David vs. Goliath

A battle of biblical proportions is brewing in full-size pickup trucks. After decades of tranquility — with Chevy/GMC, Ford and Dodge sharing the profits from a 2-million-plus market — forces are building to ravage the status quo. One decade ago Toyota served notice on the domestic brands by quietly slipping its 7/8s-scale T100 into the category.

One decade ago Toyota served notice on the domestic brands by quietly slipping its 7/8s-scale T100 into the category. That truck evolved into the new-for-2000 Tundra, which adds a crew-cab version this fall, but Toyota must wait two more years for a third-generation design to stand fully toe-to-toe with the domestics in terms of exterior size, hauling capacity and breadth of offering. The Titan Crew Cab will be one of two models offered by the end of the year.

Of course the incumbents don’t intend to yield without a fight. Ford Motor Co., in current possession of a 38-percent market share, would love to elbow Titan onto the ropes. A new from road-to-roof F-150 lineup, bolstered by $1.8-billion of reengineering and facilities investment, arrives this summer with that task on its busy agenda. While Titan versus F-150 has certain parallels with the biblical David vs. Goliath, today’s fight is not with sticks or stones and there’s no chance of a first-round knockout. But studying the two new mega contenders is the best means of assessing the state of the pickup truck art. The top-of-the line F-150 Lariat mates luxury car options with pickup truck ruggedness.