As a follow-up to our discussion on another thread, I offered to share our impressions on the best of today's light-duty trucks. My wife and I drove the following trucks back-to-back:
Exterior
Interior
Driving Experience
Summary
3rd Place: The 2018 Ford F-150 Limited is a good-looking truck, as the changes made for this model year really bring the design together. It offers a host of technologies, especially for a truck that has been out for a few years. The 3.5L EcoBoost engine offers smooth and plentiful power. But the cabin feels a bit 'plain', even on luxury models, and the ride quality is average. We wanted it to win us over, but it did not.
2nd Place: To be honest, I wasn't even going to drive a GMC. I thought this competition would come down to Ram vs. Ford. Boy, was I wrong. Between its brawny 6.2L V8 and magnetic ride control, the 2018 GMC Sierra Denali was the most fun to drive of the whole bunch! The interior was nice, too. Not 2019 Ram nice, but still very good for a pickup truck.
1st Place: The 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn offers the best all-around package for us. It features an attractive understated exterior, an interior that is simply unmatched, technology that matches or exceeds anything offered by the competition, an excellent ride, and good power. And to maximize power to the wheels, we ordered ours with a 5.7L Hemi eTorque and the 3.92 rear axle. We can't wait!
- 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn, 4x4, crew cab, short box, 5.7L Hemi V8, 8-speed, 3.21 axle, air suspension, Level 1, Advanced Safety, etc.;
- 2018 Ford F-150 Limited, 4x4, crew cab, short box, 3.5L EcoBoost TTV6, 10-speed, 3.55 axle (electronic locking), Trailer Tow package, etc.;
- 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali, 4x4, crew cab, short box, 6.2L EcoTec3 V8, 8-speed, 3.23 axle (mechanical locking), MagneRide suspension, Ultimate Package, etc.;
- 2019 Ram 1500 Limited, 4x4, crew cab, short box, 5.7L Hemi V8, 8-speed, 3.92 axle (anti-spin), air suspension, Advanced Safety, etc.
Exterior
- The first time I saw a 2019 Ram, it was at the Dallas Auto Show. I will admit that the exterior didn't immediately give me a strong positive or negative impression. What struck me was the new design direction for the Ram (e.g. the loss of the crossbars, etc.). The outgoing truck was almost iconic in design. That said, the front half of the new truck has a mature, understated toughness about it. I gravitated towards the higher-end trims with the adaptive LED headlights, and I very much like the grille on the Laramie Longhorn. The rear half feels a little plain, but the overall proportions are good. Having seen several Rams on the dealer lot, my initial impressions have been confirmed, and we definitely prefer the higher-end trims (and in the darker colors). Note: We ended up ordering a Laramie Longhorn in Delmonico Red.
- I was not a fan of the current generation of the Ford F-150 until the 2018 refresh. The changes to the grille design (i.e. extending the grille into the headlights) made all the difference. I feel that this was executed most successfully on the F-150 Limited. I'm not completely sold on the unique 22" wheels on the Limited, and my wife doesn't love the chrome tailgate badging, but these are sharp trucks overall. The exterior proportions—particularly the round wheel arches and fender flares—are classic Ford touches and feel like they will age well.
- I have traditionally been a fan of heavy-duty Chevrolet and GMC trucks, and I felt like their 1/2-ton designs peaked in the '90s and early '00s. That said, I do think the current (2018) GMC Sierra has a chiseled look that is attractive. I'm not sure that the forthcoming 2019 model is more attractive, although it is undoubtedly more aggressive. I like the current Sierra 1500's headlight package, fender flares, color schemes, and wheel selections.
Interior
- The 2019 Ram 1500 in either the Laramie Longhorn or Limited trim takes interior luxury for a truck to an entirely new level. I'd have to jump into a Mercedes to experience similar quality of materials, from the metal and wood (not plastic) accents to the leather-covered (not vinyl or plastic) surfaces throughout. Additionally, as many reviews have stated, the volume of storage and rear legroom is extraordinary. The seats are very comfortable. The layout is intuitive. The number of USB ports and 110V outlets is awesome. The 12" touchscreen is beautiful (even if the icons are cartoonish). The panoramic sunroof is what you'd expect to find in a luxury SUV. Quite simply, the Ram cabin is a nice place to be.
- After driving a Laramie Longhorn in our favorite color scheme (black/new saddle), the 2018 F-150 Limited was a bit of a letdown. Until very recently, you could have confidently stated that the Limited offers one of the nicest interiors on the road. And it may still be. The quality feels like it's there, and seat comfort was pretty good. It offers the same beautiful panoramic sunroof. But I think it's starting to show some age. The new Ram interior is so good that it makes you feel special, whereas the Ford feels just a bit...plain. The small details just aren't there. And while the Sync 3 infotainment system is very good, the screen resolution and color definition feel like they could use an upgrade. Unfortunately, these are not the impressions I want to have in a top-of-the-line pickup.
- Moving on to the 2018 GMC Sierra Denali, we found the Denali interior refreshing. While it's been out for a few years and is perhaps not as innovative as the Ram, the Denali feels like a luxury truck. It has a very intuitive layout, the seats are comfortable, and it just 'fits well'. The infotainment system that originated with Cadillac CUE still looks great. I think we were surprised that we liked the cocoa/dune interior as much as we did. It's a comfortable truck to spend time in.
Driving Experience
- The first Ram we drove (Laramie Longhorn with 3.21 rear axle and air suspension) rode like...well, like it was on an air suspension. What would you expect? Between the comfortable interior seats, the air suspension, and the strong frame, this truck has a smooth, controlled ride. On the downside, I felt that the steering ratio was a little slow for my taste, and the low rear end ratio left the truck feeling a bit soft off the line. Once we had the truck moving and got the Hemi revving, the power (and pleasing noises) came through. The (huge) front brakes have great bite. All in all, the truck offered a great ride, confident handling, and 'enough' power.
- The F-150 Limited is only offered with the 3.5L EcoBoost twin-turbo V6. This engine offers the most torque in a 1/2-ton truck, and it showed. I was very impressed with the smooth torque curve throughout the low- to mid-RPM bands. Were it not for the unique sound, you'd absolutely believe you were driving a strong V8. That said, the ride let us down here. I've read very positive reviews of the F-150 in this regard, but we found ourselves bouncing along over some uneven roads that the Ram had eaten up without breaking a sweat. I'm sure the 22" wheels on the Limited didn't do us any favors. But we just weren't that impressed. Steering and braking had a good feel. Overall, this felt like a solid truck with a great motor.
- Once again, the GMC surprised us here. I was expecting good things from the 6.2L V8, and I wasn't disappointed; that engine is awesome. It makes all the right noises and is simply raring to go. I can see where I'd get into trouble driving one of those every day. Additionally, the magnetic ride control ("MagneRide") does a fantastic job of soaking up imperfections in the road. Unlike the Ram, which sort of floats across the bumps, you still feel the road in the GMC, with the suspension taking away the harshness and leaving you feel very composed. Steering and braking were more than satisfactory. In short, the Denali was the most fun truck to drive...period. It was so good, in fact, that my wife insisted we test drive another Ram immediately afterwards.
- So we did! We found another Ram dealership a few minutes away and test-drove a 2019 Ram 1500 Limited. As soon as we hit the road, I noticed that this one felt a lot stronger off the line than the Laramie Longhorn we had driven previously. I turned to the salesman and asked him to check the window sticker for the 3.92 rear axle, which he confirmed. I immediately added this to my mental checklist of "must order" options. Aside from that, we decided that the air suspension is really best-in-class.
Summary
3rd Place: The 2018 Ford F-150 Limited is a good-looking truck, as the changes made for this model year really bring the design together. It offers a host of technologies, especially for a truck that has been out for a few years. The 3.5L EcoBoost engine offers smooth and plentiful power. But the cabin feels a bit 'plain', even on luxury models, and the ride quality is average. We wanted it to win us over, but it did not.
2nd Place: To be honest, I wasn't even going to drive a GMC. I thought this competition would come down to Ram vs. Ford. Boy, was I wrong. Between its brawny 6.2L V8 and magnetic ride control, the 2018 GMC Sierra Denali was the most fun to drive of the whole bunch! The interior was nice, too. Not 2019 Ram nice, but still very good for a pickup truck.
1st Place: The 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn offers the best all-around package for us. It features an attractive understated exterior, an interior that is simply unmatched, technology that matches or exceeds anything offered by the competition, an excellent ride, and good power. And to maximize power to the wheels, we ordered ours with a 5.7L Hemi eTorque and the 3.92 rear axle. We can't wait!
