‘Heavy duty’ tag mostly sales hype

Dear Bob: If I believe the television commercials and print ads, the GMC model is a heavy-duty vehicle. Are the GMC models in fact “heavy duty,” compared to the Chevrolet look-alike models? Does this make the Chevrolet models “light duty,” as compared to GMC models? Or is this hype from GMC to bolster sales?

Thank you for the super service you provide.

— E.M., Systems Engineer, Harrisburg, Pa.

A: It’s mostly sales hype. GMC and Chevrolet models are, for the most part, one and the same. Except for trim and perhaps some bells and whistles, a half-ton Chevy pickup and a half-ton GMC pickup, both with identical-displacement engines and the same transmissions, are the same vehicle, whether or not they are designated as “heavy duty,” “professional grade” or whatever. And no, this does not make the Chevrolet a “light duty” truck — its duty is just as heavy as the GMC’s, promotional differences notwithstanding.

Such pairs are known in the trade as “twin vehicles.” The Ford Crown Victoria and the Mercury Marquis are among a whole host of other twins. In other words, they are the same vehicles under different names, with only nameplates and minor trim differences to differentiate them.

Dear Bob: Once again I’m disappointed in the automotive media for piling on domestic auto manufacturers.

In a recent reply to a letter concerning a writer’s 15-year-old story of issues with his domestic cars, rather than emphasize the progress that these companies have made, you chose to high-five the writer and agree.

I am not a domestic-car apologist, but I’ll bet that if that writer, and many others who have not put a key in a product from the Big Three in 15 years, were to get behind the wheel of a Chrysler 300 or a Ford Mustang, they would see that these are interesting, quality products equal to or exceeding the appliances they are currently driving.

Bob, surely even you would agree that it is in no American’s best interest to see the domestic car companies continue to receive unwarranted and unnecessary abuse, given their massive impact on our economy.

Please keep your eye on the ball and focus on the positive, and limit your comments to areas of your expertise, like wobbly tires and air filters.

— T.W., Hershey, Pa., via e-mail

A: I guess my 25-plus years of test driving new cars, both domestic and imported, aren’t enough to make that an area of my expertise. Oh well.

Hey, I’ve always said that the best thing that ever happened to American cars was Japanese cars. Why? Because they made us wake up and notice the poor-quality vehicles we were producing, vehicles that couldn’t compete with the imports. The success of Japanese cars in the late 1970s and early 1980s was a wake-up call for the Big Three, and since that time American cars have increased in quality many times over.

But the foreign carmakers weren’t standing still during those years, and their quality also continued to improve. No question, American cars have narrowed the quality gap, but they still have a way to go, in my opinion, to reach the near perfection of, say, a Lexus LS 430.

That day will come, no doubt, but again I wonder what the foreign carmakers will have been doing in the meantime. Resting on their laurels? I doubt it.

As to whether I’m an apologist for or a basher of the American auto industry, I plead none of the above. My responsibility is not to the Big Three, nor to the Japanese, the Germans or any other country’s automakers — it’s to my readers. I call them as I see them, positive or negative as the case may be, and frankly I doubt that my impact on the American economy is as great as you seem to think it is.

AMERICAN DRIVERS FIGHT BACK

Here’s a tip that will help you get better gas mileage while fighting terrorism and cutting our nation’s dependence on Mideastern oil:

Dear Bob: My truck has an “information center” that shows average miles per gallon. At the top of a mile-long hill I reset it to zero, and before reaching the bottom my average mpg is 99.9 mpg. Doing the same going up the hill, I average around 10 mpg at the top. This is obviously a significant difference, though of course one has to get to the top of the hill to start with.

I let the road grades control my speed. I accelerate only very gradually or not at all going downhill, and am careful not to apply more throttle going up the hill. My speed will vary by 10 mph to 20 mph, depending on the grade. I use this same practice on the interstates when traffic permits. Of course this requires some common sense and being aware of staying within posted speed limits. One should also be aware of traffic, so as not to become a traffic hazard.

On a 50-mile interstate trip that I make weekly, I have increased my average mpg by as much as 2 to 4 miles per gallon. At $3 per gallon, that saves me some bucks.

These info centers should be an option on all vehicles. Knowing what I’m getting for average mpg has changed my driving habits for the better.

— J.D., Boiling Springs, Pa.

A: I agree — that’s an attractive option. After all, they say that knowledge is power, and don’t Americans love cars with lots of power?