The Family Car features pickup trucks




Cool New Pickups Mitsubishi Mitsubishi recently introduced the Raider pickup truck. We'll review it here soon. Isuzu The automaker's full-size truck models are called the i-280 extended cab and i-350 crew cab, both of which are related to the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. The Isuzu trucks achieve fuel mileage of 20 to 27 mpg.	Pick Up Women Forgive us for our provocative title. This isn’t an article about how to pick up women. It is a story about how women have picked up on pickup trucks. Sure, everyone tends to think about trucks as the modern day stallion for macho men to ride high in their saddles. Yet the rugged, tough, dependable and powerful pickup trucks have gathered a sizeable stable of women owners. On our way from Los Angeles to Sacramento, driving along California’s nifty route 99, we observed lots of women of all ages driving trucks. We interviewed many of them, discovering that women don’t just drive trucks, they love them too! Despite an overall decline in pickup truck market share in 2001, analysts have revealed that two of the top five most popular new vehicles among American women were pickup trucks. Women registered a total of 74,519 Ford F-Series pickup trucks between January-October 2001. This ranks the F-Series second behind only the Honda Accord (84,402) in the total number of new vehicles registered to women in the U.S. during that period. The Chevrolet Silverado series of pickup trucks ranked fifth overall with 61,264 new vehicles registered to women from January-October 2001. During the first 11 months of 2004, research by RL Polk showed that American women bought as many full-size pickups as they did minivans — more than 250,000.
			Honda Ridgeline Honda’s Ridgeline has been turning heads on the highway for most of the past two years. It’s hardy appearance, four door comfort and hidden rear cargo space has gotten rave reviews, including Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year honor. The Ridgeline’s mileage is in the 16-21 mpg range. MSRP: $27,800-$32,940 City: 16 mpg Hwy: 21 mpg
	*Why women buy trucks* Recently we interviewed an older married woman who owns a tourist shop in Arizona and has owned her Toyota truck for more than 10 years. In addition, we talked with a woman in her early twenties as she, her two kids and a friend were out shopping a in Ford F-150. And among still others, we also interviewed a middle-aged lady in her new Honda Ridgeline with her pet for a passenger. Here are some of the reasons these women and others mentioned they love their truck. They’re great for hauling stuff Their kids like them because they think it's cool. They're tough enough for pets. Old people could have a better driving view and command of the road. They're size make you feel big and powerful no matter what size you are. "Bigger automobiles handle crashes better" and thus, looks safer, especially if you are with your precious ones. Husbands like them and they help eliminate excuses for why they can’t do home repair. Trucks are fun and denotes adventure! They can be taken off-road to explore uncharted territory.	Women designing trucks As more women are buying into the automobile market, the number of women involved in designing, engineering or marketing of vehicles are steadily increasing. They are providing features that will be appealing to women. Among features the women have helped bring to pickups: Adjustable brake and gas pedals on Ford trucks, easing driving for smaller women and shorter men. Larger and more storage compartments Smoother automatic transmissions and easier-to-shift manual transmissions. Better-insulated passenger cabins with features such as power windows, CD players and leather seats. Bigger passenger cabins for hauling families. Softer, more carlike rides rather than the traditional bouncy truck ride. They also provide rectangular cup holders to accommodate juice boxes. There have of course been improvements made in safety such as adding airbags. "We've moved from a strictly work-truck vehicle to a blend of function and personal use," says Susan Dehne, 41, chief engineer for the Ford Explorer Sport and Sport Trac. And she says women will play a growing role in deciding what options should be in the "family" pickup	Dodge Dakota MSRP: $19,780-$26,895 City: 15-16 mpg Hwy: 19-22 mpg Dodge Ram Watch for our video review of this big boy in the very near future. We're almost done editing it. MSRP: $22,135-$32,350 City: 14-18 mpg Hwy: 18-21 mpg * voted Truck of the Year Ford F-150 Video review of the 150 is also just a week away. MSRP: $19,120-$37,125 City: 15 mpg Hwy: 19 mpg