To watch the comparison video, click here.
New for
2019 are the Ram 1500 and Chevy Silverado. This generation Ford F-150 has been
out since 2015, but it received a mild update in 2018. This year’s comparison
test should be very competitive. Before we begin, let me explain how I compare
the trucks. The
evaluation will be numeric in form on a scale from one to ten at the end of the
video to compare them as objectively as possible. With that out of the way,
let’s begin with our first area of speculation, which is value.
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| 2019 Ford F-150, via allcarseveryday |
The 2019
Ford F-150 Lariat is the trim I will be evaluating today, and it starts at
$41,700. Starting with the exterior features, the F-150 sports heated, auto-dimming,
and power folding side mirrors, daytime running lights, LED box lighting and
18-inch aluminum wheels. Let’s move on to the interior, which is swathed with
leather and woodgrain in the Lariat. The driver and front passenger are further
coddled with 10 ways of power adjustability in the seats, and the pedals are
power adjustable to fit the height of the driver. Speaking of which, the F-150
also has a memory function for the seat position depending on which key starts
the vehicle. Other features include dual-zone climate control, an 8-inch
infotainment screen in the dash, push button start, SiriusXM, WiFi, and Ford
MyKey. MyKey promotes responsible driving so that parents can control their
children’s use of the vehicle in terms of audio volume, speed, and seat-belt
usage. The infotainment screen in the dash has Ford’s SYNC 3 on it, which comes
with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard. The only active
safety technology that comes standard on the Lariat is pre-collision assist
with automatic emergency braking. I have a feeling that the Ram and Silverado
will have more safety technology now that they’re essentially four years newer.
So let’s check out the 2019 Silverado LT next, and see if I was right about the
active safety.
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| 2019 Chevy Silverado, via allcarseveryday |
Well, my
hunch was wrong about the Silverado…in fact it has less standard safety
equipment than the Ford. But we’ll get to that in a second. The base LT is the
cheapest truck of the group at $38,395. Standard exterior features are limited
to 17-inch wheels, DRLs, and heated side mirrors. The seats in the Chevy are
manually adjustable four ways for both the driver and passenger. The interior
is cloth, the infotainment system is eight inches, and there is Bluetooth and
Wifi. The Chevy also has remote keyless entry and a teen driver system. Apple
CarPlay and Android auto are also present here. The climate control system is
single-zone manual, but the truck has GM’s OnStar. At this point, the Chevy
looks pretty sparse compared to the F-150, but remember it also comes at a
$3,305 cost savings relative to that vehicle.  |
| 2019 Ram 1500, via allcarseveryday |
The Ram 1500 Laramie is only $1,500
more expensive than the Chevy at $39,895. Let’s see if can one up the Chevy in
terms of features. The exterior has similar features to the Ford like 18-inch
wheels, daytime running lights, and the same side mirror features. The Ram
actually has both LED headlights and taillights, something the other trucks
don’t have. The inside has a memory function for the driver seat, but the front
seats are bench style. The interior is still leather, and the steering wheel is
heated. The Ram has a combined 12-way power adjustable driver and front
passenger seat, and the biggest touchscreen in the segment at 8.4 inches. This
houses Chrysler’s Uconnect system, which has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay,
among more pedantic things like SiriusXM and Bluetooth. Keyless entry and
push-button start are also present here. The standout interior features on the
Ram are the nine speaker Alpine Audio system with a sub-woofer and navigation.
These features are options on the other two trucks.
Next,
let’s look at the power-trains and performance of each truck. All three of the
trucks I have here are being compared with their base engine for the trim line,
which happens to be a V6 for two trucks and an inline four cylinder for another. You got that right…four
cylinders. Don’t throw a fit in the comments just yet, though. I understand
that lots of buyers opt for the V8 no matter what trim level they are at, but
the manufacturers don’t list the price of the V8 as an option, and I don’t want
to guess. Furthermore, the Silverado LT can’t even be optioned with a V6, let
alone a V8. If I were to compare similar engines instead of price points, the
cheapest Silverado with a V6 is the LTZ which starts at over $44,000. I’m
evaluating what each truck offers at that price point, which is the fairest in
my opinion. The 2019 F-150 Lariat comes with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 with 325
horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. The power comes from twin-turbos,
thankfully the cylinders are still iron, as is the upper block. This engine is
mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Even though truck buyers may
dismiss the V6, the truck actually gets down, taking only 5.9 seconds to reach
60 miles per hour. This modern power-train promises a lot in terms of fuel
economy, though most buyers aren’t too worried about that. Brands must still
raise their Corporate Average Fuel Economy, though, and trucks aren’t immune.
It’s tough to predict the reliability on this largely untested power-train
though, especially since it’s boosted. We’ll have to see how it holds up as the
years go on.
Let’s look at the Chevy and see if
they too fell victim to downsizing, and how they decided to answer to the call.
The Silverado LT comes with an identical displacement 2.7-liter engine, but as
mentioned, it’s a four-cylinder engine. Because of this, it musters 310
horsepower and 348 pound-feet of torque and is mated to an eight-speed automatic.
This power-train, though a unique solution to the fuel economy problems that GM
is facing, seems weak compared to the V6’s the other trucks have. Not
everything is about numbers, though as the four-cylinder Chevy can still hit 60
MPH in 6.8 seconds, so it’s no slouch. Also, Chevy may have the last laugh when
we turn to fuel economy, which I will get to later.
And now for the Ram. It has the
familiar Chrysler 3.6-liter V6, though it’s reworked for 2019 to deliver 305
horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. Though dated for 2019, especially in
comparison to the other trucks, this engine has literally more history, and
many of its kinks have had the opportunity to be worked out over the years. The
combination is good for a 7.4 second run to 60 miles per hour, which is
embarrassing when confronted with the four-pot in the Chevy. Also, it lacks the
torque that the turbos have added to the other two trucks, and we’ll see if it
gets penalties in fuel economy or towing for the bigger size and less power.
Now, let’s touch on the payload and
towing ratings of each vehicle. The F-150 in this configuration has a max
payload of 1,910 pounds and can tow 7,600. The Chevy has a payload of 2,027 and can tow 6,800 pounds. The Ram has the
best payload at 2,100 pounds and matches the Chevy with a max towing of 6,730.
All three of these trucks can tow far more when equipped with different rear
ends or towing packages, but these are the standard numbers.
Speaking of numbers, let’s quickly
go over the fuel economy. The Ford gets 20 miles per gallon in the city and 26
on the highway. The Chevy gets 20 in the city and 23 on the highway. Looks like
the smaller engine couldn’t beat the Ford even when it came to fuel economy,
but it’s probably more due to transmission choice. The 10-speed in the Ford is
in its element on the highway. The Ram is rated in the middle at 20 city and 25
highway. Sometimes a bigger engine working not as hard is still burning less
gas than a smaller engine that’s getting its neck wrung.
Our next evaluation area is safety.
I won’t be including active safety technology here because I already included
it in value, but I will take a look at the IIHS ratings for each vehicle. The
Ford does phenomenal here, earning good in every category and superior in the
front crash prevention. The headlights are scored as poor, however. The only
data for the Silverado was from 2018, but even then it earned good in most
categories, except for driver-side small overlap where it got acceptable and
headlights where it too got poor. The front crash prevention was rated basic in
2018, but it’s unfair to judge the 2019 model with these ratings. I assume the
Silverado got better in crash prevention, but I will put an asterisk next to it
at the end to remind everyone that the official ratings aren’t out yet. The
2019 Ram did even better than the Ford, scoring exactly the same everywhere
except headlights, where its rating was bumped to marginal instead of poor.
Next let’s look at styling, which
is a purely subjective category. Your tastes may not align with my own, but I
think the 2019 Silverado is the best looking on the exterior. When it came out,
I couldn’t tell if it was the best-looking truck of the year or the worst
looking, but I eventually settled on best. The F-150 and Ram don’t carry the
in-person road presence that I feel like the Silverado does. That may be
because of ride height and wheels as well, but something about the Ram makes it
feel like a car, not something Rams of yore are known for. Neither of the three
are particularly ugly, but I do like the Ram second best and the Ford third. On
the interior, the Ram is far and away the best, offering a luxurious feel with
spacious usable room. The screen is rotated to be portrait instead of
horizontal and the rest of the dash is clean while remaining modern. The Chevy
comes in a distant second with the Ford at third. Again, neither interior is
ugly, but the Chevy was a mere evolution of the 2018 model and the Ford has
generally unattractive vent placement.
Our last area to look at is
reliability. According to Consumer Report’s extensive testing, the 2019 F-150
is expected to have about average reliability, whereas the Silverado is rated
worse than average and the Ram matches the Ford’s rating of average.
Here are the final points tallied
up for each category. The Ram destroyed the value segment because of its super
premium features for a good price, relative to both other trucks. Safety is all
pretty close but remember that the Silverado isn’t rated yet so I gave it my
best guess at what it will score. The Silverado and F-150 score big in
powertrain and performance, but the Ram takes a hit for using an antiquated
engine that’s slower than both other trucks. However, it made big strides in
styling for having a beautiful interior and decent exterior. I weighted fuel
economy less than the other categories since truck buyers care less about it.
The Chevy lost two points in reliability as each step in the rankings Consumer
Reports gives is worth two points in my comparisons. Finally, the F-150 wins
capability by one point for having a significantly higher tow rating, though
the Ram and Chevy beat it in payload. Ultimately, the Ram is the best truck to
buy in 2019, though none of these offerings could really be considered ‘bad’.
To each his own.
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| The valuations of each truck. |
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