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I am considering buying a regular cab, short bed 4x4 pickup for my weekend errands and home rehab business. I've narrowed it down to two models, a Ford F150 STX with 5.0L V8 or a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a 5.3L V8.
I'm looking for feedback on both pros/cons. I'm most interested in reliability and real-world mpg. I will be using it to tow but will not be exceeding 5000 lbs. The sticker mpg is 14/19 for the Ford and 16/22 for the Chevy in the models/engines I'm looking at.
If you are doing home improvement work you need to rethink the short bed. Looks good, works like crap. It's going to come down to which you like best. The GM will give you better gas mileage. My brothers extended cab Chevy 4x4 longbed with the 5.3 flex gives him 24 mpgs at 70 mph. That's better than my 4.6 Supercrew 2 wd at 70. I can get those numbers at 65 but not at 70 and it gets worse the faster I go. Neither are great 4x4 systems. Ford quit making decent 4x4 when they dropped the Bronco- now that's a piece of equipment for offroad. Obviously tires will make a difference. Bros Chevy has gotten stuck on flat dry ground in loose dirt that I pulled him out of with my Screw. That all changed with a change of tires. The factory originals were junk. I doubt the Ford comes with any serious off road tires. Both engines have a decent record for reliability although the Ford has had issues with oil burning in new engines. But a quart every 1500 miles isn't that bad. The 2015 5.0 is supposed to be a direct injected model making a lot more HP so if you think you wanted to wait... Insurance is going to be higher for the aluminum F150 in 2015, about 10% expected. But for a 2014 model, either will serve you probably longer than you want to drive it, properly maintained of course.
I am considering buying a regular cab, short bed 4x4 pickup for my weekend errands and home rehab business. I've narrowed it down to two models, a Ford F150 STX with 5.0L V8 or a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a 5.3L V8.
I'm looking for feedback on both pros/cons. I'm most interested in reliability and real-world mpg. I will be using it to tow but will not be exceeding 5000 lbs. The sticker mpg is 14/19 for the Ford and 16/22 for the Chevy in the models/engines I'm looking at.
If you can wait, you could probably get a good deal on a 2014 F-150 when the newer body style comes out. Also, the 2014 Silverado engines are 1st year and may have some kinks that will need to be worked out. I'm a GM man for the most part but I would have to think this one over for a bit.
If you can find a 2013 Silverado or Sierra still, you could probably get a good deal on one of those as well. Those engines have proven themselves as well.
I agree that neither pickup is well suited for hard off-road use. The combination of a relatively low-slung body along with the independent front suspension isn't great. Truck looks aren't important to me, but neither truck is very attractive, in my opinion. As for fuel economy, I suspect that the Chevy/GMC will give better real world fuel economy, but no gas V8 pickup is going to do outstanding--especially if a lot of stop-and-go driving or driving over 65 mph is involved.
Depending on how much towing you are going to do, I would look seriously at the Ram 1500 with the Pentastar V6. Up until the 2013 model, I would have not recommended the Ram 1500, but I'm fairly impressed with the latest versions. Even better would be the Ram 1500 with the 3.0 V6 Ecodiesel (towing problem solved with it), but its purchase price premium may not be worth it, unless you drive a lot of miles or tow a lot.
For really hard off-road use, any of the 1/2 ton pickups (except, say, a Ford Raptor, or the upcoming TRD Pro Tundra from Toyota) are going to need a suspension lift and taller tires--a minimum of a 3" lift. That will add $3,000-$5,000 to the price tag for the lift and bigger tires, as well as causing a reduction in fuel economy. If that kind of usage is on your horizon, it may be more cost effective to go with a 3/4 ton truck. For the record, I've been using pickups in that type of environment for over 40 years--I've figured out what works and what doesn't.
If you are doing home improvement work you need to rethink the short bed. Looks good, works like crap. It's going to come down to which you like best. The GM will give you better gas mileage. My brothers extended cab Chevy 4x4 longbed with the 5.3 flex gives him 24 mpgs at 70 mph. That's better than my 4.6 Supercrew 2 wd at 70. I can get those numbers at 65 but not at 70 and it gets worse the faster I go. Neither are great 4x4 systems. Ford quit making decent 4x4 when they dropped the Bronco- now that's a piece of equipment for offroad. Obviously tires will make a difference. Bros Chevy has gotten stuck on flat dry ground in loose dirt that I pulled him out of with my Screw. That all changed with a change of tires. The factory originals were junk. I doubt the Ford comes with any serious off road tires. Both engines have a decent record for reliability although the Ford has had issues with oil burning in new engines. But a quart every 1500 miles isn't that bad. The 2015 5.0 is supposed to be a direct injected model making a lot more HP so if you think you wanted to wait... Insurance is going to be higher for the aluminum F150 in 2015, about 10% expected. But for a 2014 model, either will serve you probably longer than you want to drive it, properly maintained of course.
Yah right.
Unless your brother is magically defying the laws of physics (or he sucks at math and is calculating wrong), he's not getting 24.0 mpg.
I am considering buying a regular cab, short bed 4x4 pickup for my weekend errands and home rehab business. I've narrowed it down to two models, a Ford F150 STX with 5.0L V8 or a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a 5.3L V8.
I'm looking for feedback on both pros/cons. I'm most interested in reliability and real-world mpg. I will be using it to tow but will not be exceeding 5000 lbs. The sticker mpg is 14/19 for the Ford and 16/22 for the Chevy in the models/engines I'm looking at.
Long bed. Way more useful. If you're into the I gotta look good get a short bed and drop the tailgate to load 4x8 sheets. Personally I don't care for IFS.
As for brand its preference IMO. I like Fords but anymore there isn't much difference between them. Performance, cargo and reliability is pretty even.
Ford has better safety rating, gets slightly better real world MPG (slightly). I'd lean that way. I wouldn't rule out their 6 cylinder for light towing, either. MUCH better real world fuel economy and tows pretty good. the 5.0 is throaty but the torque curve sucks.
Long bed is great but annoying to park and it cannot fit in 99/100 American garages. RCSB's can.
Chevy 5.3 is an oil burning dog. Go with the Ford or get a RAM with a HEMI.
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