Rundown of five exciting new rides Posted on October 6th
Let’s take a quick look at a quintet of important, or at least exciting, new rides for 2009. They are the completely redesigned Ford and Dodge full-size pickups, the fabulous 638-horsepower Corvette ZR-I, the nifty Toyota Venza, and a very sporty Pontiac pickup called the G8 ST.
With the exception of the Pontiac, which, I’m told, won’t be here until late next year, these vehicles are starting into the showrooms, or will be there shortly.
Ford F-150. This big pickup is a perennial best-seller and a crucial source of coin for the Ford coffers. Like its competitors, Ford’s full-size truck sales have been deeply lacerated by the rising cost of gasoline. Needless to say, the company will be watching closely to see if the big guy’s increased fuel economy and bold, new good looks can keep its sales out of the toilet.
Going on sale this month, the new F-150 averages 8 percent better mileage than its predecessor. With the high-volume, 5.4-liter V-8 model, the fuel economy goes up 12 percent.
The new F-150 also will be available in a new SFE (Superior Fuel Economy) model that gets an unsurpassed 21 miles per gallon on the highway, while boasting a 7,500-pound towing capacity.
Observes Matt O’Leary, the F-150’s chief engineer: “Fuel economy has moved from 10th to third place among pickup buyers’ top purchase considerations, right behind durability and value.”
Dodge Ram. Just starting into the showrooms, the redesigned full-size Dodge pickup turns out to be just as critical to Chrysler as the F-150 is to Ford. As Dodge’s director of marketing, Mike Accavitti, told me:
“We fall flat on Ram, and we die. It’s that simple, and everybody in our company understands this.”
Dodge’s truck stylists have come up with another dynamite design, which, this time around, includes a first-ever crew cab model. (Not a bad idea, since the fast-growing crew cab now accounts for nearly half of big pickup sales.)
The new truck includes a 380-horsepower “Hemi” V-8 that gets the Ram from zero to 60 in less than seven seconds, making it the big truck big dog. It also sports some interesting innovations, including a coil-spring rear suspension for better ride and handling, and a snazzy cargo bed storage system called the Rambox.
Available only on the crew cab and priced rather steeply at $1,895, the Rambox system includes a bed extender and divider, adjustable rope cleats, and drainable storage bins on each side of the bed that will hold 10 cases of 12-ounce beverages. In other words, the ultimate Penn State Tailgatemobile.
Toyota Venza. Automakers love to allege that they’ve developed a new kind of vehicle, something that didn’t exist before. Toyota has just gotten into this game with the forthcoming Venza.
Don Esmond, a Toyota senior vice president, sees the Venza as “signaling a new direction in car design,” an effort to satisfy customers “sitting on the fence between sedans and SUVs.” The idea, he says, is to combine luxury sedan features with the visibility, cargo capacity and traction of an SUV.
Esmond looks at this car and sees a new departure. I look at it and see a handsome, sporty, five-door hatchback with available all-wheel drive.
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. During a recent regional press introduction, I took a hot lap through a one-mile road course with Jim Mero at the wheel of the new, 638-horsepower ZR-1. Mero is a Corvette suspension engineer who has been racing for 24 years. What he got that car to do made me rethink what is possible in an automobile.
What that car can do probably has some other people doing some rethinking, as well. Recently, at Germany’s legendary Nürburgring road course, Mero beat the best time of a Porsche Carrera GT. The Porsche costs a half-million dollars. The ZR-1 starts at $103,000.
Pontiac G8 ST. Remember the Chevrolet El Camino, which was a midsize Chevy sedan with a pickup bed where the backseat and trunk used to be? Well, that’s the retro recipe for the great-looking G8 ST (Sport Truck).
Based on Pontiac’s sporty midsize G8 sedan, the ST should be on the market by late next year, according to GM executive Russ Clark. While the G8 sedan is available with a V-6 and V-8, Clark said the ST would be offered initially only as a 361-horse V-8.
The ST was developed by Holden, GM’s Australian subsidiary, and is already being sold Down Under.
Contact Al Haas at BusinessNews@phillynews.com.