21 Comments to “AD #2268 – Car, Truck & Utility of the Year Winners, 2019 Silverado Bigger & Gets a I-6 Diesel, Ford Brings Back the Ranger”

1. Chuck Grenci Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 11:49 am

   So they made the Silverado bigger, and to Sean’s observation maybe to distance it from Colorado; my take is that they should have made a smaller Colorado.

2. buzzerd Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 11:50 am

   Chuck – Americans don’t really do smaller, smaller meals, smaller furniture, and certainly not smaller trucks.

3. Barry T Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 12:00 pm

   It looks like the truck segment is changing a lot this year – I wonder how it will affect sales in 2018. I was impressed with more substantive changes to the Silverado than I would have expected.

   I was surprised at Joann Muller’s comments about the truck segment in ATW. Her comments suggested she almost didn’t think there should even be large SUVs and was judgemental of who buys them, and how they use them. Shouldn’t the judges in the NACOTY be looking at each vehicle for its virtues in-segment, and not be assuming/judging the ethos of the buyer’s priorities?

   Thanks Autoline team for keeping us up on the news!

4. Maverick Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 12:00 pm

   Yep, I’d like a dependable rear drive body on frame truck, right sized like the Colorado. I’ll tow a trailer every few weeks so I’d like the 2.8 diesel. But I’d have little use for an open bed. GM, would you please bring the Trailblazer with diesel back to US from overseas?

5. Kit Gerhart Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 12:11 pm

   #1,2 If someone sold a smaller pickup at a smaller price, it would sell. Hyundai-Kia, here is market share, yours for the asking. Just make a basic truck, about the size of the S-10 and old Ranger. A non-boosted four would be fine as a standard engine.

6. buzzerd Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 12:36 pm

   Kit- I’m sure they would sell a few but …. how many?
   I work with about 200 guys,90% own trucks, there’s one or two with a ranger/ridgeline and the rest full size. Same old reason, for a little more money why not get more and that is fairly pervasive in our society. Why buy the 60″ TV when the 65″ is only a bit more, that’s why restaurant meals have gotten so large, cause for just a bit more money…
   except for airline seats where we some how are willing to be uncomfortable to save a buck

7. Lambo2015 Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 12:47 pm

   I completely disagree that the infotainment system is so important, in fact I believe its becoming even less important and that the interface between the car and our smart phones is pinnacle. I would be much happier with a good size LED screen that will display what I have on my phone. I may want to use Waze rather than Maps or Pandora or spotify rather than XM.

   Not sure when manufacturers will get a clue that people like the flexibility they get with their phones, and multitude of apps available, plus ones that keep coming out and they can change even when your car is 5 years old. Being locked down to only whats available on your car when its manufactured is like saying you want a new car but your okay today’s technology for the life of the car. Sure they can, and have developed infotainment systems that allow you to load apps but why would you when you already have it on your phone. Just another step to download it to the car.
   They could save money in research and development plus in cost of the software memory and service of these systems if they focused on phone integration and make it easy to use.

8. Barry Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 1:16 pm

   Sean,

   WOW……New pickups from GM, Ford and Ram all at the same time! It just shows how important the truck market is to all these guys!

9. Chuck Grenci Says:
   January 15th, 2018 at 1:16 pm

   This question is for Sean (if you have the data); do you know the dimensions of the new Ranger? Is it smaller/larger/similar to the Colorado. I surely doubt it is larger.

   In their heyday, the old S-10, Ranger, Tacoma, etc. sold a heck of a lot of small pickups. And I still see a bunch of these very old trucks still on the road (some looking very good). Just because you can make it bigger doesn’t make it better. I suppose the truck producers will continue making incremental size additions (until finally someone reaches the size that is just too big); in my mind, and this is just my opinion, that size has already been surpassed.

10. Barry T Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 1:24 pm

    7 I have to agree with your point.

    I imagine it’s hard for news/journalists to separate themselves from their reality, which is climbing into MANY new cars a month, and having to deal with a unique interface every time. I feel for them on that, but those of us that might have a 5-10 year old car that works great and have a phone along that stays updated, the perspective is different.

    Further, the high-dollar and high-tech vehicle buyer is more likely to be a short-term lease, and they don’t care about a long view plan to pull the trigger on new keys.

11. buzzerd Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 1:46 pm

    New trucks coming out certainly look impressive to me, I could be happy with any of them I suspect but I would buy the Silverado.

12. Sean McElroy Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 2:41 pm

    Chuck – I don’t have the dimensions, but when I do I’ll post it.

13. Ziggy Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    I agree with Chuck and Kit, the mid-size truck is even more truck than I need and I would definitely be in the market for a TRUE small truck, the size they used to make the Ranger, Tacoma, etc. And I don’t need a super cab, a regular TRUE 2 door truck would do with a 2.0 liter naturally aspirated four and a choice of manual or automatic trans with part time 4WD, just like the old small pickups but with all the requisite nanny equipment mandated by the government, some of which I have come to appreciate but wish I could turn off when I want to do some donuts or power slides in the parking lot. With my current 2012 Liberty I have to pull a fuse just to be able to have a little fun in the snow, I should be able to just push a button to turn off all the safety crap when I don’t want it interfering with sideways commuting.

14. Kit Gerhart Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 3:04 pm

    If the price was right, an actual small pickup would sell pretty well. About $16-17K for a standard cab 2wd with a/c am/fm radio, and little else.

15. Chuck Grenci Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 3:37 pm

    Thanks Sean, #12; I went to the Ford site but they don’t list dimension (yet).

    I, like Kit, am a former S-10 owner, and now I’m just speaking for myself as I’m sure others have different requirements; the S-10 was the right size for me. I had the 4.3 V-6 with the four speed automatic and I’m thinking with the power plants of today, an S-10 would be just that much more better (than it already was back then); mine was a ’98.

16. Kit Gerhart Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 4:07 pm

    I had the 4.3 with a 5-speed manual. It was peppy, but a little thirsty. A friend had one with the 120 hp 2.2 four and 5-speed, and it drove fine, at least for the time.

17. cwolf Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 4:11 pm

    I am also a fan of smaller trucks, but even the new ones are larger than the older s-10 and Ranger. My 4 cyl. Ranger had 250K miles on it and still ran like a top, but I think the new Ranger needs a 6 cyl. offering. I’m also not a fan of extended cabs and four doors; For me, they just add length and a wider turning radius.

18. Kit Gerhart Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    The Ranger will have plenty of power with the 2.3 turbo, but not everyone wants a turbo. Also, the 2.3 turbos in Focus RS’s are blowing head gaskets. That’s not a good sign, for an engine in a work truck.

19. Lambo2015 Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 4:29 pm

    #12 & 15 Not sure how much will change from the current 2018 model in Mexico but according to a Ford site in Mexico the dimensions for the Ranger are as follows; (converted to inches)
    71.69 H
    73.22 W without mirrors
    60.98 Box lenghth
    210.78 total length

    2018 Colorado is
    70 to 72.2 Height depending on trim level
    74 to 77 Width
    61.2 to 74.4 box length
    212 to 225 total L

    So not much difference in size,

20. Victor West Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 6:44 pm

    For the week-end user, the big trucks are thirsty, hard to park at home, and don’t fit in mall parking lot spaces. The So Cal gardeners hang on to their smaller trucks forever.

21. G.A.Branigan Says:
    January 15th, 2018 at 9:30 pm

    @ Chuck,ziggy,Kit: I too had a new 1992 S10 reg cab long bed 4×4,with the 4.3L V6 and four speed auto.I loved that truck. Other than routine maint/oil changes,zero problems,done me proud wherever I wanted to take it.Would I buy a new same size S10——in a ny minute.