PICKUP LINES
Forget utility — these trucks can carry cargo with class
REMEMBER the 2002 Lincoln Blackwood? Then you understand the trend toward fancy pickups. Based on a Ford F-150 chassis, the Blackwood mantled itself in premium trim and finishes to be the snootiest truck of its time. The Blackwood seemed ridiculous, especially the Neiman Marcus edition for $58,800. It stayed in production one year, but set the template for today’s truck brands’ Platinums and Limiteds.
Today, the Ford F-150 Limited, Ram 1500 Limited, and GMC Sierra 1500 Denali all have base prices in the high $50,000 range. With options and accessories they nuzzle against the $80,000 mark.
A truck is supposed to have crankby-hand windows and a bale of straw in the bed. Who needs all this?
Sometimes, the construction boss does. Other times, a luxe truck supports lifestyle choices. Whether it’s a Ford F-150 Raptor for beach patrol or off-road flavored Sierra AT4 for that
muddy trail to the Vermont cabin, a pickup is increasingly seen as the right choice.
Noncommercial users prefer the limo-like rear seating of five passenger crew cabs. The ride is smooth and driving serene thanks to refined suspension and body aerodynamics.
In the quest for better fuel economy, manufacturers have been reducing weight by using highstrength steel and strategic applications of aluminum. The Sierra Denali is available with a carbon-fiber cargo box. Light-duty, full-size entries now qualify as parkway prowlers. A Ram 1500, for example, weighs between 4,798 pounds and 5,372 pounds.
Meanwhile, a broader trend is in play. Light-truck sales— pickups, SUVs, and minivans — will account for up to 75 percent of the market by 2023, an increase from 69 percent in 2018, according to market research and product-consulting firm AutoPacific. Nationwide, the industry’s bestselling Ford F-Series sold at the rate of about one every 30 seconds last year to exceed 900,000 units.
“The thing that blows your mind about the volume is that Ford has 10 different grille textures,” said AutoPacific president George Peterson, who had just sampled an early copy of the forthcoming 2020 F-Series Super Duty, the heavy-duty version outfitted with dual rear wheels. For such a truck, the six-figure mark is well within sight.
“Ford guys are really concerned about pushing the price up but not having the content to justify the price-walk,” he said. “To do that, they have to go to heavy-duty.”
Across the board in the top trim levels, we find available or standard 22-inch wheels, power running boards, soft-open tailgates, heated steering wheels and heated and ventilated seats. The Sierra Denali’s cabin boasts open-pore ash inlays and pebbled leather trim. It also offers the exclusive multifunction tailgate that contorts into six positions.
High-tech features include large infotainment screens, Wi-Fi hot spots and smartphone mirroring via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, with speakers placed every few inches.
The Ford F-150 Limited has the powerful twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine that debuted in the Raptor. It makes 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque — excellent for cruising the Robert Moses Parkway or pulling a trailer.
Another available feature is Ford’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist, which relies on a dashboard knob and plenty of computing power. A Denali’s hitching feature guides you through a successful hookup, like Tinder but with cargo, not baggage.
Nissan and Toyota also offer fullsize light-duty pickups, the Titan and Tundra, without quite matching the dominant players’ amenities or capabilities (or price.)
On the horizon, startup automaker Rivian promises its electric pickup, R1T, by late 2020 (see page 47.) AutoPacific’s Peterson called the R1T “totally unexpected” and noted it “looks like a real truck.”
At City World Ford in the Bronx, sales of the F-150 Limited are “pretty good,” said senior sales representative Juan Morla, who has a useful philosophy for parking a vehicle that’s as long as a minke whale in Manhattan: “You’re going to have trouble parking anyway, you might as well have trouble finding parking comfortably.”