[97 3.5 Intrepid]

First of all, would you please add spaces between your lines once in a while. It is more difficult to read when you do that.

Now back to the subject, you implied that in practically all cases the Japanese do not offer better fuel mileage which is simply not true that is what I was disproving. Also before Dodge just added the MDS, the Nissan Titan did offer the best fuel economy mixed with power despite having shorter-gearing. I would offer you all the numbers but you would complain. If you want them I'll be happy to post them for you.

The gearing the Titan has combined between the transmission and the rear-axle in its normal setting is similar to the Ram's gearing if it had a 4.10 axle-ratio, the shortest the 1500 model has is 3.92. Also your source needs an update for hp number, because the true output of the Titan is 317hp & 385ft-lbs of tq. The Ram's is still at 345hp & 375ft-lbs of tq for the 5.7L HEMI. The Silverado 5.3L produces 315hp & 338ft-lbs of tq. You get the best mileage with the Silverado at the price of tq. When you compare trucks, torque is more important than hp. Besure to include that.

The reason why GM gets as good fuel mileage as they do with the latest models is the gearing as well. The Silverado offers a 3.42 axle ratio which is extremely tall with the gearing the transmission has. Also GM has added more tech to some of the engines including their Displacement-On-Demand and VVT systems. If the gearing was changed on the Titan, it would get amazing fuel mileage.

Remember not to give GM too much credit for their high economy numbers because this model has just been refreshed vs. Nissan hasn't had a whole refresh done yet on their full-sized trucks and SUVs.

Will the Titan and Tundra fall apart before the Ram, F-series, and GMT900s do. Definitely. The Big Three are still number one for a reason in this field. They have been doing it for many years and have more experience at it. The Titan is Nissan's first full-sized truck attempt and they did a pretty good job for a first try, unlike TOYota who is going to be on their third attempt.

As for you argument where you were comparing the Honda Pilot, an unnamed Toyota SUV, the Jeep Liberty, and Ford Escape. According to edmunds.com, the Liberty and Escape are compact SUVs and the Pilot is a mid-sized SUV. The Pilot has three rows of seating and the Liberty and Escape have two.

You can't compare them, they are too different, plus the Honda has a lot more hp in this case. Also you really shouldn't compare the Escape to the Liberty anyways. The Liberty is a true SUV and the Escape is a four conventional door minivan. Again I would bet my money on the Liberty lasting the longest since Jeep has a legendary reputation in SUVs.

Final point, these "Japanese" trucks are actually built in factories right here in the U.S. of A., as are many of the mid-sized cars.