Norland, Ontario - The 2008 Canadian Truck King Challenge took place last week at Head Lake in the Kawartha area of Ontario. Five manufacturers entered a total of 23 trucks in this year's competition.
Trucks from Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Toyota competed in a variety of on-road and off-road tests. Evaluation and scoring was conducted by Canadian auto journalists including CanadianDriver's Managing Editor, Grant Yoxon, and Assistant Editor, Jil McIntosh.
Trucks competing to be named the 2008 Canadian Truck King were classified into seven categories and included:
Mid-size under V6
2008 GMC Canyon SLE Crew Cab 4WD, 3.7-litre I-5
2008 Toyota Tacoma 4X3 Access Cab, 2.7-litre 4-cylinder
Mid-size V6 and over
2008 Dodge Dakota SXT Extended Cab, 4.7-litre V8
2007 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Double Cab, 4.0-litre V6
1/2 ton V8 under 5-litre
2008 Dodge Ram 1500 SXT Quad Cab, 4.7-litre V8
2007 Toyota Tundra 4X4 double Cab SR5, 4.7-litre V8
2008 Ford F350 Lariat King Ranch CrewCab, 6.4-litre PowerStroke Turbo Diesel
2008 Ford F450 Lariat King Ranch CrewCab, 6.4-litre PowerStroke Turbo Diesel
Work truck
2008 GMC Sierra 1500 Regular Cab 2WD, 4.8-litre V8
2007 Toyota Tundra Regular Cab 4X2, 4.7-litre V8
2007 Toyota Tundra 4X4 Double Cab with fifth wheel trailer. Click image to enlarge
The trucks were put through a variety of subjective tests. Judges drove the trucks unloaded on a 20-kilometre route, including gravel roads, rough paved roads and highways, to become familiar with the ride quality, performance, interior layout and controls of each truck. The trucks were then loaded with approximately 700 lbs (317 kg) of weight and driven over a 15-kilometre loop. Larger trucks also towed a variety of trailer loads. All trucks under one ton and equipped with four-wheel drive completed a challenging off-road course. One-ton trucks completed a shortened version of the off-road course to accommodate their size and to simulate work site conditions. The judges also closely examined each truck to identify and rate the utility of each vehicle. Utility included comfort and convenience features, storage, bed utility and security. Judges were also asked to rate each vehicle on safety, innovation and its ability to meet market expectations. Finally, judges were asked to consider exterior and interior design and styling and rate each vehicle according to their emotional appeal.
Acceleration and braking tests were also conducted on each truck. Final points for each truck in the competition will include compensation for price and fuel consumption. Lower price and lower fuel consumption add points while higher price and higher fuel consumption deduct points.
2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Ext. Cab 4WD. Click image to enlarge
Once all the points have been added up (or deducted!) and an overall winner has been determined, CanadianDriver will have complete coverage of the 2008 Canadian Truck King Challenge, including our own assessment of the trucks we drove.
Click here to view photos from the 2008 Canadian Truck King Challenge.
The Canadian Truck King Challenge is produced by Truck King Media Group. Click here to read about the 2007 Canadian Truck King Challenge and here to learn more about Truck King Media Group.
Grant Yoxon is an Ottawa-based automotive journalist and managing editor of CanadianDriver
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