Cars.com performs ultimate minivan shootout. Guess who won…

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Chrysler, Dodge, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen

Cars.com rounded up the year’s crop of new minivans for a comparison, the rare thrill being that minivans from every major maker are completely fresh for 2011. The entrants were the Nissan Quest (pictured), Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town & Country, Volkswagen Routan and Dodge Grand Caravan.

The testing format was also novel, in that Cars.com paired its own editors with reviewers from USA Today and the MotorWeek television show, plus the Weatherby family, an ‘average’ family of five – husband, wife and three kids.

After three days of testing and the tallying of numerous criteria, there was, of course, one 7-seater to rule them all. We won’t tell you which one it is, but its reviews included both “It doesn’t look like such a mommy car” and “Distressingly ugly in profile.” The Cars.com video review is after the jump, or head over to the link for the long-form skinny.

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Cars.com performs ultimate minivan shootout. Guess who won… originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 May 2011 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Power Stroke wins Ward’s diesel shootout

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Work, Dodge, Ford, GMC

2011 Ford Super Duty

2011 Ford Super Duty – Click above for high-res image gallery

Wards Auto has crowned its king of the 2011 diesel pickup engine crowd. The editors pitted the mills in the 2011 Dodge Ram HD, Ford Super Duty and the GMC Sierra Denali HD against each other in one epic battle royale at the Robert Bosch LLC test track, and while each of the three oil-burners did a smart job of hauling payloads and the like, Wards clearly favored one above the rest. The publication said that the powerhouse 6.7-liter turbocharged V8 in the Super Duty was the clear winner, despite being the most expensive of the three engines.

The editors chose the Ford over its competitors because of its ridiculous 800 pound-feet of torque, quietness and effortless towing, even though the 6.6-liter turbocharged Duramax V8 in the GMC produced faster 0-60 times in tests. Interestingly enough, Pickuptrucks.com skipped the Powerstroke in the Super Duty in favor of the Duramax Sierra. Given the obsessively thorough testing by Mike Levine and the rest of the Pickuptrucks.com crew, we’re a little more inclined to agree with those results. Still, you know what they say about opinions and elbows.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty

[Source: Wards Auto]

Ford Power Stroke wins Ward’s diesel shootout originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout: And the winners are…

Filed under: Truck, Work, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford

2010 PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout

2010 PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout – Click above for high-res image gallery

When it comes to all things pickup truck-related, our pal Mike Levine from PickupTrucks.com has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening. Every year, Levine gathers all of the currently available contenders in a particular segment of the truck market for a shootout. With General Motors, Ford and Chrysler all having launched heavily reworked heavy-duty trucks in the last six months, that was the segment of choice for this year’s 2010 Heavy-Duty Shootout. Levine collected three examples each of the 3/4-ton gas, 3/4-ton diesel and one-ton diesel duallie pickups for a battle royale at Milan Dragway in Michigan and the General Motors Milford proving ground.

The trucks were put through their paces in acceleration and braking tests, both unloaded and hauling trailers of up to 12,000 pounds. The trucks ran on the level Milan drag strip and up seven- and 16-percent grades at Milford. Levine also evaluated ride and handling and the trucks were put through a fuel economy drive loop. The bottom line results for each category are available after the jump and you can – and should – read Levine’s definitive report over at PickupTrucks.com.

Gallery: PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty shootout 2010

[Source: PickupTrucks]

Continue reading 2010 PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout: And the winners are…

2010 PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout: And the winners are… originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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