Snowbound? Hell, No!
We don't get to do this in sunny SoCal, but for those of you in colder climes, Ford's photo of a snowbank-bustin' '09 F-450 Super Duty should get you stoked for winter wheeling. Ford likes to call the 450 dualie "Big Dog Daddy" for its 24,000-pound tow and 3-ton payload capacities.
Chrysler Begins Hybrid SUV Production
We've been hearing for a long time about Chrysler's hybrid/electric versions of the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen. Well, production began in August, and they should already be in showrooms by the time you read this. The SUVs are powered by 5.7L Hemi V-8s backed by the Two-Mode hybrid system jointly developed by Chrysler, GM, and BMW. The gas/electric hybrid powertrain gives the Durango an EPA mileage rating of 19 city/20 highway. Durango prices will start at $45,340, which is less than the $50,000 sticker on a Tahoe hybrid we found on the Internet, but more than the $42,000 Lexus RX 400h.
Mahindra Delayed
Trade journal Automotive News reports that the U.S. launch of the Indian Mahindra diesel pickups will be delayed by about six months, until late 2009. SUV models will arrive in 2010. The company is using the extra time to log testing miles on its trucks while signing up more Mahindra dealers. Mahindra has also put on hold its plans for a diesel hybrid.
Hummers Sweep Vegas To Reno
Team Hummer had quite a day at the Best in the Desert Vegas-to-Reno off-road race. Rod Hall and sons Josh and Chad earned three class victories in their production-class H3, H2 SUT, and H3 Alpha. Team driver Emily Miller (seen here) earned Third Place in the H2, which was fullsize SUV stock class. In doing so she completed her quest to become the first woman to drive the entire race.
Vegas-to-Reno marks the second consecutive Best in the Desert race in which Team Hummer swept the production classes. The team's luck wasn't quite as good at its next race, the SCORE Terrible's Primm 300. Both Rod and Chad Hall finished Third in their classes. Said Chad to SCORE, "We had no problems at all. We just didn't have quite enough truck today. We'll screw a little bit more speed in it and come back next time."
The pros make it sound so easy, don't they?
XFE = Xtra Fuel Economy
In response to the crazy gas prices we're experiencing, GM has created new XFE (Extra Fuel Economy) versions of the Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra and Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon. Modifications to the existing models-including smoother aerodynamics, reduced mass, a new six-speed automatic transmission mated to the 5.3L flex-fuel V-8, and low-rolling-resistance tires-result in EPA fuel economy ratings of 15 city/21 highway. That's up from 14 city/20 highway for the non-XFE models. Unfortunately, XFEs are 2WD only, at least for the time being. Doesn't it seem, though, that the aero bits and weight-savings could be passed onto 4x4s as well? The fuel-economy bump wouldn't be as great, but hey, every little bit helps.
Coolest New MRAP
My name is Pete Geisler, a captain in the U.S. Army currently deployed to Iraq. My team was lucky enough to get one of the newest trucks in the Army fleet, the International MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protectant (MRAP) vehicle. The thing is a beast. Not only does the truck carry six people, all our gear, our weapons, loads of ammunition, and our medical supplies, but we even made some room for our cooler. The truck is completely covered in armor. Nice for us, bad for the bad guys. Pushing us along is the turbocharged International engine cranking out about 330 hp and over 1,100 lb-ft of torque. The tires on this thing measure 395/85 and keep us going over most everything. Too bad I can't bring one back home and try it out on some of the trails. I would imagine people would get out of my way quicker seeing this thing coming barreling down the highway than they do with my TJ.
Ford Cuts F-150 Choices
When the '09 F-150s hit showrooms in October, prospective buyers won't have as many option packages to choose from. But it's not a bad thing. According to Automotive News, the complexity of the options and packages available for the '08 F-150s meant that buyers could order the trucks in literally billions (with a "b") of combinations. Responding to input from dealers, Ford eliminated some options and combined certain others into parts groups to make the '09 F-trucks available in just millions of variations. Chances are good you'll never notice the difference, but it helps Ford streamline manufacturing, lowers the cost of engineering all these iterations, and reduces the chance of an oddball truck-one with a weird combo of options-landing on a dealer's lot and sitting, unsold, for months.
GM's Truck Plans Uncertain
High gas prices and the resulting drop in truck sales have caused just about every manufacturer to rethink vehicle development. GM is no different. Industry sources report that several fullsize truck redesigns-for the Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche, and heavy-duty pickups-planned for the 2010-2012 timeframe have been delayed. Reportedly the GM product planners are trying to decide whether the big SUVs should remain so or be phased out in favor of crossovers. The midsize Chevy TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy (shown here) are also on the way out, as the plant that makes them will close in 2010.