QOTD: Is This Truck For You?

It’s NAIAS week in Detroit, signaling a parade of press conferences and more shrimp than what’s found in all the North Atlantic. While buzzwords this year are “mobility” and “disruption,” the Detroit Three still found time to show us new versions of machines in my favorite segment, the full-sized pickup truck market.

Chevy showed off a new Silverado with an octet of trims, Ram dropped its new non-Freightliner pickup, and Ford promised an oil burner for the F-150.

Now we’ve seen them all, here’s my question to you: if forced to choose one, what would you select?

And, no, you can’t say “none of the above.” This is not a first-year civics course at community college. Nor can you jump on the Nissan or Toyota bandwagon. Those two trucks are capable contenders but they’re not the focus of today’s QOTD.

Jeez. I think that’s the first time in my five-and-a-half years of writing here I’ve ever deployed my Dad Voice. Anyways. Let’s run through your options.

The new 3.0-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V6 churns out 250 horsepower and 440 lbs-ft of torque when stuffed under the hood of the Ford F-150. Hooked to a 10-speed automatic transmission, the new PowerStroke enables the diesel F-150 to tow up to 11,400 pounds.

Chevy refurbished the new Silverado to the height of utility, with more bed acreage than previous iterations and trick storage solutions inside the seatbacks of the rear bench. It, too, will be available with a diesel in the form of a 3.0-liter inline-six. I am anxious to hear its exhaust note.

Ram has jumped into the deep end of risk by jettisoning the in-yer-face big rig look on which it traded for nearly 25 model years. It’s still plenty aggro, especially in the Rebel trim shown above, but this author thinks this styling decision is as much of a departure as the new-for-1994 Ram was back in the day.

So there’s your choices, B&B. Whatever your yardstick — styling, powertrain, or something else — what’s your pick for a full size truck from the Detroit Three?

[Image: Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]