As noted in my previous post, I'm the rookie on this year's Truck of the Year test. There are two noteworthy entries this year, the re-designed Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram. There have certainly been enough changes with these vehicles to warrant the "all-new" adjective.
But the powertrains for these new trucks are largely carryover. Granted, the Ram gets a substantial 45-horsepower infusion with an extensively upgraded Hemi option. But the Hemi itself has been around for several years now. Same thing with Ford and the Triton engines in the F-150. The 3-valve 4.6 is finally making its debut in the F-150, but other than that, nothing too earth-shattering under the hood.
The big news for pickups (at least in my opinion) will be coming for the 2010 model year, with the unveiling of some all-new half-ton diesel engine options. Don't get me wrong, new suspensions, new styling, and new bumper-steps and other geegaws are cool, but I'm instinctively drawn to what's under the hood in trucks.
By all indications, it promises to be an interesting lineup from the Detroit 3. Because of some tattling underhood decals, the cat is out of the bag that the Dodge engine will displace 5.0 liters. Most reports are that it's a V8, although there's a slim chance it could be a V6. GM, it seems, has done a better job scooping itself lately than all the automotive blogs in cyberspace (Just look at the seemingly infinite installments of the Chevy Volt saga.) So there's not a whole lot of mystery surrounding the new Duramax 4500, other than the finalized power figures. Tentative figures released are 310 horsepower and 520 lb./ft. of torque, and well over 20 highway miles per gallon.
Details surrounding the Ford oil-burner have been a little more nebulous, but the consensus is that it's going to be a punched-out version of the engine offered in the Euro-market Range Rover, probably around 4.4 liters. Preliminary figures floating around out there are 340 horsepower and 450 lb./ft. of torque.
The biggest mystery remains the Dodge. Certainly, going on the premise that it's going to have the biggest displacement of the three at 5.0 liters, there's a chance it could decimate both Ford and GM, power-wise. However, there's also a chance Dodge could go the more conservative route, and come to the game with somewhat lower power figures, but take the crown for durability, something the Cummins inline-six engine has long been renowned for in the Ram 2500 and 3500. Cummins is almost certainly the vendor providing the half-ton diesel for Dodge. Regardless, I would assume at least 300 horsepower for all of the engines, and likely at least 500 lb./ft. for the Dodge.
But the most interesting part of all will likely be the sales breakdown of pickups, and how much, if any, the half-ton diesels will impact the big bruisers in the showroom. Certainly, there will still be many customers that will go for the three-quarter and 1-ton models. But I suspect many will snap up the diesel half-tonners by virtue of their cushier ride, better fuel economy, and better day-to-day livability for light-duty use.
Which brings up the ultimate question of this blog, whether or not the availability of diesel engines in half-ton trucks is sufficiencly seismic to move the needle of pickup sales in this dismal market. Certainly, the crossover-rivaling fuel economy, plus the likely 9,000+ lb. towing capacity will make a compelling argument for these trucks, but with a pricetag likely well over $40,000, (probably more than $6,000 just for the diesel engine option alone), will customers take the plunge, or get cold feet from having to shell out Beaucoup Benjamins? What's your take? Half-ton diesels, hit or miss?