Pick my next 1/2 ton pickup

[HuntHarder]

I get right at or over 500 miles a tank on my 3.0 with 34" tires. A bigger tank would be even better tho.

 

[aftriathlete]

On the diesel vs gas debate, I live in Hawaii where driving a diesel truck is generally the most ludicrous thing someone could drive. The cons of ownership and the actual use case are, on average, at the extreme for it not being justifiable. No one owns trailers here on Oahu. You don’t see boat trailers even, I think I can count on one hand the number of boat trailers that I’ve seen in 2 and a half years here because if anyone needs to move a boat from one part of the island to the other they just drive it over there. And parking for a boat trailer is an absolute premium here. The only trailers you see here behind passenger trucks (so excluding big rigs on the H-1) are lawn care, and this is not what I’m talking about. There are SO many desert rat kinds of diesel trucks here, I’m talking 10” plus lifts on 37-40” tires. This, while there is no actual use for that here (almost no off roading on this island, and these trucks are not used for those limited off-road trails anyway because the actual couple places one can off-road are real 4wd trails where you can expect jungle pinstriping), no one tows anything, and the price of diesel is 30% higher than regular unleaded ($5.09 for diesel currently compared to $3.89 for regular).

Every time I see someone driving a 3/4-ton+ diesel here I just laugh to myself because I know it’s a pavement princess, they don’t tow, and the reality is, they paid a massive premium on the purchase price due to location while paying an extra 30% for a gallon of fuel.

They all complain about the “high cost of living” here though…

 

[TSAMP]

I get right at or over 500 miles a tank on my 3.0 with 34" tires. A bigger tank would be even better tho.

So you get around 19 mpg?

 

[Afhunter1]

whats the biggest tank they equip on one of those?

Also how’s the mpg towing?

Mine is 23 i think. I’d love a 32.

My 2021 2500 6.6 dmax got 15-16mpg empty and 10 with my 10k boat

My 2024 1500 3.0 dmax gets 23-24 empty and will do 16 with 10k boat

Here is my boat. From my house it is 3 hrs to Chessy bay, Lake Erie, and 4 to Lake Ontario, 5 to Ocean City, MD, and so on.

 

[svivian]

Mine is 23 i think. I’d love a 32.

My 2021 2500 6.6 dmax got 15-16mpg empty and 10 with my 10k boat

My 2024 1500 3.0 dmax gets 23-24 empty and will do 16 with 10k boat

A 30 gallon tank and I would be sold.

Those are impressive results

 

[HuntHarder]

Lifetime average is 22 with mostly city driving. Before leveling and bigger tires it was usually around 24. This is also the first computer that is exactly dead on when I hand calculate.

 

[Mike D Texas]

The V8 tundras with 4:30 gears are rated to 9500-10k towing....a 4500 pound boat would be nothing for one of those trucks...

On paper maybe.

 

[Ohiofarm]

5.3s seem to be really tough and proven but hard to beat a duramax.

 

[bonepoint]

The 2.7 Ecoboost is the most reliable Ford half ton engine and gets fantastic mpg while very powerful and fun to drive.
I would only have a half ton diesel if someone gave it to me.

I had a dealer (that specializes in used half ton trucks of all brands) tell me they see more problems with the Ecoboost engines. He deals in large quantities and has owned several. He asked what I wanted to do with the truck and I said I will keep it forever, so he recommended the 5.0 over either Ecoboost.

I would love to get the 2.7 if I felt good about longevity and maintenance on it. Have more info?

 

[bowhuntercoop]

I had a dealer (that specializes in used half ton trucks of all brands) tell me they see more problems with the Ecoboost engines. He deals in large quantities and has owned several. He asked what I wanted to do with the truck and I said I will keep it forever, so he recommended the 5.0 over either Ecoboost.

I would love to get the 2.7 if I felt good about longevity and maintenance on it. Have more info?

get on the forums or quick google search. Cast iron block like the power strokes, insane bottom end good to 700hp. Just complelty overbuilt. It’s the only engine from ford I would buy honestly since you can’t get the 7.3 gas in the f150. Much less problematic then the 3.5 and doesn’t have the oil consumption issues the 5.0 has.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I get right at or over 500 miles a tank on my 3.0 with 34" tires. A bigger tank would be even better tho.

When I had mine I’d routinely get 600-650 all stock. My tundra is lucky to get 325-350. Might be the ONLY thing I don’t like about the tundra. Give me a 30 gallon tank and let her drink!

 

[menhaden_man]

My 2019 Duramax is closing in on 150k and I’ve been noodling on the idea of going back to half ton. Not towing much these days besides a 19’ boat, occasionally a dump trailer that might get up to 10,000 lbs.

Have been a lifelong Chevy/GM guy with one Tundra in the mix, maybe ten trucks total. My 2019 2500 is a little underwhelming and there’s all kinds of bullshit problems (weak bumpers, electrical glitches, occasional hard downshift they can’t ID), not to mention a fuel injector went out on my at 90k and left me stranded with a wife, three kids and a puppy.

The MPG on that baby max is attractive but dang I’m reluctant to get another diesel. Also don’t want all the bullshit cut the engine off at stoplight stuff their adding now.

Can’t see myself ever getting into a dodge but maybe it’s time to give a F150 a shot. Can’t believe I’m saying that but here we are. Seems like GM continues to innovate new problems each year.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

Just some food for thought OP...
I've worked on them all and have many acquaintances in the repair industry in both independent and dealer shops...
GM is in a bad place quality and supply wise. It's not improved much since the covid years.
Lifters/cams/crankshafts/high-pressure fuel pumps leaking into block on all v8 gas engines since 2014/extensive 6,8and 10spd transmission failures, transfer case/actuator issues. Many of these failures under 100k on well maintained/not abused vehicles, Suspension components not holding up as well as they used to either.
The bigger issue is supply of parts to make repairs. I hear "sorry, that's on back order" more GM than all other makes combined these days.

I dont have any type of brand loyalty, but GM is on the bottom of my list from a long term quality and product support standpoint from 22 years of first hand experience.
Some people love them and have decent luck but I've seen to many major failures to ever consider a gm vehicle myself as i keep everything well beyond warranty...maybe an L5P Duramax with 6spd Allison being the lone stand out.
As others have said the f150 in 5.0L or 2.7L are decent options. Rear springs could use some help on them, easy fix. The 10spd trans supposedly was ironed out for 2022+ models...prior to that they have some extensive issues and are seeing fair number of major failures north of 50k miles.
I love my pre '22 5.7L tundras. Hands down the most long term reliable 1/2ton made in my experience... but they do lack in pay load and fuel economy.
In stock form they ride great, lifted/leveled cheaply with oversized wheels/tires...not so much.
Only weak point on Suspension is rear springs...easy fix with air bags, RAS or custom springs. That said, I wouldnt drive one everyday the mileage you do unless fuel expense is zero issue. Stock you can average 15-16...17-18 highway...bigger wheels tires 13-15mpg...they are thirsty.
My 2016 crewmax hunting/camping rig weighs about 8500lbs loaded...over 9k coming back from wyoming with 3 butcher elk last year(far from stock Suspension)...we averaged 11.6mpg round trip over 3k miles.
That same truck unloaded at about 7800 lbs moves 6k lbs loaded trailer just fine...you know its there, but it doesnt struggle towing it...
all the tundra talk is irrelevant to whatvyour after, they dont fit your bill...more just debunking a couple things posted by others earlier on the tundra.
I've not seen many Ram mentions...short of exhaust manifold bolts breaking, front axles/stub shafts and some wheel bearing and ball joints the 1500 rams with 5.7L have been pretty solid in regard to major powertrain issues to north of 200k on the regular. I see more very neglected Rams than others for some reason. Many come in unsafe to be on the road, but engines still run and trans shift fine.Have seen a few lifter failures but nowhere near the volume of the GMs. They do little better on the fuel than tundra but not a lot.
If your gonna buy new its all pretty irrelevant, just pick whatever you like driving the best, buy the extended warranty upfront and re evaluate when you get near warranty expiration...Id still avoid GM though, warranty no good if truck is down indefinitely waiting on parts to become available.

 

[7 rem mag]

Like has been mentioned a couple times, the variable cylinder tech with gm is plain bad. My 6.2 has had significant issues, I know 2 other guys with 6.2s that have had significant issues as well. I do have one friend with a 2020 6.2 with about 50k on it that hasn't has any issues.

Another thing to consider with the 6.2 is its only available in their upper trim packages, which, in the case of my denali, gets you magnaride suspension, which is silly expensive to fix and the parts themselves don't have a very long lifespan.

I didn't vote because I don't know the answer as I'm currently trying to decide what I do for my next truck.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

Like has been mentioned a couple times, the variable cylinder tech with gm is plain bad. My 6.2 has had significant issues, I know 2 other guys with 6.2s that have had significant issues as well. I do have one friend with a 2020 6.2 with about 50k on it that hasn't has any issues.

Another thing to consider with the 6.2 is its only available in their upper trim packages, which, in the case of my denali, gets you magnaride suspension, which is silly expensive to fix and the parts themselves don't have a very long lifespan.

I didn't vote because I don't know the answer as I'm currently trying to decide what I do for my next truck.

I see as many or more failures of non AFM lifters as AFM lifters...the rollers or bearings in them fail, chew cam up. 5.3, 6.2 and 6.6 gas engines all prone to it. Seems even more prevalent on the 2014+ direct injection engines Im fairly certain in part due to fuel contamination in the crank case from leaking high pressure fuel pump...but I'm not a failure analysis engineer.
They had a bad run of crankshafts in the 6.2l as well that were reported to be breaking as well I want to say 2020-2022...
A new 6.6 L8T long block from GM is only $2500...with a $7k core charge...they need them back to rebuild and they are selling them cheap due to high failure rate under warranty per GM parts rep...and last I checked were minimum of 2 weeks to a month out on production for 6.6L and exhaust valves for the heads were on back order...
Best of luck getting an 8l90 trans or the parts to rebuild one if your lucky enough to have one of those and it fails on you...
As I've said before, they are all junk and break eventually but GM in particular has had substantial quality and product support issues for quite some time now without any marked improvement that I've seen...your results may vary, just stating an opinion based on what I see day to day and have reported to me from others in the repair business.
Its a sad time to be buying a new truck, there's nothing out there that does much for me knowing how bad long term quality has gotten across the board despite the astronomical price increases.
As mentioned, a lower trim F150 is probably one of the only decent options for the price if you dont care for all the fancy stuff.
I saw a $53k window sticker on a Tacoma few weeks back when my Dad was picking up his new RAV4. Sure it had all the bells and fancy trim but $53k...for a compact pickup...insanity.

 

[kolky]

I've got a 2020 GMC AT4 1500 6.2L with 55K miles on it. Its been an incredibly reliable truck and have been really happy with it. Knock on wood only issues I've had with it have been needing to get the idler pulley replaced and some electrical gremlin that makes the navigation SD card unreadable at times (still have that latter issue).

I've read a bunch of posts about lifter issues but have not experienced them myself and praying I don't since my power train warranty is up at the end of the month :-(

 

[rootacres]

Just some food for thought OP...
I've worked on them all and have many acquaintances in the repair industry in both independent and dealer shops...
GM is in a bad place quality and supply wise. It's not improved much since the covid years.
Lifters/cams/crankshafts/high-pressure fuel pumps leaking into block on all v8 gas engines since 2014/extensive 6,8and 10spd transmission failures, transfer case/actuator issues. Many of these failures under 100k on well maintained/not abused vehicles, Suspension components not holding up as well as they used to either.
The bigger issue is supply of parts to make repairs. I hear "sorry, that's on back order" more GM than all other makes combined these days.

I dont have any type of brand loyalty, but GM is on the bottom of my list from a long term quality and product support standpoint from 22 years of first hand experience.
Some people love them and have decent luck but I've seen to many major failures to ever consider a gm vehicle myself as i keep everything well beyond warranty...maybe an L5P Duramax with 6spd Allison being the lone stand out.
As others have said the f150 in 5.0L or 2.7L are decent options. Rear springs could use some help on them, easy fix. The 10spd trans supposedly was ironed out for 2022+ models...prior to that they have some extensive issues and are seeing fair number of major failures north of 50k miles.
I love my pre '22 5.7L tundras. Hands down the most long term reliable 1/2ton made in my experience... but they do lack in pay load and fuel economy.
In stock form they ride great, lifted/leveled cheaply with oversized wheels/tires...not so much.
Only weak point on Suspension is rear springs...easy fix with air bags, RAS or custom springs. That said, I wouldnt drive one everyday the mileage you do unless fuel expense is zero issue. Stock you can average 15-16...17-18 highway...bigger wheels tires 13-15mpg...they are thirsty.
My 2016 crewmax hunting/camping rig weighs about 8500lbs loaded...over 9k coming back from wyoming with 3 butcher elk last year(far from stock Suspension)...we averaged 11.6mpg round trip over 3k miles.
That same truck unloaded at about 7800 lbs moves 6k lbs loaded trailer just fine...you know its there, but it doesnt struggle towing it...
all the tundra talk is irrelevant to whatvyour after, they dont fit your bill...more just debunking a couple things posted by others earlier on the tundra.
I've not seen many Ram mentions...short of exhaust manifold bolts breaking, front axles/stub shafts and some wheel bearing and ball joints the 1500 rams with 5.7L have been pretty solid in regard to major powertrain issues to north of 200k on the regular. I see more very neglected Rams than others for some reason. Many come in unsafe to be on the road, but engines still run and trans shift fine.Have seen a few lifter failures but nowhere near the volume of the GMs. They do little better on the fuel than tundra but not a lot.
If your gonna buy new its all pretty irrelevant, just pick whatever you like driving the best, buy the extended warranty upfront and re evaluate when you get near warranty expiration...Id still avoid GM though, warranty no good if truck is down indefinitely waiting on parts to become available.

Thank you for the info and the write up. That 4 cylinder deactivation is a glaring concern. I believe there are some tunes that ditch it. If I go with a 6.2 this may be something that I look into. I want to like the 3.5 EB just because it's quick and Im pleased with the interior. But also my annual mileage would suggest I would be spending some coin on repairs. I have a buddy with the 2.7 EB, no complaints from him, but he doesn't tow. He has an expedition with the 3.5 EB that's his family/boat hauler.

 

[Stearinlys]

If you can find one, the F-150 with the 3.0 is awesome. Especially after you remove all the after treatment and tune it out.

 

[Brendan]

I basically came to the conclusion that every manufacturer has good trucks, and lemons with big issues so I went with the truck I wanted - 2025 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 Crew Cab, Standard/6.5' Bed, with the Diesel. Had to order it because of the standard bed, and I'm still waiting for it to come in. I will have a backup vehicle, and an extended warranty with pretty much any truck these days (Sounds like an excuse to have an older 2 Door Rubicon in the driveway!)

Unless you have an awesome local dealer - do yourself the favor of checking prices with Laura GMC in IL and Rivard GMC in FL. Even if you have to have it shipped or fly in and drive it home. I bought from Rivard.

 

[mtbraun]

Thank you for the info and the write up. That 4 cylinder deactivation is a glaring concern. I believe there are some tunes that ditch it. If I go with a 6.2 this may be something that I look into. I want to like the 3.5 EB just because it's quick and Im pleased with the interior. But also my annual mileage would suggest I would be spending some coin on repairs. I have a buddy with the 2.7 EB, no complaints from him, but he doesn't tow. He has an expedition with the 3.5 EB that's his family/boat hauler.

On my 3rd 6.2 I bought the tuner on the way home from the dealer. That engine was the one that grenaded at 28k miles. I'd still be concerned about the 6.2 dropping lifters, AFM/DFM or not.