Test Drove Ram, Chevy, Ford

[mzflorida]

I am in the market for a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. I currently own a 22 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel but we are going to have increased towing needs in 2025, so we're getting another truck or selling our current one. I drove the three models all with standard output diesels. The Chevy had some high points but neither the wife nor I found the sets to be comfortable, at all. The Ram really felt the best and that is where we are leaning, 2500 or 3500 depending on the next RV we buy. The Ford is a very close second, I do like some of the tech, payload is a little bit higher than Ram, but it is also a bit longer, which I is a negative for me. Just curious if there are others here who own HD Rams and are also familiar with HD Fords. If so, I was hoping you can tell me your opinion on the pros and cons as you see them between the two brands. ENgine, comfort, reliability, drivability, towing/pulling, whatever, I'm interested in it all from the owner's perspective. Anyhow, thanks! Mike

 

[jebruns]

All have good and bad points. The selling points for me when I got a Ram over the other 2 are Cummins, Mega cab, Ram boxes and factory rear air suspension. I'd owned a new Ford PSD and a new GM Duramax, but back in the early 2000's.

I'd recommend going with the 1 ton. 3/4 ton's don't give you much payload room for hauling larger campers.

 

[oledirteh]

So this is just my opinion,

I tow a 39ft toyhauler. its 9700lbs empty, then add water, a 2000lb sxs, all the stuff we are taking, a 4 wheeler, 30 gallons of fuel, food, coolers ect. i suspect im around 13500. but ive never weighed cause im dumb.

With a 2500 i added air bags to level it out and smooth out the ride. it towed find for the most part. However at that point i was at or beyond capacity. If you know your going a big trailer and you have a general weight in mind buy a truck that exceeds that capacity for the capability and the safety of it all.

Imho, get the 3500. Just know it rides like a 3500 lol.


As for the ford, i like it. its a good looking truck imho. the HO they have / had has gobs of power and you get more out of lesser trim levels. a XL is about as loaded as a ram bighorn.

i dont know anything about chevy sadly. never got to test drive a 3500. but when i looked they claimed they were in high demand, never had any on the lot and acted like they were to good to negotiate. so i stuck with ram.

I also suggest this, find a dealer you like and or trust. That will make ram ownership tolerable. my dealer will warranty my truck no questions asked.

Stelantis is on the stuggle bus for sales. you can get good deals. I paid 66k for a big horn 3500 HO that stickered for 79k.

 

[mzflorida]

All have good and bad points. The selling points for me when I got a Ram over the other 2 are Cummins, Mega cab, Ram boxes and factory rear air suspension. I'd owned a new Ford PSD and a new GM Duramax, but back in the early 2000's.

I'd recommend going with the 1 ton. 3/4 ton's don't give you much payload room for hauling larger campers.

Thanks for taking the time to respond! We are definitely leaning one ton. The CFO (wife) wants the peace of mind a one ton offers. And when the wife says “We need a bigger truck.” , I don’t waste time!

You know what? I’m not certain the 3500 i tested had the rear air suspension.

How about reliability? Do you have any insights into Ford and Ram's reliability and if one is generally more reliable than the other?

Thanks again!

 

[mzflorida]

So this is just my opinion,

I tow a 39ft toyhauler. its 9700lbs empty, then add water, a 2000lb sxs, all the stuff we are taking, a 4 wheeler, 30 gallons of fuel, food, coolers ect. i suspect im around 13500. but ive never weighed cause im dumb.

With a 2500 i added air bags to level it out and smooth out the ride. it towed find for the most part. However at that point i was at or beyond capacity. If you know your going a big trailer and you have a general weight in mind buy a truck that exceeds that capacity for the capability and the safety of it all.

Imho, get the 3500. Just know it rides like a 3500 lol.


As for the ford, i like it. its a good looking truck imho. the HO they have / had has gobs of power and you get more out of lesser trim levels. a XL is about as loaded as a ram bighorn.

i dont know anything about chevy sadly. never got to test drive a 3500. but when i looked they claimed they were in high demand, never had any on the lot and acted like they were to good to negotiate. so i stuck with ram.

I also suggest this, find a dealer you like and or trust. That will make ram ownership tolerable. my dealer will warranty my truck no questions asked.

Stelantis is on the stuggle bus for sales. you can get good deals. I paid 66k for a big horn 3500 HO that stickered for 79k.

So this is just my opinion,

I tow a 39ft toyhauler. its 9700lbs empty, then add water, a 2000lb sxs, all the stuff we are taking, a 4 wheeler, 30 gallons of fuel, food, coolers ect. i suspect im around 13500. but ive never weighed cause im dumb.

With a 2500 i added air bags to level it out and smooth out the ride. it towed find for the most part. However at that point i was at or beyond capacity. If you know your going a big trailer and you have a general weight in mind buy a truck that exceeds that capacity for the capability and the safety of it all.

Imho, get the 3500. Just know it rides like a 3500 lol.


As for the ford, i like it. its a good looking truck imho. the HO they have / had has gobs of power and you get more out of lesser trim levels. a XL is about as loaded as a ram bighorn.

i dont know anything about chevy sadly. never got to test drive a 3500. but when i looked they claimed they were in high demand, never had any on the lot and acted like they were to good to negotiate. so i stuck with ram.

I also suggest this, find a dealer you like and or trust. That will make ram ownership tolerable. my dealer will warranty my truck no questions asked.

Stelantis is on the stuggle bus for sales. you can get good deals. I paid 66k for a big horn 3500 HO that stickered for 79k.

There were quite a few things we liked about the Chevy. Those seats were just torturous and it got scrapped from our list (IMO...but my wife and I are seat snobs....custom seats on the motorcycles, etc.). The Ford and the Ram both rode pretty well, each with different characteristics but neither was terrible. Comfort is important as this may be my daily driver and the Ram and the ford are really very comfortable and both were well appointed. Tech in the Ford was way ahead of the Ram, which could be a blessing or a curse. I have to tell you, I absolutely love the head up display in my 1500. They said it was going to be standard in the 2025 Ram HD and it seems that fell off the option list (but who knows for sure). My wife is undecided if she is going to keep the 1500 for her daily driver.

How about reliability? In your experience is either Ram or Ford more or less reliable (generally) than the other?

 

[oledirteh]

There were quite a few things we liked about the Chevy. Those seats were just torturous and it got scrapped from our list (IMO...but my wife and I are seat snobs....custom seats on the motorcycles, etc.). The Ford and the Ram both rode pretty well, each with different characteristics but neither was terrible. Comfort is important as this may be my daily driver and the Ram and the ford are really very comfortable and both were well appointed. Tech in the Ford was way ahead of the Ram, which could be a blessing or a curse. I have to tell you, I absolutely love the head up display in my 1500. They said it was going to be standard in the 2025 Ram HD and it seems that fell off the option list (but who knows for sure). My wife is undecided if she is going to keep the 1500 for her daily driver.

How about reliability? In your experience is either Ram or Ford more or less reliable (generally) than the other?

they both have their issues. ford shops seem to have enough work to keep them busy these days with super duties.

Another thing to note, superduties have the worst turning radius of all the HD's. They have to do a 3 point turn in my culdasac where my 3500 long box can do it in one try.

 

[mzflorida]

Another thing to note, superduties have the worst turning radius of all the HD's.

That is very important to us. Thank you!

 

[Dave01]

I think olddirteh has it nailed. My friend has a new F350 SRW and it's a great truck, super comfortable, tons of power, tech and features are there without having to buy the highest trim. But, it is longer, looks it, feels it, turns like it. Also the power is different, if you want to smoke the tires and drag race the Ford has that kind of power, Ram can match the towing power but not the "step down and go" kind of acceleration. JMO on the comparison of course, and I drive a 6.4 Ram so not like I've spent much time in the Cummins.

 

[oledirteh]

I think olddirteh has it nailed. My friend has a new F350 SRW and it's a great truck, super comfortable, tons of power, tech and features are there without having to buy the highest trim. But, it is longer, looks it, feels it, turns like it. Also the power is different, if you want to smoke the tires and drag race the Ford has that kind of power, Ram can match the towing power but not the "step down and go" kind of acceleration. JMO on the comparison of course, and I drive a 6.4 Ram so not like I've spent much time in the Cummins.

yea, you said it better.

The ford i drove, the HO felt fast. towing wise though, i couldnt tell you. i know regardless of the power, it tows strong. everything i tow is up and down long mountains of western maryland, PA and West virginia. and i do it at 75 no issues. i always see fords doing 5 below the speed limit lol.

 

[Dave01]

The truth is, if you are talking late model Duramax, Cummins, or Powerstroke, anyone who says "this truck doesn't tow well" has unrealistic expectations or a bad tow setup. The power and torque of these trucks is pretty amazing.

 

[tchur1]

I currently have a '22 3500 and have really liked the truck but am pretty close to pulling the trigger on a new f350 for 2 primary reason:
1) I cant fit a carseat comfortably behind the driver seat in the Ram - our car seat hits the back of both the driver and passenger seat unless my wife is driving - the ford cab is larger and has more room for the car seats. Considering my daughter is 8 months old and likely 1 or 2 more on the way in the next 6 years or so - I want the increased cab size for the family.

2) Reliability of the emissions systems - I LOVE the Cummins and it was the reason I got my Ram initially but the '22 and newer trucks seem to be a nightmare emissions wise. I daily my truck along with towing and its just not as reliable as I would like. Ive had 3 emissions systems codes come and go with no rhyme or reason. I just dont trust the truck at this point. Ford changed how they regen on the 23+ Powerstrokes and add a 9th injector to heat the DPF which seems to be working pretty well and has significantly shortened regen cycles compared to what I see in the Ram. I think both trucks will have their issues but I see less emissions related issues on the Ford forum than I do here.

YMMV based on use case, both are great trucks.

 

[oledirteh]

The truth is, if you are talking late model Duramax, Cummins, or Powerstroke, anyone who says "this truck doesn't tow well" has unrealistic expectations or a bad tow setup. The power and torque of these trucks is pretty amazing.

i miss my 09 6.7 dually manual. at 650lbs of tq that thing pulled 35k like it was nothing. by far my fav truck

but yes, you are right. at 1075 now in the current truck, other then being loaded incorrectly these trucks tow like a dream

the main differences between cummins and powerstroke is the rpm range at this point. ram, i float around 2200rpms to stay in the power. Ford likes it hard at around 4500+

 

[Brutal_HO]

If you're looking to order a 25 just know that there's a completely new emissions system with both a pre and post DPF DEF setup, the grid heater is gone, new top-side oil and both fuel filter housings in the engine bay, etc. New 8-speed ZF 8AP transmission.

The order guides and dealer order system seems still a mess with some configurations not currently allowed. I've seen mention of no air ride available on SRW, mandatory ramboxes, etc. both of those would be a solid deal breaker for me.

 

[tchur1]

If you're looking to order a 25 just know that there's a completely new emissions system with both a pre and post DPF DEF setup, the grid heater is gone, new top-side oil and both fuel filter housings in the engine bay, etc. New 8-speed ZF 8AP transmission.

The order guides and dealer order system seems still a mess with some configurations not currently allowed. I've seen mention of no air ride available on SRW, mandatory ramboxes, etc. both of those would be a solid deal breaker for me.

I didnt realize they were re-designing the pre and post DPF/DEF setup on these trucks. Without derailing this thread too much what are they changing?

 

[mzflorida]

I didnt realize they were re-designing the pre and post DPF/DEF setup on these trucks. Without derailing this thread too much what are they changing?

Derail away! My opinion is conversations evolve in person and they should online as well. It’s the way we communicate naturally in my opinion.

 

[mzflorida]

If you're looking to order a 25 just know that there's a completely new emissions system with both a pre and post DPF DEF setup, the grid heater is gone, new top-side oil and both fuel filter housings in the engine bay, etc. New 8-speed ZF 8AP transmission.

The order guides and dealer order system seems still a mess with some configurations not currently allowed. I've seen mention of no air ride available on SRW, mandatory ramboxes, etc. both of those would be a solid deal breaker for me.

The 25 model year is in the running. I’m relatively new to diesels. I understand what a grid heater and flow plugs are but I am only beginning to understand the pros and cons of each. I love my ram boxes. But my understanding is they can make for an expensive fifth wheel hitch to get the clearance we need. Air suspension is top of the list as a need too. But I don’t think those build sheets are accurate yet (if I’m interpreting Marks Dodge posts right on another forum).

 

[mzflorida]

i miss my 09 6.7 dually manual. at 650lbs of tq that thing pulled 35k like it was nothing. by far my fav truck

but yes, you are right. at 1075 now in the current truck, other then being loaded incorrectly these trucks tow like a dream

the main differences between cummins and powerstroke is the rpm range at this point. ram, i float around 2200rpms to stay in the power. Ford likes it hard at around 4500+

Well, one thing I love about my 1500 is the low revving quiet and composed engine. The tire spinning days are gone for me.

 

[mzflorida]

I currently have a '22 3500 and have really liked the truck but am pretty close to pulling the trigger on a new f350 for 2 primary reason:
1) I cant fit a carseat comfortably behind the driver seat in the Ram - our car seat hits the back of both the driver and passenger seat unless my wife is driving - the ford cab is larger and has more room for the car seats. Considering my daughter is 8 months old and likely 1 or 2 more on the way in the next 6 years or so - I want the increased cab size for the family.

2) Reliability of the emissions systems - I LOVE the Cummins and it was the reason I got my Ram initially but the '22 and newer trucks seem to be a nightmare emissions wise. I daily my truck along with towing and its just not as reliable as I would like. Ive had 3 emissions systems codes come and go with no rhyme or reason. I just dont trust the truck at this point. Ford changed how they regen on the 23+ Powerstrokes and add a 9th injector to heat the DPF which seems to be working pretty well and has significantly shortened regen cycles compared to what I see in the Ram. I think both trucks will have their issues but I see less emissions related issues on the Ford forum than I do here.

YMMV based on use case, both are great trucks.

I really appreciate you taking the time to write that out. Very generous of you and great perspectives. My kids are adults now, so enjoy them while they’re little! I never once swore in front of my daughters until my oldest was about 16 or 17. I dropped a f bomb a day think after that! Still an awesome experience.

 

[mzflorida]

The truth is, if you are talking late model Duramax, Cummins, or Powerstroke, anyone who says "this truck doesn't tow well" has unrealistic expectations or a bad tow setup. The power and torque of these trucks is pretty amazing.

I think that is all true. I’m going to be well under limits with whatever fiver we buy. Either brand will tow fine.

 

[mzflorida]

I think olddirteh has it nailed. My friend has a new F350 SRW and it's a great truck, super comfortable, tons of power, tech and features are there without having to buy the highest trim. But, it is longer, looks it, feels it, turns like it. Also the power is different, if you want to smoke the tires and drag race the Ford has that kind of power, Ram can match the towing power but not the "step down and go" kind of acceleration. JMO on the comparison of course, and I drive a 6.4 Ram so not like I've spent much time in the Cummins.

Yeah. That’s what my wife and I feel too. But outward visibility on the Ford was the best of the three in my opinion. No desire at all to go fast. I’m done with that.