2019 f150 2.7 owner looking to switch

[F150stx27]

I’ve always owned nothing but new Ford products. Just to get that out of the way.

but I’m unimpressed with my f150. The only thing I really love about it is the 2.7 ecoboost. It’s powerful and thus far reliable. The quality control with my f150 is subpar I feel.

warped dash
Leaking oil pan that had to be replaced
Transmission issues, low fluid
Humming noise for the last 20 thousand miles that the dealership cannot seem to pinpoint.

next year I’m trading in and I think I’m going with the Ram 1500

I do have SOME experience with the platform. On two separate occasions while my vehicles were in the shop for extended accident repair, I was loaned a ram classic 1500 which I drove a total of close to 18 thousand miles. I really grew into it and by the time I was ready to pick up my car, I didn’t want to hand it back lol.

I got 20mpg within that whole time.
The ride was great.
I loved the auto4wd
I loved the linear power from the 5.7

A few questions. What trims come standard with the auto4wd? I know for Ford I’d have to jump up to lariat. I definitely want that if I get the Ram.

I’m looking at the 3.21 rear, and I also want the anti spin rear in addition to the 33 gal tank. I do a lot of long distance driving and that feature is paramount for me.

is any of this available on tradesman, or will I have to step up to the mid trims to get all of these options ?

how has the reliability of the 5.7 been? The only thing that scares me is the cam-oiling issues in these engines and the price it is to fix.

Other than that I’m really considering the Ram 1500. I want a decent 4x4 where the engine will give me a solid 200,000 miles minimum. And I also love the 8spd transmission. This is what is leading me into the Ram. Oh, and of course the price difference compared to Ford to General Motors.

Any advice or answers to the questions would be appreciated.

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

Welcome to the forum!

I've actually heard of the low tranny fluid issues on the Fords. There are some cases of Rams coming with low fluid levels as well, but it seems to be a higher frequency on the F-150s.

No vehicle will have a 100% perfect rate of reliability. There are many here that are unsatisfied with their purchases, just like the Ford forums, and many who have replaced their Ram with a Ford and are happy. Every brand will have a chance you're buying a lemon. That being said, my wife and I have now owned four 5.7 Hemis (starting in around 2014). Each one we've put on tens of thousands of miles before trading the vehicle in and we've never traded them in for engine/drivetrain issues. Only powertrain issue we've ever had was a leaky water pump on one, and that was covered under warranty.

That disclaimer aside, moving onto technical parts of your questions. Are you swinging towards the 4th gen (Ram 1500 Classics), or the 5th gen (new body style)? Commonly referred to as the DS and DT respectively. There are some differences, obviously, so some of my advice may not apply (mainly focused on 5th gen myself).

Especially with the 3.21 rear end, you won't have the low end "grunt" that you may be accustomed to with the 2.7's turbos. However, it appears you are well aware of this. Your tow rating also won't be fantastic, but may be fine for you; not sure if your long distance driving involves towing a trailer.

The on-demand transfer case (the one with 4WD auto) can be had in pretty much any trim, I believe. Ram website shows that the on-demand is available in at least the Big Horn and up, possibly the Tradesman. I have not confirmed this, but they are supposedly the same Borg-Warner transfer cases that the Fords use.

4th Gen (Ram Classic) uses a BW 44-44 case for on-demand, and 5th gens use an updated BW 48-11 transfer case. In my own experience, the 4th gen on-demand transfer case was not as good as the 5th gen unit. My 2014 Longhorn's (4th gen) 4WD was never as good as my 2020 Limited (5th gen).

If you are looking for not a ton of options, I'd be looking at the Big Horn trims. You can get many of the Laramie options on a Big Horn with the right packages, if you want them. Definitely get the Premium Lighting package, if nothing else; gives you the Laramie LED headlights, which on paper are not much better than the base Halogen, but sure look a lot better.

If you do good basic maintenance, I see no reason why the 5.7 could not last you 200k. There were many in the 4th gen forums I used to frequent where the same engine would get well over 100k before they traded them in or sold them.

 

[F150stx27]

Welcome to the forum!

I've actually heard of the low tranny fluid issues on the Fords. There are some cases of Rams coming with low fluid levels as well, but it seems to be a higher frequency on the F-150s.

No vehicle will have a 100% perfect rate of reliability. There are many here that are unsatisfied with their purchases, just like the Ford forums, and many who have replaced their Ram with a Ford and are happy. Every brand will have a chance you're buying a lemon. That being said, my wife and I have now owned four 5.7 Hemis (starting in around 2014). Each one we've put on tens of thousands of miles before trading the vehicle in and we've never traded them in for engine/drivetrain issues. Only powertrain issue we've ever had was a leaky water pump on one, and that was covered under warranty.

That disclaimer aside, moving onto technical parts of your questions. Are you swinging towards the 4th gen (Ram 1500 Classics), or the 5th gen (new body style)? Commonly referred to as the DS and DT respectively. There are some differences, obviously, so some of my advice may not apply (mainly focused on 5th gen myself).

Especially with the 3.21 rear end, you won't have the low end "grunt" that you may be accustomed to with the 2.7's turbos. However, it appears you are well aware of this. Your tow rating also won't be fantastic, but may be fine for you; not sure if your long distance driving involves towing a trailer.

The on-demand transfer case (the one with 4WD auto) can be had in pretty much any trim, I believe. Ram website shows that the on-demand is available in at least the Big Horn and up, possibly the Tradesman. I have not confirmed this, but they are supposedly the same Borg-Warner transfer cases that the Fords use.

4th Gen (Ram Classic) uses a BW 44-44 case for on-demand, and 5th gens use an updated BW 48-11 transfer case. In my own experience, the 4th gen on-demand transfer case was not as good as the 5th gen unit. My 2014 Longhorn's (4th gen) 4WD was never as good as my 2020 Limited (5th gen).

If you are looking for not a ton of options, I'd be looking at the Big Horn trims. You can get many of the Laramie options on a Big Horn with the right packages, if you want them. Definitely get the Premium Lighting package, if nothing else; gives you the Laramie LED headlights, which on paper are not much better than the base Halogen, but sure look a lot better.

If you do good basic maintenance, I see no reason why the 5.7 could not last you 200k. There were many in the 4th gen forums I used to frequent where the same engine would get well over 100k before they traded them in or sold them.

Awesome and thorough post. Thank you.

Yes, the hemi doesn’t have the low down torque feel as my 2.7, but I fell in love with the power and linear feel and over all smoothness of the power train. I think the FCA transmission is the best one I’ve ever driven, at least in the Ram 1500 classic that I drove each time.

Any opinion on the anti spin rear? I’ve personally only ever used a locker, but I’ll be in snow country a lot, and it seems interesting for that. But maybe not.

 

[realralfy]

The auto 4wd is in all trims except the Tradesman and Rebel...they have a different transfer case

 

[Muskiez]

Awesome and thorough post. Thank you.

Yes, the hemi doesn’t have the low down torque feel as my 2.7, but I fell in love with the power and linear feel and over all smoothness of the power train. I think the FCA transmission is the best one I’ve ever driven, at least in the Ram 1500 classic that I drove each time.

Any opinion on the anti spin rear? I’ve personally only ever used a locker, but I’ll be in snow country a lot, and it seems interesting for that. But maybe not.

IMO the 4 auto makes way more difference driving in the snow than the anti spin or e locker. I had the e locker in one of my f150s and never really used it. My 2016 lariat had an open diff but had 4 auto. My current Ram has the anti spin and 4 auto. If you are ordering the truck you might as well get the anti spin, but if you are picking one off the lock, don’t make it a deal breaker if the truck doesn’t have it

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

Awesome and thorough post. Thank you.

Yes, the hemi doesn’t have the low down torque feel as my 2.7, but I fell in love with the power and linear feel and over all smoothness of the power train. I think the FCA transmission is the best one I’ve ever driven, at least in the Ram 1500 classic that I drove each time.

Any opinion on the anti spin rear? I’ve personally only ever used a locker, but I’ll be in snow country a lot, and it seems interesting for that. But maybe not.

No problem! Sorry that it got a bit long. I agree, after hearing people who have test drove Ford's 10 speed, GM's 10 speed (almost identical, as they co-developed it with Ford), and then Ram's ZF-based (German company) 8-speed, most prefer the Ram's. I liked the one in my 2014, and the 2nd generation version in the 5th gens is even better.

If the e-locker wouldn't be limited to 20-25 MPH or less (unless you're in 4WD Low, then its a bit higher), I may have opted for the e-locker myself. However, if you're going through deep snow, you keep the back tires spinning (especially if you're stuck). If you do that, the truck will think its going faster than 20, and auto-disengage the e-locker. Sounded useless for what I'll be doing with it, I think it was more intended for slow off-roading.

I got the anti-slip instead. Is it 100% necessary? No, but it does help in snow or other slippery situations.

The auto 4wd is in all trims except the Tradesman and Rebel...they have a different transfer case

It is also an option now on the Rebel (it didn't used to be).

 

[Fatherof3]

As has been said the 4WD auto feature is available in the Bighorn and up models . The anti spin differential is available in all but the rebel or off road packages as they come with the elocker .

 

[theblet]

I drove an f150 platinum 2018 and much preferred my ram 1500. The power and ride is much better