Bring on em' trucks!! | |
| (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre) |
Dallas, Texas. Yeeeehaaah! What's hotter than the love Texas has for its trucks? The Texas State Fair that's what. Every year for just over a 100 years, Fair Park, just south east of downtown Dallas, is the spot where car manufacturers and the carnival (if you like) come together to put on a big show for just about everyone. Since 1989, the car builder's displays have grown more than three-fold. Very recently, those that participate in the high stakes full-size pickup category have used the venue to display some of their latest creations. Why do they do this? The answer is very simple. Over 300 000 trucks are sold here every year and this is the home of the truck wars. As you will be able to see in the picture gallery, Texas is all about trucks and trucks are all about Texas. The FoMoCo thought it important enough to invite a number of journalists to cover the event.
General Motors First stop, the General Motors stand. Here, we were treated to the first wrap-removal of the all-new Silverado and Sierra Heavy Duty trucks. GM was quick to point out that they hold a large share of the pickup and HD pickup market. Following the recent launch of the fully redesigned 1500 series Silverado and Sierra, the 2007 HDs come to us with new
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| (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre) |
sheetmetal, bolder and more aggressive styling and two new attractive interiors. Beginning on the outside, body gaps have been tremendously reduced and the buyer now has the choice of one of two cabins: a luxurious or a utilitarian one. Located under the bulging hoods and behind the brash grill is a duo of new motors. In fact, they are not really new, they have been severely tweaked. The base powerplant will be a version of GM's 6.0L V8 with variable valve timing. In the 2500 and 3500's, it puts out 353 hp and 373 lb/ft of torque. The optional Duramax turbo-diesel V8 will still displace 6.6L but the output will climb to 365 hp and a foundation crushing 660 lb/ft of torque. Both powertrains will be mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Notably, the Duramax will benefit from the excellent Allison
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| (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre) |
gearbox which has proven to be very effective and dependable. Towing and payload capacities have also risen. I reckon that before long, we will literally be able to tow our houses around with us.Along with the new bodies, GM has added a number of features that have become a must in many other categories. Now standard in every HD will be a rear parking sonar, a tire pressure monitoring system, Onstar, a cargo management system and remote starting. Options will now include a navigation system, new audio systems and an enhanced rear DVD entertainment system. The new light-duty trucks will be making their first arrival in showrooms by early November and the Heavy Duty trucks, by the start of next summer.