QOTD: What Aren't You Getting?
No, this has nothing to do with the goings-on in your bedroom, but it does have everything to do with your garage.
To say the full-size pickup segment is a cash cow would be an understatement. Ultra-lux trims and specialty editions have led to obese ATPs and decadent margins, and few would disagree that we’re living in the golden age of the pickup. Still, not everyone’s getting what they really want — perhaps even you.
This question comes as Allpar releases details on the looming Ram 1500 TRX, a supercharged sport pickup that harkens back to the Dodge Ram SRT-10 of years past. Fiat Chrysler’s fever dreams spawned a concept model back in 2016. Sporting Hellcat power under hood and a beefed-up driveline, the loaded-up truck apparently doesn’t skimp on content.
It’s about time the Ford F-150 Raptor gained a challenger.
Throughout the segment, it seems choice has never been greater. However, economic realities and the prevailing consumer preferences of the day means less-popular build configurations are increasingly only greenlit if they’re high-end propositions. OEMs are eager to woo individualists if there’s big margins in the offing. Hence the Raptor and upcoming TRX.
Looking for a regular cab, manual-transmission full-sizer? You’re out of luck.
The rise of electrification also means truck makers must be seen “doing something” to remain competitive in the future marketplace; this has led to a hybrid F-150 arriving for 2021 and a fully electric model to follow. GM’s prepared to counter Ford’s EV threat. Great if you’re a truck lover with a healthy case of environmental guilt, but little to get excited about if you’re a staunch traditionalist. And that development cash needs to come from somewhere.
Looking around the full-size pickup landscape, what’s missing? You’re allowed to be selfish here. Make those pickup profits work for you.
[Image: Ford]
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Hmmmmm - A mid-size pickup like the Ranger that has actual space. Take the design, stretch it out 1 foot, add 6 inches to the cab and 6 inches to the bed. Oh, and a bench seat. There is no good reason for a center console on midsize trucks. A full size pickup that offers safety tech like distance pacing cruise, LDW and AEB on all models (besides the Tundra which already does) without charging $25k in extra features and a "platinum package" just to get modern safety tech. A full size truck that has some nice features like safety tech, leather and climate control, but still keeps a front bench seat instead of the current crop of oversize, underutilized and ridiculous center consoles. Bench seats ROCK!
An OEM pickup with three rows of seats a-la MegaX2 with 2500+ payload rating. Length? Who cares. Turning radius? There's some impressive aftermarket four wheel steering in development and medium-duty front axles have greater than 50 degree steering angles. Families that have homeschooled since long before the China Virus scare of the current year tend to have larger families which require larger campers when they socially distance further off the beaten path.