Ford is delivering an updated lineup of F-Series large pickup trucks and trucks. This ‘Super Duty’ lineup is said to support Ford in its struggle to keep up its post in truck sales. With the debut of these all-new vehicles, Ford will serve as a mighty rival to General Motors Corp.

GMC is also unraveling a brand-new pickup - Chevrolet Silverado. Said model is considered a threat that could take away part of Ford F-150 sales. So far, said model is the best-selling vehicle in the US. In the past few years, Ford has sold approximately 900,000 F-Series trucks annually. Moreover, 40 percent of F-series trucks sold are Super Duty trucks.

New trucks is given extra towing capacity, refined suspension, a tailgate that turns into a step, and a brand new 6.4-liter diesel engine. These fresh features are incorporated to Ford F-150 pickup parts to pave way for a powerful, manageable and improved ride.

Ford’s F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 will vie in the work trucks category. The trucks included are those that weigh more than 8,500 pounds.

The Super Duty represents products that are going to shape the future of the company. This truck is the no excuses, best-in-class, biggest, most capable truck in the marketplace. It also casts a halo and reinforces the fact that we got a vehicle here that is innovative.

The combined Super Duty line would rank among Ford’s top-selling models, making it extremely important for the company. The trucks have high profit margins, so Ford is trying to hold off Chevrolet from taking any of its market shares. It’s like their crown jewel, and they’re going to protect it no matter what it takes.

The Chevrolet Avalanche is a version of the remarkable re-engineered full-size pickups and SUVs that General Motors has started selling. It has such a charming appearance and has a lot of potentials of becoming a terrific truck. With the addition of some truck accessories here and there like for instance grille guards truck can help to further boost its looks plus safeness in which this truck lacks. grille guards truck can provide the front end with a bold, tough look while enhancing protection of the truck.

Despite the charisma that the Avalanche possesses it’s not enough to hide its flaws like for instance its lack of back seat room, its not so comfortable front seats, and disappointing fuel economy rating.

But then again in spite of the drawbacks that the Avalanche has it also has some admirable features such as:

• Its redesigned looks that share with all of GM’s full-size trucks which helps greatly in improving the Avalanche. It is also good that Chevrolet has finally decided to discontinue the grotesque side cladding which really help in improving the looks of the Avalanche.

• The modified cargo box of the Avalanche has deep, covered side compartments that can hold a lot of beverage containers, groceries, and truck supplies. They have drains so you fill them with ice or use them as coolers. The three-piece hard tonneau cover seals the cargo box, making it as a useful enormous trunk.

• And since it’s a new GM truck it was given a premium interior; smooth ride; agile handling, especially for its size. Its additional option and standard features are desirable enough that they can tempt you to overlook drawbacks.

The Avalanche has some flaws and these are as follows:

• Cadillac trucks and some GMC trucks have six-speed boxes, which typically boost fuel economy 5 percent or more vs. four-speeds. On the other hand the Avalanche was given a four-speed automatic transmission which is not as efficient as those of the Cadillac and some other GMC trucks.

• The Avalanche lack rear visibility since its tailgate and cargo box block vision which makes it mandatory for would-be Avalanche owners to purchase the $250 rearview camera.

• Front seats have too much lumbar bump. It can’t be retracted fully unlike in some rival trucks.

• Head restraints are not provided for the middle rear rider making it a potential safety hazard. On the other hand, the safety belt for that slot is mounted to the back of the seat, positioning it low for a youngster in a booster seat.

• The back-seat room is too little, despite the generous 39 inches of legroom.

Japanese brands accounted for nearly half the models in Consumer Reports magazine’s roster of vehicles winning the highest praise from their owners.

Toyota Motor Corp. came out ahead, with 10 of the 39 vehicles whose owners said in overwhelming numbers that they would buy the same model again, according to the survey released today.

American brands accounted for seven, or fewer than 20 percent, of the models rated “most satisfying” by U.S. consumers. But domestic vehicles gained ground for the first time in five years in the important family car category, where the V6-powered Ford Fusion and Saturn Aura won high marks.

Other top-rated U.S. vehicles included the Chevrolet Corvette, the Lincoln MKZ, the V8-powered Ford Mustang and the Ford Edge sport utility vehicle.

“These latest results suggest that domestic carmakers are getting better at capturing what people want in the car they drive every day,” said Rik Paul, Consumer Reports’ automotive editor.

Domestic vehicles still fill the ranks of “least satisfying” models, but many of those, like the Ford Freestar minivan, are no longer in production or are getting old.

Consumer Reports compiled the results from the responses to the same subscriber survey that generates the magazine’s closely watched reliability ratings. The magazine said the responses covered more than 300 models.

The findings confirm the results of other polls, which show that while the Japanese are ahead in terms of pleasing consumers, others are narrowing the gap.

“There’s no question that the quality gap has narrowed” and that Detroit’s automakers also are producing more attractively styled cars now, said Christopher Chaney, vice president at the San Diego-based consulting firm Strategic Vision, which also conducts auto surveys.

Fun, reliability big factors
Consumer Reports said the Toyota Prius hybrid car was rated the most satisfying vehicle for the fourth year in a row, with 92 percent of Prius owners saying they would definitely buy one again. Close behind were the BMW 335i coupe/convertible and the Porsche Boxster.

European models accounted for 12 cars on the list — a slight increase from last year and a disproportionately high number, given their small U.S. market share of less than 10 percent. European nameplates dominated the sporty car and roadster categories.

Two South Korean models, Hyundai’s Azera sedan and Santa Fe SUV, made the list of “most satisfying” cars for the first time.

David Champion, director of vehicle testing at Consumer Reports, said the highest-rated vehicles tended to be fun to drive and reliable. “If you buy a car and it doesn’t give you any problems, you tend to be satisfied with it.”

Although performance is a big factor, fuel efficiency is also an important consideration now, Champion said. “Cars that get good fuel economy are also very high in terms of owner satisfaction.”

Consumer Reports rates vehicles “most satisfying” if at least 80 percent of owners say they would definitely buy or lease that model again. They are rated “least satisfying” if fewer than half the owners would buy that model again.