Comments on: Pickup Trucks, the Large Manly Ones

By: gman5541

gman5541 — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:37:25 +0000

Is it idiotic to want, to demand a car, a van , a truck that can give at least 30 mpg in the city and on the highway? Is this impossible to achieve? How many times that companies like GM & Ford spent money to fight laws that promoted fuel-efficiency standards? And now, it looks like the “chickens have come home to roost” on these dumb moves. That’s why money-willing I will buy either a hybrid or something that will go over 30 mpg city and/or highway.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:36:51 +0000

Gota say there is something to be said about a company (GM) that does not change after losing Billions last year. A general rule of business if it’s not making a profit kill it or change it. The question will be how long will the GM stock holders tolerate multi Billion dollar losses each quarter? They are the one who will force the change. BTW (I’m not a GM stock holder).
As far as wuss driving is concerned, you like big pickups? Well I like a big wallet better. I would also rather send my money to the far east than to the middle east. And that is as nice as I can say it.

By: vanandjoy

vanandjoy — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:36:17 +0000

I guess I may have somewhat of a Jekyll/Hyde personality trait because I own both an ’06 Prius and a big honkin ’99 Dodge Ram 4×4 Cummins diesel Quad Cab Pickup. Where I lived before in Colorado, a pickup was a necessity as I had to cut and haul firewood for cooking and heat, haul my own drinking water, haul off the garbage, haul lumber & building products, haul, haul, haul. This big 6900 lb behemoth still gets 21.5-22mpg IN TOWN. When one also considers the fact that I use only Amsoil synthetic products which are non-petroleum, American made, and have a far greater endurance than petroleum oils, and that I can make my own fuel (dieselsecret.com), then at least I can claim that I am totally off the Arab induced addiction to fossil fuel as far as my high-tech redneck good-ol-boy mode of transport is concerned. Which brings me to the Prius. Even at 50-60mpg IN TOWN, I still have to go down and shell out my American $ to go to some Middle Eastern cartel. So which form of transport is most advantageous to our country’s stability? I only ask this because I feel too often we immediately stereotype and categorize drivers/vehicles in a certain category and do not consider or even know all the factors involved in their decision as to why they are driving what they are driving.
Lastly, I have to admit that my most efficient form of transportation is hanging on a rack in my garage. It is zero emmisions, foreign made, but the power to make it operate is totally home grown. Thanks for a great website. I am counting the days until I will be able to have a plug in Prius.
Vance Phillips

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:35:11 +0000

“They’re a bunch of narrow-minded idiots! They sell us product that is mostly fuel-inefficient.” Hey, who’s the idiot? The one selling scrap or the one buying it?

By: gman5541

gman5541 — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:34:37 +0000

Yes, this is a “Bash GM” article and there’s a simple reason for that: They’re a bunch of narrow-minded idiots! They sell us product that is mostly fuel-inefficient. HECK, except for the upcoming Vue and another vehicle, everything else they sell is worthless. And thus, we who demand better fuel efficient cars and trucks should continue to bash them, to berate them, to harass them like Michael Moore harassing Roger, to give our hard-earned money to foreign companies who sell better product . . .until they either do the right thing, get sold or die.

By: ocies

ocies — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:34:05 +0000

" Who kill the electric car " Documentary will give an idea who is behind Big Cars and why.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:33:38 +0000

Why is that all GM allies (for lack of a better word) are hyper-sensitive about any criticsim leveled at the company and completely obsessed with Toyota. Anytime somebody may level some facts at the head in the sand policies of GM and maybe areas where they could improve it always comes back to Toyota. How Toyota sells gas guzzling pick-up trucks (true) and how thye have has fooled everybody with PR about how they are a green company (partly true, although they do have their hybrids on the market, still waiting on that Saturn Vue from GM.) Stop whining about Toyota, get your own house in order.

The truth is we need to do incremental improvements now (like GM is doing with their next generation pick-ups) and revolutionary changes in the next to twenty years, whether it be advanced hybrid systems or hydrogen fuel cells.

It is a bit unfortunate that back in the day of cheap oil we did not have a gas tax that could have been used to fund infrastructure improvements in our decaying road and interstate system. This would have allowed money for those projects and encouraged auto companies and consumers to think more about how much energy they were really using in their cars and trucks. Now, with gas at $3.50 gallon, time for the crash course.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:32:47 +0000

“Car companies will sell whatever we want to buy”. I think one of the points of Walter’s entertaining piece was that some companies continue to try to sell what people DON’T want to buy. The difference is that when people stop buying Sequoias and Titans there is still a deep lineup of other types of vehicles to keep the companies afloat. BTW I have a pick-up with a severely dented bedliner and a Prius for my Wuss driving.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:32:17 +0000

Saturn Vue won’t best Escape in MPG. But it will come with a much smaller premium, hopefully brining hybrids to a much more mainstream customer. And they use the battery from the inventor Cobasys.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:31:41 +0000

The Saturn Vue is estimated to have an EPA mileage pair at 29/32, while the Escape Hybrid 2wd is 36/31. Hence, the Vue will have a higher rated mileage (32) over the Escape’s 31, or the Toyota Highlander’s 28 MPG on the highway. You’ll notice that the Escape and Highlander both get higher city ratings (36 and 33, respectively). Though I have an Escape Hybrid, it’s nice to see companies (GM) producing different options for different driving styles (focusing on improving highway mileage at the expense of city). Anything that improves mileage and reduces emissions is a step in the right direction, even if it’s later than Hybrid enthusiasts would hope for.