However the Toyota, even with a similar system fitted, unfortunately fell short once again. Basically, the Toyota system in my opinion tends to "take over" a little too much and a little "too quickly". I found that the braking, which is controlled by the stability system, kicked in quite fiercely. Obviously, for most drivers it would not be a problem as this would not come up unless they were involved in a situation that required its use. However, I couldn't help feeling that the more experienced, and perhaps "more spirited drivers" might well find this annoying at times.
Ride & Handling
The ride and drive portion of the event was perhaps the most fun as it was comprised of high speed acceleration, emergency braking maneuvers, and a rather enjoyable time was had running through the slalom course.
I found that during high-speed acceleration, although the specs sheets put them rather close, the Toyota certainly appeared to have the edge on the others by a slight margin.
Emergency braking at 80kph had the F150, the Tundra, and the Dodge Ram, which strangely only came fitted with ABS on the rear, all in the same ballpark. To be fair to GM, this was where their vehicles truly excelled. In fact, I managed to pull up their Silverado nearly an entire car length short of the other vehicles. To be honest, that did impress me!
On the handling aspect of the vehicles through the cones, things were rather close, but truly, I would have to hand a joint first to Toyota and GM, followed very closely by the Ford, and then The Dodge Ram.
Overall roundup of the day
As I have said before, the event was basically staged by GM to impress on the minds of the visiting journalists just how wonderful their truck range is. Simple little things like the fact that the Dodge truck which they used was a rather "plain Jane" model didn't really help in the comparison. Naturally, if one of the other manufacturers had been in charge of the event, it may well have been a "bog-standard" GM on test.
However, in my opinion, taking all things into consideration, I did actually come away suitably impressed with the GM products. In fact, if I was in the market for a new pickup truck, it would be the GM Silverado without a shadow of a doubt.
So there you have it. I'm now an official GM truck fan. Mind you, I'm not showing anyone my rear end; not until I finally strike a promotional deal with Aston Martin!!!
photo:Philippe Champoux
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Ride & Handling
The ride and drive portion of the event was perhaps the most fun as it was comprised of high speed acceleration, emergency braking maneuvers, and a rather enjoyable time was had running through the slalom course.
I found that during high-speed acceleration, although the specs sheets put them rather close, the Toyota certainly appeared to have the edge on the others by a slight margin.
Emergency braking at 80kph had the F150, the Tundra, and the Dodge Ram, which strangely only came fitted with ABS on the rear, all in the same ballpark. To be fair to GM, this was where their vehicles truly excelled. In fact, I managed to pull up their Silverado nearly an entire car length short of the other vehicles. To be honest, that did impress me!
On the handling aspect of the vehicles through the cones, things were rather close, but truly, I would have to hand a joint first to Toyota and GM, followed very closely by the Ford, and then The Dodge Ram.
Overall roundup of the day
As I have said before, the event was basically staged by GM to impress on the minds of the visiting journalists just how wonderful their truck range is. Simple little things like the fact that the Dodge truck which they used was a rather "plain Jane" model didn't really help in the comparison. Naturally, if one of the other manufacturers had been in charge of the event, it may well have been a "bog-standard" GM on test.
However, in my opinion, taking all things into consideration, I did actually come away suitably impressed with the GM products. In fact, if I was in the market for a new pickup truck, it would be the GM Silverado without a shadow of a doubt.
So there you have it. I'm now an official GM truck fan. Mind you, I'm not showing anyone my rear end; not until I finally strike a promotional deal with Aston Martin!!!
photo:Philippe Champoux
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