But that ride improvement is a relative term, which we will talk more of later. Out truck was also equipped with fully air-suspended seats, offering a full six inches of shock-absorbing travel. Monroe also installed a separate cab air suspension, which includes two additional airbags under the cab, along with two shock absorbers. We also had a nifty navigation system that included three, count them, three exterior video cameras to watch what was out back and to the right and left. The display was integrated into the navigation monitor on the dash. What was cool was that you could set the monitor to display the nav screen and all three of the cameras. While that made the pictures small, when you made a left or right signal, or placed the vehicle in reverse, the display would drop the other pictures and show a full screen of what the camera viewed.

Our truck also had onboard a forest of simulated and real wood. On the dash, on the doors, on the headliner, attractive wood panels were almost everywhere. But if you don't like wood, you can order it without, or choose some other simulated stuff, like fake carbon fiber.  Monroe replaced the front seats with two air-suspended fully bolstered leather captain's chairs with a solid-oak center console. In back, the three-passenger leather bench seat can be electronically controlled and reclines and even folds flat at the touch of a button. With the seats laid flat, the rear area is converted into a bed large enough for two children to stretch out and sleep, or two adults could cozy up back there. You can also order yours with back seat captain's chairs,each with its own seat heater. A big-screen DVD player is also available.

At the heart of the Kodiak is the Duramax 6600 diesel and Allison six-speed transmission (with PTO) that is found in the Silverado and Sierra HD trucks. And while versions of the Duramax can be tuned to 350 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, the medium-duty versions such as what's in the Kodiak are not. The Kodiak power totals 300 horses and 605 pound-feet of torque, which provide plenty of grunt for getting around town and towing. At highway speeds, the Kodiak loafs along at under 2,000 rpm. But being a very large vehicle, you do not accelerate with anything close to regular truck speeds. Momentum gathers more locomotive-like. The Allision transmission though is remarkably smooth-shifting, seamlessly snicking off gears without any jerks to the chassis.

You have to remember that this is not a regular pickup truck and it doesn't ride like one. The ride can often be brutal over rough roads when the truck is not loaded. Even with the air suspension and cushioned seats, sharp bumps set off a cacophony of motions with the driver's seat rocking back and forth, the chassis shuddering and the cab itself moving to quell the disruption. It makes for a ride that would feel at home at Six Flags.

Then there is the size issue. On regular neighborhood streets, which are not often as wide as city boulevards, you will be looking out for trees, telephone poles and mail boxes to keep from knocking off the Kodiak's huge mirrors. These mirrors extend, wing-like far from the cab and offer no position to move them closer when you are not towing a trailer.

Steering and braking are quite good for such a huge vehicle, but its home is clearly the open road. You will need about four regular parking lots to visit your local Wal-Mart, and drive-throughs, whether at the bank or your favorite fast food restaurant, are really out of the question unless you like to spend a lot of cash for repairing buildings.

What you do get though is a truck that draws admiring stares from the folks in most travel trailer parks and from almost everyone else. I have driven exotic cars that do not get the stares the Kodiak gets. It is clearly not a truck that the "greens" would approve. Drivers of hybrid Prius's gave us disconcerting looks.

But if you are someone that has the need for a serious tow vehicle, with the power and weight to get almost the biggest consumer trailer down the road, the Kodiak 4500 pickup is your vehicle.

Engines
	Vortec 8100 (L18)	Duramax 6600 (LLY)
Application:	C4500 or C5500	C4500 or C5500
Type:	OHV gas V-8	OHV turbodiesel V-8
Displacement (cu in / cc):	496 / 8128	403 / 6599
Bore & stroke (in / mm):	4.25 x 4.37 / 107.95 x 111.0	4.06 x 3.90 / 103 x 99
Block material:	cast iron	cast iron
Cylinder head material:	cast iron	aluminum
Valve train:	OHV, 2 valves per cylinder	OHV, 4 valves per cylinder
Fuel delivery:	sequential fuel injection (coil-near-plug)	turbocharged, intercooled direct injection via high-pressure common rail
Compression ratio:	9.1:1	17.5:1
Horsepower (hp / kw @ rpm):	LRW: 325 / 242 @ 4000	LRX: 300 / 224 @ 3100 LPD: 300 / 224 @ 3100
Torque (lb-ft / Nm @ rpm):	450 / 603 @ 2800	LRX: 520 / 705 @ 1600 LPD: 605 / 820 @ 1600
Recommended fuel:	unleaded 87 octane (minimum)	No. 2 diesel
Maximum engine speed (rpm):	5000	3250
Transmission
	Allison 1000 (M74)
Type:	5-speed automatic
First:	3.10
Second:	1.81
Third:	1.41
Fourth:	1.00
Fifth:	0.71
Reverse:	4.49
PTO (optional):	6-bolt SAE
Final drive (axle) ratio:	4.88 / 5.13

Note: Information shown is current at time of publication.