10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

YOUR “OTHER” RIDE
BY ROVING REPORTER SUZANNE STEMPINSKI

It’s a funny thing about truck drivers. When we get out of our big trucks at the end of the day or the end of the run, we step into another...truck. Minis are cute and sports cars are good for weekend cruisin’ but pickup trucks and SUVs are the vehicles of choice for us. And there was no place better to be this year than the Chicago Auto Show, Feb. 11-20, checking out acres of new rides.

The largest auto show in North America, the Chicago Auto Show covered 1.2 million square feet of space – that’s the equivalent of 21 football fields. It was also 42% larger than last year...just figure BIG...and loaded with awesome vehicles.

This year, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge offered up a specially designed half-mile test track where show attendees had the opportunity to drive a new vehicle. The test track included a Jeep Trail Rated® course to demonstrate the Jeep brand’s off-road capabilities, including traction, articulation, ground clearance, maneuverability and water forging, and a Dodge truck off-road course. As many as 30 vehicles could operate on the test track at any one time.

Dodge introduced the 2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab, which has a bigger passenger compartment to be available on trucks arriving in dealers as early as this fall (photo 2). It features more than 145 cubic feet of interior space, and is 111.1" wide. That makes it the largest pickup cab on the market. Need to haul a bunch of stuff and a bunch of people? This truck will make it easy. Although the size of the pickup box was shortened from 8’ to 6’ to allow for the increased interior space, this truck is still a mega-hauler. And it will be available in Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 models.

At Ford, the Harley-Davidson pickup gets an update for 2006. This combination of big truck styling and motorcycle mania has produced distinctive looks since 1999. For 2006, the latest version starts with an F-150 SuperCab, dresses it in black - black paint, black leather interior and lots of chrome, and includes 22-inch aluminum wheels. Tough truck enthusiasts will really appreciate the blacked-out headlights, chrome billet grille, and the Harley-Davidson badge in strategic places. A big 300-hp 5.4-liter Triton V-8 rumbles under the hood so that this truck, just like its namesake, makes a big noise.

Honda now has a really sharp new mid-size pickup – the Ridgeline (photo 3). With an integrated cab and bed, this innovative truck offers some unique features, including a Dual Action tailgate which can fold down or swing out and an In-Bed Trunk (hinged, locking, water-resistant, 8.5 cubic feet of storage space under the 5’ bed) which is deep enough for two sets of golf clubs or even a large cooler (photo 4). It also offers a 5-speed automatic transmission, fully automatic four-wheel drive, half-ton hauling and 5,000-pound towing capability. And all this is wrapped in a contemporary package powered by a high-output, 3.5-liter VTEC V-6 engine that produces 255 hp. You can check out the Ridgeline...now!

Chevrolet wheeled out many cool new vehicles, including the 5-passenger HHR (photo 1) – an SUV with a look and style reminiscent of the 1949 Suburban wagon, combined with the flared fenders of the popular retro-look 2-seater SSR pickup. Chevy’s HHR has an overall length of 174.5 inches and a cargo capacity of approximately 63.1 cubic feet. With a couple of different engine and luxury package options, look for them to be available in the fall of this year. Also on display was the Chevy Kodiak C4500 – a medium duty dually truck, outfitted with a luxury cab and big bed, ready to haul a stock trailer, boat, car or just a lot of stuff. It’s big, it’s head-turning, and we’ll be featuring it in a future issue after a lengthy test-drive.

What do you get when you just can’t get enough of your truck? Well, if you have deep pockets, and are convinced that bigger is always better, check out International’s CXT pickup. It gives new meaning to the term “Monster” truck. It’s huge – it’s powerful – it’s a people magnet – and it can hold family, friends, friends of friends, distant relatives and more. It is 21’ long, comes complete with big truck tires and a 9’ tall cab. In fact, it’s the largest production pickup truck currently on the market. Comfort and luxury with air-ride seats for up to 6 without a squeeze; it offers options such as leather, DVD and satellite radio. It hauls three times the payload of most pickups, is 4-wheel drive, uses air brakes, and offers towing, dumping and tilt bed capability. The power train consists of the International DT 466 diesel engine with 220 hp and 540 lb. ft. of torque, hooked to an Allison 5-speed automatic transmission.

Coming early next year, Toyota is reintroducing the Land Cruiser – this time with updated styling – they call it the FJ Cruiser (photo 5). A two-door SUV-ish vehicle with a kick, Toyota envisions this ride as appealing to active young male consumers who want to use this as an athletic platform for extreme sports. It’s all about performance and image – great styling with utilitarian features – the interior includes a multi-function meter that includes compass, temperature gauge, inclinometer and altimeter. When getting away from it all is what you want to do, you should be able to get far away with this rugged, dependable ride in 2006!

This is just a small sampling of the current and coming attractions for vehicles you’ll be seeing as you run down the road – maybe even making their way to a driveway near you. For more photos and information, visit www.chicagoautoshow.com.