Ok guys, I had tuesday and wednesday off of this week, so I decided to take a ride home and test drive some new trucks. On tuesday I stopped by a Dodge dealership and on wednesday I stopped by a Ford dealership:

2004 Short Bed, Regular Cab Sport Dodge Ram 1500 HEMI 4x4-
3.92 rear Axle w/optional limited slip, cloth interior, all power options, rear tinted slider, 20" chrome wheels, Black with gray interior total price= $32,679

2004 Short Bed, Reg. Cab Ford F150 FX4 5.4 4x4- 4.11 rear axle w/ standard limited slip, cloth interior with center consol, tinted rear windows w/slider, 17" wheel package, Black w/light(er) gray interior, total price= $34,580

Dodge Incentives- $4000 + $350 Owner loyalty (mom owns a Jeep Liberty) =$28,329

Ford Incentives- $1000 customer cash back= $33,580

Test Drive: Dodge

Looks wise, I like the Dodge, nice lines, wheels, bed, but the nose is still just a little too big. In the sport package with the monotone paint, the nose doesn't look as large, which I liked. The interior was comfortable and easy to get situated. I didn't like the reach to some of the center console controls, but everything was simple to use (I'm used to them as they are basically the same as my moms Liberty). The top of the dash is horrible, the plastic is as hard as a rock and if you tap it with your hand it sounds hollow and like it will break. The storage behind the seat is good and easy enough to get to especially if you push the seat forward. Starting the truck up, it has an excellent exhuast not which you can hear pretty well in the truck. Driving manners were excellent, and handling was on level with most cars I've driven. The large wheels and tires made some noise and you could "feel" the road through the steering wheel. Braking was also excellent feeling, but the pedal had a decent amount of travel and was a little cushy. Steering also felt tight and solid, unlike other dodges I've driven and especially my 92 Bronco. The ride was still and like most shortbeds had a buck from the back when going over expansion joints or pot holes. The power was excellent, from a stop it felt like it wanted to instantly spin the tires. It had decent pull down low but around 2000RPM and up it was very powerful, and kept going through the gears. Merging onto the highway from a stop (where the dealer is located) was a breeze and actually quite fun. Around town the power was instant and the tranny did a great job of finding the gears. Upon arriving back at the dealership and talking numbers we worked out a great deal on the truck, but was told to wait till I graduated college this spring as I could get a college graduate incentive worth around $400.

Test Drive- Ford

Looks wise, I like the monotone front end of the F150, the lights look excellent and with just the running lights on it looked menacing and mean. The truck had the style side which I also liked, but the bed of these new trucks just look a little too boxy for my taste, the style side helps this out a lot (IMO). I also didn't like the look of the rear doors on the regular cab but they helped out a lot in getting access to the rear storage, which was a big plus. Basically it was a good/bad trade off as the looks don't impress me but the versatility of the idea does. Plus with the windows tinted and a black truck you could barely notice. The truck felt extremelly comfortable, like a lexus inside. I love having a center console to rest my arm on and just put random things, even if it means losing a passenger-they can walk. The shifter and controls felt perfectly placed and within arms reach. The materials used were very nice and something I didn't expect from Ford, or especially in a truck. I had to go check out the tailgate since I kept hearing that the new torsion bar made it a lot lighter, which it was. It was very easy to operate with only one hand. The Dodge in comparison felt a good few pounds heavier. The bed was also large for a styleside pickup and very deep. Upon starting the engine I saw the RPM guage go up and have a readout but I barely heard the engine. All I could think about was the commercial about the sound deadening Ford put in the firewall. Driving the truck didn't feel like a truck, but more like a car. Handling was great, braking was also great, but both weren't as aggressive as the Dodge's was, which isn't a bad thing. The handling was a bit softer as to be better tolerated day to day. The thing I couldn't get over was how quiet it was, I felt weird because I was so involved in driving the truck that I wasn't talking to the salesman and it was an erie quiet. The truck had good power as well. Down low it also wanted to spin the tires and go into traffic well. It had a great surge down low, but wasn't quite as powerful in the upper RPM's as the Dodge was. I was although impressed that with 45 less Horse's and 10lb/ft underneath me, it still felt close to as powerful. I'd say they were both about equal down low, unloaded, with the Ford edging the Dodge by a little. I didn't have anything to load either truck with so I can't compare loaded. Overall the truck was an excellent truck, but the incentives and overall price is what killed it for me.

Now on to what I think I will buy. Since I will be waiting till the spring to buy my new truck, The Ford salesman said that by then they should have higher incentives on the truck as it just came out, and like Dodge offered a college graduate incentive. If the prices were equal on these two trucks, and the F150 proved to be reliable in the next few months, and I wanted to have one in my garage, I'd have to say I'd buy the Ford as it was a luxury car with a truck body. The power wasn't as extreme as the Dodge, but was plenty for what I needed. Now if I can't get them at an equal price then I'd go with the Dodge.

 

There's quite a disparity in the mileage though is there not?

 

cool, thanks for the opinion, laid out really well.


next, whatever you do, don't let the saleman use the cash back as the bargaining chip! you work out the price, and if the incentives are even mentioned, inform them that ford/dodge is giving YOU that money, it is not theirs to deal with.

on a 1/2 ton truck in the ~28-35k range, you should be able to get 3k off sticker without much trouble.... i got my 39.5k f250 for 34500 BEFORE rebates, with very little negotiations....

so, take the dodge, and ford and reduce them by even 2500, and tack on the rebates after that, now the trucks are far more affordable.

now, i cant wait for someone to wreck a new hemi so i can drive it. i could not live with myself if i stepped foot in a dodge dealership showroom!
ohh, and what is the milage ratings on the window stickers if you noticed, i am kinda curious now...

 

I think the 5.4 was 14/18 while the dodge was 13/17, I'm not 100% sure on the exact numbers, but I do remember the Dodge being down by 1MPG on both city and highway. I think the reason that the "real" mileage attained is less on the Dodge because its hard not to keep your foot in it. It was plain fun just to step on it at every stop, just to hear it and get the rush to the redline. Although one downside on the mileage for the Ford was that it rode so quietly that I was doing 80MPH in a 55MPH zone, so that could also hurt in that you are usually going faster than you think since its so quiet. Matt, I definitely will use that, I didn't really work the price down because I wasn't buying right now, I didn't even do a credit report, come spring I definitely will though.

 

Dodge's "20 inch wheels" are nothing more than some cheap steel wheels with plastic covers stuck on them. What a joke. But, people are buying them so I guess the gimmick works. Just wait until they go to buy a set of 20" tires....I'd say a lot of people will be trading them in when they see how much that's gonna' cost.

Just thought I'd mention that. Dodge seems to use that as a selling point, and it's just a joke really to even offer them.

 

bigbluebronco43-

How did you manage to drive an FX4 regular-cab with bucket seats and a console? That seating arrangement is only available on the SuperCab or SuperCrew.

 

its actually 14/18 I believe for the Ford.

You mean to tell me there isn't a center console with two cup holders in it that flips down between the seats? I also never said they were bucket seats, just that there was a center consol that I loved its placement.

 

WXboy, yes the 20 inch wheels are chromed and are metal, not just plastic stick on's. I actually went up to them myself and touched them, they sure are metal.

 

Well, a "CONSOLE" to me means one of those big plastic storage things INSTEAD of a seat. You also said you "loved having a center console...even if it means losing a passenger- they can walk." I took all this to mean that the truck had a center console, not the center-passenger seat with the fold-down armrest that has storage inside it. Sorry.

 

BigBlue,
Good comparison, I guess your not completely a Dodge boy after all. I think that Ford and Dodge have a good competition going on with their trucks right now. It's too bad the dealers won't let you test drive with about an 8,000 lb trailer hooked up to them, not that I actually have 8,000 lbs to pull, but I think that's where the F-150 will really shine.

 

hate to say this.... but ford, generic motors, and dodge ALL use a chrome piece of steel on top of their painted stamped steel wheels, not actually offering a chrome steel wheel....i have seen them from everyone, i cannot fault dodge only for it, i think all three companies suck for doing it....

my buddy bought a 04 f250 psd last night, he has chrome covered black steel wheels...

dodge does offer an aluminum wheel i thought however, as do ford, and generic motors...

hopefully we do not have to rig up specific circumstances in which ford will best other manufacturers, i would like to see all tests, and let me make my own decision...of course, it will always be a ford.

uhh ohh, i thought i had a console in the middle of my front seat in my 03!!! well, WTF is it@!!!!??? i put my drinks in the cup holders, and my cd's and smokes under the lid...and nobody can sit there, as if i fold it up, ill spill my coke!!!!

in other words, i call it a console as well.
sorry if that was wrong of me.


ok, anough of me being a smart ****.

 

I apologize MarkII, as upon rereading I can see the misunderstanding. I should have reworded it and said that I liked the feeling of the center console in the ford and after putting my things in it I wouldn't want to flip it up due to things going everywhere and my comfort being in jeopardy!

As for the wheels, Yes I believe they are chromed steel wheels, but I was only stating that they weren't plastic as WXboy made it sound.

Yes it is also too bad we can't bring a trailor to a test drive, I think a GM would be the only truck you could do this with as they allow the 24 hour test drive, you could take it home and the try towing your trailor.

 

Great comparison bigblue, I especially like your choice in the F-150(price pending). I am no mechanic and I do not know very many, however, the one mechanic i do know had a little something to tell me the other week. First of all, he is very well liked and known in the mechanic industry and has many contacts(people in ford, dodge, and chevy)-i pretty much believe anything he says about automobiles. Anyway...he told me that Dodge is the last of the "big three" for a reason, they mostly design vehicles for fleet sales and rentals...because they are priced cheaper than anything else. But he said that behind that cheap price is a cheaply engineered vehicle...like where there is a metal part in a chevy or ford, its plastic in a dodge which is not designed to last 100,000+ miles. How else could their be any profits. well summing up...you get what you pay for. This probably sounds just like dodge bashing, but im just saying what a very informed person has told me and i believe it. By the way bigblue, if you dont mind me asking...what college do you go to and what is your major? I am a Junior at LSU and in mechanical engineering...GO TIGERS!

 

Very good comparison. I also test drove both (with the supercabs and smaller V8s). I also chose the Ford. Partly because I just like it better, and partly because of past experiences with reliability.

I had a 1972 Plymouth Duster 340 that I just loved. But it took a good bit of maintenance. I went through a radiator, three carburators, and three cluches in 7 years and 78,000 miles.

My 1994 Ranger with a 2.3 I4 and 5 speed manual isn't as much fun to drive, but it's a real workhorse. It's got 110,000 miles, and still gets 25 MPG around town. I put brakes, tires, and batterits in it. Oh, and one set of plugs. It still has the original cluch. Guess I'll stay with Ford, but the F-150 will be fun to drive.

As for the question of the "console". When it's up it's a three passenger bench seat. But flip it down, and it really is like bucket seats with a "console". Ford made that right. I doubt I'll ever put it up -- get in the back.

 

Great comparison, but I personally put more emphasis on powertrain performance and I like the aggressive look of the Ram so I favor it. I've had plenty of chances around Detroit to see how the F150 stacks up (performance wise) and in all cases was happy to be driving the Hemi. By the time you make your purchase, there should be numerous magazine articles at your disposal.

Speaking of which, here is an interesting article I read today (some real rednecks up North, I can't believe the credit they give the victor for such an easily biased test).

Again, I put no faith in the above test although it would seem to indicate that Ford's low end torque isn't superior even when engine torque is being multiplied higher with the 4.11 gear.

About the 20" rims, they were originally polished aluminum castings later replace by chromed aluminum. Lift one up and tell me it's plastic.

I believe the Ram has had the front seat flip-up console since ’94. It has become a standard in front seat layout in trucks.