Ford Vs Dodge Half Tons

[SDHNTR]

I really wanted to like the Superduty...but the new 2026 6.7L Ram 2500 was just better and less expensiveView attachment 955439

That is a slick looking ride right there!

 

[rodney482]

I really wanted to like the Superduty...but the new 2026 6.7L Ram 2500 was just better and less expensiveView attachment 955439

they rust out too fast and their paint is junk.

 

[Thinkingman]

I’m glad that has been your experience, it has not been mine. Toyota has been miserable to deal with. I’ve had to fight them to get every warranty claim handled, and there have been many.

Oh boy!
You just invited The Cult to start in on you!
You're better off just appeasing the Toyota glazers.

 

[SDHNTR]

I’ve owned Toyotas all my life. Prior to this vehicle, they’ve all been fantastic. Reliable, durable and long lasting. Other than the 3rd gen Tundra, they are amazing vehicles. This one is different.

 

[Yellowknife]

On the original subject....

I happen to own a '21 F150 and both '22 and '23 Ram 1500's. I had the Ford and '23 Ram parked next to each other this weekend. They are configured identically, so a good comparison. Both are white, mid-trim, crew cab, 6.5' bed trucks with the ~12" radios and are totally stock. Ford has the 3.5L EB and the Ram has the 5.7 Hemi E-Torque.

Perspective is from Alaska, and using trucks like a truck. Obviously personal opinion as well.

Positives on the Ford:

- 3.5L EB is unbeatable for towing. The 2021+ version is very well sorted, with most of the Gen 1 & 2 issues engineered out.
- 36 gal gas tank option gives great range.
- Center dash layout is very user friendly, with easy to use physical buttons under the large screen
- Good ground clearance for a 1/2 ton
- No body rust!
- Slightly higher payload.


Negatives:

- The paint on the aluminum will chip pretty bad if exposed to lots of gravel roads (as this one has been)
- The 10R80 Transmission has known issues the first few production years. This one has 120k miles and still holding on, but it doesn't shift like the Ram.
- No 4A in XLT trim and lower.


Positives on the Ram

- Ride is very composed
- E-Torque improves the mileage enough that it's dead even with the Ford in real life.
- 8 sp transmission shifting is flawless.
- 4A mode is nice for winter driving

Negatives:

- The whole truck rides lower than a Ford. I measured 8-9" to the front air dam, and 10" to the factory running boards. The Ford has 13" to the air dam, and 14" at the running boards. Only an issue off road, but this is a work truck, so it will see that regularly.
- The 12" screen center stack is at the same time both more sophisticated and harder to use than the Ford. Less physical buttons mean you have to get into the screen more often. I prefer the 8.4" screen on the Ram.
- 26 gal gas tank is a noticeable range reduction. Although a 33 gal tank is available, it's relatively rare.


For 1/2 ton towing and truck duties, I slightly prefer the Ford. The higher ground clearance, larger tank, and turbo'd torque win out. That said, I have sent the ram fleet to some pretty rough places, including Prudhoe Bay in February, with no issues to date. Just have to watch that air dam.

As a pet peave, I find it very irritating to try to find a truck with the longer 6.5" bed in either brand.

 

[McCrapper]

On the original subject....

I happen to own a '21 F150 and both '22 and '23 Ram 1500's. I had the Ford and '23 Ram parked next to each other this weekend. They are configured identically, so a good comparison. Both are white, mid-trim, crew cab, 6.5' bed trucks with the ~12" radios and are totally stock. Ford has the 3.5L EB and the Ram has the 5.7 Hemi E-Torque.

Perspective is from Alaska, and using trucks like a truck. Obviously personal opinion as well.

Positives on the Ford:

- 3.5L EB is unbeatable for towing. The 2021+ version is very well sorted, with most of the Gen 1 & 2 issues engineered out.
- 36 gal gas tank option gives great range.
- Center dash layout is very user friendly, with easy to use physical buttons under the large screen
- Good ground clearance for a 1/2 ton
- No body rust!
- Slightly higher payload.


Negatives:

- The paint on the aluminum will chip pretty bad if exposed to lots of gravel roads (as this one has been)
- The 10R80 Transmission has known issues the first few production years. This one has 120k miles and still holding on, but it doesn't shift like the Ram.
- No 4A in XLT trim and lower.


Positives on the Ram

- Ride is very composed
- E-Torque improves the mileage enough that it's dead even with the Ford in real life.
- 8 sp transmission shifting is flawless.
- 4A mode is nice for winter driving

Negatives:

- The whole truck rides lower than a Ford. I measured 8-9" to the front air dam, and 10" to the factory running boards. The Ford has 13" to the air dam, and 14" at the running boards. Only an issue off road, but this is a work truck, so it will see that regularly.
- The 12" screen center stack is at the same time both more sophisticated and harder to use than the Ford. Less physical buttons mean you have to get into the screen more often. I prefer the 8.4" screen on the Ram.
- 26 gal gas tank is a noticeable range reduction. Although a 33 gal tank is available, it's relatively rare.


For 1/2 ton towing and truck duties, I slightly prefer the Ford. The higher ground clearance, larger tank, and turbo'd torque win out. That said, I have sent the ram fleet to some pretty rough places, including Prudhoe Bay in February, with no issues to date. Just have to watch that air dam.

As a pet peave, I find it very irritating to try to find a truck with the longer 6.5" bed in either brand.

Looking at your breakdown, Im buying the ford for sure.

 

[wind gypsy]

On the original subject....

I happen to own a '21 F150 and both '22 and '23 Ram 1500's. I had the Ford and '23 Ram parked next to each other this weekend. They are configured identically, so a good comparison. Both are white, mid-trim, crew cab, 6.5' bed trucks with the ~12" radios and are totally stock. Ford has the 3.5L EB and the Ram has the 5.7 Hemi E-Torque.

Perspective is from Alaska, and using trucks like a truck. Obviously personal opinion as well.

Positives on the Ford:

- 3.5L EB is unbeatable for towing. The 2021+ version is very well sorted, with most of the Gen 1 & 2 issues engineered out.
- 36 gal gas tank option gives great range.
- Center dash layout is very user friendly, with easy to use physical buttons under the large screen
- Good ground clearance for a 1/2 ton
- No body rust!
- Slightly higher payload.


Negatives:

- The paint on the aluminum will chip pretty bad if exposed to lots of gravel roads (as this one has been)
- The 10R80 Transmission has known issues the first few production years. This one has 120k miles and still holding on, but it doesn't shift like the Ram.
- No 4A in XLT trim and lower.


Positives on the Ram

- Ride is very composed
- E-Torque improves the mileage enough that it's dead even with the Ford in real life.
- 8 sp transmission shifting is flawless.
- 4A mode is nice for winter driving

Negatives:

- The whole truck rides lower than a Ford. I measured 8-9" to the front air dam, and 10" to the factory running boards. The Ford has 13" to the air dam, and 14" at the running boards. Only an issue off road, but this is a work truck, so it will see that regularly.
- The 12" screen center stack is at the same time both more sophisticated and harder to use than the Ford. Less physical buttons mean you have to get into the screen more often. I prefer the 8.4" screen on the Ram.
- 26 gal gas tank is a noticeable range reduction. Although a 33 gal tank is available, it's relatively rare.


For 1/2 ton towing and truck duties, I slightly prefer the Ford. The higher ground clearance, larger tank, and turbo'd torque win out. That said, I have sent the ram fleet to some pretty rough places, including Prudhoe Bay in February, with no issues to date. Just have to watch that air dam.

As a pet peave, I find it very irritating to try to find a truck with the longer 6.5" bed in either brand.

Good run down. I flew to out of state jobsites 2-4 times a month for a handful of years and have had a lot of rental pickups of different flavors and agree with your assessment entirely. The shifting of the ram 8 sp transmissions is in a completely different class than the 10sp Fords. When i last bought a truck in '22, finding a 6.5' bed in a configuration i wanted was a PITA in the lower 48, i bet it's way worse in AK.

 

[Yellowknife]

Ok, I'll say some more negative things about the F150 then...

The Ford is the only one with enough miles to have really been tested. It spent the first two years of it's life on rough northern Alberta roads, running 40+ hrs a week. Currently sitting at 121,000 miles and 6,700 engine hours, it's semi-retired now, and used primarily to commute and tow my travel trailer.

Main Ford issues so far have been electrical. The new system of wiring these trucks with control modules for everything involves a lot of small wires that can be easily damaged, and they are very sensitive, and very challenging to troubleshoot. Water intrusion around a bad seal on the body control module about drove us up the wall. I've had issues with headlights and fog lights, and the really fun one was a hairline crack in a taillight that allowed water in and made every module in the whole truck freak out when the sensor in there started to corrode. And to top it all off, the whole system will get really squirrely if the battery voltage starts to fade.

Otherwise, the mechanical things have been dealing with a minor torque converter shudder and the 4wd hubs (IWE) failing at 110k miles. Even at relatively high engine hours and heavy use, the 3.5L in this one is perfect. Zero leaks and all original. Older ecoboosts (which I also have) took more maintenance!