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I've driven Ford trucks since 1974. I've pretty much had anything they've offered in a truck, diesel, F150, F250, F350, V8, V6, and just about all trim levels. I currently drive a 2014 F150 and I wouldn't trade it for ANY Ford truck even if it was a no cost swap. The "new" 10 speed automatic is a nightmare. This transmission was designed and built in concert with GM. GM can't make the thing work right either. If slamming into gear, wrong gear, converter chatter, seems normal to you, then you'd probably be happy. But that's what both makers are telling customers that the POS transmissions are normal. GM has not fixed the GM driveline vibration. Yet another "normal" thing to put up with. If looking at the Fords, the only engine worth having is the 5.0 V8 and it's going away. There will be a 4.8 V8 replacement soon. The EcoBoost 2.7 is anemic in the truck and has been a major disappointment for buyers. Gas mileage isn't what they claim either. The 3.5 EB engine is a dandy but it carries 2 separate injection systems that YOU will maintain after it's out of warranty. FAR, FAR too much crap to make the engine run right that YOU will maintain. The ONLY truck out there that seems to be reasonably trouble free is the Ram. While the Hemi is not a Hemi, it has gone thru several redesigns that now has it to be a pretty decent engine. The 8 speed auto is seamless. Gas mileage has come up significantly since they canned the Lean Burn Technology BS. AS of now, the Ram would be the only full size truck I'd look at. It's J D Power's pick as the best truck on the road. I'd suggest at least looking and driving one before spending the cash for a Ford or a GM.
Yeah I'm scratching my head at all this too. Are you a Dodge dealer?
If looking at the Fords, the only engine worth having is the 5.0 V8 and it's going away. AS of now, the Ram would be the only full size truck I'd look at. It's J D Power's pick as the best truck on the road. I'd suggest at least looking and driving one before spending the cash for a Ford or a GM.
1. the 2018-2019 5.0L has some pretty serious oiling issues. If you don't believe me, just a take a second to Google it and do some reading on the various Ford truck forums. My 2016 3.5L Ecoboost, on the other hand, has been dead-on reliable. Truck hasn't needed a thing other than a set of brakes and basic maintenance.
2. J.D. Power also ranks Ram as one of the worst brands in their 2019 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). So which is it? Maybe Ram has made great strides in reliability in three years, but I somehow doubt it.
It gets even worse at lower trim levels, since the 2.7 and 3.5 Ford Ecoboost engines are available on almost every trim level, whereas to get a 6.2 in a GM truck, you need to buy an LTZ or higher model.
For 2020 you can get the 6.2L on the Custom Trail Boss and RST trims. GM is touting the Custom Trail Boss as the cheapest truck you can buy with over 400 HP.
I custom ordered a 2019 Sierra SLT with the 6.2L and 10-speed. I'm happy with the decision. If I could have gotten an F-150 Limited with the High Output Ecoboost and 6.5' bed, I might have done it, but since I couldn't I went with GMC.
I've enjoyed my 2016 F-150, but I wanted something different, and the 2019, with a few exceptions, was basically the same truck.
It gets even worse at lower trim levels, since the 2.7 and 3.5 Ford Ecoboost engines are available on almost every trim level, whereas to get a 6.2 in a GM truck, you need to buy an LTZ or higher model.
GM is, in fact, losing the truck HP wars.
6.2 will be available in a lot more trims for 2020.
It gets even worse at lower trim levels, since the 2.7 and 3.5 Ford Ecoboost engines are available on almost every trim level, whereas to get a 6.2 in a GM truck, you need to buy an LTZ or higher model.
GM is, in fact, losing the truck HP wars.
I am talking about real world driving experience. Not numbers on paper or the best time a professional driver manages on one day on a test track. Look at the various comparisons where people drive each of the trucks, and put them through their paces. F-150 keeps coming in third. Mostly because of insufficient oomph.
Realistically the numbers on a track are silly. I do not remember how fast my truck will go. Maybe 140. however I never have and never will drive it faster than 120. the 0-60 time is about 6 seconds. Will I ever get that? No. will I ever notice the difference between that and something that does 5.8 or even 5.2? No. reaction time, number and weight of passengers, amount of fuel in the tank, tires and tire condition all are going to have more of an impact on who gets to the next light fastest than whether a professional driver at a track managed a 5.6 0-60 while another driver in a different brand only did it in 6.1. There is no relevance to real world conditions.
GM is losing the HP numbers on paper wars. GM is consistently beating F-150 in the which truck do the revewer drivers like best wars (and this year RAM is beating them both).
Even driving them at neighboring dealerships is not going to tell you anything. What is the first thing you do if you buy a new RAM truck? You drive to the tire store and replace the garbage tires that come on them. Now you have a completely different truck to drive. Any comparison you did on the stock tires is irrelevant.
For all of them the differences are minuscule. It really comes down to which seats feel more comfortable, who has better storage, which mfg offers the color you like the best. they just are not that different. Yes there are differences in payload and towing, but if are pushing up the the limit on any of them, you need to step up to the next truck level or go diesel. in other words Chevy may be able to tow 800 pounds more than Ford, but if you are towing at or over the Ford limit, even if you buy a Chevy, it would be dumb to push that close to the load limit. Just get a 2500.
(Note this is just a hypothetical example, I did not bother to go look up the numbers for this year - although some people who simply cannot grasp what a hypothetical is or how it works will still argue which one tows how many pound more - it does not matter. If the use of a hypothetical has confused you, just replace the word "Ford" with "Truck X" and Chevy with "Truck Y" then you should be able to understand. )
Each person has different concerns that will make one or another of the trucks more viable to them. For me, I drive my vehicles until they die (300,000 miles or so). So durability, ease of performing maintenance and repairs, are big issues. GM wins in this category because among other reasons, Ford has no track record to rely on, the body is not really reparable, and Ford does almost as many stupid things as RAM when it come to thinking through what is involved in replacing common wear items. RAM is horrible in both durability and in stupid planning or lack thereof for what it will take to do repairs. In fact while Ford is only a little worse than GM in this regard, RAM has both of them beat for stupid engineering for repair efficiency by several miles. However for me, RAM offers three other things that makes the repair headache worthwhile - the best storage options, the best ride and the best use of interior space. Yes it breaks a lot more and is way harder to fix and maintain, but it rides way better and I can carry with me all the tool I need to fix it when it breaks, and I am more comfortable when I get to sit in it instead of under it.
Different uses will matter as well. some people just drive on pavement and haul little more than some home depot purchases. I work my truck pretty hard. I Ding the bed up inside and out - thus aluminum would not work well for me. I drive a lot more on road than off road so the ride is important to me while it may be unimportant to others. I have had performance cars and I understand a pick up is never going to be a high performance vehicle no matter how much HP it has. Thus, I do not really care which pick up truck goes 0-60 .2 seconds faster. the acceleration from 390 HP is plenty enough any possible need i can conceive of from a pickup truck. Frankly the acceleration in an F-150 would probably be fine as well. however I am concerned about being able to pull cars out of ditches and bushes out of the ground when I need/want to. So torque and weight matter. Other people may not care. Finally I do not really care whether my truck get 1.5 mpg less than some other pick up. If I wanted high MPG I would get a Honda, or maybe a Spark. No matter how much they play with putting undersized engines in pick ups, they are never going to get good MPG. Not even decent. .
Buying a new truck today, I would reluctantly get another RAM, knowing it will mean lots of long hours laying in the driveway eventually. Still the other pluses balance out for me. Maybe not for others. My second choice would be a GM. I am not sure I would even consider a Ford. I would probably look at a titan first.
However for other people a Ford is the perfect, best and possibly only choice. It all depends on their priorities and preferences. It also depends on what trim level you are looking at and what truck level. I might have a very different outlook for a 2500, 3500 or diesel.
Bottom line is you cannot rationally pick a truck based on track numbers or other paper numbers.You are not driving the truck on paper or on a track, you are driving it in real life. paper numbers, track numbers do not tell you anything about how the truck will do for you under the conditions and uses you will apply to it.
I am talking about real world driving experience.
...
GM is consistently beating F-150 in the which truck do the reviewer drivers like best wars (and this year RAM is beating them both).
...
In the real world Ford F-150 has been #1 selling truck (and vehicle) for many, many years.
This is only thing that matters because it is a measurable, real fact; everything else, it is an opinion.
In the real world Ford F-150 has been #1 selling truck (and vehicle) for many, many years.
This is only thing that matters because it is a measurable, real fact; everything else, it is an opinion.
The F-Series has been the best selling truck, not the F-150. If the F-150 was outselling them all by itself you know darn well Ford would brag about it.
In the real world Ford F-150 has been #1 selling truck (and vehicle) for many, many years.
This is only thing that matters because it is a measurable, real fact; everything else, it is an opinion.
In the real world McDonlad's has been #1 selling burger for many years. So what, is it the best burger?
The F-Series has been the best selling truck, not the F-150. If the F-150 was outselling them all by itself you know darn well Ford would brag about it.
Last I checked both the Silverado, GMC, and RAM all made a 250 and 350. They still are not even close on sales.
I am talking about real world driving experience. Not numbers on paper or the best time a professional driver manages on one day on a test track. Look at the various comparisons where people drive each of the trucks, and put them through their paces. F-150 keeps coming in third. Mostly because of insufficient oomph.
Realistically the numbers on a track are silly. I do not remember how fast my truck will go. Maybe 140. however I never have and never will drive it faster than 120. the 0-60 time is about 6 seconds. Will I ever get that? No. will I ever notice the difference between that and something that does 5.8 or even 5.2? No. reaction time, number and weight of passengers, amount of fuel in the tank, tires and tire condition all are going to have more of an impact on who gets to the next light fastest than whether a professional driver at a track managed a 5.6 0-60 while another driver in a different brand only did it in 6.1. There is no relevance to real world conditions.
GM is losing the HP numbers on paper wars. GM is consistently beating F-150 in the which truck do the revewer drivers like best wars (and this year RAM is beating them both).
Even driving them at neighboring dealerships is not going to tell you anything. What is the first thing you do if you buy a new RAM truck? You drive to the tire store and replace the garbage tires that come on them. Now you have a completely different truck to drive. Any comparison you did on the stock tires is irrelevant.
For all of them the differences are minuscule. It really comes down to which seats feel more comfortable, who has better storage, which mfg offers the color you like the best. they just are not that different. Yes there are differences in payload and towing, but if are pushing up the the limit on any of them, you need to step up to the next truck level or go diesel. in other words Chevy may be able to tow 800 pounds more than Ford, but if you are towing at or over the Ford limit, even if you buy a Chevy, it would be dumb to push that close to the load limit. Just get a 2500.
(Note this is just a hypothetical example, I did not bother to go look up the numbers for this year - although some people who simply cannot grasp what a hypothetical is or how it works will still argue which one tows how many pound more - it does not matter. If the use of a hypothetical has confused you, just replace the word "Ford" with "Truck X" and Chevy with "Truck Y" then you should be able to understand. )
Each person has different concerns that will make one or another of the trucks more viable to them. For me, I drive my vehicles until they die (300,000 miles or so). So durability, ease of performing maintenance and repairs, are big issues. GM wins in this category because among other reasons, Ford has no track record to rely on, the body is not really reparable, and Ford does almost as many stupid things as RAM when it come to thinking through what is involved in replacing common wear items. RAM is horrible in both durability and in stupid planning or lack thereof for what it will take to do repairs. In fact while Ford is only a little worse than GM in this regard, RAM has both of them beat for stupid engineering for repair efficiency by several miles. However for me, RAM offers three other things that makes the repair headache worthwhile - the best storage options, the best ride and the best use of interior space. Yes it breaks a lot more and is way harder to fix and maintain, but it rides way better and I can carry with me all the tool I need to fix it when it breaks, and I am more comfortable when I get to sit in it instead of under it.
Different uses will matter as well. some people just drive on pavement and haul little more than some home depot purchases. I work my truck pretty hard. I Ding the bed up inside and out - thus aluminum would not work well for me. I drive a lot more on road than off road so the ride is important to me while it may be unimportant to others. I have had performance cars and I understand a pick up is never going to be a high performance vehicle no matter how much HP it has. Thus, I do not really care which pick up truck goes 0-60 .2 seconds faster. the acceleration from 390 HP is plenty enough any possible need i can conceive of from a pickup truck. Frankly the acceleration in an F-150 would probably be fine as well. however I am concerned about being able to pull cars out of ditches and bushes out of the ground when I need/want to. So torque and weight matter. Other people may not care. Finally I do not really care whether my truck get 1.5 mpg less than some other pick up. If I wanted high MPG I would get a Honda, or maybe a Spark. No matter how much they play with putting undersized engines in pick ups, they are never going to get good MPG. Not even decent. .
Buying a new truck today, I would reluctantly get another RAM, knowing it will mean lots of long hours laying in the driveway eventually. Still the other pluses balance out for me. Maybe not for others. My second choice would be a GM. I am not sure I would even consider a Ford. I would probably look at a titan first.
However for other people a Ford is the perfect, best and possibly only choice. It all depends on their priorities and preferences. It also depends on what trim level you are looking at and what truck level. I might have a very different outlook for a 2500, 3500 or diesel.
Bottom line is you cannot rationally pick a truck based on track numbers or other paper numbers.You are not driving the truck on paper or on a track, you are driving it in real life. paper numbers, track numbers do not tell you anything about how the truck will do for you under the conditions and uses you will apply to it.
It's not just paper wars. I'm sorry, but numbers don't lie. The reason one might mistake the Ecoboosts for having less oomph, is because they are so darn refined and smooth. You do miss that satisfying rumble of the V8. It takes a little bit away from the driving experience, I get it. But if you are comparing 0-60, the Ford is the quickest...any day of the week. Based on the experience of several friends who drive them and many others I've encountered, it's pretty normal (for to achieve 26 mpg on the interstate or 20-21ish mixed driving. You just have to know how to drive. Obviously some people don't, and they might be better off with some NA engine. Towing will also more than reduce any advantage the turbos have, so if you frequently haul then a V8 would be better. You are right that there is a truck for everybody. Ram without question has the best ride, nicest interior.
Last I checked both the Silverado, GMC, and RAM all made a 250 and 350. They still are not even close on sales.
I never said they didn't. That doesn't change the fact that the F-150 isn't the best selling truck.
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