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If anything, wish big corporations could work together to get rid of unions. The USW reduces productivity soooo much where I currently work (I'm not in the car business). Their leaders don't care about quality and are too arrogent to realize that all of our jobs are in danger of being outsourced or lost.

Torque moves loads, not HP. Drove a 06 3/4 ton Dodge with a HEMI pulling pretty big load. Not impressive. Lots of RPMs and fuel to get moving and up hills. I'd expect the 6.0 to be better, but not by a lot. The 8.1 must not have made many sales with it's fuel appetite?

That's the same towing rating as the old trucks. I know truck buyers, GM guys, that don't by GM for their businesses because of the 16700lb towing rating. Ford has a higher rating, I think around 20-21000 (I'm too lazy to verify). Is a V10 gas in the works? The 6.0 just won't do what the 8.1 could.

I definatly agree with that. I've been studying styling trends for something I'm working on at my job. The Tundra almost looks dated, even though it's brand new.

If they hadn't picked the Silverado, the 2007 truck of the year story would look kind of silly.

I don't think GM, Ford, or Dodge needs their half tons to tow as well as a Toyota. If you want to tow a big load, get a 3/4 or 1 ton. That's something Toyota doesn't have, and the big 3 should be using that to their advantage in advertising. No sense sacrificing the base 1/2 ton to keep up with the Toyota. It just adds cost, weight, reduces economy... Buy a 3/4 ton.

Right, forgot about that one. On '05 pickups 17" was standard because the new rear drum didn't fit with 16" wheels.

What's the attraction of big wheels anyway? If your going for the look, fine. If you want better ride and cheaper replacement of tires for a vehicle you're going to drive for 500K miles, I'd rather have 16" standard.

Here's a good story, I've heard about this guy before: http://therecord.blogs.com/it_gets_weirder...illion_mil.html I think GM should be talking numbers and what they have best in class, not just trying to appeal to image with some of the superbowl comercials. Toyota talked about stats with the Tundra. GM also offers more vehicles that get 30 MPG or better than anyone else in 2007. Where's that stat?

I was at event this past weekend where a dealer had a new Tundra for show that was making a tour through dealerships around the country. It was black with an extended cab (not the crew max of whatever they call it). I didn't check it our for too long, but here are some thoughts... -Rear doors look kind of akward. The size of the door is deceving as compared to how large the back seat is. -Rear door handles don't look like the fit...also look akward. -Interior is nice but over done. Didn't sit in the seats but they looked pretty flat and not as comfortable as others. -Much better rig than Toyota's previous attempts at making a pickup, it will gain ground in sales. As non biased as I can be, after looking at it I'd still buy a GMC. Toyota doesn't look as sharp (round is out, sharp is in) and GM finally has the best interior. Fuel economy is better and a 5.3 has over 300 HP, so spending more for for a fuel guzzler isn't necessary. If I wanted to tow more, I'd get a 3/4 ton with a diesel. Just my $0.02.

I checked one of these things out at the local dealer. Pretty impressive. It was larger than I figured it would be. The fit and finish of the interior has come a long way for GM. There may definatly be an Arcadia in my garage in a year or 2.

Hudson - You would be correct, I did look for bias since noticing it in some pubs. I think CR is a good reference, but I picked on the Ridgeline because they rated it as their top pickup, and there are a lot of things a Ridgeline can't do to be part of the full size pickup category. With the single cable, I intended to imply that's it's not built for heavy use, and don’t think it should be compared to a full size pickup. I drove a Titan, Ford, and Dodge before buying a GMC in ‘04. Liked the seats, interior layout, ride, fuel economy and exterior styling of the GMC and my last Chevy treated me well. Ridgeline and Tundra were too small for what I pull/haul. My neighbors are ranchers, and only the big three make HD rigs that will get their jobs done, hence their opinions. While I agree many Japanese vehicles are better than their American competition, CR sometimes focuses on only strengths or only weaknesses based on their criteria and not what the vehicle was designed for. Also, if they’re going to make ratings, they should show a little more math because they’re numbers are quite vague and general even though they do more than other magazines. That would make for a thick magazine though and I guess that’s the engineer in me. Thanks for the info guys. I get Popular Mechanics and MT. PM’s reviews have been alright, but there just aren’t too many for vehicles since they do many topics.

Hi guys, newbie here. I noticed in another thread discussion about Motor Trend's bias against GM in favor of Toyota. Are there any good resources out there that present facts without Japanese bias? I support American car companies and have GM vehicles. I have inlaws that no nothing about cars, swear American is garbage, think Consumer Reports (CR) is the bible, and are ready to trade off their Chevrolet on a Nissan because they had to replace a fuel filter. Anyway, I get an issue of CR to see what their deal is. I find rave reviews of a Tundra that isn't even out yet, nothing very positive in comparisson about GM's GMT 900's, Honda Ridgeline is the top rated pickup, and even a line about the Impala SS that the front wheels spin too easily. (Isn't that the point of the SS??) I looked at a CR top rated Ridgeline 'pickup' once. Even if it was big enough to haul anything, I'd break the tailgate off loading it since it only has one cable. I live in a rural state where the west begins. A lot of people around here consider vehicles like the Ridgeline and Titan to be for spikey haired city slicker boys who are trying to get a tough guy image. Are there any magazines out there that grade a pickup on being a pickup?? I'm not interested in some editors opinion on how a Honda makes a better grocery getter for his family than my GMC because the rough ride doesn't wreck his wife's hair. I'm looking for some facts for my inlaws and some support for my GM habit. Thanks! Have a great day!