Ford F-150, Ram 1500 Tie In Truck Of Year Competition

If you’ve ever played soccer or hockey, you know that ties aren’t very satisfying. So, imagine you are running a vehicle competition, and at the end of a long, arduous process, instead of a winner, you have two vehicles with the same score, a tie. Talk about big-league frustration. That is the situation in this year’s Car Connection Truck of the Year competition. When the contest jury at The Car Connection completed tabulating the results for Best Truck of the Year, there was a tie between the Ford F-150 and the Ram1500. Each truck came out with ratings of 6.2. As Torque News Staff Writer John Gorham shows it is quite an achievement for Ram to tie with the leading truck seller across the country. Meantime, Jimmy Dinsmore shows how the Ford F-150 maintains its new-truck sales dominance.The F-150 continues to maintain its sales lead in used truck sales across the country.

Ford F-150, Ram 1500 Tie

When the folks at TCC looked things over microscopically, there was very little difference between the two pickups. Okay, the Ram’s fuel economy ratings were a tad lower, while the ratings for Ford’s base work truck were a wee bit on the low side.

TCC looked at each rating to determine if there was any real daylight between the pickups. There were some, somewhere, but they weren’t able to find it easily. For instance, they noted that the “Ram looks just a little better … but the F-150’s nearly there with its boxy looks and hardy interior.”

Ford F-150, Ram 1500 Engine Offerings

Moving to the engine, TCC noted that Ford had a generous number of powertrains available – the 3.3-liter V-6, the 2.7-liter V-6 turbomotor, the 3.5-liter turbocharged engine with two output, the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8, and the 3.0-liter turbodiesel. Each is available in rear-drive or four-wheel-drive, and there is a choice of 10-speed or six-speed automatic transmissions (limited availability). There are also many different final drive configurations, depending on need. And, for off-roading, the F-150 has several suspension goodies available.

On the Ram side, the number of engine options available isn’t nearly as large as the Ford F-150. For example, the standard engine on a Ram 1500 is a 3.6-liter V-6, while a 5.7-liter V-8 is very popular with many buyers. There is also a 3.0-liter turbodiesel available now, following its disappearance from the line a couple of years ago. Ram uses a standard 8-speed automatic in all of its trucks. Also, the Ram 1500 uses coil spring while the F-150 uses leaf springs. There is also a unique air suspension system available, not usually found in pickups. Ford F-150, Ram 1500 Both Comfy

When it comes to comfort and safety, there’s very little daylight between brands. The evaluators found that the best configurations are four-door, crew cabs with either 5.5- or 6.5-foot beds. Owners are using both pickups as family vehicles today, while the Ram did have a few added tech features – USB-C connectors and an 8.4-inch touchscreen, standard on Laramie and higher models. The touchscreen on the Limited is large, 12-inches, a best in pickup truck technology.

TCC noted that while Ford’s base offering, the XL, has few options when buyers move up to the XLT or higher, they get an 8.0-inch touchscreen. The device also offers smartphone compatibility software. “Ford’s ace is a trim that has no rival, for now: The F-150 Raptor is a desert sports car,” TCC notes.

Ford F-150, Ram 1500 Lack Auto Braking

As to safety, both makers lack automatic braking on every truck. For this, TCC marked them down on the safety scale. And, fuel economy is another area that’s not very important for most buyers. “As for fuel economy? That ranks somewhere between ‘don’t care’ and ‘what’s that’ for most pickup buyers.”

And, this brings us back to their dilemma: when everything is said and done, there is no clear winner; there’s still a tie; “the competition between the two is as clear as mud.”

Torque News Asks Readers Opinions

And, this is where Torque News would like to ask you to weigh in. Which pickup, in your opinion, is the winner? Is it the Ford F-150 or the Ram 1500? You can email in a single-word answer to the comment section below, or you can write up your reason for liking the Ford or the Ram. When we have all of your answers – hopefully, there will be many, we’ll publish the results with a few comments from you. We will also let TCC know our findings, though we suspect they will already know.

Marc Stern has been an auto writer since 1971. It was a position that filled two boyhood dreams: One was that I would write, and two that I write about cars. When I took over as my newspaper’s auto editor, I began a 32-year career as an automotive columnist. There isn’t much on four wheels that I haven’t driven or reviewed. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. Today, I am the Ford F150 reporter for Torque News. I write how-to and help columns for online sites such as Fixya.com and others. You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook.