The Big 3 recently have been taking cues from Nissan and Toyota---for the worse.

RAM is worst in this regard. Paint and lipstick upgrades for an 8 year old truck are hardly the making of consumer excitement.

GM and Ford are at least a year away from substantial improvements and RAM is asking us to keep our fingers crossed.

Powertrain updates from the Big 3 could change all that.

Still no news about the next Nissan Frontier. I think it is safe to assume it won't be here for the 2018 model year, otherwise they would have announced it by now.

"To its credit, Ram took advantage of the New York show this year to show off two new colors"

Big whoop!

Well the 2017 f150 has new engines and 10 speed trans. And the 2018 is cosmetic upgrades. So the ford is covered. Ram and the silverado are a yr away still.

Well the 2017 f150 has new engines...So the ford is covered.
Posted by: Mike c

@Mike C

I'm referring in my earlier comment to a new approach, not just a new flavor. Ford has been relying on turbo enhancements for the F150's popularity since 2011.

A new approach might be the introduction of a 7 liter gas engine for pickups that functions smoothly as a 3.5 during light duty cycles and quickly responds to throttle inputs when demands dicate. Americans love big block engines.

A whole decade of mediocre American sedans is still fondly remembered as "muscle" cars fifty years later.

Springsteen even writes about 'em. It's long overdue for a new spin.

@papajim--You are not being realistic.

I doubt "most" Americans know what a big block engine is. Give me a reliable, high HP, fairly economical to operate engine and I don't care if it's 1/2 liter.

I doubt "most" Americans know what a big block engine is

@Tom

GM makes the 6.2 V8--- their biggest gasoline engine --- on the same basic layout they use for their smaller 5.3 liter engine. The big difference is the price.

People pay a mininum of a thousand dollars more for the 6.2 That extra cost does not include all of the other options GM makes you buy to even get a 6.2

People love big motors.

Gas today is cheap. Have fun. Stop worrying.

@papa, actually the big difference in the 6.2 is premium fuel, besides the price. Opt for the diesel and dont look back. Gas is only cheap for now, here in the NE, its been slowly rising....remember Gm banked on cheap gas too and look what happened.

@papajim--True there have not been any significant changes except aluminum in Ford F series and 9 and 10 speed automatics. Not degrading the EcoBoost but the EcoBoost series of engines is approaching 10 years and that is not to say they have not been improved but this is more evolutionary and revolutionary. FCA does not have the resources to spend on a new Ram after spending them on Alfa Romeo. I wouldn't call the muscle cars of the 60's and early 70's mediocre since a lot of bigger block high performance engines were developed and available during that time. The mid-70's thru the mid-80's is the mediocre period of cars which is better known as the "Malaise Era" which were highly restricted in horsepower and performance. Comparing my 73 Chevelle with a 350 2 barrel carb V-8 versus my 77 Monte Carlo with a 305 V-8 with a 2 barrel carb was a night and day difference. The Chevelle would burn rubber and would go over 120 mph but the Monte was choked with catalytic converter, additional pollution devices, and a carburetor with small jets that would give the engine better mpgs because they restricted the gas flow at the expense of lack luster acceleration and performance. I would put the wide spread use and improvement of fuel injection as a revolutionary change. Fuel injection has been around for decades but it took Bosch to improve.

...remember Gm banked on cheap gas too and look what happened.

You mean like a Ford who claims their full size pick-up (only size) truck is their best selling vehicle. They need more choices to offer consumers like a mid size. We all now know Ford will be too late and remain a second place pick-up manufacturer as always.

All the Big 3 have banked on cheap gas in the past and now. Consumers for one thing buy bigger more fuel thirsty vehicles during better economic times and during the pre-Arab Oil Embargo fuel prices were relatively stable. Prices will go up again and people will go back to smaller more efficient vehicles and then they will go down and the cycle repeats.

@Nitro

You should get a job on Wall Street.

You seem to have a crystal ball. The price of oil (and unleaded gas) will be different in five years but absolutely NOBODY knows which way it goes till we get there.

@pap, which is why you just contradicted yourself. I dont have a crystal ball, I just watch it rise in the last few weeks, and dont buy something because I think it will be ok.....

@gms, you didnt address the problem with Gm and the failure.....and yes thanks for admitting the fseries is number 1.

@gms, you didnt address the problem with Gm and the failure.....and yes thanks for admitting the fseries is number 1.

Posted by: Nitro | Apr 18, 2017 9:48:42 AM

Ford says they are #1, not me. I know Ford is a #2 and that don't just mean in sales.

Nitro trying to defend his junkie Fords again, never has nothing good to say bout Ford though. He just bashes GM cause he's a sore loser. GM outsold Ford the last two years in trucks, hell GM even outsold Ford world wide.

All the Big 3 have banked on cheap gas in the past and now. Consumers for one thing buy bigger more fuel thirsty vehicles during better economic times and during the pre-Arab Oil Embargo fuel prices were relatively stable. Prices will go up again and people will go back to smaller more efficient vehicles and then they will go down and the cycle repeats.

actually the big difference in the 6.2 is premium fuel, besides the price.
Opt for the diesel and dont look back.
Gas is only cheap for now, here in the NE, its been slowly rising....remember Gm banked on cheap gas too and look what happened.

Posted by: Nitro | Apr 18, 201
/QUOTE

Diesel motor is not worth the price unless you absolutely must have it,or drive 100k a year puling heavy loads..

I dont see gasoline rising much higher anytime soon since more and more people are turning to EVs,,,
Tesla for example has 400.000 thats THOUSAND orders for model 3...
I suspect in ten years half of all vehicles on the roads will be Electric,,and semi tractors will run on hydrogen,,see Nikola one semi..

Diesel engines are good for towing, loads, and for those who do a lot of interstate driving. If you do a lot of short trips and don't tow much then a diesel is a waste. A diesel needs to be warmed up. In a car diesel engines are good for those who do a lot of interstate driving (i.e. sales). I don't see any drastic changes in oil prices unless there are supply interruptions and major conflicts in the Middle East. Prices of fuel have gone up where I live due to the reformulated gasoline for the Spring and Summer, increase demand during the Spring and Summer, and the refineries switching over from producing heating oil to more gasoline and diesel. Many refineries go off line for maintenance during the Spring.

Gas is only cheap for now, here in the NE, its been slowly rising....remember Gm banked on cheap gas too and look what happened.

Posted by: Nitro

The price you pay in the Northeast is dictated by state and local gas taxes. Get your neighbors to elect public officials who won't gouge the public at the gas pump.

Gas prices in places like New York and California are driven by ridiculous taxes, not market factors.

In many states it is not just the taxes on gasoline that make it more expensive but it is the reformulated gasoline. In the larger metropolitan areas of Kentucky such as Louisville, Lexington, and Northern KY the reformulated gasoline is required during the Spring thru Summer months as a replacement for the mandatory emissions testing. I myself would rather have the reformulated gas versus the mandatory emission testing. I don't drive that much anymore that the price of gasoline is a factor and if I have a trip over to Ohio I usually fill up since the price of gas is usually cheaper. My vehicles for the most part are efficient. The new Cosco nearby has very competitive prices on fuel and is usually less than the surrounding places to get fuel and the Kroger Marketplace has good prices and I can use up to $1 a gallon of earned fuel points.

Ford has updated engines for 2017 and a mild refresh for 2018 which goes on sale this Fall, GM has an updated Duramax engine for it's 2500 / 3500 HD models for 2018 that just recently went on sale, Toyota recently introduced a very mild refreshed Tundra for 2018 and RAM has 2 new paint colors. As for 2019 and 2020, we'll start to see more dramatic changes in appearance, as well as engine overhauls, different types of sheet metal for further weight reduction and tech upgrades for all of the trucks mentioned.