The Stars and Steel Special Edition is a special version of some Chevrolet trucks and the Corvette that celebrates America's 250th birthday with unique looks and features.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a fast and stylish car made by Chevrolet. People like it because it looks cool and can go really fast, so it's often talked about in car shows and podcasts.
The Chevrolet Silverado EV is a big truck that runs on electricity instead of gas. It can do the same work as regular trucks but is better for the environment.
The Ford F-150 is a very popular big truck that many people use for work or driving around. It's strong and reliable, which is why so many people buy it.
The Ford Ranger is a type of pickup truck that can carry stuff and drive on rough roads. It's a popular choice for people who want a truck that's not too big but still strong.
The Ford Bronco RTR is a version of the Bronco truck made with another company called RTR. It has better parts for driving off-road and looks cooler, but costs less than the super-powerful Bronco Raptor.
The Sasquatch package is a set of special parts you can add to the Bronco to make it better at driving on rough, bumpy roads. It includes big tires and special shocks that help the truck handle better.
Anti-lag turbo technology helps the engine's turbo work faster when you press the gas, so the truck feels quicker and more powerful without waiting for the turbo to catch up.
A body-on-frame truck is made with a strong frame and a separate body on top. This makes it tougher and better for rough roads than trucks built like cars.
The Nissan Pathfinder is a medium-sized car that can carry families and go off-road. It’s being updated to handle rough roads better, so people who like adventures might like it.
The Ford Expedition is a big car that can carry lots of people and stuff. Sometimes, the company asks owners to fix certain parts to keep the car safe.
soft roll bed cover, and floor liner. And on the Silverado EV, which is available on the RST
crew cab, which now this year for 26, is the only way you can get an RST as 24-inch gloss black
wheels with Brembo HD brakes that has six-piston calipers and 15.7 inches of front rotor. Whoo!
So if you're looking to celebrate America along with Chevrolet and have a cool vehicle with a
lot of nice add-ons, head on over to your local Chevy dealer where you can pick one out or order
one today. So a little while ago Ford announced that five affordable models will arrive by the
end of the decade, and that's on the new universal platform that they've been touting where the
pickup truck is going to be the first vehicle on that platform or something in the pickup
truck space, but they're saying there's some sort of different shape silhouette body style,
but it's going to be a pickup. Go figure. Don't know how different it'll be from a maverick,
but everybody is kind of holding their breath waiting to see what this is. But Ford intends to
launch five new models on this platform, including possibly a car. It's also going to expand gas,
hybrid, and e-rev options across the lineup instead of being all EV. So more details to come on that,
but we're definitely interested in the mid-size pickup truck because Ford says it'll be built
here in America at the Louisville Assembly Plant in 2027. So it'll be the first one of those five
to come with a targeted price tag around $30,000. And what's interesting about that is when you
look at Slate now without the incentives, Ford's not that far away from that with a full dealer
network and everything else. So it'll be really interesting to see what comes out and what type
of capability and amenities and features and all that you get for $30,000. I'm going to be impressed
to see if they hit that number and what that vehicle is, because it can encroach too far
into maverick. So it'll be, it'll be one to watch.
For all you Ram fans out there, the Ram truck brand has been named the best truck brand for
2026. And that's seven straight wins for Ram. And that came from US News and World Report.
For the seventh consecutive year, Ram has earned top honors thanks to its
quote unquote unbeatable mix of capability, comfort and refinement.
That's a pretty good streak for the brand that focuses only on trucks and isn't suede
and isn't distracted by having a car lineup or anything like that.
Quote unquote, Ram's trucks are known for impressive performance with an upscale look and feel.
This Delandis brand exclusively produces trucks and sticks to the basics with just the full
size Ram 1500 and heavy duty 2500. However, shoppers still have plenty of choices.
Ram trucks are available with a variety of powertrains, performance oriented trim levels,
such as the Rebel and RHO and top tier configurations that are so posh it's like
being in a luxury vehicle. US News and World Reports goes on to say the Ram 1500 is a class
leading full size truck that's been refreshed for 25 with updated styling and technology and
features building on its great performance and comfort and give it a 9.7 out of 10.
And on the Ram 2500, they say Ram's heavy duty offerings also get styling
and tech updates for this year, making this burly truck even more upscale compared to rivals and
give it a 9.4 out of 10. And you know, we're big fans here on the Truck Show podcast of both the
1500 lineup and the 2500, which was just updated for 25 and fantastic with the new Cummins.
We love the hurricane and we're glad to see that the Hemmys back. The other runner up finalist
was Ford and US News and World Report says Ford has a bigger range of trucks than most of the
automakers on the list. And its most popular truck model in the United States also happens to be one
of the best selling vehicles in the world. And they go on to rank the Ford F-150 9.5 out of 10,
the F-150 Lighting 9.5 out of 10, the F-250 Super Duty 9.4 out of 10, the Ford Maverick
8.9 out of 10, and the Ford Ranger 8.5 out of 10. Other truck brands bringing up the rear
behind Ford in this order, Rivian, Honda, Toyota, GMC, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Tesla, and Nissan.
And for you Ford fans that want Bronco Raptor like performance without the price tag,
you might want to wait till October of this year when the collaboration between Ford and RTR
brings the Ford Bronco RTR to your local dealer. The new Bronco RTR packs RTR design, styling,
engineering, and attitude, and gives you two levels of capability for high-speed off-road
performance at a better value than the Bronco Raptor. The Bronco RTR comes standard with a
wider track, high clearance suspension for improved confidence and stability, and the
available Sasquatch package unlocks maximum capability with the Fox shocks and 35-inch tires.
And it comes with what they're calling standard anti-lag turbo technology to go along with the
hyperlime accents. The new Bronco RTR performance and style is perfectly matched to fun-haver
vibes in high-speed desert off-road performance. So the Ford and RTR vehicle collaboration
continues, and this vehicle was developed and tested in Johnson Valley, and then we recently
did it right along with Von Gittin Jr., where he hinted at this vehicle coming in a vehicle very
similar to that. So the RTR comes standard with 33-inch tires, high-clearance suspension,
and that's the first time that you could get the high-clearance suspension with 33s. And so that
way you get improved standard capability, but you get a better, more aggressive stance. And if you
want to unlock the ultimate Bronco RTR high-speed off-road experience, then you can opt for the
Sasquatch package, which adds the 35-inch good years, and the Haas 3.0 system with the Fox
internal bypass shocks. Those are similar to the ones that were on the first generation F-150 Raptor,
and before the Haas 3.0 was exclusive to the Badlands series, but now you can get it on the RTR,
and it gives you the highest level of suspension performance without stepping up to a Bronco
Raptor. And pricing hasn't been announced yet, but this will be at a value pricing level compared
to Bronco Raptor. Von Gittin Jr. says, quote-unquote, Bronco RTR is built to dominate the dirt,
whether you're in Johnson Valley or a backwoods trail. We gave it the suspension tech to handle
the hits, but we also sweated the details that matter to drivers. We reinforced the steering,
added anti-lag turbo tech, and share high-power cooling fan hardware from the Bronco Raptor
to help keep the Bronco RTR cool during extended trail time and playing in sand.
And the Bronco RTR's race-derived anti-lag turbo technology keeps the turbo charger spooled up
so that the drivers get a sharper throttle response, and it's great to manage ever-changing
terrain and deep sand. So to help keep the engine performing under the grueling conditions,
the RTR gets the race-proven 1,000-watt cooling fan from the Bronco Raptor, and it also gets
new grille with signature lighting, and the RTR hyperlime detail accents. And that includes the
graphics and the rock rings of the 17-inch beadlock RTR Evo 6 wheels. And I believe it's
exclusively available with the 2.3-liter four-cylinder, which is quite an awesome and snappy
little motor. I was really impressed with it when I drove it recently. So,
anyway, again, that's going to be coming out sometime in October of this year. So stay tuned
if you want something with near-Bronco Raptor performance, but at a price that's a little
bit more affordable. Then you've got Hyundai, who's starting to get really serious about trucks.
In fact, they've been talking about their XRT lineup that it's going to be truly capable,
and it will mean something as an off-road performance label, not just a trim.
And if you've been paying attention, they've had some concepts and they've been kind of toying with
that. And of course, it's no secret, Hyundai wants to play in the same sandbox as Honda with their
Trail Sport, Subaru with their wilderness, and of course, Nissan with the upcoming body on frame,
XTERRA and Pathfinder. Everybody's moving into the off-road space. And if you've been really
paying close attention, you know that Hyundai has already said, hey, we're going to do our own
body on frame pickup truck. So as part of that, they're phasing out the Santa Cruz, according to
Automotive News, after just five years. It was well received, but it's already being killed
because the Maverick is kicking its butt and sales 155,051 to 25,499 last year. But the real
reason is Hyundai wants to concentrate on the body on frame pickup truck for the U.S. market.
Rumor has it it might share the Kia Tasman platform, but not the controversial styling.
And as a little side note, Stalantis announced that the company's EV misstep cost them $26.5
billion. Okay, explain to me exactly what I did wrong.
Well, I think you took away the vehicles your core and enthusiasts wanted and tried to shove
EVs down their throat rather than making a part of the tapestry. And you are paying for that now.
So, but on a good news, we'll get into the next have you heard I think into sales.
Stalantis had quite the recovery in Q4 of last year, and things are looking strong as they
get back to their core and start focusing on enthusiasts. So that is pretty exciting.
All right, before we go, we've got a recall.
Check engine light just went on, noise under the hood takes like a bomb. Recall covers,
metal glass, leather and plastic, door handle pulled off in my hand, just fantastic.
Ford Motor Company back in the recall news, they're recalling select units of the 25
F-150 Expedition Bronco Ranger and Lincoln Navigator, due to a vehicle power brake assist
system issue. The problem is the electronic brake booster in affected vehicles may enter
into a fault state during driving, resulting in a loss of brake boost until the EVB module,
as they call it, completes its sleep cycle. The next time the vehicle's turned off,
the fault state may occur while the driver is utilizing ADOS. So think of adaptive cruise
control, things like that. That happens the anti lock brake system, electronic stability control
and brake cluster telltale lights will illuminate company by informational messages and an audible
alert. So of course the hazard is if the EVB enters a fault state while the vehicle is in
motion, it can result in loss of brake boost power, increasing stopping distances and increasing the
risk of a crash. So Ford is aware of three warranty claims related to this concern. However,
they're not aware of any accidents or injuries, the affected vehicles again,
Navigator, Ranger, Bronco Expedition, F-150, all 25 models. And it's not that many vehicles, it's
679 total. So it's five units of the Nav, 79 of the Ranger, 102 of the Bronco, 17 of the Expedition
and 476 units of the Ford F-150. So the fix is to have the EVB replaced at no charge
and communications were sent out in the middle of December. For reference, the recall number
is 25SD4. And you can contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Well, that's going to do it for this episode of the Truck Show Podcast. Have you heard?
What? No.
I'm sorry, but we'll be back soon with another full length episode. But in the meantime,
don't forget to follow us on social at Truck Show Podcast at Sean P. Holman's
or send us an email and be a part of the show, truckshowpodcastatgmail.com. Or, of course,
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The Truck Show Podcast is a production of Truck Famous LLC. This podcast was created by Sean
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About this episode
The episode dives into the latest truck news, highlighting Chevrolet's new Stars and Steel Special Edition lineup celebrating 250 years of America, featuring unique trims across several models including the Silverado EV. Ford's announcement of five affordable new models on a universal platform, including a mid-size pickup priced around $30,000, sparks interest. Ram continues its dominance as the best truck brand for 2026, while Ford's Bronco RTR collaboration promises high-speed off-road performance at a more accessible price. Hyundai is shifting focus to a body-on-frame pickup, phasing out the Santa Cruz. The episode also touches on industry challenges like Stellantis' EV strategy losses.
Chevy Stars and Steel trucks, affordable Fords to launch with pickup, Ram brand award, Ford Bronco RTR, Hyundai truck plans, and recall news. The Truck Show Podcast is brought to you in partnership with AMSOIL, Kershaw Knives, and OVR Mag. Don't forget to check out truckshowpodcast.com for special offers from our friends and sponsors.
