Chevrolet Avalanche.
On a list of today's best-built vehicles, you might expect to find a sleek Mercedes sedan or an iconic Porsche convertible. Even a fuel-sipping minivan from Toyota.
But a pickup? Probably not.
Toyota Tundra.
Yet these workhorses are now among the highest-quality vehicles on the road, earning better marks in key quality studies than many cars, including some luxury models.
Leading the way are American brands, determined to keep their Japanese rivals at bay.
In J.D. Power and Associates' latest initial quality rankings, pickups widened their lead over other light vehicles for 2010 models: Problems per 100 vehicles reported during the first three months of ownership totaled 95, compared with the industry average of 109. Leading the pack were General Motors' Chevrolet Avalanche and GMC Sierra.
GMC Sierra.
Today's pickup buyers are finding fewer problems because buyers demanded and got more creature comforts. The pickup has come a long way from the spartan regular cab of the '90s, with a bench front seat and few amenities, says Bob Hegbloom, Chrysler's head of truck, SUV and commercial vehicle product planning.
"They didn't ride well," he says. "They were a tool."
Higher quality expected
Along with plush options such as leather seating and infotainment systems -- and bigger cabs making them family vehicles -- came buyers' expectations of higher quality.
Truck facts
- Sales of full-size pickups surged 29 percent in July from the previous year, compared with a 5 percent increase for overall industry sales.
- Detroit's Big Three sold more than 1 million of the 1.14 million full-size pickups bought in the U.S. last year.
- The best-scoring large pickups in the J.D. Power initial quality rankings were the Avalanche and Sierra, tied at 81 for the fewest problems, followed by the Ford F-150 at 85.
"I think it will last," says Dave Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research for J.D. Power, of trucks' improved quality. "It is an incredibly competitive segment."
Because most pickups are comparable in terms of functionality, one of their differentiators is quality, he says, which fosters continual one-upmanship. Doug Scott, Ford's truck marketing manager, says that for years the belief was that trucks came with a compromise.
"To get towing and off-road capability, you gave up on comfort and ride and handling," he says.
That's no longer the case. Base models have the comforts associated with most cars, and Ford's expansion into high-end models such as the King Ranch and Platinum trim lines has exceeded its sales expectations by double, Scott says.
The 1994 Dodge Ram was another tipping point. That's when the bold exterior that defines the Dodge brand today made its debut.
The 1994 Dodge Ram changed the way many automakers looked at pickup truck exteriors.
"It was clearly a shot across the bow in exterior styling to say 'Look at me,' " says Rick Spina, GM line executive for trucks, and exterior styling has been high on customers' lists ever since.
Tundra was potential threat
Toyota's foray into the U.S. truck market put the Americans on notice.
The Japanese automaker introduced the Tundra in 1999. While the original truck was not competitive, Toyota's reputation for continual improvement made it a potential future threat. Nissan unveiled its Titan in 2003.
And although Toyota and Nissan, combined, accounted for fewer than 100,000 U.S. sales last year (Ford and GM sell that many in a month), the scare made the domestics even better.
"When you have Toyota entering a segment, it turns the heat up on the quality side," Sargent says. "But the domestics have been improving faster than the imports, and they dominate that segment."
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