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Should heavy-duty pickup trucks have window stickers with fuel mileage estimates?

If you were to stroll into your nearest Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Nissan, or Ram dealership, you'd find a bunch of pickup trucks. Most of those would have proper window stickers labeled with things like base prices, options prices, location of manufacture, and, crucially, fuel economy estimates. But you'd also run across a number of heavy-duty trucks with no such fuel mileage data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA doesn't require automakers to publish the valuable miles-per-gallon measurement for vehicles with gross weight ratings that exceed 8,500 pounds. That makes it difficult for consumers to compare behemoths powered by turbocharged diesel engines – between one another, and between smaller, gasoline-fueled trucks. Consumer Reports doesn't think it should be this way, and it's spearheading an effort (PDF link) to get the government to require manufacturers to publish fuel economy estimates. In its own testing, CR found that heavy-duty pickups powered by Ford's Power Stroke, GM's Duramax, and FCA's Cummins diesel engines (which doesn't include the Ram's EcoDiesel) get worse fuel mileage than their lighter-duty gas-powered siblings. We're not so sure HD-truck buyers are unaware of this fact – big diesels don't really come into their own until big loads are placed in their beds or attached to their trailer hitches. Under heavy workloads, the diesel trucks will almost certainly return greater efficiency than a similar gas-powered truck. What's more, HD trucks with lumbering diesels in general make the driver feel more confident while towing due to greater torque at low engine RPM than gas trucks. They also offer greater max-weight limits. Still, we agree EPA fuel mileage estimates should be offered for heavy-duty pickups. And we think the comparisons provided by Consumer Reports might be interesting to potential buyers. Click here to see the results of CR's tests, and let us know what you think using the poll below. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty: First Drive View 22 Photos News Source: Consumer Reports Government/Legal Green Read This Chevrolet Ford GMC Nissan RAM Fuel Efficiency Truck Commercial Vehicles Diesel Vehicles poll gmc sierra hd chevy silverado hd

FCA's U.S. sales chief sues company for wrongful retaliation

Some fresh controversy is brewing at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as The Detroit News reports that the head of U.S. sales has filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the company.. Reid Bigland, who's also in charge of the Ram truck brand, alleges that FCA made him a scapegoat for wrongful sales inflation practices and fixing vehicle sales statistics, which are currently under investigation by federal agents. Bigland claims that FCA executives punished him for cooperating with the federal investigators in the case by cutting his pay by more than 90 percent, according to the lawsuit he filed. The plan apparently was to use the money saved to pay for fines following any settlements made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. So far, the lawsuit alleges that FCA cost Bigland over $1.8 million in income. "They had the largest growth in retail sales in 17 years last year and refuses to pay him," Deborah Gordon, Bigland's lawyer in the case, said to The Detroit News. "Why is that? Because he participated in the SEC investigation and they don't like what he said." Bigland claims he just cooperated with the SEC investigation by testifying about FCA's sales reporting, from the time he took the position to the period prior to being appointed the company's U.S. sales chief. "In late 2018, presumably as a way to wrap up their investigation with some result, the SEC suggested to plaintiff that he admit to some wrongdoing as to defendants' monthly sales reporting," Gordon further said in a statement as part of the lawsuit. "The SEC also suggested a resolution involving some penalty to FCA. Because (Bigland) had not engaged in any wrongdoing, and there was no wrongdoing, he declined to do so." However, exacerbating the issue is the fact that Bigland reportedly sold his shares in the company last year, prompting FCA to act against him even more. FCA came under fire recently by federal agents in at least two separate investigations, potentially exposing conspiracy and corruption between company executives and private entities. The investigations are being led independently by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI. So far, eight convictions were reportedly secured, with one including former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Vice President Alphons Iacobelli, as one of the defendants. Iacobelli was one of the former top labor-relations executives for the automaker.

Omaze is giving away a luxurious, custom Ford F-250 off-roading machine

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze.  Enter to win this giveaway or any other Omaze experience between now and November 26, 2020, use code UNWRAP300 and receive 300 bonus entries. Winning this sweepstakes will be the best Black Friday deal you’ll ever find. Personally, IÂ’m not much of a heavy-duty pickup guy. I donÂ’t have a camper to tow, nor the garage space for a big truck. But I can appreciate them. Driving a Ram Power Wagon off-road in the Nevada desert is boatloads of fun. If you need to tow 15,000 pounds and love off-roading, thereÂ’s nothing better than a heavy-duty pickup, and this custom F-250 that Omaze is giving away is one youÂ’d love to take off-road in the wide open space of a desert. Win a Custom Ford F-250 4x4 Diesel and $20,000 - Enter at Omaze This truck, customized by LGE-CTS, is a monster. It features a 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel under the hood that produces 475 horsepower and over 1,000 lb-ft of torque, 1,050 to be exact. You read that right. Four-figure torque. It also has a towing capacity of 15,000 pounds and a payload of 3,320 pounds.  Here are some of the other off-road customizations, according to Omaze: “Baja Forged 5” bulge carbon fiber fenders and bed sides, Baja Forged front and rear tubular bumpers, bed cage spare tire rack, rigid light bar and accessory lights, Warn 9,500-lb winch, ICON Stage 5 Coilover conversion suspension with 3.5” lift, 8” Method wheels w/ 37” Toyo tires, Banks cat-back exhaust, iDash and Pedal Monster.” While it may look like an off-road brute on the outside, the interior is all luxury, with a panoramic sunroof, and luxurious leather heated and cooled seats. Another addition to the interior: $20,000 in cash. And like most Omaze giveaways, taxes and delivery fees are covered, so you can spend that cash however you want. The best part is that every donation supports First Responders ChildrenÂ’s Foundation, which, for almost two decades, “has provided financial support to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty as well as families enduring significant hardships due to tragic circumstances.