RAM vs. CHEVY vs. FORD
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
From: Upstate, NY
It was probably pretty close to loaded given that a GMC Denali SRW can barely touch 70K MSRP. GM doesn't really have anything that compares to the KR and Platinum trim levels. A Lariat Ultimate is probably a fair cross shop comparison to a Denali based upon what I've seen.
Cross-Country
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 60
Likes: 3
I'm disappointed in the results of this Ford. A couple of things - when the instruments were shown on the downhill run, I can see Tow/Haul is lit, but I cannot see the indicator for the exhaust brake being turned to full on or auto. Its possible its being obscured by the tach bezel, but I can see most of the odometer.
Now oddly, on the uphill run, the one shot where they show the cluster, look at the boost gauge. It is only running about 20psi. At wide open throttle up a hill like this, it should be running closer to 30psi. Heck, I've seen close to 30psi on much smaller uphills.
You could blame the Ford's slower performance on the other trucks simply being "ringers" or the Ford being "a dud," but these were the same trucks in the 0-60 run, where the Ford was quicker than both these same other trucks!
Fuel economy is kind of silly. They are determining the result simply based upon the dash computer. Who knows how accurate they truly are.
Is it possible some weird transmission shifting prevented the Ford from being where it needed to be? Not sure. It seems the "Midnight IKE" from a few months ago with the 450 towing 30k up the IKE was quicker than this truck!
Now oddly, on the uphill run, the one shot where they show the cluster, look at the boost gauge. It is only running about 20psi. At wide open throttle up a hill like this, it should be running closer to 30psi. Heck, I've seen close to 30psi on much smaller uphills.
You could blame the Ford's slower performance on the other trucks simply being "ringers" or the Ford being "a dud," but these were the same trucks in the 0-60 run, where the Ford was quicker than both these same other trucks!
Fuel economy is kind of silly. They are determining the result simply based upon the dash computer. Who knows how accurate they truly are.
Is it possible some weird transmission shifting prevented the Ford from being where it needed to be? Not sure. It seems the "Midnight IKE" from a few months ago with the 450 towing 30k up the IKE was quicker than this truck!
"The tow/haul feature:
• Provides engine braking in all forward
gears, which slows your vehicle and
assists you in controlling your vehicle
when descending a grade"
This leads me to believe you get engine braking when you select the Tow/Haul mode by itself. It says nothing about turning on the engine brake with the engine brake switch. Maybe it is an assumption you will turn on the engine brake in addition to the Tow/Haul mode. I will have to test this out when I get in the right conditions with a load.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 167
Likes: 8
Tow/Haul mode locks the torque converter. I made good use of it towing a 9000 lb trailer up and down a 21% grade in Canada this summer.
Engine brake adds to this by blocking the Exhaust further allowing the engine to retard your speed.
Engine brake adds to this by blocking the Exhaust further allowing the engine to retard your speed.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 124
Likes: 1
Mine doesn't show when it's in regen mode. I still think it was in regen during this test because of the lower turbo boost reading. That's what region does, lowers turbo boost and increases fuel to burn off soot buildup. Both of those happened from the very little video we got to see. I want to see the whole 8 minutes of the run. 15 seconds is not very long and there could have been a slower truck in front of them at some point that they had to wait and pass. Very weird they didn't show the whole run like they usually do.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 268
Likes: 1
From: Oregon
As a opened minded truck shopper I have the following thoughts on this video.
In my opinion TFL Truck is like the rest of the media these days, they lake credibility. I usually mute the audio. The avg. user here could do a better job of asking the right questions and coming up with better "tests" than these guys.
They use 6 mpg as a benchmark for all vehicles running up the Ike. It does doesn't matter if the vehicle is towing 5k or 30k. On top of that they rely on the mpg listed on the MFD. These numbers mean nothing to me.
Each truck pulled the same trailer up the same 8 mile hill at DIFFERENT times. With the following results.
The Duramax at 10m 17s for an avg speed of roughly 46.7 mph
The Cummins at 45.8 mph
The Powerstroke at 45.6 mph.
So the Duramax was about 1 mph faster, big deal. One of the "testers" says the Ford "just wouldn't trudge up the hill". What the hell is he talking about?
In my opinion TFL Truck is like the rest of the media these days, they lake credibility. I usually mute the audio. The avg. user here could do a better job of asking the right questions and coming up with better "tests" than these guys.
They use 6 mpg as a benchmark for all vehicles running up the Ike. It does doesn't matter if the vehicle is towing 5k or 30k. On top of that they rely on the mpg listed on the MFD. These numbers mean nothing to me.
Each truck pulled the same trailer up the same 8 mile hill at DIFFERENT times. With the following results.
The Duramax at 10m 17s for an avg speed of roughly 46.7 mph
The Cummins at 45.8 mph
The Powerstroke at 45.6 mph.
So the Duramax was about 1 mph faster, big deal. One of the "testers" says the Ford "just wouldn't trudge up the hill". What the hell is he talking about?
More Turbo
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 618
Likes: 69
Anyone who has done legitimate testing knows you don't rely on a single data point. TFL should have known from their own testing of the F450 a few months back that something wasn't quite right. I think, in the back of their minds, they did question the results, but forged ahead with the numbers they captured on that single run. Will it sway me away from buying a Ford, no, but I'd like to see what truck really can do at a 23K weight. I think it would be fairer to all 3 brands to have 2 or 3 runs in a day per vehicle to ensure you have consistent and repeatable results. Up and down the pass in 30 minutes, 15 minutes to change the trailer to a different truck and repeat 9 times. Long day, but we'd have more confidence that the results were accurate. As a I mentioned earlier, if the F-450, at 32% heavier is only 8% slower going up the hill, something is off.
Adam
Adam
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 185
Likes: 1
Can Ford increase HP and Torque numbers by updating the tune on the 2017 6.7??? Or is this just wishful thinking???
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Michael S. Palmer
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,937
Likes: 2,651
From: The Great State of Texas
Mine doesn't show when it's in regen mode. I still think it was in regen during this test because of the lower turbo boost reading. That's what region does, lowers turbo boost and increases fuel to burn off soot buildup. Both of those happened from the very little video we got to see. I want to see the whole 8 minutes of the run. 15 seconds is not very long and there could have been a slower truck in front of them at some point that they had to wait and pass. Very weird they didn't show the whole run like they usually do.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,120
Likes: 652
From: NH
Generally, Mr. Truck does some fairly decent testing and videos, but something was amiss with this truck especially when you extrapolate the data they recently provided with a 2017 F-450. The F-450 was 30.43% heavier, but only 8.4% slower up the hill. While not everything is linear in a comparison like this, something is definitely off. Would have been nice if they had taken the time to do a second test, because at some point, you are going to catch a truck in the middle of a regen running up the pass. A second run would have confirmed the truck was indeed slow or was down on performance due to something like a regen. Alas, these guys are not test engineers, but a little more rigor in the tests would be nice.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,120
Likes: 652
From: NH
They always fuel the trucks up at the same station / generally the same pump. Appears to be a high-volume station / truck stop.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,120
Likes: 652
From: NH
Is it possible they got confused and were given a truck with the 3.55 axle? These trucks are supplied by the manufacturer...with all the sticker mix ups, is it possible the wrong window sticker was supplied? Or TFL screwed up?
Tuned
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 464
Likes: 29
Well then why do you think the Ford lost when it has 5hp less 15ft lbs more and 4.10 gears? It should beat it. And assuming the test with the 450 was legit, when towing 30k, it beat the ram by over a minute.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
Something to think about (and I'm no engineer), but 99.9% of everything in life is a compromise. If you build for power you give up some speed. Build for speed and give up some power. Because the Ford is the winner in capacity perhaps that creates a trade off in speed / mileage.
It would have been awesome if the Ford had been the clear winner, but I don't regret buying my Ford one bit after seeing this video. In my (getting to be many years of) experience:
- The Rams are solid on the outside and junk on the inside
- All GM products are junk (I've never owned a Chevy truck but many Cadillacs, Buicks, and Oldsmobiles) -- stranded many times, huge repair bills, much time in the shop. I wouldn't buy the truck in the video for 50% of what they were asking for it unless to flip it (and even then I'd feel guilty selling it to the next buyer)
- The many Fords I have owned are solid on both inside and out. I can think of only one issue that left me stranded with all of my many Fords (trucks, cars, and SUV's).
They can test my truck on video, and roll it up and down that hill - but I still wouldn't (ever) trade it for a coup de ville (with a pick up box).
It would have been awesome if the Ford had been the clear winner, but I don't regret buying my Ford one bit after seeing this video. In my (getting to be many years of) experience:
- The Rams are solid on the outside and junk on the inside
- All GM products are junk (I've never owned a Chevy truck but many Cadillacs, Buicks, and Oldsmobiles) -- stranded many times, huge repair bills, much time in the shop. I wouldn't buy the truck in the video for 50% of what they were asking for it unless to flip it (and even then I'd feel guilty selling it to the next buyer)
- The many Fords I have owned are solid on both inside and out. I can think of only one issue that left me stranded with all of my many Fords (trucks, cars, and SUV's).
They can test my truck on video, and roll it up and down that hill - but I still wouldn't (ever) trade it for a coup de ville (with a pick up box).
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,120
Likes: 652
From: NH
If I wasn't driving a Ford, I'd likely be driving a RAM, despite hating the fact that ownership of the company is foreign. Parts of the GM trucks appeal to me, but not enough parts!