[1100D]

The word "Lifestyle" probably might have originated in the United States of America! They have been pretty much teaching the world about it ever since, in style.

No wonder they say, "The American Dream"! (I am yet to hear larger than life "dream" phases about any other nation)





(These pictures were shot by me in 2007 at Marble Canyon in Arizona)

America has always been the land of the Automobile. If not directly produced by them, cars were made for them!

Infact today (cars from) Germany are a Joke!

[mazda4life]

As a resident of the American southwest ( Arizona and Ca) for many years now and a keen follower of the trends, this pick up truck fascination is a huge headache for other drivers. With its bulk and height its a nuisance for others in suburban streets to drive as the visibility is totally impaired. In some of the old areas like Torrance ( where i live) , this is all the more telling. I think this fascination would be as long as the gas rates are in the high 2 and early 3 USD per gallon and will taper off once the price climbs.
I have sat in some of the F150 and the base and medium models are really utilitarian and I would rather have a SUV than a behemoth for some street creed.

[benbsb29]

So, how do you get the best of both worlds? The Aussies have found the answer to that, and this is something that's done here as a common task.

Take a comfortable SUV which has all you are looking for. Then chop it off, and make a ute/truck out of it. There you go. Simple as that.

The Australian favourite for such a modification is the Toyota Landcruiser. A pic i had clicked, and posted earlier on this thread of mine : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3652677



Here is a video of one such chop job being undertaken on a new Landcruiser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9DUG9ett6w

[14000rpm]

Well, as it turns out, there are some Indian origin folk that do find Luxury trucks alluring. An old friend of mine sold his Mercedes E-Class and has been daily driving a 2016 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn (read Top Spec) and totally loves it for the luxury + Utility His use case? Camping in spring/summer. He tows a fifth wheel trailer camper. he is now changing it to the 2018 Ram of the same spec.

I somehow couldn't find it work for me when I rented one for a week.



Couldn't even leave a Baby stroller in the back which I very well can in a SUV. It's another thing that it looked ridiculous.
the only Utility I found was that it took all my baggage+excess baggage when I migrated to US and drove to my hotel. No other 'car/SUV' could've taken that quantity of baggage that I had.



different folks, different strokes.

[srishiva]

Lot of people do some kind of DIY and they think they need a truck. Most of my colleagues had/have one and this is the reason they own one. Home Improvement stores do have trucks that you can rent by the hour when such need arises for others. But then they look brawny and people have multiple vehicles. Trucks are easily used for travelling alone.

[mail4ajo]

The upbeat is due to the lower gas prices and discounted prices on the trucks. I was keen to buy a F150 Lariat since I was planning to haul dirt bikes.

I tried all the math and could not justify the truck. I went with a large SUV which is powerful enough, reliable, fuel efficient, carries me in style and can also haul 3500lbs if required. Resale values on these are way lower than most SUVs

[maddy42]

This fascination is more of a suburban dream, where there is one sedan or minivan for mommy and dad gets his truck. Brands like the Tacoma really retain value in comparison to many SUVs and can haul serious load. 2008 is a distant memory in peoples mind and the mindless consumption and "keeping up with the jonesses" is catching on.

One of the primary reasons luxury sedans and suvs are competitors is the pricing. The upper 30s and 40s is where the truck comes in, which is bang in the E and 5 series market. Add to it the gas prices of under 3$ is keeping customers lap it up. All one needs to do is sit in a sedan first and then a truck and you feel the sitting on a chair to sitting on the Lazyboy feel immediately.

Personally i do love trucks, but the drive on these aint friendly, gas mileage sucks and also neither do i have a farm or a boat. In the new england area, rural communities need a truck for all their needs. The roads do not get ploughed in maine till after the snow, and your truck will help plough the driveway. Plus the roads have snow heaves or basically bumps of the road.

If i hit a lottery i will buy a Raptor.

Maddy

[AccordSport]

Over these years of my stay in Texas, people perceive trucks as a display of their Texan cowboy attitude and they love it. In my office as well I see a lot of trucks used as daily drives with their loading beds like new(90% of them are not used at all for what they are intended to). But that said the sheer presence and the interior space is unmatched in any SUV south of $50k. Sales are high in southern states where roads are wide, traffic is less and people don't care about fuel economy. Apparently they have good resale value as well.

[amitoj]

I'll take this as a good news in a market where people buy CUVs when a sedan could easily do the job.

For trucks, yes an AWD CRV can probably do most of the work that a pick up truck can, but:
a. You look better doing it in a truck than a small SUV and
b. Trucks are better in snow and rough conditions

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by amitoj

b. Trucks are better in snow

with a 50 or 100 Lbs sand bag in the bed perhaps. No load in the rear and RWD results in traction issues in which case any FWD car is better.

See snapshot of Top New vehicles registered in 2016 across US and take note of the F150, GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado states. Improving economy means the same truck buyers are going upscale.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

with a 50 or 100 Lbs sand bag in the bed perhaps. No load in the rear and RWD results in traction issues in which case any FWD car is better.

I had an AWD SUV and a 4x4 truck in mind. Out here in New England, if an AWD or 4x4 option is available, most people will generally go for it.

[Joxster]

Found an article that relates to this topic.

Ford, GM and Ram: Pedal to the metal to claim pickup mpg crown

While fuel economy is less important to most consumers in this time of cheap fuel prices, at least one segment of buyers still considers it crucial: pickup drivers. General Motors, Ford and Ram know that, and they have not backed off on boosting fuel economy in the new or revamped versions of the Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150 and Ram 1500.
While it might not be a fuel economy race among the diesel versions of the F-150 and Silverado and the hybrid Ram 1500, each company's marketers would love to have bragging rights for best-in-class fuel efficiency because every claim in the supercompetitive pickup market creates distance between competitors. And fuel economy is right up there with towing and hauling.
Because many -- if not most -- pickups are bought and put to work, the more efficient a truck is, the less downtime is required to fill the tank. Also, fuel-efficient trucks increase range between fuel stops.

Ford has said it is targeting 30 mpg with the F-150 diesel. And clues are emerging that Ford is on its way to meeting and probably exceeding that target. Ford's tireless PR man, Mike Levine, posted on his Twitter account a photo and a video showing the instrument cluster of an early F-150 diesel, probably undergoing final testing. The cluster provides some interesting information.
A graphic showing the truck's fuel economy in the previous 30 minutes of driving showed a high of 35 mpg, a low of what looks like 15 mpg and an average of 24.9. The distance to empty in one of the tweets showed an impressive 648 miles. The F-150 diesel has a fuel tank capacity of 26 gallons. It's unclear from the video if the tank was full, but 648 miles is enough range to drive from Manhattan to Detroit without a fuel stop.

As for the upcoming Silverado diesel, a friend at GM says Chevrolet "is not worried" about Ford's 30 mpg target for the F-150. The 2019 Silverado gets a new inline-six turbodiesel along with weight reductions, aerodynamic improvements and the same 10-speed automatic transmission as on the F-150 diesel.
GM and Ford, you will recall, jointly developed the 10-speed automatic and are counting on it to help push their trucks up to and probably beyond 30 mpg. Officially, GM has been vague about its fuel economy targets for the Silverado diesel. GM's product development chief, Mark Reuss, has said the truck will be "the most efficient" in the segment.

As for the latest 1500 Ram coming in a few weeks, it looks like the city fuel economy crown may be in reach. All V-6 models get a standard eTorque hybrid powertrain that includes stop-start. Hybrids, as you know, excel in efficiency in city driving, while diesels excel driving down the road at a steady speed. I'm hearing through the Detroit grapevine that the 2019 Ram 1500 could post an eye-popping EPA city fuel economy rating.

Levine notes that Ford is not in a fuel economy race, but is focusing on delivering a fuel-efficient, diesel-powered light-duty truck that answers a need expressed by a segment of F-150 buyers: They want a truck that can provide astounding highway fuel economy or best-in-class towing capability.
Though GM was first to market a truck with an EPA certified 30 mpg highway rating with the diesel versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, no one has pulled that off with a full-size truck. That is expected to change this summer with the F-150 diesel, which arrives before the Silverado diesel and will likely own bragging rights -- at least initially.

But the question isn't going to be which full-size truck gets to 30 mpg first, but which exceeds 30 mpg the most. The real prize is fuel economy leadership. I'll go out on a limb here and say that I think Chevrolet has the best chance of posting the highest EPA-certified highway number.
Here's why: GM's inline-six diesel is a new engine and it benefits from lightweighting and friction reduction improvements, and it will have the latest technologies. Dan Nicholson, GM's powertrain chief, told me the engine has been designed for one purpose: to power a light-duty truck.

Ford's V-6 diesel is excellent and has won kudos since Ford and Peugeot launched the original version, a 2.7-liter, in 2004. In 2009, the engine was stretched to 3.0 liters. It has been popular in Land Rover vehicles. The version to be used in the F-150 has been extensively revamped, says Dave Filipe, Ford's powertrain vice president.
The age of the Ford engine is the only sliver of daylight I can see separating the fuel economy performance of the F-150 and Silverado diesels. The trucks have been lightweighted and tweaked aerodynamically and they have the same 10-speed transmission and same size engine.

In my view, an investment in improving the fuel economy of a pickup is a winning bet, regardless of politics and fuel prices. With the F-150, Silverado and Ram, Detroit automakers have stepped up. When will Toyota and Nissan get serious about their big trucks and start doing the heavy lifting to make them competitive in all areas, including fuel economy?

Source

Cheers

[blackwasp]

From 2008 to 2018, the average price of a full-size pickup truck in the United States of America has increased by 48% to US$ 48,377. Pickup truck buyers in the country are now paying as much as a German luxury car. Some full-size pickup trucks cost as much as US$ 100,000.

Three of the highest selling pickup trucks in the country - the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and the Dodge Ram had average sale prices of US$ 46,591, US$ 42,162 and US$ 42,482 respectively. Over the years, these trucks are being used more as family vehicles than for work. Only about 15% of all truck owners use them for work purposes.

Over the years, pickup trucks have gained features like ventilated seats, more cameras, Bose speakers and electric tailgates, making them attractive to potential car buyers. The pickup trucks also depreciate lesser than luxury cars and fetch better resale values.

According to a survey, the median household income of pickup truck buyers is higher than that of buyers of general new vehicles.





Source: Detroit Free Press

Link to the Team-BHP News

[SCORPION]

Not just in price. The top end versions of these trucks are fully loaded and can put similarly priced luxury sedans to shame. Ride comfort is almost there with stonking, over 6 litre engines under the hood.

The F-series trucks from Ford have a top of the line version called the Platinum. These are loaded to the gills with luxury features, with a 6.7 litre diesel engine. If you are not happy with the interiors, these things can tow a super luxury caravan around, which your average luxury sedan cannot.

Sharing below a review of the 2019 Ford F-250 Platinum edition. Do you still need an S-Class? I will take this any day!

https://youtu.be/ANt8kYBIdWU

[Venkatesh]

People Bought More Trucks Than Passenger Cars In The U.S. Last Month.Pickup trucks have overtaken passenger cars in overall sales in the U.S. for the first time ever.

Consumers went out and bought more than 186,000 pickup trucks in the U.S. last month versus just over 169,000 passenger cars in the same timeframe. That's a noticeable 17,000 vehicle difference. The same data suggests that full-size trucks made up more than 40 percent of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler's sales in April.







https://www.motor1.com/news/420095/t...cars-in-april/