Five 2019 trucks to watch for
Four are aged designs that will see revamps, while one is all new for North America
It’s fall, truck lovers, and pickup sales in Canada are as strong as ever. Each of the Big Three posted significant gains in year-to-date sales over last year, most notably by GM. Indeed, the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado are enjoying bumps of 23 and 31 per cent respectively so far this year.
The reason for the flurry has a lot to do with significant discounts and special editions currently being rolled out. Which points in one direction: The new models are coming.
Already, 2018 is shaping up to be a big year for trucks, as several all new or substantially new 2019 models making their first appearances, with the production vehicles themselves expected to arrive in fall 2018. And with the Detroit auto show typically the venue for showcasing new trucks, we could be seeing these vehicles as early as January.
Here is a look at the top five trucks expected to appear in 2018 as 2019 models.
2019 GMC Sierra, Chevy Silverado
Introduced in 2013 for the 2014 model year, current GM trucks will soon be five years old without major enhancements. Multiple spy shots of the trucks in full camouflage testing outside GM’s proving grounds in Milford, Michigan, hint at futuristic, jewel-like headlights and beefier new grilles.
Expect updated EcoTec3 powertrains and 10-speed automatics co-developed with Ford, and there is a strong possibility of a new diesel engine, one of which was spied testing in the desert this summer. That would align the GM trucks with Ford’s new diesel coming in the F-150 in 2018, Nissan’s 5.0-L Cummins V8 in its Titan, and compete with Ram’s EcoDiesel.
Aluminum body panels are also likely, but not to the extent of Ford’s and, of course, not on the bed, where GM has poked holes at Ford’s use of aluminum. Aerodynamic and structural gains will be included, along with interior enhancements that rely more on digital instrumentation.
2019 Ram 1500
Spy shots of the 2019 Ram are almost becoming routine, with each successive image revealing a little more of the new truck, long expected and confirmed for the 2019 model year. The last new model arrived in 2012 for the 2013 model year. Most of the changes will be to the exterior and interior, rather than the powertrain. In higher trim lines, a new Uconnect touch-screen system — already one of the easiest to use and best in the business — will replace the already large 8.4-inch screen.
Outside, the Ram is not expected to wear vast amounts of aluminum, other than for the hood and tailgate, opting instead for traditional steel. Under that hood, according to reports, will be the familiar but highly capable 5.7-L Hemi V8 or the 3.6-L Pentastar V6 that will transfer power via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Expect the 3.0-L diesel to re-emerge but it may no longer be called EcoDiesel.
2019 Ford Ranger
Expected to go on sale in 2019, the new Ford Ranger — a medium-size pickup that last appeared in North America in 2011 — should re-appear for the first time in the Joe Louis Arena in January. Equally exciting is the expectation of a Raptor version of the Ranger to compete with the Chevy Colorado ZR2 following the debut of the new truck.
Engines are very likely to include an EcoBoost four-cylinder with more than 300 horsepower, a naturally aspirated gas V6 and possibly a 3.2-L, five-cylinder diesel, now offered in the global Ranger. That would allow the new Ranger to better compete with the diesel Colorado/Canyon twins and potentially allow the Ranger to claim top fuel-economy honours (and embarrass the Toyota Tacoma).
Ford is now spending $850 million to upgrade the Michigan Assembly Plant to build the Ford Ranger mid-size pickup at the end of 2018, as well as the coming Ford Bronco SUV, starting in 2020.
2019 Nissan Frontier
North American Nissan Frontiers have been around in current guise since 2004, with a refresh in 2009, so 10 years later looks to be the right time to introduce a new truck. Last month Nissan confirmed it would be built, and be assembled alongside the full-size Titan at Nissan’s plant in Canton, Mississippi, where the current truck is built. Recent spy shots of some U.S. crash testing also reveal the new Frontier is being readied for our shores.
The new Frontier will be based on an older Frontier: the Nissan Navara or NP300 sold in other markets and revised in 2014. The North American version will undoubtedly be a refreshed version of the Navara to compete with the coming Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and GM mid-size trucks in a market that has seen a surge in sales. Last year was the best ever for sales of the Frontier in the U.S. and Canada, even in the dying days of the existing Frontier, which is powered by either a 152-hp, 2.5-L four-cylinder engine and fivespeed manual transmission or 4.0-L V6 making 261 hp. Expect revisions to both those engines and possibly a diesel down the road.
With so many new trucks aligning with the Detroit show, Nissan may come out ahead with a reveal in Los Angeles in late November.
2019 Toyota Tundra
With so many new trucks coming to market, one of the oldest is ripe for an update or it risks falling behind the newer competition, resulting in lost sales for several more years, especially from 2014 lease holders who will want a new truck after four years.
While nothing has been officially revealed about a new Toyota Tundra, the existing truck is now more than 10 years into its model cycle, introduced in 2007 and modestly updated in 2014. It is now the oldest full-size new truck on the market. While sales are stable in the U.S., the year-to-date results in Canada are down 15 per cent. A Tundra refresh for the 2019 model year, with the truck making a debut in Chicago in February 2018, would satisfy the growing chorus of owners and fans asking for a replacement or update.
Those updates could include a stronger, fully boxed frame, Toyota’s D-4S fuel injection, 4.6-L and 5.7-L V8 engines, an eight-speed automatic to replace the current six-speed, and a full suite of safety equipment. Exterior revisions, including better aerodynamics and box access, box lighting and a wider use of LED lighting, would befit a new Tundra that wouldn’t see another major update for a decade.