Motown Still Makes A Splash

摘要

The old diesel workhorse of 3/4-tons and up is riding into a new frontier. Its popularity among weekend warriors is Detroit's motivator to add features as foreign car makers look to grow profits here. For now, there are changes to ponder in the new heavies, and all are still Detroit-brand trucks. ENR drove them this summer to assess ability at the work site. General Motors and Ford Motor Co. dropped off units in Chicago with a full tank. ENR tooled around for a week before returning the keys. It was tougher getting a Dodge. Chrysler LLC, now privately owned, was more eager to lend us a beefier 4500 or 5500 Ram. After some horn jousting, we located a 2500 BLUETEC Ram at a dealer in Skokie, Ill. It was running on empty, so ENR filled it up. ENR sweated the metal of the Silverado 2500, Ram 2500 and Ford F-250 Super Duty to learn if these machines are still true to their heritage. Pickup trucks are some of the most prolific pieces of equipment at construction work sites, with their rugged reliability, power and torque in prime demand.