This month's feature: Truck/Suv

The Truck and SUV market is changing

While the best selling truck in the United States is still the Ford F-150, Toyota is coming on strong with a sales gain of nearly 60% year-to year. And the F-Series trucks are down overall, year to year over 12%. There's turmoil and a lot of new competitive activity in the full-sized truck market.

In the past two years, we have seen Ford and GM step up their game on the truck side, adding value in materials (Ford's 'quiet steel') and in overall design (Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra).

It's a good time to be a truck buyer. The choices are better and more numerous than ever.

On the SUV side, the market has been even more dynamic, with a proliferation of 'crossover' vehicles at the low end. In fact, there are so many different new models that it's becoming hard to describe the significant differences between such alternatives as the Jeep Patriot, Compass, Liberty and Dodge Nitro and Caliber, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Hyundai, Tucson, Mazda CX-7, etc.

Today, looking 'off road capable' is a tactic carmarkers are using to build more vehicles on their passenger car platforms.

True off-road vehicles are not selling in the numbers they have in the past, but new alternatives like the Wrangler 4-door are bright spots in the marketplace.