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I'm the Pickups host here at Edmunds CarSpace.com - be sure to check out the Pickups forums if you have or are interested in one!
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The Big Rigs
We're gonna talk about the big ones... trucks and buses that require those 3 marker lights front and rear. Everything from dual rear wheel pickups to class 8 trucks to the bus that takes you to work.
The late arrival to the party could very well be wondering why they bothered.
Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA was quoted in Automotive News last week from the Paris Auto Show regarding the company's outlook on the Tundra. Lentz noted that Toyota does not want to get caught in the Ford F-Series vs Chevy Silverado war for first place in sales, or market against the all-new Dodge Ram 1500 or Ford F150. He acknowledged that many of the former buyers of pickups - commuters and those who wanted the "image" - have left the market for more fuel efficient vehicles (aka, cars) and likely won't return.
Toyota expected to sell 20,000 units per month after a fairly successful launch year, but their September 2008 sales were a dismal 7696, down over 60 percent from the September 2007 tally.
The Indiana Tundra plant was downed completely, and the Texas plant is in the midst of a three-month "extended vacation" to clear inventory. Lentz also noted that the diesel engine for the Tundra is now on hold, as their current volume is not enough to justify the investment.
The redesigned Tundra certainly was a worthy entry into what had been considered the final stronghold of the Big 3. At times last year, the Tundra looked like it could pass the GMC Sierra for 4th place among full-size pickups - a feat that would have been more impressive considering the Tundra is just a half-ton while the Sierra is a full line. Instead, the Tundra has dropped to not much more than what the Nissan Titan was selling a year ago.
There's one last introduction in the segment... and the one that is most interesting to me. The new Dodge Ram HD is supposed to be shwon this winter (probably at NAIAS in January), and as the owner of two straight Ram 3500s, I'll certainly be interested as to whether I will shell out the bucks for the next one, or will I hang on to my 2005 a bit longer than planned.
 The excuse for getting rid of the floor-mounted 4-wheel-drive shifter was to improve front seat legroom and reduce floorspace clutter. As such, my 2005 Ram may be the last truck I own with such a floor shifter.
Then I saw the new trucks introduced at NAIAS, the 2009 Ram 1500 and F150. Both have introduced these huge full center consoles with floor-mounted automatic transmission shifters (the Ram is pictured to your right)... especially odd for the F150 which no longer offers a manual transmission.
I have had a fair number of people ask me if the front bench is actually still available - or in today's trucks, the 40/20/40. It wasn't all that long ago that trucks didn't even have head restraints. My 1990 F150 had none, and a bench seat so flat, you might get similar lumbar and thigh support from the bleachers at your high school's football field. And the old shifters were directly connected to what they were shifting. With drive-by-wire, you can mount the shifter to the ceiling if you wanted. Some buses have had pushbutton trans controls for over 20 years.
So now, manufacturers are telling me, at least in these new half-tons, a full console with a floor shifter is the next greatest thing. So if it's not a problem for this huge console that wipes out a front passenger seat, can I have my 4x4 floor shifter back when the heavy duty pickups are redesigned?
The 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 and Ford F150 were revealed today at the North American international Auto Show. As a current Ram owner and former F150 owner, I certainly feel qualified to offer my pair of pennies on these new designs. So here goes:
 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
I like the evolutionary design changes on the exterior. The lines are cleaner, getting the aero value back down to where it was with the 1994 design. I understand why the grille is no longer attached to the hood, but i will miss that. I also have a problem with the rear "uni-bulb". My 2005 Ram has separate rear turn signals/hazard lights, and since I drive in the dark every work night, complete lighting is very important to me. A single bulb can be misconstrued by inattentive drivers, plus you lose brake light function when hazards are on - only the high-mount brake light actually functions in this situation. There is certainly enough room in the new truck to allow for separate rear turn/hazard lights. I think Dodge made a good move by creating a crew cab over continuing the oversized Mega Cab. They may lose some bragging rights, but the truck will be a lot easier to handle. One thing I find very annoying though - on both the quad and crew Cabs, the rear seat cushion is cut down in the center - this makes child-seat placement almost impossible - especially for a rearward facing infant seat, as there's not enough cushion to support it.
Which leads me to the rest of the interior. I like the new dash and gauges. The front seats clearly have improved bolstering for more back and side support, which is appreciated by those of us who make long commutes. The increased number of storage bins will be useful for most buyers, and the materials used are definitely an upgrade. But I have my complaints, too. Still using the beige upper interior, no matter what color seats/dash/carpet you order (see my blog entry "Every day is a gray day") tells me the effort to improve the interior is only half-hearted... the common beige pillars and headliner are strictly a cost-savings move. Go the extra mile, will ya? We're paying for these trucks (and quite a bit of money too); don't shortchange us because of an accounting decision. And again, we're only offered tan and gray.
Next year, it is expected that the heavy-duty Rams will be brought to the new body style, and in speaking with fellow Ram owners, there are some things we want to point out:
- the front bumper and fascia can't be integrated with the fenders. Bumpers need to be removable and adjustable for installation of items like winches and snow plows.
- don't forget those who need a truck to actually be a truck... rubber/vinyl interiors that won't be ruined on a muddy ranch, but still have soundproofing where the luxury interiors do, and manual locks and windows that won't freeze on a subzero morning when the job doesn't take a day off for weather.
- heavy duty springs that won't sagf under a load (or in my case, over time from the weight of the Cummins)
Those of us who buy and use this class of truck don't expect the same ride as a Chrysler 300, we expect these trucks to do the job their weight class dictates.
2009 Ford F150
I drove a 1990 and 1993 F150 (broke 'em both, thus my moved to duallies). One thing still bothers me... Ford is still the only manufacturer who thinks the half-ton pickup shouldn't share its body with its big brothers. This cheapens the F150 to a lot of people - it gives a perception of not being as rugged as the Super Duty models.
The exterior changes from the 2004 design are minimal, just as the 2008 Super Duty essentially has just a new front clip and new tailgate... the doors of a 2008 SD are exactly the same as those from the 1999 model introduced 10 years ago. While not a terrible styling exercise, two details stand out as negatives:
- the mirror mounting area in the front door is almost as large as the old vent windows... why does that have to block out so much glass space and visibility?
- I commended Ford for moving the headlights on the 08 SD to the bottom of the cluster, making them more effective by being closer to the road - so why not the same for the new F150?
The interior is a pretty evolutionary change from the current model. Not too crazy about the combination of rectangles and chrome-ringed circles in the dash design... I'm more of a no-nonsense "just give me the controls, ma'am" person (blog entry "Too much information"). I also think 7 trim levels is way too many. The STX and FX4 should be one "sport" trim package, and why so many luxury trucks like the new Platinum? Isn't that what the Mark LT is for?
Then there's the high bed sides. In the Ford press release, Matt O'Leary (who headed the engineering effort of the new truck) noted that owners had trouble reaching the bed due to the high sidewalls, and observed owners trying to climb on the tires, or using objects to stand on. But rather than following the request of owners to lower the sides to previous levels, O'Leary decided that a step attached to the truck was a more progressive solution. Say what? Since when is a step safer than standing on solid ground? Reaching into the bed is usually done to load or unload something... if you have to also balance yourself on a step just to reach the bed, that item you're trying to lift will change that balance and you run a very real risk of losing that balance and falling. Not smart at all, Ford. I've been driving full-size 8-foot-bed pickups exclusi9velyt for over 17 years, and I do not take my personal safety lightly when loading or unloading cargo - I shouldn't have to worry that my feet won't be where I put them.
Personally, I think the Dodge was better executed in this round of redesigns. Both trucks will get their share of truck of the year awards from various sources, but the bottom line will be sales. With the falling market share due to the economy and other factors, the people who will be buying expensive trucks will be us hardcore truckers. Don't give us cars with beds, please.
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