I'm a first time truck buyer, so I cross shopped everyone. Ford, Chevy, GMC, Toyota and RAM. I see a lot of all 5 brands on the road where I live, and there's strong dealers around here too. I had no brand loyalty what-so-ever.
My wife was keen on Toyota and GMC (Denali). I liked the F-150, and I saw a new Ram 1500 Limited last summer that took my breath away, while also having a huge soft spot for GM small block V-8's and LS/LT derivatives. So I spent the better part of 6 months doing my homework, and visiting dealerships.
All 5 trucks brands have significant strengths. If you took the 6.2 and 10-speed from GM, put it on the chassis of the RAM with the RAM's interior and tech, and then wrapped it in an aluminum body of the F-150 you'd have one of the best vehicles ever made!
As a cohesive all around package... exterior looks, capabilities, performance, features and amenities, interior design and price... it wasn't really much of a competition. It's not something that's easily quantifiable on a stat sheet, it just works... and leaves a big smile on my face everytime.