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Ranking full-size pickup trucks by the size of their discounts

Each and every month, full-size pickup trucks dominate the new-car sales reports in America. It's been that way for years — the Ford F-Series has been America's best-selling vehicle for 38 consecutive years — and it's not going to change any time soon. With that in mind, we've compiled this list of discounts on brand-new full-size pickup trucks using data provided by Truecar, including their average retail prices, average transaction prices and discounts in dollars and percentage off list price. We've also created a visualization of the best deals Americans are scoring on the three best-selling models in America. If you're looking for the absolute biggest discount you can find on a new truck, look no further than your nearest Ram dealership, then scour the lot for a leftover 2019 1500 model. Buyers are averaging nearly 13% off the cost of the 2019 Ram, paying an average transaction cost of $41,667. That's $6,071 off the average retail price, which equals the best truck deal in October. The 2020 edition isn't discounted nearly as far, averaging $2,852 off for an average transaction price of $48,904. The next best deal is on the 2019 Ford F-150; its average transaction price of $43,064 equals $3,843 off its sticker price. The 2020 F-150's $2,810 discount means buyers are paying around $47,300. They should know, though, that a brand-new model is coming for 2021, so we'd expect bigger discounts on remaining 2020 inventory in the coming months. Moving to General Motors, the best deal you'll find is on leftover 2019 Chevy Silverado 1500s, which are selling for an average of $47,043. That's $2,852 off the sticker price. Interestingly, 2020 Silverados are seeing slightly lower transaction prices at $46,009, but with a smaller average discount of $1,693. The 2020 GMC Sierra is mechanically similar to the Chevy, but aimed at buyers who want a bit more luxury. That's reflected in the 2020 Sierra 1500's average transaction price of $54,491, which is $2,131 off its sticker. If pickup trucks aren't your thing, take a look at this list of the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide.

Toyota tops Consumer Reports best, worst used car values

We often mock Toyota for building boring, soulless cars, but a new study by Consumer Reports suggests that regardless of whether that's true, the company has some of the best used cars on the market. In its report on used cars from 2004-2013, the Japanese automaker had 11 vehicles among its brands on the list - more than any other automaker.
CR breaks the list down by cost and vehicle size, and Toyota has at least one entry at every price point and in nearly every segment. To score a recommendation, a vehicle had to perform well in the magazine's initial tests and score above-average reliability results. It also tried to only suggest cars with electronic stability control. Of the 28 recommended vehicles, Honda/Acura had the second most mentions at six, and Ford, Hyundai and Subaru managed two each.
The Detroit brands also made it to the list, but not in a positive way. Consumer Reports compiled a list of 22 vehicles it wouldn't recommend because "they have multiple years of much-worse-than-average overall reliability." General Motors had the most unrecommended models on the list at six, but Chrysler and Ford weren't far behind, with five cars each from their brands not making the grade. The full list of recommendations is available on CR's website.

Ford secures Microsoft for software updates

Ford is dropping Microsoft later this year as its infotainment partner when the Blue Oval switches to the BlackBerry QNX operating system for Sync 3 (pictured above). However, the two companies aren't severing ties completely, because the Redmond, WA, outfit is taking responsibility for Sync 3's wireless updates. Don Butler, Ford Director of Connected Vehicles and Services, announced the deal during a speech, according to Automotive News. "We've obviously had a good, long relationship with Microsoft," he said. "Microsoft understands the automotive environment and the kinds of experiences that we'd like to enable." The ability for Sync 3 to accept Wifi updates was announced as a major feature the new infotainment system, but this was the first mention of how that has been handled. Ford will host the files on Microsoft's Azure Cloud servers, according to Automotive News. Owners will need to give permission to check for new software, and they'll be notified after an improvement's installation. Dealers will install Wifi transmitters to keep vehicles on the lot up to date, as well. Sync 3 is set to replace the much-maligned MyFord Touch later in 2015 on some 2016 model year vehicles, and by next year it should be available throughout the Ford and Lincoln lineups. In addition to the wireless updates, the new system also promises a simplified interface, better voice recognition and faster response times. Ford Motor Company is preparing for vehicle ownership and user experiences of the future with the creation of a global cloud based Ford Service Delivery Network enabling new ways for consumers to interact with cars. Teaming up with Microsoft, Ford will expand connected services for customers around the world using the globally scalable and reliable Azure Cloud infrastructure. Ford and Lincoln owners will benefit from the convenience of new connectivity services keeping them better informed and in control of their vehicle at all times with the expanded availability of features like scheduled remote start, vehicle finder, and vehicle status (fuel or charge level, tire pressure). Building the Ford Service Delivery Network (SDN) on the Microsoft Azure platform enables a common platform for Ford to bring new features and services to market faster, quickly scale up for global implementation, and remain flexible for the future. Starting later this year, the Service Delivery Network will first enable over-the-air software updates for SYNC 3.