5Best Trucks
We are finally dragged--kicking and screaming--into the reality that trucks are here to stay, and in very big numbers. So we pick the best.
Now that truck sales have peaked at just over 48 percent of the new-vehicle market and are poised to crater with the upward summer spike in fuel prices, we at Car and Driver have finally decided to recognize excellence in trucks. In the investment business, we would be viewed as a countercyclical indicator in such matters.
Why not just include trucks in our 10Best awards program?
The truth is that although we have been including minivans and SUVs in our 10Best deliberations since the very beginning, and looking at pickups for the past five years, these workaday machines have had difficulty passing muster with our enthusiastic band of editor/jurors. Of the 190 10Best trophies we've handed out since we inaugurated the competition in 1983, only seven have been presented to trucks--six to minivans and one to a sport-utility vehicle.
The problem is that the design elements that make a truck a truck--beefy construction, a tall stance, and an emphasis on carrying capacity--all compromise the quick reflexes, grippy traction, and high performance that we prize when we slide behind the wheel of any vehicle.
Judging by the number of letters to the editor we receive that remind us in the strongest terms that the name of the magazine is CAR and Driver, not TRUCK and Driver, we believe that our view of trucks as less satisfying to drive than cars mirrors our readers' perceptions.
And the Winners Are:
Luxury SUV: Acura MDX
Small SUV: Ford Escape
Large SUV: Toyota Highlander
Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado
Van: Honda Odyssey
At the same time, 65 percent of these same readers own trucks of one sort or another. That's why we report on and test trucks regularly. It's also why we finally decided to recognize what we think are the best trucks on the market.
The keen-eyed among you may have already noticed that we have only selected 5Best trucks as opposed to 10Best cars. This arithmetic reflects not only our preference for cars but also the fact that there are simply fewer varieties of trucks on the market. In fact, in our 2001 Car and Driver Buyers Guide, there were 198 car models listed and only 97 different SUVs, vans, and pickups. That's right in line with this two-to-one ratio in awards between cars and trucks.
What makes these trucks the best in class?
Another change from our 10Best awards is the segregation of the trucks into categories: pickups, vans, and three SUV categories--small, large, and luxury. Here again, this allocation of awards was guided roughly by the number of models on the market--19 each of vans and pickups, and a total of 58 SUVs.
For the SUVs, we decided that the 14 machines with a minimum base price (including freight) of more than $34,000 were luxury models. Then we separated the 16 sport-utes with a length no greater than 178 inches into the "small" category. The 28 remaining vehicles we classified as "large" SUVs.
Some of you may take issue with our lumping Jeep Grand Cherokees and Chevy Suburbans together, but since we on Hogback Road have never been enamored with the semi-trailer wannabes that are the current fashion in certain sybaritic suburban circles, this categorization forces the SUV behemoths to display extraordinary virtue if they are to overcome the driving disadvantages inherent to their jumbo size.
Since we wanted to avoid evaluating every representative from each of the 97 truck models for these inaugural selections, we held a nominating meeting to generate five candidates for each category. A bit of inflation, along with our unwillingness to eliminate some mechanical twins (Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute) at the nominating stage, resulted in a total of 35 nominees, of which 30 showed up for our evaluation.And the Winners Are:
Luxury SUV: Acura MDX
Small SUV: Ford Escape
Large SUV: Toyota Highlander
Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado
Van: Honda Odyssey
Following the same procedure we use for our 10Best program, we assembled the nominees at our secret facility west of the Ann Arbor headquarters, gathered up our entire domestic staff, and spent three days driving, examining, and arguing about our favorites. We then scored every vehicle on a scale of 100.
Acura's first built-in-house SUV (the late SLX was simply a rebadged Isuzu Trooper) arrived here last year with a terrific combination of utility, luxury, and performance. It promptly won a comparison test in the December 2000 issue and has now copped our first-ever Best Luxury SUV honor.
Whether you are hauling people, sheets of plywood, lengths of pipe, or cases of beer, the MDX offers more capacity than any other SUV short of the behemoth class. And its slick-folding third row of seats provides excellent versatility in this voluminous package.
Motivation is provided by a 240-hp V-6 that can slingshot the MDX from 0 to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds. That's quick enough to dust off all its V-6 competitors and several eight-cylinder luxo SUVs as well.
Although the MDX's four-wheel-drive system and minivan-based underpinnings can't deliver heroic performance in the woods, this Acura displays carlike moves and comfort on suburban highways where its owners will roll up the overwhelming majority of its miles.
At a base price of $34,850, with leather seats and a full range of comfort and convenience options, the MDX is easily the bargain of the class, and the standout winner of the category.
Specifications:
Vehicle type
front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 5-door wagon
Base price
$34,850
Engine type
SOHC 24-valve 3.5-liter V-6
Power (SAE net)
240 bhp @ 5300 rpm
Transmission
5-speed auto
Wheelbase
106.3 in
Length
188.5 in
Curb Weight
4350-4400 lb
EPA fuel economy, city driving
17 mpg
Crash Results:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/2002SUVs.html
We are finally dragged--kicking and screaming--into the reality that trucks are here to stay, and in very big numbers. So we pick the best.
Now that truck sales have peaked at just over 48 percent of the new-vehicle market and are poised to crater with the upward summer spike in fuel prices, we at Car and Driver have finally decided to recognize excellence in trucks. In the investment business, we would be viewed as a countercyclical indicator in such matters.
Why not just include trucks in our 10Best awards program?
The truth is that although we have been including minivans and SUVs in our 10Best deliberations since the very beginning, and looking at pickups for the past five years, these workaday machines have had difficulty passing muster with our enthusiastic band of editor/jurors. Of the 190 10Best trophies we've handed out since we inaugurated the competition in 1983, only seven have been presented to trucks--six to minivans and one to a sport-utility vehicle.
The problem is that the design elements that make a truck a truck--beefy construction, a tall stance, and an emphasis on carrying capacity--all compromise the quick reflexes, grippy traction, and high performance that we prize when we slide behind the wheel of any vehicle.
Judging by the number of letters to the editor we receive that remind us in the strongest terms that the name of the magazine is CAR and Driver, not TRUCK and Driver, we believe that our view of trucks as less satisfying to drive than cars mirrors our readers' perceptions.
And the Winners Are:
Luxury SUV: Acura MDX
Small SUV: Ford Escape
Large SUV: Toyota Highlander
Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado
Van: Honda Odyssey
At the same time, 65 percent of these same readers own trucks of one sort or another. That's why we report on and test trucks regularly. It's also why we finally decided to recognize what we think are the best trucks on the market.
The keen-eyed among you may have already noticed that we have only selected 5Best trucks as opposed to 10Best cars. This arithmetic reflects not only our preference for cars but also the fact that there are simply fewer varieties of trucks on the market. In fact, in our 2001 Car and Driver Buyers Guide, there were 198 car models listed and only 97 different SUVs, vans, and pickups. That's right in line with this two-to-one ratio in awards between cars and trucks.
What makes these trucks the best in class?
Another change from our 10Best awards is the segregation of the trucks into categories: pickups, vans, and three SUV categories--small, large, and luxury. Here again, this allocation of awards was guided roughly by the number of models on the market--19 each of vans and pickups, and a total of 58 SUVs.
For the SUVs, we decided that the 14 machines with a minimum base price (including freight) of more than $34,000 were luxury models. Then we separated the 16 sport-utes with a length no greater than 178 inches into the "small" category. The 28 remaining vehicles we classified as "large" SUVs.
Some of you may take issue with our lumping Jeep Grand Cherokees and Chevy Suburbans together, but since we on Hogback Road have never been enamored with the semi-trailer wannabes that are the current fashion in certain sybaritic suburban circles, this categorization forces the SUV behemoths to display extraordinary virtue if they are to overcome the driving disadvantages inherent to their jumbo size.
Since we wanted to avoid evaluating every representative from each of the 97 truck models for these inaugural selections, we held a nominating meeting to generate five candidates for each category. A bit of inflation, along with our unwillingness to eliminate some mechanical twins (Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute) at the nominating stage, resulted in a total of 35 nominees, of which 30 showed up for our evaluation.And the Winners Are:
Luxury SUV: Acura MDX
Small SUV: Ford Escape
Large SUV: Toyota Highlander
Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado
Van: Honda Odyssey
Following the same procedure we use for our 10Best program, we assembled the nominees at our secret facility west of the Ann Arbor headquarters, gathered up our entire domestic staff, and spent three days driving, examining, and arguing about our favorites. We then scored every vehicle on a scale of 100.
Acura's first built-in-house SUV (the late SLX was simply a rebadged Isuzu Trooper) arrived here last year with a terrific combination of utility, luxury, and performance. It promptly won a comparison test in the December 2000 issue and has now copped our first-ever Best Luxury SUV honor.
Whether you are hauling people, sheets of plywood, lengths of pipe, or cases of beer, the MDX offers more capacity than any other SUV short of the behemoth class. And its slick-folding third row of seats provides excellent versatility in this voluminous package.
Motivation is provided by a 240-hp V-6 that can slingshot the MDX from 0 to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds. That's quick enough to dust off all its V-6 competitors and several eight-cylinder luxo SUVs as well.
Although the MDX's four-wheel-drive system and minivan-based underpinnings can't deliver heroic performance in the woods, this Acura displays carlike moves and comfort on suburban highways where its owners will roll up the overwhelming majority of its miles.
At a base price of $34,850, with leather seats and a full range of comfort and convenience options, the MDX is easily the bargain of the class, and the standout winner of the category.
Specifications:
Vehicle type
front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 5-door wagon
Base price
$34,850
Engine type
SOHC 24-valve 3.5-liter V-6
Power (SAE net)
240 bhp @ 5300 rpm
Transmission
5-speed auto
Wheelbase
106.3 in
Length
188.5 in
Curb Weight
4350-4400 lb
EPA fuel economy, city driving
17 mpg
Crash Results:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/2002SUVs.html
Attachments
-
48.5 KB Views: 3,433