Pickup power: new trucks for 2004 are bigger, badder, and better - Annual Truck Report

Tools of the Trade, Nov-Dec, 2003 by Michael Morris

If you've been holding off buying your next pickup, or are just waiting for the 2004 models to hit the showrooms, you could be looking pretty smart right about now. The upcoming model year is shaping up to be an important one for the truck makers (and truck buyers), with a number of all-new vehicles roiling out alongside some major retooling efforts on existing vehicles.

For starters, Nissan steps up to the big-time with its first full-size pickup, the Titan, and this truck comes out of the gate strong. General Motors creates an altogether new category with its two first-ever mid-size trucks, the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado, adding to its full-size and compact pickup lines. Dodge brings back its fabled Hemi engine to power the full-size Ram, while Toyota rolls out a four-door Double Cab on its big Tundra. And Ford debuts its much-awaited, totally remodeled F-150, marking yet another milestone for this pickup icon.

Here's how the 2004 pickup truck model year introductions shake out:

Ford F-150 Facelift

Any discussion of full-size pickup trucks has to begin with the one that started it all. Ford F-Series pickups have been in continuous production since 1948 and are still the all-time best-selling vehicle line worldwide with more than 27 million produced to date. For 2004. the automaker has added to this awesome legacy with a major body, frame, and engine overhaul for its standard-bearer, the F-150.

Tire-kickers will no doubt notice the great new exterior and interior look to the new F-150s, but more important are the technological drivetrain and suspension improvements and work-related items like a 2-inch-deeper bed and stretched cab lengths for improved interior comfort and storage. It's also worth noting that, among standard full-size pickup marques, Ford now offers the most configurations--three cab sizes, three bed lengths, two box styles, and five models in two-wheel or four-wheel drive to choose among. Only General Motors has a greater variety of models, if you count both GMC and Chevy pickups.

Ford offers two hot new engines for 2004: an improved gasser for the F-150 and an all new 6-liter turbo-diesel in the Super Duty F-250 line. The 5.4-liter Triton V8 gas engine is a sophisticated power plant with three valves per cylinder, variable cam tinting, and electronic throttle control for improved performance, mileage, and towing/hauling capability. The throttle control is fly-by-wire, an aerospace-inspired bit of tech that replaces mechanical linkages with electronic sensors to more precisely regulate what happens where the rubber meets the road. The second F-150 engine option, the 4.6-liter V8, shares this linkage-free setup.

No less amazing is Ford's new turbocharged 6-liter diesel, which is matched to a transmission that electronically varies wheel torque and power to match the load, all the while allowing for driver input through the brake pedal. Yes, it sounds complicated, but it works seamlessly. Non-diesel lovers should check out this new mill--it's so silent and smooth under load that it's hard to tell it's running, even with the windows down. And despite its relatively compact size, the 6.0 claims bragging rights as the most powerful pickup engine of all, with 325 hp and a thundering 560 maximum pounds-feet of torque.

Enter the Titans

Here's some really significant news lot truck buyers: Now there's another pickup line to pick from. Nissan elbows into the big track market in big-time fashion for 2004 with its all-new, full size Titan in Crew Cab and King Cab models. Although die-hard Detroit traditionalists still have a hard time accepting the fact that the "import" brands can build a truly full-size truck (actually, these will be built in Canton, Miss., alongside full-size Nissan and Infiniti SUVs), the Titan is one large, serious American-style pickup.

Unlike Toyota, which tiptoed toward the U.S. full size pickup category with increasingly larger and more powerful model introductions over the years, the Titan enters our world with a brawny 5.6-liter Endurance V8 engine as standard equipment, with specs to rival not only the big Toyota Tundra but also the Detroit franchise pickups.

The new-for-'04 Titan engine (also built here, in one of Nissan's two Tennessee plants) produces more than 300 hp with 375 pounds-feet of torque--almost 90 percent of which is available at below 2,500 rpm, where it's needed most for towing, hauling, and off-road use. Maximum towing capacity is 9,500 pounds, with a 1,780-pound payload rating. A five-speed automatic transmission with tow/haul mode (first introduced by General Motors in the early Silverados/Sierras) optimizes the shift pattern for extra pulling power under heavy loads or on hills. An optional limited-slip traction control system automatically applies braking to wheels that need it under slippery or loose-soil conditions.

The Titan Crew Cabs, with four full-size doors and 126 cubic feet of interior volume, offer comfortable seating for up to six passengers with ample legroom and headroom front and rear. Contractors and project managers will like the center-console interior configuration with storage for hanging file folders along with a fold-flat passenger seatback that can be used as a desk. The King Cab models give up some interior space but have longer beds (79 inches) than the Crew Cabs (67 inches), but they share virtually all of the Crew Cab's drivetrain and interior features. King Cabs have smaller, front-opening rear doors, but they swing open nearly 180 degrees for improved access.