Cars by price -- pickups
By Terry
Jackson • Bankrate.com
Pickups under $15,000
When the Japanese invasion of the U.S. market began in the early 1970s,
the first significant beachhead was in the small pickup category.
Bare-bones pickups with the reliability of a refrigerator, those first
Toyotas and Datsuns (now Nissans) were great. Today, shopping the
economy end of the pickup market still means stopping first at the
Toyota and Nissan dealership.
Toyota Tacoma
The Tacoma is No. 1 on our list, with a comfortable interior, a basic
2.4-liter four-cylinder with plenty of grunt, and great quality marks.
Price: $12,800-$18,110
Engines: 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder; 2.7-liter inline four-cylinder
Horsepower: 142 (2.4-liter); 150 (2.7-liter)
Transmissions: 5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 18-27 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Nissan Frontier
Styling is a little more avant-garde with the Frontier, but it comes
with only one engine choice, also a 2.4-liter inline four. Nissan
reliability is on the upswing, but it still lags behind Toyota.
Price: $13,689-$15,889
Engine: 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder
Horsepower: 143
Transmissions: 5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 22-25 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Ford Ranger
No. 3 on our list is the Ranger, which has an optional V6 and a wide
range of body styles and interior trim levels.
Price: $14,720-$18,470
Engines: 2.3-liter inline four-cylinder; 3-liter V6
Horsepower: 143 (2.3-liter); 148 (3-liter)
Transmissions: 5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 24-29 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Pickups $15,000-$25,000
With a step up in price and size from the bargain-basement
pickups, there's a plethora of choices and some new vehicles worthy
of being shopped.
Dodge Dakota
The Dakota gets our top nod by a fender because it's a lot of pickup
for the money. Larger than a mini-pickup and smaller than a full-size
truck, the Dakota fills a niche like no other. The standard V6 pumps
out 210 horsepower and its cargo bed can handle plenty of plywood.
Price: $17,630-$27,220
Engine: 3.7-liter V6
Horsepower: 210 horsepower
Transmissions: 5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 16-22 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Chevrolet Colorado
Next up is the all-new Colorado, which replaces Chevy's outdated S
10 for 2004. With its new 3.5-liter inline five-cylinder, the Colorado
is rated at an impressive 220 horsepower. The interior is the best
in this class in terms of ergonomics, but Chevy's choice of fabrics
and plastic grains are not always the classiest.
Price: $16,200-$28,800
Engines: 2.8-liter inline four-cylinder; 3.5-liter inline five-cylinder
Horsepower: 175 (2.8-liter); 220 (3.5-liter)
Transmissions: 5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 17-26 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Toyota Tundra
Also on this list is the full-size Tundra. It's on the list because
in six-cylinder form it's a cut above other six-cylinder full-sized
pickups from Detroit. Its ride is surprisingly smooth and its cabin
is bank vault quiet.
Price: $16,495-$31,705
Engines: 3.4-liter V6; 4.7-liter V8
Horsepower: 190 (V6); 240 (V8)
Transmissions: 5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 16-20 mpg (V6); 14-18 mpg (V8)
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Pickups $25,000-$35,000
This is where the heart of the pickup truck market lives and with
the all-new Ford F-150 hitting the market, competition is intense.
Ford F-150
Click image for larger view |
Ford F-150
After more than two decades of market domination, Ford looks to
continue on top. The new F-150 is nothing short of amazing. Buyers
can choose from many levels of interior trim that give each model
a distinctive personality. There's also a lot of innovative storage
space, including a nifty overhead rack that can be configured in
several ways. The optional 5.4-liter V8 has been boosted to 300
horsepower, and the suspension has been tuned to provide the smoothest
ride in its class. The only downside for some buyers might be the
styling. It's evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
Price: $22,010-$36,365
Engines: 4.6-liter V8; 5.4-liter V8
Horsepower: 231 (4.6-liter); 300 (5.4-liter)
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 15-19 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Chevrolet Silverado 1500LS
The Chevy remains a solid and very second choice, and until the
arrival of the new F-150 would have topped the list.
Price: $25,425-$31,985
Engines: 4.8-liter V8; 5.3-liter V8
Horsepower: 285 (4.8-liter); 295 (5.3-liter)
Transmission: 4-speed automatic; 5-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 16-21 mpg (4.8-liter); 15-18 mpg (5.3-liter)
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie
Coming in third is the Dodge Ram, which is not quite as refined
as its Ford and Chevy counterparts.
What it lacks in smoothness, it makes up in brawny
good looks and the lure of a 345-horsepower Hemi V8.
Price: $28,540-$32,450
Engines: 4.7-liter V8; 5.7-liter V8
Horsepower: 240 (4.7-liter); 345 (5.7-liter)
Transmissions: 5-speed manual, 5-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 14-19 mpg (4.7-liter) 14-18 mpg (5.7-liter)
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Pickups above $35,000
When you shop this end of the pickup market, it's likely that you're
not looking for a vehicle to haul anything but a truckload of style
and performance. It's hard to imagine any of these sharp trucks
loaded down with trash headed to the dump.
Cadillac Escalade
When money is no object in a pickup quest, the top choice is the
Cadillac Escalade EXT, which is a luxury variation on the Chevrolet
Avalanche.
Cadillac Escalade
Click image for larger view |
It combines a four-door SUV with a small pickup bed.
Like the regular SUV Escalade, the EXT is the ultimate expression
of luxury.
Price: $52,975
Engine: 6-liter V8
Horsepower: 345
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 12-16 mpg
Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles
Ford F-250
Next up is the F-250 Harley Davidson model, which has the trendy
style of the Harley brand and the wallop of a monster 6.8-liter
V10 wrapped in a four-door crew cab pickup.
Price: $40,135-$42,780
Engine: 6.8-liter V10
Horsepower: 310
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 12-16 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Dodge Ram SRT
For those who long for a fire-breathing muscle car, Dodge offers
the fastest factory pickup on the planet in the Ram SRT 10. Its
Viper V10 engine delivers 500 horsepower in a body style that screams
bad boy. One drawback: It's available only with a six-speed manual
transmission.
Price: $45,795
Engine: 8.3-liter V10
Horsepower: 500
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption:
Warranty: 3 years/36,000
-- Posted: Dec. 9, 2003
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