Change of the Guard: The 2019 Ram 1500 Longhorn Crew Cab 4X4

The 2019 Ram 1500 Longhorn Crew Cab 4X4.

There's a saying (no idea who said it first) that it's not hype if you can back it up.

All that hype you've been hearing about the 2019 Ram 1500?  It's not hype.

Ram (formerly Dodge Truck) has been playing the long game.  They revolutionized pickup truck styling 25 years ago.  That massive, macho thing that pickup trucks have now elevated to an art form?  Ram (then Dodge) did it first.   And now that some trucks have taken it to an illogical extreme, Ram has found a way to do massive, imposing...and elegant.  The front of the 2019 Ram 1500 is just plain gorgeous.

Timing Is Everything: The 2019 GMC Sierra Denali 1500 4WD Crew Cab

The 2019 GMC Sierra Denali 1500 4WD Crew Cab.

The pickup truck business, like the pickup truck itself, used to be so simple:  A box up front to hold the engine, a box in the middle to hold three people on a flat bench seat and an open box in the back to haul stuff.  It needed to be fixable with farm tools, rugged enough to withstand abuse for a decade or two and that was pretty much it.

The times, they have a-changed.  Pickup trucks now occupy the space where American luxury cars were when pickups were simple.  They are the Cadillac Fleetwood, Lincoln Continental and Chrysler Imperial of today---judged on their flash, their levels of equipment and creature comforts, their power and their prestige, they are (along with big SUVs based on them like the Suburban, Yukon XL, Expedition, Navigator and Escalade), the only vehicles American manufacturers can ask and get premium prices for.

It is a fickle space, where what was good enough last year might not cut it this year.

New Kid In The Boonies: The 2017 Nissan Titan 5.6-Liter Endurance V8 PRO-4X 4WD CC

The 2017 Nissan Titan 5.6-Liter Endurance V8 PRO-4X 4WD CC

About two months ago, we discussed Nissan's large-pickup truck strategy with its new gasoline-powered Titan pickup line.  Nissan turned the playbook inside out, leading with its diesel-powered heavy duty models last year, and is now bringing the standard-duty and off-road/sport models to market for 2017.