2019 Pickup Showdown: F-150 vs. Detroit
Daily Slideshow: We pit the Big Three's finest light-duty pickups against one another to see who really has the mac-daddy truck.
The Ultimate Showdown
America's love affair with the pickup truck was born out of necessity. The public would quickly realize that the Model T—with its formidable ground clearance, big 30-inch wheels, and relatively short wheelbase—made for a great pickup truck; all you had to do was chop the rear end up.
That was nearly a century ago, and the pickup truck has come an incredibly long way since its formative days. Our perception of what a pickup truck "should" be is astronomically high, let's be honest. You want your truck to tow like an ox, ride like a Cadillac, accelerate like a Bugatti, and turn like a Volkswagen. Is it really possible to "have your cake, and eat it too?"
All images courtesy of Car and Driver.
A Century In The Making
We've seen many pickups come and go over the years, as well as a few promising new contenders in the area. But there's only one ultimate showdown—and it's between the "Big Three." They've been fighting for our favor for decades, and unlike passenger cars, they have to be tough! If there are any flaws in the design, we'll find it. If there is an inherent shortcoming of utility, we'll expose it. Truck buyers need tough trucks, and that's just the bottom line.
With stunning advancements in luxury and convenience now becoming fairly standard, how do we figure out which truck is the best? All three trucks are spec'd with ratings ridiculously close to each other, and each one comes with a myriad of features for the comfort of creatures. Can Ford continue its historical market dominance amidst such fierce competition?
Enter the 2019 Ford F-150
Enter the F-150. It's not only the best-selling pickup truck in America—it's the best-selling vehicle period... for 36 years! A truck doesn't sell that well because the marketing department all went to Harvard, especially if it's been selling that well after three and a half decades. The F-Series lineup has been there, by our sides, through thick and thin.
The 2019 F-150 is no exception. As of November 2018, F-Series-sales have exceeded 70,000 units per month for the last nine months in a row. But how does a turbocharged V-6 really stand up to the big V-8s? After all, the comparatively-small 3.5L EcoBoost stand up to two extra cylinders? The answer may surprise you.
Enter the 2019 Dodge Ram 1500
The new trend in truck-building is aluminum, and it's all the rage! Ford started the trend back in 2015 and incorporates more of the lightweight metal into its design than any of the other two pickup trucks. Altogether, the F-150 was able to trim 732lbs of curb weight from its spec sheet with an all-aluminum design. The Silverado uses aluminum for the hood, doors, and tailgate, equating to a 450lbs reduction in overall weight; while the Ram was only able to cut its curb weight by 225lbs with an aluminum hood and tailgate.
Clearly, the winner here is the F-150, especially when you consider the price split. The base price for each pickup truck inversely reflects the weight savings; the Ram has the highest MSRP ($33,340); the Silverado starts at $29,795, and the F-150 starts at $29,500.
Enter the 2019 Silverado 1500
The Silverado comes to play hardball for the 2019 shootout, and Chevy pulls no punches. In fact, they're attempting to boldly go where few truck designers have gone before, and it's stirring up a storm. Some people are ecstatic about the front end styling. Others would rather see it plow, grille-first, into a sand berm. Regardless of your personal standpoint, it's an incontestable deviation from the multiangular design of the previous truck, and it's veering dangerously close to prohibitively ugly.
Should this trend continue, we're not sure where that will leave the Silverado, but it will likely continue to drive a stake down the middle of the market, further endearing itself to some, while completely alienating the "on-the-fence" buyers.
Inside The F-150
Inside the F-150 you'll find a satisfying array of creature comforts and tech gear to dig your hooks into. No longer is the pickup truck a few radio knobs and a heater lever. The whole cabin feels less like a truck, and more like a luxury SUV. One of our favorite features on the Ford is the enhanced situational awareness system. No longer are simple backup cameras enough; the F-150 uses four cameras; two under the mirrors, one on the tailgate, and one in the grille. Combining the four image feeds together, the F-150 "stitches" them into a 360° visual rendition of your surroundings (from a birds-eye-view), as well as providing you with the standard "back-up" view.
The only gripe we have about the F-150s interior is the prolific usage of console shifters. The design makes sense, and people love this feature, but it takes away from the "truck feeling" you're supposed to get when driving a truck.
Inside The Ram 1500
The Ram is definitely no dunce in the styling department. An extensive amount of effort went into the stately interior, and it's so luxurious, you almost don't want to put it to work! The designers use liberal amounts of contrasting tones, in healthy proportions, giving you a satisfying view of everything in your immediate surrounding.
Ram has also taken gear selection to the next level. Forgoing the column and console configurations altogether, Ram tasks gear selection to the dashboard, using a knob to cycle through gears. A nice tech-feature, but we still like it on the shaft, where it belongs.
Inside The Silverado 1500
If the other two trucks came out swinging punches, the Silverado brought its 10lb sledgehammer. Although the trim styling can look a bit clunky, what makes the 2019 Silverado special is what's on the inside. The onboard computer boasts a trailering interface that gives you the ability to add trailer profiles, track maintenance, perform static light checks, create service reminders, and even gives you a safety checklist to get you ready for the open road.
Chevy has always liked their onboard-tech, but the new 2019 Silverado sets new benchmarks.
Ford Quick Facts
Price: $29,500-$63,000.
Engine options: (2.7L, 325hp, twinturbo V-6), (5.0L, 395hp V-8), (3.0L, 250hp, diesel V-6), (375-450hp, twinturbo V-6).
Transmissions: Six and eight-speed automatics.
Towing: 5,000-12,000lbs.
Economy: 15-22/18-30mpg.
0-60mph: 5.2-7.8 seconds.
Warranty: 3yr/36,000mile.
Dodge Quick Facts
Price: $33,340-$57,890.
Engine options: (3.6L V-6 + elec. 305hp) (5.7L 395hp V-8), (5.7L V-8 + elec. 395hp).
Transmissions: 8-speed automatic.
Towing: 6,640-12,750lbs.
Economy: 15-17/21-25mpg.
0-60mph: 6.1-8.5 seconds.
Warranty: 3yr/36,000mile.
Chevy Quick Facts
Price: $33,340-$57,890.
Engine options: (4.3L, 285hp V-6), (2.7L, 310hp, turbocharged I-4), (5.3L, 355hp V-8), (6.3L, 420hp V-8), (3.0L, 255hp diesel I-6).
Transmissions: Six, eight, and ten-speed automatic.
Towing: 8,000-12,200lbs.
Economy: 15-22/20-29mpg.
0-60mph: 6.0-8.5 seconds.
Warranty: 3yr/36,000mile.
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