I took my youngest daughter with me to the Auto Show in Portland yesterday. Auto shows are a great place to compare products and features, and we were particularily interested in new pickups. A few notes on our impressions:

1. A Dodge Club Cab interior isn't small, it's downright claustrophobic in the back seat. My 13 yr old had her knees jammed in the front seatbacks. Entry and exit is difficult- especially the exit. It's almost like jumping off of a wall down to street level. We decided it didn't matter how nice the powertrain was, the interior just wasn't useable for a family with teens.

2. Silverado/GMC Crew Cab. Roomier than the Dodge, with easy entry/exit. Bland interior, but especially comfortable front seats (a LT version is what we sat in).

3. Ford F150 Supercrew. Lariat trim with Bucket Seats beautiful to look at, but console seemed to take up a lot of room. Comfortable seats, entry/exit wasn't bad.

4. Ford F250 Supercrew Lariat. The roomiest interior by a long shot. Back seat especially roomy and comfortable- three teens could easily sit there for a road trip. Front Seat area roomier yet- to the point that it might almost be overwhelming if someone isn't used to a vehicle this size. Eyepopping MSRP.

5. Lincoln Blackwood. Daughter: "It looks just like the Ford, what's the point?" I thought it looked nice- a dark color really shows off the extra chrome.

6. Nissan Titan. Had the most back seat room of all the trucks except the Ford SD- surprising. Also surprising was the amount of gray, hard plastic in the interior- looked cheap to me. Doors had a faint "echo" when they're slammed, unlike the solid "thump" from Dodge/GMC, and Ford. Verdict: daughter loved it- especially the styling. I was underwhelmed, especially about the styling.

7. Toyota Tundra Double Cab. "Nice" is a word we used a lot. No glaring faults, nothing that jumps out and says "buy me." Rear seat room better than the Dodge, not quite up to the standard of the others. Seemed well put together, but no more than the other makes.

8. Honda Ridgeline. This one was a surprise- a Honda Avalanche. Looks better in person than in pictures. Interior room on par with GMC/Ford F150. Very comfortable seats, front and back. Easiest entry/exit. Don't have a clue what they drive like, but saw a lot more there than I expected. Daughter said "I'd rather have an Avalanche."

non truck notes:

1. Whoever designs Saab's seats needs to be hired by other manufacturers. A 9-5 has the best seats I've ever sat in- front or back.

2. A Black Escalade with 20" wheels has presence. Whatever you feel about the chassis/mechanicals, it's got enough eyeball for 2 SUV's.

3. The Mustang convertible is a winner what a surprise, but the White GT Coupe with Red leather really had a lot of eyeball.

Anyone else been to an auto show? What did you see, what did you like/dislike?

The Northwest Chapter of FTE
we don't get lost,
just found

 

Just curios, was it a Blackwood or the new Mark LT.

 

Freudian slip- Mark LT.

 

Freudian .....he types 30% of all my posts

 

I love auto shows. I'm getting set to take my 4yr old son to the auto show in New York this year. He loves that stuff and you're right, it's a great place to compare brands in close proximity.

 

Me and 2 other friends of mine, all 150+, 5' 8" or taller had no issues driving an hour to a concert this summer in my buddies 02 Ram Club Cab. My knee's never hit the drivers seat, and I really like how you could roll the windows all the way down. Exiting wasn't an issue either. I sat in the back of an F150 extended cab and it was about equal to the dodge. I'd say the Chevy extended cab was the best of the three though, but like the ford, not front hinged.

 

Polarbear:

Which "Club Cab" are you refering to with the Dodge? The Dakota? The Ram only comes Reg or Quad, and Dakota comes Club or Quad. If your talking about the Dakota, you hit the nail on the head. The Dakota club cab is very small. I was looking at one yesterday at the dealership. The Dakota quad on the otherhand is a very roomy truck for the size of truck that it is.

 

The Ram! Part of the fun in taking a kid or two along is they see the whole thing differently- and sometimes more objectively. We were in a Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab (ok, I'll get the name right). My 13 yr old is about 5'7", but she has long legs. Her older sister is 5'11", and my son is over 6'2"- so she's the baseline. If she can't fit comfortably, none of the other kids have a prayer.

 

off topic- enjoy it while you can, Dad. They'll be asking for the car keys before you know it.

 

Polarbear I wish I had a chance to attend an auto show. Makes for good comparisons between brands. I bet you they didnt have a Ford superduty next to the other makes especially the crew cabs itwould make them look so small. I would agree with your asessment of the makes. The so called Dodge quadcab is pretty cramped despite what bigbluebronco said. Ive sat in them and there pretty tight in there. The Fords so much better. Ford definitly has the lead rightnow in trucks with the others falling further anf further behind.

 

150Ford- Did I ever say "Compared to the Ford Superduty, the Dodge ram has TONS of room?" No, so stop putting words in my mouth.

 

Excuse me sorry if I didnt make myself clear there. Just tryig to make a point. No offense intended.

 

IMO the Dodge Quad Cab compares well with the F-150 Super Cab, but is no comparison to a Super Crew. Dodge is too much into the one size fits all approach, where Ford, Chevy Nissan and Toyota seem to cater to all needs. That is evident in the Durango as well. They size it right in between so they don't have to be competitive in any area, just split the difference and call it good.

 

That's pretty much right on the money.

I believe that the new Durango looks more like a van than an SUV. The hood is too short.