date.
What’s the real difference between a gas V8, a turbo-diesel V8, and electric motors when accelerating with a heavy trailer? We find out in this TFL Tow-Off by drag racing a new Chevy Silverado HD with a gas 6.6L V8, a new Chevy Silverado HD with a Duramax diesel 6.6L V8, and a surprise truck. We are pulling large enclosed trailers that weigh 6,500 lbs. Let’s go!
The white truck is a new Chevy Silverado HD Custom crew cab 4×4 with a 6.6L gasoline V8 engine and a 10-speed Allison-branded automatic transmission. The silver/gray truck is a new Chevy Silverado HD Trail Boss crew cab 4×4 with a 6.6L Duramax V8 and a 10-speed Allison-branded automatic transmission. The surprise truck is a first-ever 2026 Chevy Silverado EV Trail Boss. Here are the specs.
6.6L Gas V8
6.6L Diesel V8
EV Max
Power
401 hp @ 5,200
470 hp @ 2,800
725 hp
Torque
464 lb-ft @ 4,000
975 lb-ft @ 1,600
775 lb-ft
Transmission
10-speed auto
10-speed auto
gear reduction
Rear Axle Ratio
3.73 to 1
3.42 to 1
“
Curb Weight (as tested)
7,261 lbs
8,111 lbs
9,000 lbs
Price (as tested)
$56,000
$75,000
$93,900
Here is how they did! The difference is huge!
WITH a trailerWITHOUT a trailer
TFL Tow-Off Drag Race
Chevy HD Gas V8
Chevy HD Diesel V8
Chevy EV Max
0-60 MPH
21.20 sec
14.42 sec
9.05 sec
60 Feet
3.52 sec
3.80 sec
3.01 sec
1/4 Mile
22.80 sec
20.19 sec
16.98 sec
We are pulling 6,500 lbs loaded trailers at 1-mile above sea level. The time slips look interesting. The gasoline-powered HD truck has a very good first 60 feet acceleration (3.52 seconds). It does not have too much power to spin those rear tires, so it’s efficient off the line. The diesel is slower. The electric truck seems to be pulling some power in Tow/Haul mode at the beginning.
After the start, the diesel quickly passes the gasser. The same happens later, as the electric truck passes the diesel.
Ford set up a full-scale Raptor-palooza event in Utah called the 'Raptor Rally' to celebrate its full lineup of off-road juggernauts, as well as their owners. Here's what the experience was like!
