syddog 2000
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Great read, taken from Automotive News,
hy these three vehicles will get my votes for North American Car and Truck of the Year
Richard Truett
8-10 minutes
DETROIT — Last week, most of the 57 jurors who will vote for North American Car, Truck and Utility of the year gathered at a hotel east of Ann Arbor and spent three days test driving about 70 vehicles.
My Automotive News colleague Sharon Silke Carty and I, along with the rest of the jurors will soon whittle that number down to nine. The finalists will be announced next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the winners will be named Jan. 14 during media days at the Detroit auto show.
I have a pretty good idea which contenders have the chops to make the final cut. This year's semifinalists are strong, but there were some surprises — good and bad.
My method for testing NACTOY contenders is to group together the class competitors (cars, trucks and utility vehicles) and drive them back-to-back. This helps me detect the flaws and strengths of the vehicles in an orderly manner.
Here's my take.
I left this year's drive worried about General Motors and Ford. GM has four vehicles in the running: the Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Buick Regal TourX wagon. Ford's entry is the Lincoln Nautilus crossover.
GM and Ford are pouring billions into self-driving car technology. There is only so much money to go around, and my fear is that product development at both automakers is suffering because of the huge drain on resources to fund technologies that don't have a business case — yet.
Content from IHS Markit
The Automotive Turbochargers Report
The Automotive Turbochargers Report takes in in-depth look at the technologies drving development in this area. The report features component demand analysis at both a global and regional level. Also included is analysis of new technologies in turbocharging, as well as IHS Markit forecasts of engine-production by aspiration type.
Read more >
Take a Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn for a ride and you know you are in a great truck, one that makes you feel like you've got something special for the $50,000-plus you just spent.
Good but not good enough?
The GM vehicles are all good but not good enough to win. All have some major flaws that put their sales potential at risk. GM's redesigned pickups are clearly designed and built to show the massive depth and breadth of GM as a first-rate engineering and manufacturing organization. They are as smooth and quiet as Cadillacs (well some Cadillacs — more on that later). Despite the fact the rear suspension still uses 200 year-old leafspring technology, the ride is compliant and quiet and the pickup handles bumps and curves well.
But it's too bad the product development budget didn't include enough money for interiors that progressed as dramatically as the pickups' innovative mixed material lightweight body and advanced powertrains. You drive the Silverado and the Sierra and you know you are in a very good pickup. But other companies are moving faster and pushing further.
Take a Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn for a ride over the same driving course, and you know you are in a great truck, one that makes you feel like you've got something special for the $50,000-plus you just spent. The interior is bedecked with high quality, soft-touch materials that don't just feel good to the touch, but appeal to your eyes as well. The ornate filigree on the bright metal trim is not unlike what you might find on an expensive custom-made saddle.
And the stop-start system in the eTorque hybrid version of the Ram is the best one I've ever tested. It's undetectable. The engine turns on and off with no noticeable noise or vibration. The infotainment system may be the best on the road. It's intuitive and doesn't distract your eyes from the road. The Ram 1500 is the complete package and checks all the boxes. Clearly, the Ram 1500 is going to get my vote for Truck of the Year.
I've heard rumors that GM is already working on major upgrades to the Silverado/Sierra interiors and that could appear in about a year. Failure to do that means treading water for yet another generation of pickups.
Ford's F-150 pickup — the vehicle that traditionally generates much of the company's profits — is now vulnerable being the oldest of the top-selling trucks.
hy these three vehicles will get my votes for North American Car and Truck of the Year
Richard Truett
8-10 minutes
DETROIT — Last week, most of the 57 jurors who will vote for North American Car, Truck and Utility of the year gathered at a hotel east of Ann Arbor and spent three days test driving about 70 vehicles.
My Automotive News colleague Sharon Silke Carty and I, along with the rest of the jurors will soon whittle that number down to nine. The finalists will be announced next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the winners will be named Jan. 14 during media days at the Detroit auto show.
I have a pretty good idea which contenders have the chops to make the final cut. This year's semifinalists are strong, but there were some surprises — good and bad.
My method for testing NACTOY contenders is to group together the class competitors (cars, trucks and utility vehicles) and drive them back-to-back. This helps me detect the flaws and strengths of the vehicles in an orderly manner.
Here's my take.
I left this year's drive worried about General Motors and Ford. GM has four vehicles in the running: the Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Buick Regal TourX wagon. Ford's entry is the Lincoln Nautilus crossover.
GM and Ford are pouring billions into self-driving car technology. There is only so much money to go around, and my fear is that product development at both automakers is suffering because of the huge drain on resources to fund technologies that don't have a business case — yet.
Content from IHS Markit
The Automotive Turbochargers Report
The Automotive Turbochargers Report takes in in-depth look at the technologies drving development in this area. The report features component demand analysis at both a global and regional level. Also included is analysis of new technologies in turbocharging, as well as IHS Markit forecasts of engine-production by aspiration type.
Read more >
Take a Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn for a ride and you know you are in a great truck, one that makes you feel like you've got something special for the $50,000-plus you just spent.
Good but not good enough?
The GM vehicles are all good but not good enough to win. All have some major flaws that put their sales potential at risk. GM's redesigned pickups are clearly designed and built to show the massive depth and breadth of GM as a first-rate engineering and manufacturing organization. They are as smooth and quiet as Cadillacs (well some Cadillacs — more on that later). Despite the fact the rear suspension still uses 200 year-old leafspring technology, the ride is compliant and quiet and the pickup handles bumps and curves well.
But it's too bad the product development budget didn't include enough money for interiors that progressed as dramatically as the pickups' innovative mixed material lightweight body and advanced powertrains. You drive the Silverado and the Sierra and you know you are in a very good pickup. But other companies are moving faster and pushing further.
Take a Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn for a ride over the same driving course, and you know you are in a great truck, one that makes you feel like you've got something special for the $50,000-plus you just spent. The interior is bedecked with high quality, soft-touch materials that don't just feel good to the touch, but appeal to your eyes as well. The ornate filigree on the bright metal trim is not unlike what you might find on an expensive custom-made saddle.
And the stop-start system in the eTorque hybrid version of the Ram is the best one I've ever tested. It's undetectable. The engine turns on and off with no noticeable noise or vibration. The infotainment system may be the best on the road. It's intuitive and doesn't distract your eyes from the road. The Ram 1500 is the complete package and checks all the boxes. Clearly, the Ram 1500 is going to get my vote for Truck of the Year.
I've heard rumors that GM is already working on major upgrades to the Silverado/Sierra interiors and that could appear in about a year. Failure to do that means treading water for yet another generation of pickups.
Ford's F-150 pickup — the vehicle that traditionally generates much of the company's profits — is now vulnerable being the oldest of the top-selling trucks.
