graham and george

The 2500 model is much better work horse .colour (mud )

Hemi Dave

I have to agree, ours was terrible for showing up the odd ding...



So we just bought this much brighter colour today ;-)

withabix

That'll buff out.

Either that or sell it in Richmond. It will fit in well.

Piff Poff

That looks good in red Hope no one was hurt when you got that ding

scrubbedexpat091

What exactly is the draw to these big trucks? I can understand if it's a work vehicle, but most on the road don't seem to be used for anything but normal day to day driving bases.

Just curious.

plasticcanuck

People like them and just want one. That's more than sufficient reason to have one.

scrubbedexpat091

I suppose.

Hemi Dave

This is a completely valid question, so I'll give you my opinion.

If you have not been in a top end truck lately, you'll be surprised. The manufacturers have finally realised that most trucks sold, are not being used as they intended, ie: hauling stuff to job sites.

So they have turned their attention to two pretty important modern "needs"..

Luxury and economy, yes, economy, lol.

I'll address the luxury first. This is a shot of a Ram Laramie, similar to what I just bought:



Check out that leg room in the back. That's more than you'll get in any luxury sedan. You'd need a limo to beat that. Oh, and those rear seats are heated.

I also have a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, both front seats are electric. I have GPS, back up camera, sirius radio. I have voice control for all the Uconnect devices. It has a supreme sound system with a sub built in under the back seat. I have remote start, which also senses the outside temp and switches on the heated seats and steering wheel if required so it's all toasty by the time I get in.

The options list is huge, and what's more, they all come standard on this Laramie edition.

Economy:

The new Rams like this have eco mode, which basically cuts the engine down from 8 cyclinders to 4 when cruising or slowing down. The Ram even has rear coil suspension to even out the ride and make it less truck like.

It weighs 2500KG which is a lot, but the average Chevy Tahoe suv weighs 2700, and you can't get drywall or a quad bike in one of those.

And finally, it looks bad ass! lol

scrubbedexpat091

What does it get fuel wise? And yes, I have not been inside a truck in who knows how long, but it's been a long while...lol

I wouldn't mind more room, I find our car a bit too small and my legs cramp when driving more then about an hour (I am 6'4) which means stopping hourly when going long distances.

It is of course difficult to find affordable + fuel efficient + small fuel tank+ room in the same vehicle...lol

Although the Mazda 2 isn't exactly great on fuel economy, I average 7.4 liters per 100 km combined hwy/city. I commute 120 km's Thurs-Sat and that uses just shy of a full tank, but it's mountain road driving so lots of inclines that need to push the gas hard to keep speed.

dbd33

You can, of course, get all of that in a minivan and, when you come back from Costco, your bog rolls won't be soggy.

In the country there's a kind of case for having a truck, one often needs to haul smelly stuff and it's better in a bed than inside a van, but, really, having a truck is just about wanting to look silly and not caring about being unable to park anywhere near where you're trying to go. A small trailer pulled behind a Fiesta is a more practical and more economical choice. Even the loathsome Pious makes more sense for most people than a full sized pick up. Both the Fiesta and the Pious offer a better driving experience; they transmit more feel to the driver, they corner faster and the former, at least, is available with a stick shift.

Of course, if you like trucks, don't mind the cost and have no ecological quibbles, there's no harm in having one, but it's like choosing an avocado bathroom suite, people who don't have one won't ever see why you've done it and arguing that it's somehow a practical choice just leaves the onlookers shaking their heads.

Hemi Dave

LOL, corners? what are they then? I live in Ontario ;-)

Ok, here's some other pro's to having a truck over a Fiesta...

If someone hits me in a Fiesta, I'm walking away from the crash
If someone races me in a Fiesta, I have 400 horses, 4 wheel drive and traction control
I can add a cap to the back, saves my bog roll

BUT, yes, fuel "economy" is still pretty awefull. Average about 16 L/100k

For me it was always part of the dream, and I've always bought cars with my heart. A car has never just been a mode of transport for me.

Shard

A bit of honesty there.

How comfortable is the ride in one of those luxury trucks compared to a sedan?

Hemi Dave

20 inch wheels mean you go over the pot holes instead of IN them, lol.

The Ram specifically has upped the game with rear coil spring suspension. The other guys are still using leaf springs in the rear, like an old steam train wagon, lol

Noise levels are ver low inside the cabin. If you add big knobbly tires in winter, that level may rise, lol.

OH!, meant to say, you can get a deisel version if you want economy ;-)

withabix

Mine's a work truck, paid for and fuelled by work. They even pay for the car wash and the screen wash fluid! They considered offering me an AWD car/SUV, but we've got a car and a Land Rover already, so the natural choice was a truck. Like others have said, you can't get big stuff in an SUV. The closest thing I've had in terms of practicality was a (European) Ford Galaxy (VW Sharan clone), which could swallow a fully assembled wardrobe, as long as you left all the rear seats in the garage...

The truck is not bad in exchange for approx $650 in tax per year...(Most of my mileage counts as business and not private as I am based in an office in Kelowna but don't usually work there...)

I suggested the (Italian) 3 litre diesel engine, but the company wasn't interested in the approx $7k extra sticker price and it appears not available in that trim level in 2015 anyway (although business fleet orders seem to be able to get any options - my current 2013 Nissan Frontier doesn't have the spec of ANY trim level for that year....)

I do understand the comment about the size of trucks - one of our neighbours has a fully blinged up white Ram 3500 on 20" chromes with a lift and blacked out windows.

The biggest thing that has ever carried is his ego.

The furthest off road it has been is up his 6 metre long driveway. Needless to say he works in the oil patch (and takes the plane to work, not the truck...) and will no doubt be surrendering the lease on his $90,000 'ride' quite soon....I hope. His 'image' (think dickhead) is completed by having his truck on Alberta plates, even though it has never been there...

scrubbedexpat091

I am amused at work watching some of the super sized trucks navigate around the garages I patrol around in, the parking garages were never designed with vehicles of the size of some of these trucks. Seen more then one scrape the wall trying to get in or out, and some don't seem to understand the height of their super jacked up truck and they scrape the top too since the clearance in some of these garages is not great.

On my commute the super trucks are the worst on the highway, when I see headlights speeding up behind me, 9 times out of 10, I predict it's a large truck. People also don't realize they can't take corners in some of these jacked up things at 120 and they end up in a ditch.