Dodge Ram 1500 | $21,570-$40,415

Chrysler has been gaining new admirers with its Ram trucks. Sales are up over last year by double digits, and Elmer calls it the “best-looking truck out there—inside and out.”

The standard engine is a 3.7-litre V6 with a four-speed automatic transmission, but buyers can also opt for the Hemi V8 engine mated with a modern six-speed automatic transmission. Edmonston says the bigger engines offer lots of grunt, but they guzzle gas.

A cylinder-deactivation system is meant to ease the pain at the pumps, but Edmonston says the fuel savings are barely noticeable. He also says the Hemi engines are “complicated to service and parts are often back-ordered.” IIHS crash-test ratings on side impact and roof strength are both “marginal.”