johngottfredson
Threat Level Midnight
- Location
- Alpine
Maybe I'm just paying attention, but it looks like the next few years could be good ones for truck guys who also off-road.
Most brands are coming out with higher quality trucks or packages that come from the factory with some legitimate off-road chops.
Perhaps hats off first to Jeep for setting the example with the Rubicon, which demonstrated that there is a strong market for legit OEM off-road machines. Too many off-road packages are just cosmetic or close to it (seriously, I think my 01 tundra trd off road consists of a sticker only. Oh wait, I think the paint on the bumpers might be different, so that makes it better).
With the SVT Raptor, Ford knocked it out of the park, and proved that the off-road crowd isn't limited to a few jeep enthusiasts. Now it looks like everyone wants a piece of the action:
-Toyota, always a market leader in this area, pushing the TRD Pro series. Looks like the 2017 will be their best Pro model yet. http://expeditionportal.com/exclusive-test-2017-tacoma-trd-pro-review/
-Nissan is (conceptually) stepping up to challenge the Raptor http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/...e-2016-north-american-international-auto-show
-Chevy gives the tease that they might join the fray with the ZR2 Colorado http://www.caranddriver.com/news/chevrolet-colorado-zr2-concept-photos-and-info-news
-Dodge of course has been strong on the power wagon, NEW with Rebel inspired "attitude!".... http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2016/02/2017-ram-power-wagon-the-rebel-on-steroids.html
-Jeep wanting to capture some of the truck market http://blog.caranddriver.com/its-official-jeep-wrangler-pickup-is-coming-in-2017/
And just to make things fun, more old rumors about the Bronco making a return, with talks of bringing back the Ranger to Ford's lineup http://www.carscoops.com/2015/11/ford-to-resurrect-bronco-bring-ranger.html
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This is all welcome news to me, because my truck is probably going to be holding strong for the next five years. I'm hoping that by the time it gets sent down the road, there will be some great options for me on the gently used market.
While I sort of hate the Transformer aesthetic that is hot right now, and I definitely hate the crazy graphics that way, way too often accompany these things, I am pretty excited about the future.
Most brands are coming out with higher quality trucks or packages that come from the factory with some legitimate off-road chops.
Perhaps hats off first to Jeep for setting the example with the Rubicon, which demonstrated that there is a strong market for legit OEM off-road machines. Too many off-road packages are just cosmetic or close to it (seriously, I think my 01 tundra trd off road consists of a sticker only. Oh wait, I think the paint on the bumpers might be different, so that makes it better).
With the SVT Raptor, Ford knocked it out of the park, and proved that the off-road crowd isn't limited to a few jeep enthusiasts. Now it looks like everyone wants a piece of the action:
-Toyota, always a market leader in this area, pushing the TRD Pro series. Looks like the 2017 will be their best Pro model yet. http://expeditionportal.com/exclusive-test-2017-tacoma-trd-pro-review/
-Nissan is (conceptually) stepping up to challenge the Raptor http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/...e-2016-north-american-international-auto-show
-Chevy gives the tease that they might join the fray with the ZR2 Colorado http://www.caranddriver.com/news/chevrolet-colorado-zr2-concept-photos-and-info-news
-Dodge of course has been strong on the power wagon, NEW with Rebel inspired "attitude!".... http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2016/02/2017-ram-power-wagon-the-rebel-on-steroids.html
-Jeep wanting to capture some of the truck market http://blog.caranddriver.com/its-official-jeep-wrangler-pickup-is-coming-in-2017/
And just to make things fun, more old rumors about the Bronco making a return, with talks of bringing back the Ranger to Ford's lineup http://www.carscoops.com/2015/11/ford-to-resurrect-bronco-bring-ranger.html
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
This is all welcome news to me, because my truck is probably going to be holding strong for the next five years. I'm hoping that by the time it gets sent down the road, there will be some great options for me on the gently used market.
While I sort of hate the Transformer aesthetic that is hot right now, and I definitely hate the crazy graphics that way, way too often accompany these things, I am pretty excited about the future.
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