QOTD: Which Entrant Is Losing at the Game of Trucks?

Corey Lewis
by Corey Lewis

You hear it time and time again on the internet. “There are no bad cars today.” It’s proclaimed by those who lived through the Malaise Era and have personally experienced the build quality and reliability of an new Renault Le Car or Chevy Monza. And while things are most definitely better than they were, nothing’s perfect. Bring out your critical fingertips.

Today we’re going to talk about trucks, and the one which sticks out in your mind as a bit lesser than its competitors; the company which builds it could be doing a better job, you feel. Perhaps it’s down on quality, or lacking in technology, or its manufacturer hasn’t updated it as much as it should. How dare they do any of these things, here in the non-malaise year of 2019! Below is a list of the trucks available to North America this year, because you all shouldn’t go Googling around unsupervised.

Chevrolet Colorado


Chevrolet Silverado


Ford F-150


Ford Ranger


GMC Canyon


GMC Sierra


Honda Ridgeline


Nissan Frontier


Nissan Titan


RAM 1500


Toyota Tacoma


Toyota Tundra

Now, this list shows bias of the alphabetical persuasion, so watch out. Apparently the pictured Hummer H3T is no longer available. In the interest of keeping the list concise, heavy-duty variants are not broken out separately. It’s a short list which makes up a substantial part of the profits for some of these manufacturers (or virtually all of them, in the case of RAM). Truck sales matter! But we’re looking for a loser today in this, the Game of Trucks.

Which one is least deserving of the consumer’s precious dollars when pitched against its competitors?

[Image: General Motors]

Corey Lewis
Corey Lewis

Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.

More by Corey Lewis

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 112 comments
  • Carguy67 Carguy67 on Jan 09, 2019

    "Today we’re going to talk about trucks" For a second I thought I was in a Chevy commercial.

  • Jeff S Jeff S on Jan 10, 2019

    No real criticism of any of the trucks. True the Frontier is outdated but it is a proven truck at a very competitive price--for many it is all they need. Frontier still manages to hold on to number 3 in midsize sales. Titan is far from having stellar sales but it is a good truck. Not that crazy about the new styled Silverado but it will still sell. Most truck owners are fiercely loyal to their own individual brands but most of today's trucks are good.

  • Zane Wylder Zane Wylder on Jan 10, 2019

    Don't get the appeal of the Ridgeline, last gen was "... WTH is it supposed to be?!" And the current is an Odyssey with a bed Nissan, they need to update the Frontier, give us the ones they got in other countries (seen a newer one in Aruba back in '17)

  • Gearhead77 Gearhead77 on Jan 11, 2019

    Titan would be my first choice, but honestly I think the Tundra is probably the worst new truck out there. At least Titan has seen some changes from the first gen trucks, Tundra is largely unchanged since it was introduced. Considering how much Ford, GM and FCA throw at their trucks in only a few years time, Toyota is way behind the curve. I understand the Tacoma's appeal, I don't get why you'd buy a Tundra. I say this as a Toyota owner. Not a fan of the second gen Ridgelines looks, but Honda must have sold enough to justify its existence. Honda is probably the most conservative company on taking chances, I think that speaks volumes about the Ridgeline. Yes, it's an Odyssey with a bed. That's all most of us need. A van that's occasionally a truck (that you can hose out). The wife likes her minivans, she won't entertain a Ridgeline though. And yes, I know you can put dirty and bulky stuff in a minivan, but cleaning it out is a pain.

Next