The chief rivalry this year turned out to be between GM and Toyota. Both these manufacturers brought six trucks to compete and each had all new iron to offer. And despite the final results, with the Tundra on top, it was interesting to note that when the points were tallied (just those cast by the judges) the Silverado held a slim point and a half lead over the Tundra. Where the Tundra ended up closing the gap was on price. The winning model Toyota entered was priced at around $42,000 vs. $49,000 for the Silverado. To even out price differences in each class a sliding scale is used to award or deduct points based on an average price in each segment. This sliding scale is also used to award/deduct points in the Fuel, Acceleration and Braking categories. In the case of the Silverado that $7,000 price difference is what made the difference and gave the win to Toyota. It's here, in the choice of how to equip or outfit a truck, that manufacturers can act strategically. They alone decide what version of a pickup to enter - and no one (including us) knows till just before the event what exactly is coming. This year if the Tundra and Silverado were closer in price, say within a thousand dollars of each other, it's likely that the GM would have come out on top.
For this reason it's important to look at the scoring spread sheets to see how the scoring was compiled for each entry. Also, even among trucks which failed to win their category - you may note a very strong point score in one area. This often reflects the Judges feelings about a particular innovation like the tailgate-mounted step on the Ford Super Duty or the new engine-brake on the Dodge Cummins diesel.
In the end Toyota took the overall winner with the Tundra as well as winning with the Tacoma in the mid-size category for under V6 and over V6 entries. Still Toyota had to share the glory with GM who took the coveted Work Truck category and swept the and One-Ton fields neither one of which Toyota had an entry for - but Ford and Dodge are stiff competition in these fast-growing markets.
Looking at the scores it's easy to see that the Judges were impressed with the new styling, excellent interiors and the strong combination of the new Duramax diesel and Allison transmissions. None of these contests could be called close; they pretty much walked away with these titles.
The third morning it finally began to dry up - just in time to start towing. One of the highlights this year was the 28-foot Wildcat fifth wheel recreational trailer that we had on site. While towing this trailer was not going to be part of the competition this year; it did give judges another experience with three of the trucks outfitted with fifth wheel hitches. In fact this worked out so well that it may become part of the testing criteria in future years.
The bulk of the off-road and static testing took place on the last day. The first because it had finally stopped raining and the last because after becoming familiar with the entries the previous two days it was time to start looking at more than their driving and towing characteristics. Static testing is really a review of how well the engineers done in anticipating the needs of truck buyers. Such as: how easily do the back seats fold; is there a flat floor; is it washable; are there any compartments; do they lock; how do the doors open; how wide;etc. Then we move to the back and try the tailgate, the tie-downs, the hitch, the lighting, the liners and coatings. We then load tools, ATVs, ladders and a raft of other items just to see how they fit and how well the manufacturer has designed the box. These are the things I've never seen done in any other truck testing - but frankly they are the most important.
Ford, Dodge and Nissan failed to mount the podium this year, but each brought new and interesting features to the competition and they should be recognized for their contributions and also for the fact that unlike Honda and Mazda they dressed for the game and gave it their all.