HI, I'M JOHN DAVIS AND THIS IS MOTORWEEK !

JOIN US AS REFINEMENT AND COMFORT BECOME MUCH MORE FUN TO DRIVE, THE NEW LEXUS ES... PAT GOSS WITH CRITICAL REPAIRS DO'S AND DON'TS... STEPHANIE HART ON THE RISING APPEAL OF CERTIFIED USED CARS... AND MID-SIZE TRUCKS ARE BACK WITH A VENGEANCE, AND WE'LL SEE WHICH ONE'S A WINNER...

SO, COME DRIVE WITH US, NEXT!

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* Announcer: MOTORWEEK , TELEVISION'S ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE MAGAZINE.

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IT'S A...TAKE A LOOK.

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John: THE FIRST LEXUS ES, THE ES STANDS FOR "ELEGANT SEDAN" ARRIVED IN 1989 AS THE ENTRY LEVEL SEDAN IN TOYOTA'S STILL FLEDGLING LUXURY BRAND.

IT QUICKLY BECAME A STRONG SELLER, OFFERING BUYERS AN AFFORDABLE WAS TO ENJOY OUTSTANDING LUXURY AND RELIABILITY.

BUT, THROUGH SIX GENERATIONS, THE ES WAS SELDOM CALLED "FUN TO DRIVE."

NOW, LEXUS CLAIMS THAT CHANGES WITH THE 7TH GEN ES.

LET'S SEE, IF WE AGREE.

* THE ORIGINAL LEXUS ES PLAYED JUST AS BIG, IF NOT DUE TO HIGHER VOLUME, BIGGER ROLE IN MAKING TOYOTA'S FLEDGLING PREMIUM BRAND SO POPULAR, SO QUICKLY.

IN FACT, THE ES WAS THEIR TOP SELLER UNTIL THE RX CROSSOVER CAME ALONG A DECADE LATER.

NOW, STARTING ITS 7TH GENERATION, EVEN WITH CROSSOVERS DOMINATING THE LUXURY MARKET, THIS 2019 LEXUS ES REMAINS AN IMPORTANT MODEL.

AND THIS YEAR ALSO SEES THEIR F SPORT LABEL APPLIED TO THE ES FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THAT MADE OUR DECISION ON WHICH ES TO TEST, AN EASY ONE.

THE F SPORT DISTINCTION STARTS BY ADDING A MESH-PATTERN TO THE BIG-MOUTH GRILLE, PART OF A UNIQUE FRONT FASCIA THAT ALSO INCLUDES LARGER AIR CHANNELS.

THERE'S ALSO, A SPOILER TACKED ONTO THE TRUNK LID, TINTED LENSES FOR THE TAIL LIGHTS, AND GRAPHITE 19-INCH WHEELS.

NOW, ALL ESs BENEFIT FROM A 2.0 INCH WHEELBASE STRETCH, WIDER TRACK, SHARPER LINES, AND SLIM HEADLIGHTS WITH SIGNATURE L-SHAPES.

MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN BEFORE?

MOST CERTAINLY, BUT STILL PLENTY CLASSY.

AS TO THE MORE IMPORTANT STUFF, THE F SPORT COMES WITH DYNAMIC CONTROL SHOCKS AND ADJUSTABLE DAMPERS, BUT GETTING THE SPORTIEST F SPORT EXPERIENCE, REQUIRES ADDING THE REASONABLY-PRICED ADAPTIVE VARIABLE SUSPENSION.

WITH IT, RIDE QUALITY NATURALLY, IS LEXUS MAGIC-CARPET-LIKE SMOOTH.

IT'S ONLY WHEN YOU ENGAGE SPORT S OR SPORT S+ MODES THAT THE NEWFOUND ATHLETICISM BECOMES APPARENT.

NOT ONLY DOES THE SUSPENSION TIGHTEN UP, BUT THROTTLE REACTION, TRANSMISSION SHIFTING, AND STEERING RESPONSE ARE ALL HEIGHTENED.

WE'VE SEEN ALL OF THIS BEFORE WITH LEXUS OF COURSE, WITH VARYING LEVELS OF SUCCESS.

WHILE, THERE'S ONLY SO FAR YOU CAN GO WITH A STILL-HEAVY FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE CAR WHEN RELYING ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON ELECTRONICS, THE PENDULUM DOES CLEARLY SWING THE FARTHEST TO THE DYNAMIC SIDE FOR AN ES EVER.

INDEED, OUR STAFF'S TRACK IMPRESSIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN SO EFFUSIVE FOR A LEXUS ES...

CAR IS IMPRESSIVELY FLAT WITH AGGRESSIVE TURN-IN... SWEET WEIGHTING TO THE STEERING AND EXECUTING FAST INPUTS IS A PLEASURE...

GRIP IS SOLID AND BALANCE FEELS NICE...

THERE'S MORE POWER TOO, THOUGH IT'S NOT AN F SPORT EXCLUSIVE, AS ALL ESs GET AN UPGRADED NATURALLY-ASPIRATED 3.5 LITER V6.

HORSEPOWER IS UP 34 TO 302, AND 267 POUND-FEET OF TORQUE MEANS AN ADDITIONAL 19 POUND-FEET.

THEY DID THIS WHILE ALSO INCREASING FUEL ECONOMY.

AND, ON THAT, THERE'S STILL AN ES HYBRID AVAILABLE AS WELL.

WE WERE MORE INTERESTED IN LIVING THE INCREASED PERFORMANCE, AND WHILE AN ADDITIONAL 34 HORSEPOWER MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A HUGE DEAL, WITH THE AUGMENTED THROTTLE RESPONSE IT FEELS LIKE A LOT MORE.

AND IT WAS ACTUALLY, KIND OF A HANDFUL GETTING OFF THE LINE CLEANLY, WITHOUT A TON OF WHEEL SPIN.

BUT THOSE ARE THE KIND OF CHALLENGES WE ENJOY AROUND HERE, AND EVENTUALLY, WE FOUND THE SWEET SPOT; GETTING TO 60 IN A RESPECTABLE 6.5 SECONDS.

AN 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS THE NEXT STEP ON THE POWER FLOW CHART, AND WHILE GEAR CHANGES ARE STILL "SMOOTH AS A LEXUS," THEY DON'T INTERRUPT THE POWER PARTY IN ANY WAY; TAKING US TO THE END OF THE QUARTER MILE IN 14.9 SECONDS AT 98 MILES PER HOUR.

HERE, INSIDE THE F SPORT, LEXUS HAS DONE MORE THAN EVER BEFORE TO ENERGIZE THINGS UP AS WELL; SEATS FEEL RACY AND SUPPORTIVE, AND THERE'S A NICE, THICK F SPORT STEERING WHEEL.

NONE OF THIS AT THE SACRIFICING OF COMFORT, OF COURSE, BOTH FRONT...AND IN THE STILL SPACIOUS 3-PERSON REAR BENCH AS WELL.

LOTS OF TECH ON DISPLAY, FROM THE ACTIVE DIGITAL GAUGE PANEL TO THE AVAILABLE 12-INCH MULTIMEDIA SCREEN THAT SITS UP HIGH ON THE DASH, MAKING IT VERY EASY TO MONITOR.

THOUGH THE FUSSY REMOTE TOUCH INTERFACE PERSISTS.

GOVERNMENT FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS ARE 22-CITY, 31-HIGHWAY, AND 25-COMBINED.

WE AVERAGED A FINE 27.9 MILES PER GALLON OF REGULAR.

THAT'S AN AVERAGE ENERGY IMPACT SCORE, CONSUMING 13.2 BARRELS OF PETROLEUM ANNUALLY, WITH 5.8 TONS OF CO2 EMISSIONS.

ALL ESs ARE VERY WELL-EQUIPPED, EVIDENCED BY A NARROW PRICING BANDWIDTH; BASE MODELS STARTING AT $40,775.

THIS TOP OF THE LINE F SPORT BEGINS AT $45,310, WITH LUXURY AND ULTRA LUXURY TRIMS BETWEEN.

WHILE, THE 2019 LEXUS ES F SPORT STILL WOULDN'T FIT MOST PEOPLE'S DEFINITION OF A SPORT SEDAN; THE STRIDES THEY'VE TAKEN TO MAKE IT A MUCH BETTER PERFORMER ARE MUCH APPRECIATED.

AND, WHAT IS OF EVEN MORE IMPORTANCE, IS THAT THEY'VE DONE IT WITHOUT SUBTRACTING ANYTHING FROM WHAT THE ES HAS ALWAYS BEEN; A NO COMPROMISE LUXURY EXPERIENCE THAT IS HIGHLY ATTAINABLE.

AND NOW, IT'S JUST A LOT MORE ENJOYABLE TO DRIVE, TOO.

* John: THE TERM, "CERTIFIED USED CAR" IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN A USED CAR THAT'S IN WELL ABOVE AVERAGE CONDITION, HAS HAD EXTRA SERVICING TO PUT IT IN TIP TOP SHAPE, WITH A WARRANTY SIMILAR TO A NEW CAR.

THAT'S WHY CERTIFIED USED CARS ARE RISING IN POPULARITY.

BUT, NOT ALL CERTIFIED PROGRAMS ARE THE SAME.

SO, COME ALONG AS OUR FYI REPORTER STEPHANIE HART EXPLORES THE INS AND OUTS OF BUYING CERTIFIED.

* Stephanie Hart: TYPICALLY, A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE WILL HAVE A NUMBER OF ADVANTAGES.

PRIMARILY IT'S BEEN THOROUGHLY INSPECTED, IT HAS LOWER MILES THAN YOUR AVERAGE USED CAR AND IT'S IN VERY GOOD CONDITION WITH LITTLE WEAR.

HERE ARE THE MAJOR PROS AND CONS OF BUYING A CERTIFIED USED CAR: THEY COME WITH EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE AND BENEFITS, SUCH AS ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE.

THEY'VE GONE THROUGH A MULTIPOINT INSPECTION AND REPAIRS WERE MADE WHERE NEEDED, FREE VEHICLE HISTORY REPORTS COME WITH THE VEHICLE, SOME INCLUDE BUYBACK PROTECTION IF THE BUYER LATER DISCOVERS THE CAR HAD FLOOD OR FIRE DAMAGE OR A ROLLED-BACK ODOMETER.

ON THE DOWNSIDE, A VEHICLE HISTORY REPORT MAY NOT INCLUDE ALL ACCIDENTS AND YOU MAY NOT KNOW HOW THE CAR WAS TREATED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER OR EVEN IF THEY EVER CHANGED THE OIL.

SOME CPO VEHICLES WERE RENTAL CARS, WHICH MEANS THEY HAD HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT DRIVERS, SOME OF WHOM DIDN'T CARE HOW THEY TREATED THE CAR.

A MULTI-POINT CPO CHECKLIST DOESN'T GUARANTEE THE DEALER DID ANYTHING MORE THAN LOOK AT THE CAR.

"WEAR ITEMS;" LIKE THE BATTERY, TIRES, BRAKE PADS, AND ROTORS ARE USUALLY NOT COVERED BY THE CPO WARRANTY AND MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED.

RACHEL HASHOIAN WEIGHED THOSE PROS AND CONS BEFORE BUYING HER CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE.

Stephanie: YOU SAW THE CHECKLIST?

Rachel Hashoian: YES.

Stephanie: WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Rachel: I REALLY LIKED SEEING THAT.

I LIKED KNOWING WHERE MY CAR CAME FROM... WHAT IT WAS USED FOR BEFORE... MY CAR WAS A PREVIOUSLY LEASED VEHICLE IN PUERTO RICO, SO IT WAS NICE SEEING THAT.

I THINK, THEY EVEN HAD THE RECORD OF MAINTENANCE FOR MY CAR AND I LIKED SEEING ALL THE SPOTS AND MEASUREMENTS THEY TOOK.

Stephanie: PEACE OF MIND, IN THE FORM OF A CERTIFICATE, FOR RACHEL AND OTHER CPO BUYERS.

CPO Car Owner: IT'S ALWAYS GOOD IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A USED CAR AND DON'T WANT THE HASSLE OF THE UNRELIABILITY OF NOT KNOWING WHAT A GOOD CAR IS.

Stephanie: HOWEVER, CARS.COM EXPERTS WARN EVEN WITH A MULTI-POINT INSPECTION THE CPO BUYING PROCESS CAN BE OVERWHELMING.

Joe Wiesenfelder: SOMETIMES, PEOPLE GET CAUGHT UP IN HOW MANY POINTS ARE IN THE INSPECTION AND IT'S EASY TO KIND OF LOSE TRACK OF WHAT MATTERS, DON'T PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THAT.

ONE PROGRAM MAY HAVE A 100 POINT INSPECTION AND ANOTHER MAY HAVE A 300 POINT INSPECTION, SOMETIMES THAT IS JUST HOW THEY COUNT.

REALLY ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INSPECTED, BUT WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND WHEN YOU BUY A USED CAR WHETHER ITS CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED OR NOT THAT YOU HAVE IT INSPECTED YOURSELF BY YOUR OWN MECHANIC.

Stephanie: CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLES ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN NON-CPO VEHICLES.

THE DIFFERENCE RANGES BETWEEN SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO A COUPLE OF THOUSAND DOLLARS, IN SOME CASES, SO YOU WANT TO WEIGH THE BENEFITS VERSUS THE EXTRA COST AND DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU.

BUT BEFORE SIGNING ON THE DOTTED LINE, YOU WANNA KEEP THESE TIPS TOP OF MIND: MAKE SURE YOU KNOW IF THE CAR IS CERTIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER OR THE DEALER, AND WHO IS AUTHORIZED TO FIX THE PROBLEMS.

ASK TO SEE THE CERTIFICATION CHECKLIST TO MAKE SURE ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN INSPECTED.

INSIST ON A VEHICLE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE HISTORY REPORT.

MAKE SURE ANY REMAINDER OF THE NEW-CAR WARRANTY IS CLEAR AND IN WRITING.

READ THE FINE PRINT ON THE EXTENDED CPO WARRANTY Joe: THE GOLD STANDARD OF A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLES IS THE MANUFACTURER CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE THAT HAVE AN EXTENSION OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY, IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE SAME WARRANTY YOU WOULD GET FROM THE MANUFACTURER, IF YOU BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW.

NOW, THERE ARE ALSO, CERTIFIED VEHICLES FROM THIRD PARTIES, THERE'S REALLY NOTHING STOPPING A DEALERSHIP FROM CERTIFYING A VEHICLE... WHAT WE RECOMMEND IS THAT YOU MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO CERTIFIED YOUR VEHICLE AND BE SURE IT'S SOMEONE THAT YOU CAN TRUST.

Stephanie: WHO DOESN'T LOVE DRIVING A BRAND NEW CAR, BUT A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE OFFERS BIG SAVINGS THANKS TO DEPRECIATION.

THE AVERAGE NEW CAR LOSES 35% OF ITS VALUE IN THE FIRST THREE YEARS.

SO, BUYING CERTIFIED AND DRIVING AN ALMOST NEW CAR, CLEARLY IS A SMART WAY TO GO.

* John: AS A DO-IT-YOURSELFER, HOW MUCH YOU KNOW IS UP TO YOU.

BUT PAT KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, DOWN AT GOSS' GARAGE.

Pat Goss: ALTHOUGH, IT'S OFTEN NEGLECTED AND ABUSED, ONE OF THE BIGGEST SAFETY PARTS OF AN AUTOMOBILE IS GOING TO BE ITS EXHAUST SYSTEM.

IT'S IN CHARGE OF GETTING ALL THE HARMFUL EXHAUST GASES FROM THE ENGINE OUT OF THE BACK OF THE CAR.

NOW, THE BIG THING HERE IS THAT EXHAUST GAS CONTAINS CARBON MONOXIDE WHICH IS COLORLESS, ODORLESS, TASTELESS, AND IF YOU INHALE ENOUGH OF IT, IT'S DEADLY.

SO, YOU DON'T WANT ANY LEAKS IN THE EXHAUST SYSTEM.

AND YOU WANT TO CHECK THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR OR ANYTIME THERE'S ANY CHANGE IN THE NOISE OF THE CAR.

ALRIGHT.

NOW, SUPPOSE YOU HAVE A PIN HOLE OR SOMETHING IN SOME PIPE OR MUFFLER OR SOMETHING, WELL, SOME THINGS YOU DON'T DO.

THIS IS VERY, VERY COMMON.

WE SEE THIS IN THE REPAIR SHOP ALL THE TIME.

SOMEBODY TAKES AN OLD BEER CAN OR SODA CAN, CUTS IT OPEN, TAKES SOME TIE WRAPS, WRAPS IT AROUND THE PIPE.

WELL, NUMBER ONE IT'S NOT AIRTIGHT, SO CARBON MONOXIDE CAN STILL GET INTO THE CAR.

AND NUMBER TWO, THE TIE WRAPS ARE PLASTIC, THE EXHAUST SYSTEM IS HOT, THEY MELT, THE WHOLE THING FALLS APART.

DUCT TAPE, THAT'S ANOTHER ONE.

IT BURNS AND IT MELTS, AND IT DOES ALL KINDS OF NASTY THINGS... PLUS, IT STINKS UP THE WHOLE CAR, SO THOSE ARE THINGS YOU DON'T DO.

NOW, WHAT YOU CAN DO IN SOME CASES, THIS IS A MUFFLER BANDAGE, AND IT USES SPECIAL MATERIALS THAT ARE HEAT RESISTANT AND HEAT ACTIVATED SO THAT YOU WRAP IT AROUND THE OFFENDING PART, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS, AND THE HEAT WILL CAUSE RESINS IN THIS TO BOND IT TO THE PART.

ALRIGHT.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN DO, BUT REMEMBER ITS TEMPORARY, SO YOU'LL PROBABLY ULTIMATELY HAVE TO REPLACE THE PART ITSELF.

ALRIGHT NOW, MOST EXHAUST SYSTEMS HAVE STAINLESS STEEL BUT EVEN THOUGH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM MAY BE STAINLESS STEEL, THE HANGERS THAT HOLD THE PARTS UP MAY NOT...

THEY ROT AWAY AND THEN YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THEM.

WELL, YOU CAN BUY UNIVERSAL REPLACEMENTS SUCH AS WE SEE HERE, OR YOU CAN BUY SPECIFIC ONES THAT WRAP AROUND THE MUFFLER OR THE PIPE TO FIT IT EXACTLY.

BIG THING IS MAKE SURE ANY HANGER YOU USE HAS RUBBER IN IT.

THEN, REASON FOR THAT IS THE EXHAUST SYSTEM IS ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE UP FRONT THE ENGINE MOVES BACK AND FORTH OR SIDE TO SIDE, AND IF YOU MOUNT IT RIGIDLY... MOUNT THE EXHAUST RIGIDLY, SOMETHING ON THE ENGINE OR SOMEPLACE THROUGH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM WILL BREAK.

SO, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THOSE RUBBER PARTS IN THE HANGERS.

DON'T USE COAT HANGERS, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU TRY, WELL, BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THEM BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THE CARBON MONOXIDE CAN BE DEADLY TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

AND IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, DROP ME A LINE, RIGHT HERE AT MOTORWEEK .

* Greg Carloss: OUR LONG TERM FLEET HAS BEEN VERY FUEL EFFICIENT LATELY, AND ONE BIG REASON WHY IS THIS 2019 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV.

AS WE APPROACH 6500 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, THE TWO ELECTRIC MOTORS SMOOTHLY AND VIRTUALLY SILENTLY MOVE THIS UTE AROUND TOWN.

PAIRED WITH THE 2.0 LITER I4, THE 190 HORSEPOWER TOTAL SYSTEM OUTPUT IS PLENTY FOR OUR EVERYDAY DRIVING NEEDS.

AFTER MONTHS OF DAILY USE, THE OUTLANDER PLUG-IN'S HYBRID SYSTEM STILL DOES NOT MISS A BEAT.

NOW, I'LL STOP SHORT OF CALLING THE BATTERY-TO-GAS TRANSITIONS SEAMLESS BECAUSE THE ENGINE DOES MAKE A LITTLE NOISE, BUT WITH HOW MUCH WE'VE BEEN CHARGING IT LATELY, WE'VE BEEN DRIVING ON BATTERY POWER ALONE, A LOT OF THE TIME.

TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF THOSE EV MILES, WE'RE NOW AVERAGING 37.1 MILES PER GALLON OVERALL, WHICH IS A STEADY IMPROVEMENT OVER OUR PREVIOUS REPORTS.

PRIOR TO THE OUTLANDER, WE HAD A YEAR TO EXPLORE PLUG-IN BENEFITS WITH THIS 2019 KIA NIRO PHEV.

AND, COMPARE IT TO THE REGULAR NIRO HYBRID, WE HAD IN OUR LONG TERM FLEET THE YEAR BEFORE.

WELL, TIME FLIES WHILE DRIVING EFFICIENTLY, AND NOW THE NIRO PHEV IS ALSO LEAVING.

SO, WHAT DID WE LEARN OVER 19,000 MILES OF PLUG-IN DRIVING?

OBVIOUSLY, THE KEY IS TO LAY DOWN AS MANY MILES AS YOU CAN WITHOUT THE ENGINE FIRING UP; MAKING FULL USE OF THE NIRO PHEV'S 26 MILES OF EV RANGE.

SOUNDS SIMPLE ENOUGH, BUT SOME OF OUR STAFFERS WERE MORE DILIGENT ABOUT PLUGGING IN THAN OTHERS.

STILL, WE AVERAGED A GREAT 60.2 MILES PER GALLON FOR THE YEAR, WHICH IS 38% BETTER THAN THE NIRO HYBRID'S 43.7 MILES PER GALLON.

THE KIA NIRO PHEV IS A GREAT LITTLE CAR; OFFERING TRUE CROSSOVER UTILITY, ALONG WITH THE ABILITY TO LIVE THE PLUG-IN LIFESTYLE WITHOUT MAKING A FULL COMMITMENT TO IT.

THAT MEANS THERE'S ROOM FOR A NEW LONG TERM DRIVER AND IT'S A BIG ONE, THE 2020 HYUNDAI PALISADE.

WITH SEATING UP TO EIGHT, MANY FAMILY ADVENTURES LIE AHEAD.

WE'LL HAVE UPDATES ON THE PORSCHE MACAN AND NISSAN ALTIMA, ON THE NEXT MOTORWEEK LONG-TERM ROAD TEST UPDATE!

John: AFTER YEARS WITH LITTLE-TO-NO NEWS, AND ONLY DECLINING SALES TO REPORT, THE MIDSIZE TRUCK SCENE IS NOW BOOMING.

SO, THE NATURAL QUESTION IS, WHICH ONE IS BEST?

WELL, FIGURING THAT OUT IS WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.

SO, JOIN US AND CARS.COM AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE EXPANDING MIDSIZE TRUCK LANDSCAPE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR DOLLARS ARE BEST SPENT.

* John: IN THE WORLD OF PICKUP TRUCKS, THERE'S A CONSTANT BATTLE TO ONE-UP THE COMPETITION.

AND THIS ENDLESS ESCALATION HAS CAUSED TRUCKS TO GROW BIGGER AND BIGGER SEEMINGLY EVERY YEAR.

SO, IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT SMALL, OR WHAT WE ONCE CALLED "COMPACT" PICKUP TRUCKS, AREN'T SO SMALL ANYMORE, WITH CAPABILITIES AND PRESENCE CLOSER TO WHAT WE SAW IN THE FULL-SIZE RANKS A GENERATION AGO.

WE'VE ASSEMBLED FOUR OF THESE NOW NAMED MIDSIZE TRUCKS IN THE SUBURBS OF CHICAGO WHERE OUR FRIENDS AT CARS.COM CALL HOME.

COMPETITORS ARE...

THE RECENTLY RE-LAUNCHED FORD RANGER... GM'S MIDSIZE OFFERINGS REPRESENTED BY THE GMC CANYON... HONDA'S CONTROVERSIAL BUT CAPABLE RIDGELINE... ...AND WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST EXCITING THING TO HIT THIS SEGMENT IN SOME TIME, THE JEEP GLADIATOR... ALL HAVE FOUR OR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE, AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS RANGING FROM 6-10 GEARS.

MOST SPORT V6 POWER; THE LONE EXCEPTION BEING THE FORD RANGER, WITH ITS ECOBOOST TURBO-4.

THE OBVIOUS GLARING OMISSION HERE IS THE BEST SELLING TOYOTA TACOMA, WITH TOYOTA CHOOSING NOT TO BE A PART OF THIS COMPARISON.

THE NISSAN FRONTIER IS ALSO AVAILABLE, BUT HASN'T BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY UPDATED SINCE GEORGE W. BUSH WAS IN OFFICE, AND WE FELT WOULD NOT BE COMPETITIVE WITH THESE NEWER DESIGNS.

IN ADDITION TO THE USUAL ACCOUNTING FOR FEATURES, SPECS, PRICE, COMFORT, AND RIDE-AND-HANDLING; WE HIT THE TRACK TO GET SOME HARD NUMBERS, BOTH IN STOCK FORM, AND WITH A 1,000 POUND PAYLOAD IN THE BED.

ON TO THE RESULTS, SOMEONE HAS TO FINISH LAST, AND UNFORTUNATELY FOR GMC, IT'S THE CANYON.

IT'S A REAL TRUCK THAT CAN GET REAL WORK DONE, BUT EVEN WITH DENALI UPGRADES, THE INTERIOR IS NOWHERE NEAR AS PLEASANT AS THE NEWEST DESIGNS.

A 308 HORSEPOWER 3.6 LITER V6 HELPED TO GET TO 60 IN JUST 7.3 SECONDS; 1.5 MORE WITH PAYLOAD.

PRICE WAS SECOND HIGHEST AT $45,775; IT'S A GOOD OVERALL PACKAGE THAT JUST FEELS A LOT OLDER THAN IT IS.

Brian Robinson: THE CANYON HAS A REALLY GREAT RIDE TO IT AND IT'S VERY QUIET INSIDE; UNFORTUNATELY, THE REST OF THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE IS NOT AS GREAT, IT'S NOT VERY COMFORTABLE, AND THE INTERIOR IS NOT UP TO THE SPECS OF THE REST OF THESE VEHICLES.

Mike Hanley: FOR A DENALI MODEL, I THOUGHT THE GMC'S INTERIOR WASN'T THAT IMPRESSIVE, AND IT WAS MISSING A LOT OF FEATURES; OURS DIDN'T HAVE REMOTE START, AND THE DRIVER'S BACKREST WAS MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE; IT JUST DIDN'T FEEL NICE ENOUGH FOR WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AND WHAT YOU'RE PAYING.

John: IN A BIT OF SURPRISE THAT WILL NO DOUBT CAUSE A MINOR UPROAR, 3RD PLACE GOES TO THE JEEP GLADIATOR.

IF YOU'RE A JEEP ENTHUSIAST, WE'RE PRETTY SURE YOU'LL LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE GLADIATOR.

BUT, IF YOU'RE THE AVERAGE CONSUMER, NOT LOOKING TO CONQUER THE RUBICON TRAIL, AND ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A PICKUP TRUCK, YOU CAN DO BETTER.

FOR STARTERS, IT HAS THE LEAST PAYLOAD CAPACITY HERE BY FAR, AND WAS THE SLOWEST AT THE TRACK, BOTH WITH A LOAD AND WITHOUT.

THOUGH THE 285 HORSEPOWER 3.6 LITER PENTASTAR V6 NEVER FELT UNDERPOWERED ON THE STREET, AND THE OVERALL POWERTRAIN IS QUITE REFINED.

BUT ADD IN THAT THE GLADIATOR WAS A FULL $10,000 MORE THAN ANY OTHER TRUCK HERE, AND YOU'LL GET WHY THINGS SHOOK OUT THE WAY THEY DID.

Aaron Bragman: THE GLADIATOR IS REALLY KIND OF A STRANGE ONE; IT IS MORE THAN JUST A WRANGLER WITH A TRUCK BED ON THE BACK, IT HAS RECEIVED SOME SIGNIFICANT ENGINEERING TO REALLY MAKE IT INTO A VERY USEFUL PICKUP TRUCK, BUT IT'S SUPER-LONG, IT'S VERY NARROW, IT'S NOT ALL THAT COMFORTABLE.

Brian: I LOVE THE IDEA OF THE GLADIATOR, AND MOST OF ITS REALITY AS WELL; IT'S EVERY BIT A JEEP AND A LOT OF A RAM, BUT IT DOES REQUIRE A COMMITMENT TO DEAL WITH THE INTERIOR ON A DAILY BASIS, AND WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING IT, IT'S DEFINITELY, A TWO-HANDED AFFAIR AS IT'S PRONE TO WANDER GOING DOWN THE ROAD, BUT THOSE ARE ALL JEEP THINGS THAT I JUST MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.

John: MUCH MORE CAPABLE THAN THE ORIGINAL, THE REBORN FORD RANGER HAS PRETTY MUCH ONCE AGAIN DEFINED THE MIDSIZE TRUCK SEGMENT.

EMPHASIS ON THE TRUCK PART, THE RANGER FEELS LIKE A REAL TRUCK TRUE-AND-TRUE, INSIDE-AND-OUT.

THAT MEANS A FIRM RIDE, AND COMFORT THAT FALLS SHORT; RELEGATING IT TO RUNNER-UP STATUS.

IT'S ALSO PRETTY NARROW, WHICH MAKES THE INTERIOR FEEL CRAMPED AND NOT AS ROOMY AS MOST.

ACCELERATION FROM THE TINY TURBO WAS IMPRESSIVE, HOWEVER; 7.2 SECONDS TO 60, AND BARELY EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT WE'D ADDED 1,000 POUNDS TO THE BED; IT'S 8.2 SECOND RUN WAS QUICKER THAN THE GLADIATOR WITH AN EMPTY BED.

Aaron: YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT A TURBO 4-CYLINDER AND A 10-SPEED AUTOMATIC TO REALLY BE A GREAT COMBINATION FOR A SMALL PICKUP TRUCK, BUT IT IS OUTSTANDING; THE THING IS SO RESPONSIVE, SO QUICK AND NIMBLE, I THINK IT'S REALLY PROBABLY THE BEST POWERTRAIN IN THIS TEST.

Brian: THE RANGER REALLY RAISED THE BAR WHEN IT CAME TO CAPABILITY FOR A MIDSIZE TRUCK WHEN IT RETURNED LAST YEAR, BUT IT DEFINITELY HAS THE MOST TRUCK-LIKE RIDE AND COMFORT IS NOT AS GOOD AS MOST OF THE OTHERS HERE.

John: THAT MAKES THE HONDA RIDGELINE OUR WINNER.

SURE, IT DOESN'T FIT A LOT OF PEOPLE'S DEFINITION OF A TRUCK, BUT IT'S HARD TO ARGUE WITH WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER.

OODLES OF SPACE, TONS OF FEATURES, AND LOADS OF VALUE WITH THE LOWEST STICKER HERE, AT $42,965.

SURE, YOU WON'T GET MUCH CRED AT THE LOCAL OFF-ROAD PARK, BUT YOU'LL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH WHEN YOU CAN STORE 7.3 CUBIC-FEET OF CARGO UNDER THE BED FLOOR, AND THEN PILE AS MUCH AS YOU WANT IN THE BED ITSELF.

GRANTED, YOU CAN'T TOW AS MUCH EITHER, LIMITED TO 5,000 POUNDS BUT COMFORT AND SPACE INSIDE ARE FAR ABOVE THE RIVALS HERE.

Brian: EVERYONE LIKES TO HATE ON THE RIDGELINE, INCLUDING MYSELF AT TIMES, BUT YOU HAVE TO ADMIT, IT DOES A LOT OF TRUCK-LIKE STUFF VERY WELL, AND ITS GOT A TON OF FEATURES THAT THE OTHERS DON'T HAVE, AND WHEN IT COMES TO GOING ON A LONG ROAD TRIP, IT'S ABSOLUTELY THE ONE YOU WANT.

Brian Wong: THE RIDGELINE HAS SUV ROOTS, BUT I DON'T SEE THAT AS A NEGATIVE, IT'S ACTUALLY THE MOST FAMILY-FRIENDLY OF ALL THE PICKUPS THAT WE HAD HERE; IT HAD THE BEST CAR SEAT SCORES, AND IT HAS REALLY GOOD INTERIOR STORAGE SPACES TO KEEP THINGS FOR CHILDREN.

John: SO, UNLESS YOU'VE GOT LOTS OF HEAVY HAULING TO DO, THE HONDA RIDGELINE IS ALL THE TRUCK YOU'LL NEED, AND THE ONE WE MOST ENJOYED OUR TIME IN.

BUT, IF YOU'VE GOT MORE WORK TO DO, ONE OF THE OTHER CONTENDERS WILL SURELY FILL YOUR BILL.

IN FACT, MOST PERSONAL USE BUYERS WILL FIND MORE THAN ENOUGH CAPABILITY, NOT TO MENTION MANEUVERABILITY, AND GARAGABILITY, IN THE MIDSIZE TRUCK RANKS.

THEY'RE MORE CAPABLE AND BETTER THAN EVER.

John: WELL, THAT'S OUR SHOW, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.

NOW FOR MORE MOTORWEEK ; INCLUDING DAILY NEWS UPDATES, PODCASTS, AND EVEN COMPLETE EPISODES, CRUISE ON OVER TO PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

AND I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US NEXT TIME...

WHEN WE CLIMB INTO CHEVY'S BIG NEW BRUTE, THE SILVERADO HD.

AND THEN, THE TOYOTA COROLLA INJECTS A NEW SPIRIT INTO DAY-TO-DAY DRIVING.

UNTIL THEN, I'M JOHN DAVIS, WE'LL SEE YOU RIGHT HERE ON MOTORWEEK !

Announcer: TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MOTORWEEK , TELEVISION'S ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE MAGAZINE, VISIT... MOTORWEEK HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY... Announcer: YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR TIRES ONLINE AND YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

Man 1: I DO.

Announcer: WE'RE TIRERACK.COM, AND WE HAVE ANSWERS AND TOOLS TO HELP.

Man 2: LIKE OUR TIRE DECISION GUIDE.

IT'S A...TAKE A LOOK.

Man 1: OH.

Announcer: FIND...DELIVER...INSTALL...

STATE FARM IS PROUD TO SUPPORT MOTORWEEK .

* Announcer: THIS PROGRAM WAS PRODUCED BY MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION, WHICH IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CONTENT.

[SOUND OF CAR ENGINE REVVING] *