Modern half ton trucks - My comparison and review

2020 Ram 1500 Bighorn trim with the 3.6L V6, 8 speed transmission and 2wd. I have around 46K miles on this truck. 

There are numerous great things about this truck. The ride quality is terrific. The interior is very nice, it feels quality even though it's only the mid tier level trim. It is a very comfortable and extremely quiet place to be. The engine, while lacking that low end V8 torque has good power for day to day driving. I haven't towed a lot with it but did take a 16' car trailer on a 6 hr trip and it had plenty of power for that trip. The chassis and brakes felt more than capable for that as well. 

So far it's been extremely reliable. Not a single issue to report. No costs aside from oil changes. Even the factory tires are only half worn. I don't spend the time to calculate mpgs by hand but the lifetime average from the display is 22.5 MPG. 

2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Base trim with the 5.3L V8 and 6 speed transmission. 4wd with the single speed transfer case. I only have about 2300 miles on this one. 

This is a base model truck so the interior is plain. It has rubber floor coverings instead of carpet. Even considering the differences in the trim level this interior feels less quality. The materials don't feel like they will last. The center console lid squeaks like crazy and it's loud inside. On the plus side the seats are very supportive and I have yet to get uncomfortable in them. With the Ram I'm squirming after about three hours. I haven't had the opportunity to tow with it yet but the V8 has plenty of power and torque.  

Too early to tell about the reliability but I have a sneaking suspicion it's going to be a little needier the the Ram has proven to be. This truck does not have the troublesome AFM system installed but I've read that the lifters can still be an issue. So far I'm averaging 18 MPG.

It's a little unfair to compare these two trucks directly because they are spec'd for two different purposes but I have noticed some differences.

The brakes in the Ram have more stopping power and better initial bite. After switching into the GMC from driving the Ram I find myself coming in hot quite a bit until I adjust how much force to put into the brake pedal.

The suspension of the Ram feels way more sorted. The shocks on GMC feel way under damped even being brand new and the Ram having so many miles it's not even comparable.  They both are comfortable but the Ram has a significant edge.

It's really incredible how much better the Ram moves through the air. Ram spent a lot of time working on aerodynamics when they designed the 5th gen trucks and it shows. It's way more stable at highway speeds. Way more resistant to cross winds and way more quiet. 

The infotainment systems operate very similarly with about the same reaction times. The rear camera on the Ram is better.

I would without question recommend a 5th gen Ram based on my ownership experience. It's really been excellent. Having said all that I will probably be selling it because I don't need two trucks and I looked for so long to find a black single cab 8' bed 4x4 GMC, it has that certain intangible quality that the Ram just doesn't have. 

From ownership of several GM pickups over the years, the interior sounds right out of the General's playbook. Cheap feeling, but it will last longer than you expect it will. 

My neighbor has a Dodge.  The single greatest feature on that truck is the barn doors style tailgate. Do other trucks offer that?  I have no idea...but they should.

I'm irritated that Chevy/GMC dropped the base V6. My dad has a 2018 Chevy with the V6 and loves it. Gets low 20s mpg consistently. The new turbo 4 won't get much better in real world use, and won't be as reliable, I suspect. 

Great info - Thanks!

We're on our second Ram, a 2019 bought new after 75K trouble-free miles from a 2014 Ram. The '19 (at 40K miles I think) isn't as bulletproof as the '14, as this one has the typical broken exhaust manifold bolts that need to be addressed before racing season starts. It also went through a set of tires in about 36K miles while I got 60K out of the first set of tires on the '14. Other than that stuff, it's been great.

You forgot to mention that the Ram is the only full size truck available that doesn't look like it fell out of the ugly-tree and hit every branch on the way down.

In reply to Driven5 :

That's a subjective opinion. I personally think it hit just as many as the rest 

Nick Comstock said:

2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Base trim with the 5.3L V8 and 6 speed transmission. 4wd with the single speed transfer case. I only have about 2300 miles on this one.  This is a base model truck so the interior is plain. It has rubber floor coverings instead of carpet.

That's quite the unicorn.

In reply to stuart in mn :

I tried to order one but for 2022 you cannot get a V8 in a single cab.  Only the 2.7T and GM had already stopped taking orders for 2021 models.   So the search was on.  The only thing it doesn't have that I would have liked is the sliding rear window.  

Once you notice that you can move the steering column and dashboard in a RAM by applying the brakes, the interior will feel a lot more cheap.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I've been into the brakes pretty hard and I've never noticed anything moving that shouldn't have been.  It has adjustable pedals and a telescoping wheel but it's always felt rock solid to me. 

In reply to Nick Comstock :

45k miles and the Ram still has wheel wells? Are they finally figuring out rust proofing or are you too far south?

RevRico said:

In reply to Nick Comstock :

45k miles and the Ram still has wheel wells? Are they finally figuring out rust proofing or are you too far south?

In walking the dogs the only vehicle of any make that I see and is crusty is a Ram 

Nick, I drove eleven trucks over a week period before buying mine. Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, Ram and Toyota. The Fords got more seat time, 2.7 4x4, 3.5 2wd and 5.0 4x4, A 2.7 2wd and 5.3 4x4 GM, Ridgeline with the HPD package, Titan 4x4, Ram Pentastar 2wd, V8 4x4, Taco and Tundra 4x4. All of them were pre owned except for the 2.7 Chevrolet. All were 12k miles-ish 2020 or 2021s. Every truck had something I like more than all others but I drove the Silverado 2wd 2.7 home because I was most comfortable in this truck. Interior wise my truck is a Custom and seems as solid and quiet as all of the others. Two of them had massively better audi systems than the GMs did (High option Ram and the F150 2.7 Limited), I resolved that with an off the shelf under seat sub box, two 10" subwoofers and a 1000 watt amp. 

The only thing I'm not a fan of is only averaging 21.6mpg over 22k miles. I am considering a 2023 Coloranyon 4x4 with the 2.7 but it's not because I hate the tru k. I just know it's still a high value target even with the 4 cylinder 2wd combo.

I had a 2019 RAM 1500 quad cab 4x4 Express with the V6 and for every day driving I really loved it.  When I started not loving it is when I tried to tow our small 3200 lb travel trailer (my truck was rated for 4400 lbs towing).  It was virtually impossible to climb a hill and even stay close to maintaining speed.

Great commuter, terrible tow-er. 

Other than that the quality of that generation of RAM and the newer ones is quite good despite public perception.  

I don't have much to offer other than it's interesting how gas mileage works out on bigger vehicles. I think that the only time I've ever seen 22 mpg on my Ridgeline was coming down out of the mountains. Other piggy vehicles include my old v8 Dakota and 3.0-powered 4-runner. My dad got better mileage with his 460-powered Econoline than he did with the lighter-duty 350-powered version.

In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :

I suspected the 2.7T wouldn't hit the road targets. My dad's truck is a 4x4 long bed ext cab and he's averaging low 20s, up to 23 on long highway runs. It does have Afm on the 4.3 ecotec but so far (40k miles) it's been a great truck.

Mrs VCH has been interested in the Canyonados with the 3.6 v6. 

In reply to RevRico :

I'm in Florida so rust isn't a thing I worry about much. 

Does the Ram have air suspension?  I know it's an option, and I can't figure out why Fraud and Chubby don't offer it.  It massively helps the ride when empty as you don't need such high spring rates as you do with steel springs.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :

No it doesn't.  It's coils all the way around. 

(And don't think it wasn't noticed that this is the first time I've ever seen you slight Ford. You've made me very proud of you. )

I curious how you liked the 4 cylinder turbo Chevrolet?   Acceleration good?

In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :

Yeah, the audio quality is severely lacking for sure. 

In reply to Nick Comstock :

I prefer the bench seat in a Chevy pick up.  Over my Ford. (V8)  But the power of my Ford is massive compared to the Power in my 1997 Chevy V8. Plus I average 22 in the winter and 24 in the summer going to and from work. 
  I also prefer the aluminum in My Ford over the steel in the Chevy.  
    I had to give up on a perfectly running Chevy pick up with 371,000 miles because of rust. Flapping door skins rusty Holely  fenders,  brake lines, replaced and replaced again.     With regard rust Dodge is the king of rust. Around here you don't see a 5 year old Dodge  without serious rust.  Plus friends who have them seems to regularly have serious engine or transmission problems on the Hemi and automatic behind it. 

I'm up in New England, and the '02-08 Dodges are typically pretty crusty, especially over the rear wheel wells. The next generation '09-??? seems to rust far less than the earlier model.

Honestly, I see a lot of crusty trucks that are significantly newer, as well. In their '08 redesign, Chevy seemed to skip rustproofing over the rear wheels, as those trucks are almost as bad as the '02-08 Dodges, and they're newer on average.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :

Up here in the frozen north you don't want the ram with air suspension,not sure if its completely due to the climate but they fail regularly up here.

 Easy to spot one,front wheels tucked up into the wheel wells riding on the stops.