America loves trucks

Luxury Pickups

Well-heeled buyers who want to combine comfort with capability and use their trucks as everyday transportation are likely to consider luxury models. These trucks tend to be crew cabs with shorter beds so they can carry people as well as stuff. Inside, they are loaded with amenities such as leather upholstery, navigation systems, heated and cooled seats, high-end audio systems, and even heated steering wheels and retractable running boards. It seems like new models are popping up every year. Some have a Southwestern theme, with saddlelike leather upholstery emblazoned with laser-etched filigrees. The $43,125 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn and $42,750 Ford F-150 King Ranch are examples of this type of truck. Other high-end luxury pickups include the $45,460 GMC Sierra Denali and the $44,525 Ford F-150 Platinum.

Read:  The Best Trucks on the Road

Special-Edition Models

Beyond the luxury trucks are the special-edition models. They can have tie-ins with complementary brands, be optimized for off-roading, or feature equipment and styling for an outsdoorsy lifestyle. No matter their purpose, they all have personality. Ford offers the $48,995 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson and the $42,725 F-150 SVT Raptor. The Raptor is a high-performance off-road beast, while the Harley-Davidson model boasts even higher levels of luxury than Ford's F-150 Platinum. Ram says that 62 percent of full-size truck owners hunt, fish or camp, so it offers the Outdoorsman with a towing package, extra lighting inside and out, all-terrain tires and skid plates. Ram's Mossy Oak edition cross-promotes the camouflage-apparel brand of the same name. Trucks that feature a Texas theme include the Ram Lone Star package and the Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet Silverado Texas edition.

View Pictures:  Custom Trucks and SUVs

Focus on Fuel Economy

Trucks are among the thirstiest vehicles on the road. That will become a problem as the 2016 and 2025 fuel-economy regulations arrive. While the best pickup fuel economy belongs to the 4-cylinder midsize Toyota Tacoma (21 mpg city/25 highway), several fuel-economy improvements have been made in full-size pickups. General Motors offers the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrids with Environmental Protection Agency ratings as high as 20 mpg city/23 highway. In 2011, Ford introduced an all-new engine lineup with more power and improved fuel economy, the highlight being the 365-horsepower EcoBoost V6 engine with its 16 city/22 highway rating. Ram has had its Multi-Displacement System in the Hemi V8 for years, and for 2013 it is adding a 3.6-liter V6, an 8-speed automatic transmission and start-stop technology, all of which are promised to deliver best-in-class fuel economy.

Find: Fuel-Efficient Towing Machines

Helpful Tech Features

Physical equipment isn't the only thing that can make the job easier. Tech features can do the same. They can be as simple as a navigation system to get you to the next jobsite or a rearview camera with a hitch view. We're more impressed, however, by two features from Ford. The Productivity Screen is a trip computer that also provides valuable information for off-roaders and owners who tow. Off-roaders will like the information on pitch, steering and roll angles, and four-wheel-drive power distribution. Towers will be able to name their trailers, track mileage with those trailers, store gain settings for the trailer brake controller, and access a towing checklist. Also offered is Ford Work Solutions, which can keep track of the trucks in a fleet and secure equipment in the bed with a cable lock.

Read:  5 Great Excuses for Buying a Truck

Kirk Bell has served as the associate publisher for Consumer Guide Automotive and editor of Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine. A Midwest native, Bell brings 18 years of automotive journalism experience to MSN, and currently contributes to JDPower.com and Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.

Like us on MSN Autos Facebook and follow us on Twitter

See what's trending and why in real time on msnNOW.

• Visit MSN Autos' "Exhaust Notes" blog to keep up on all things automotive.
• In the market for a new car? MSN Autos is pleased to provide you with information and services designed to save you time, money and hassle. Click to research prices and specifications on any new car on the market or get a free price quote through MSN Autos' New-Car Buying Service.