Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged pickup
2010 Dodge Ram HD
Nov 6th
I took the wheel of the 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 and settled in comfortably, looking out over a large, domed hood. Beneath that hood, a 6.7 liter Cummins diesel V8 burbled in contentment. The big pickup rumbled to life with the barest urging from the throttle, and pulled smoothly into traffic with the satellite radio playing and the climate control keeping the Texas humidity at bay. The fact that the truck was pulling a gooseneck trailer carrying 11,000 pounds of hay didn’t seem to concern it or burden it in the least.
Heavy-duty pickups account for a third of the Dodge Ram’s sales. It hasn’t always been obvious, because the big Rams look just like the half-ton versions. That changes for 2010, as Dodge’s heavy-duty lineup gains some styling distinction. The point of these Big Things is to work, and to work hard, so GVWR and axle weight ratings have been increased. While making it tougher, however, Dodge also took a page from the half-ton book and made the big Ram a bit more human-friendly as well. The viability of Dodge’s car lineup has been called into question in recent years, but there’s no doubt that this company knows how to build a good truck.
You can’t have a good workin’ truck without a hard workin’ engine, and the heavy-duty Ram offers two. In fact, the Ram’s engines are almost as well-known as the truck itself. The HEMI and Cummins are both icons in the world of trucks; the HEMI is known for horsepower, while the Cummins diesel is all about torque. The 5.7 liter HEMI V8 is paired with a five-speed automatic transmission and features a proven overhead valve design and variable valve timing for improved economy and horsepower. Output is increased to 383 horsepower for 2010. At the top of the range, the hefty 6.7 liter Cummins straight-six is available with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. It’s not a stretch to say that this engine was born to work. The massive turbodiesel puts out 350 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. Four-wheel drive is available, of course. The Ram 3500 will happily tow up to 17,600 pounds when properly equipped, and payload is over 3000 pounds.
Dodge knows that most of its diesel-pickup buyers are looking to tow, so an exhaust brake is also standard on the Cummins engine. The system, which works by holding in exhaust gases to slow the crankshaft’s rotation, makes downhill descents with almost six tons of hay out back a sweat-free process. Additionally, the trailer-towing mode on the six-speed automatic transmission allows the driver to select the highest gear, both to keep the transmission from hunting on long upgrades and to keep speed down on long downhills.
To haul all of that weight and remain driveable, the Ram 3500 is equipped with coil springs in the front. Additional beef was built into the front end so the Ram can easily support the added weight of a snowplow. The rear suspension uses leaf springs instead of the link-coil setup found on the 1500, which improves capacity. In spite of the tougher suspension, ride improvements mean that the Ram doesn’t drive like a buckboard, even when unloaded. Even without using the exhaust brake in the diesel, the standard anti-lock brakes stop this big vehicle confidently.
You want your heavy-duty pickup truck to have a bit of style? You got it. The basic Ram face is the same as the 1500, but it’s now distinguished from its little brother with a taller grille that’s available in chrome or body color. The hood has louver-like intents in it, and it’s taller as well, increasing the big-truck resemblance. The front of the HD Ram is breastbone high to the average male adult. The chrome bumper isn’t a throwback; it’s a truck thing, capable of mustering the occasional nudge to a fence or reluctant cow without damage.
The HD Ram is still aerodynamic, in spite of its taller visage; this translates to a quieter freeway ride as well as slightly improved fuel economy. A Crew Cab model is new, replacing the Quad Cab model with a full-size crew cab for the first time. The Mega Cab has been tweaked to share its rear doors with the crew cab, to help keep costs down. The flip-up towing mirrors measure seven by eleven inches, and now include turn signal repeaters and puddle lamps. Dual rear wheel Rams have a one-piece stamped metal box rather than the tacked-on overfenders often found on duallies, to reduce complexity. The heavy duty Ram’s unique wheels aren’t shared with the 1500.
Something that is shared with the junior pickups is the luxurious, useful and comfortable interior. A dual glovebox and big console are designed for long trips. The instrument panel uses carlike soft-touch materials, but it’s still all truck, with a laptop-sized console. The available heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and heated steering wheel are all about improving comfort when the weather isn’t ideal. Working and towing trucks have a great need for interior storage; cupholders aren’t as important as places to put gloves, tow straps and tools. There are forty-three storage bins scattered throughout the interior. There are small storage bins under the floor in the rear as well. The HD Rams use column shifters, so console-equipped trucks use the same pieces as the floor-shifted 1500, but have an additional cubby there. A handy instrument panel display provides the truck’s vital statistics, including transmission temperatures and trailer brake status. The Mega Cab adds nine inches of rear seat room over the Crew Cab, and the rear seats recline, split/fold 60/40, and fold flat.
Pricing hasn’t been set yet, but Dodge says that at the entry level, pricing on the Ram HD regular cab 4×2 ST drops by $1970. Prices are down across the board, in fact. Prices down, ability up? That’s the kind of deal truck guys like to hear about.
Specifications: All specs are for the 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab
Length: 259.4 in.
Width: 79.1 in.
Height: 78.3 in.
Wheelbase: 168.9 in.
Curb weight: 7618-7537 lb.
Towing capacity: 16,800 lb.
Base price: Not yet released.
Engine: 6.7 liter OHV inline six-cylinder turbodiesel
Drivetrain: six-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive
Horsepower: 350 @ 3000
Torque: 650 @ 1500
2004 Nissan Titan
Oct 1st
With a string of recent home-run vehicle introductions behind it, Nissan is about to attempt its toughest launch yet. The 2004 Titan hits dealers this December, taking Nissan into full-size pickup truck territory. How new is Nissan to the last Big-Three dominated market? As the Titan was being shown to journalists for the first time, Nissan dealers across the country were scrambling to equip their service departments with vehicle lifts strong enough to hoist the big pickup trucks for oil changes.
Rather than trying to compete with the comprehensive, two-hundred model lineups offered by Ford and Chevrolet, Nissan has targeted a relatively narrow section of the market, so the Titan is intended to appeal to buyers looking for a recreational truck, rather than a work truck. Especially in Texas, Nissan is looking for buyers for whom a pickup truck is a lifestyle choice, rather than a work necessity. To woo the personal-use buyers, the Titan is considerably more stylish than any of the competition, and all models are well-equipped. Built in Canton, Mississippi, the only thing overtly Japanese about this burly truck is its badge. The 5.6 liter V8 is the largest in Nissan’s lineup, and is designed specifically for use in this truck. This is a “town truck” with some serious capability.
The Titan looks huge, but it’s about the same size as the new Ford F-150. It’s not quite as tall as the towering Dodge Ram, either. Up front, the Titan greets the world with a chrome, three-element grille. The hood is incredibly stubby, and domed to clear the engine. The arched hood increases the Titan’s apparent height. There’s lots of chrome, from the cannon-like auxiliary lights under glass to the wide bumper. It’s offered in extended and crew cab models. In the extended cab, the rear access doors can be opened flush to the body, a design feature that’s sure to please anyone who’s ever found themselves trapped between the front and rear doors in a parking lot! The real design story is at the rear of the truck, however. Not content to just target the personal-use market, Nissan has also re-thought the pickup bed. The big trapezoidal taillights and Frontier-like tailgate with plastic “armor” around the handle hide a pickup bed with a standard spray-in bedliner, power point for plugging in electrical accessories, tailgate-level work light and an available driver’s side storage cubby for trailer hitches and other small equipment. Nissan also offers a bed-channel cargo system, which puts tie-downs on adjustable tracks, instead of the traditional permanent fixtures. With this, cargo can be tied down more securely and attached to the floor, sides, or front of the bed as necessary.
The Titan is generously large inside, with lots of headroom and legroom. The dash forms what Nissan engineers call a “wall” to provide a feeling of security (as if the monstrous truck itself wasn’t enough). There is a choice of bench or bucket front seats, and column or console shifters. In both versions, the center console is generous. With a bench seat, the console folds up to become a third seat; when the column-shift, five-passenger option is checked, the center console becomes big enough to hold hanging file folders and serve as a mobile filing cabinet. The Titan is available with a whole host of luxury-car like features, including a navigation system and DVD entertainment system, reverse sensing parking aid, and a tire pressure monitoring system.
Nissan didn’t forget that even trucks that never see a job site are often expected to work hard. All Titans are half-ton trucks, but like Ford and GM, Nissan is pushing the boundaries of what a half-ton truck can do. The 5.6 V8 is the only engine offered, but it’s larger than the standard V8s of the competition. Power is rated at 305 horses and 379 ft-lb of torque, and all Titans feature five-speed automatic transmissions. The extra gear makes the big motor manageable around town, putting down the power smoothly without the surging and growling common to the Dodge Ram and other big-displacement V8s. Payload is a healthy 1600 pounds; towing capacity is up at 9500 pounds. Nissan hopes to challenge the preconception (created mostly by the lightweight Toyota Tundra) that Japanese-built pickup trucks can’t work as hard as American ones. An available towing package adds a 3.35 rear axle, hitch equipment, extra gauges, towing mirrors and Nissan’s handy Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) stability control system.
Buyers get a choice of two- or four-wheel drive, of course. The Titan has a low-range transmission. The 4×4′s off-road ability is enhanced by a sophisticated limited-slip system on front and rear axles which uses the anti-lock brakes instead a differential lock to enhance traction. An electronically locking rear differential will be available next year. The Titan’s short front and rear overhangs and over ten inches of ground clearance also improve its dirty-road prowess. An optional off-road package includes four-millimeter skid plates and Rancho gas-filled shocks.
Suspension revolutions are uncommon when it comes to hard-working trucks, and the Titan’s familiar independent front, solid-axle rear is no exception. The front suspension consists of double wishbone arms, which offer more communicative handling. Around town, the Titan feels tough, but less harsh than Dodge and Chevrolet. You’ll never mistake it for a car, though, thanks to its size and the husky growl from that huge V8. On the road, the Titan’s easy to drive thanks to the short nose and a low beltline that offers great visibility. Our test truck was a King Cab model, and exhibited none of the body flex that’s occasionally found in extra-cab pickups.
The Titan goes on sale this December. Pricing hasn’t been set yet [at the time of original publication in 2003], but Nissan promises a window sticker competitive with Ford and Chevrolet.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2004 Nissan Titan SE extended cab, which we tested.
Length: 224.2 in.
Width: 78.8 in.
Height: 75.1 in.
Wheelbase: 139.8 in.
Curb weight: 5019 lb.
Payload: 1643 lb.
Towing capacity: 9400 lb.
Engine: 5.6 liter DOHC V8
Drivetrain: five-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower: 305 @ 4900
Torque: 379 @ 3600
Fuel capacity: 28.0 gal..
Est. mileage: 14/19
2003 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner
Sep 2nd
“That thang ain’t hardly worth bein’ a pickup truck, is it?” the woman at the insurance sales office said when she saw the 2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner’s four-door cab and stubby bed. “You cain’t haul any lumber back there.”
She had a point. The Tacoma Double Cab’s bed is 61.5 inches long, a full foot shorter than that of other Tacoma models and far too short to carry lumber. No longer bed is offered, but the Tacoma isn’t about grunt work. It’s been said that Toyota builds great “town trucks,” and both the Tacoma and its big brother Tundra bear this out. Rather than beasts of burden intended to work till they drop, Toyota’s pickups feel like big cars that are happy to occasionally pull a boat or haul a refrigerator. The high-waisted Tacoma is no exception. There are no major changes for 2003, but anti-lock brakes are now standard.
The Tacoma’s last major freshening was in 2001, but it still looks modern. The aggressive vertical-toothed black grille is ringed with chrome, and the hood is significantly domed. The truck retains the high-stepping stance that Toyota’s pickups have been known for since the early 1980s. The ample ground clearance is emphasized in the PreRunner model, which is a two-wheel drive truck with four-wheel drive styling cues, suspension and braking components. The four-door Double Cab adds a full-size rear seat, but shortens the bed drastically, prompting comments like the one we got at the strip mall. The Tacoma will still carry large appliances and other bulky items, true to its town-truck mission in life.
Inside, the ergonomics are dated. The seats are close to the floor, cramping long-distance comfort. Shorter drivers will find themselves reaching for the stereo and air conditioning controls, which look like they were pulled from a ’98 Corolla, and the clock is mounted in a weird, on-dash spot that’s completely hidden by the steering wheel. The parking brake handle still pulls out of the dash, where it’s positioned to clip the driver’s knee on entry. The Tacoma works great, but it’s not much fun to be in. We liked the floor shifter and two-level console. There are four cupholders in the front, perhaps to make up for the lack of rear-seat cupholders. Speaking of that rear seat, its backrest is vertical, which doesn’t do much for long-distance comfort. The Double Cab Tacoma offers decent enough legroom for shortish trips.
Toyota’s torquey 3.4 liter V6 provided power for our test truck. With 190 horsepower and 220 foot-pounds of torque, the Tacoma had no problem with the light hauling and towing jobs we tested it with. The smooth V6 will spin the tires if you’re heavy on the gas pedal, thanks to the light tail and rear-wheel drive. The optional limited-slip rear differential will solve this problem. The Double Cab Tacoma’s bed may be small, but its heart certainly isn’t; V6-powered Tacomas will tow up to 5000 pounds. A four-speed automatic transmission is standard equipment on the Tacoma PreRunner. Looking for better fuel efficiency? A choice of four-cylinder engines is also offered.
The PreRunner package’s suspension changes are somewhat at odds with the Tacoma’s town-truck mission in life. It’s got almost a foot of ground clearance thanks to gas-filled shocks, but that has the effect of tightening the leaf-sprung rear end. The ride is stiff, and prone to wandering side to side on bumpy pavement. Those tall 225-series tires are bouncy, after all. The Tacoma likes to drift from lane to lane on the freeway as well. Drivers doing a lot of highway miles will want to opt for the lower-riding base Tacoma. The up side to the PreRunner package is increased obstacle-climbing ability, of course. The tall Tacoma is happy to hop curbs and scramble up small inclines without endangering the bodywork.
The Tacoma is available in three cab styles and three bed styles, with two- or four-wheel drive. Double Cab Tacomas can be outfitted similarly to Toyota’s SUV lineup. The Tacoma offers a Limited trim package that’s like that found on the 4Runner and Highlander, with body-colored trim, extra chrome, upgraded seats and handsome alloy wheels. The SR5 package puts the most popular amenities in one package; air conditioning, tilt steering wheel and other options. Want more? Toyota Racing Development (TRD) has a collection of go-fast and off-road goodies to personalize the Tacoma even more. Our test truck was a Tacoma Double Cab PreRunner with the SR5 package and power windows. It stickered for $22,560. With base prices starting well below $20,000, the Tacoma is a “town truck” that’s worth a look.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner, which we tested.
Length: 202.9 in.
Width: 70.3 in.
Height: 68.7 in.
Wheelbase: 121.9 in.
Curb weight: 3475 lb.
Payload: 1625 lb.
Towing capacity: 5000 lb.
Base price: $19,710
Price as tested: $22.560
Engine: 3.4 liter DOHC V6
Drivetrain: four-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower: 190 @ 4800
Torque: 220 @3600
Fuel capacity: 18.5 gal.
Est. mileage: 17/20