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Half-Ton Challenge
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Photos by Perry & Cindy Mack
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Photos by Perry & Cindy Mack
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Photos by Perry & Cindy Mack
Story and photos by Perry & Cindy Mack
You may or may not have noticed that the highly competitive half-ton truck market tends to provide some confusing marketing information. The advertised fuel efficiency numbers are usually for the smallest engine in a 2WD that virtually no Canadian buys (other than as a fleet truck). The towing capacity is usually for the largest engine with a full trailer package, which is not the lowest advertised price. And every truck seems to be ‘Best in Class’ in some class (as I was in high school – for days missed).
The most desirable truck for the majority of Canadians (as proven by the style of trucks purchased in 2012) is one you can take on the job to get the work done that needs to be done (payload, trailering, connectivity) and does double duty as the recreational toy hauler and the ‘get the kids to hockey at 6am on a Saturday’ daily driver. Work hard, play harder.
After we drove the trucks in provinces from coast to coast, threw out most of the press releases and scoured the manufacturers web sites for their specs, we’ve developed a head to head chart of specs for the model of truck that most Canadians want to buy – a gas powered, 4WD, 4-door, large cab, short box, ½ ton truck with a trailer package.
Many of us don’t achieve the fuel efficiency numbers advertised by a manufacturer. We’ve compiled our own fuel efficiency data, which we call ‘Real World’ fuel efficiency. Oddly enough we didn’t use a laboratory, we used drivers – driving in the real world.
It seems that job stress and the price of gas continues to increase faster than our wages. We attempted to build the above truck in the cheapest configuration from the manufacturers web sites but couldn’t get truly comparable results. Then we tried doing this from a couple of truck lots but got tired of sales guys eyeing us up like a prisoner who’s dropped the soap in the shower. So unfortunately, you’ll have to come up with your own pricing.
Overall, the trucks tested were good looking on the outside and the inside. Quality of construction, fit and finish, available infotainment options, bells and whistles were comparable (for the most part). From this perspective there are only two reasons to pass judgment in favour of one manufacturer over another – brand loyalty and a personal choice of aesthetics.
EXCEPT – where the gavel of truth should fall hardest, which is under the hood (and in the pocket book). Which powertrain fulfils your needs best – and there’s never been as many good options as there is right now.
The 2014 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500 and the 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 have received new powertrains. The Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra has the new EcoTech 5.3l V8, the Pentastar 3.6L has been dropped into the Ram 1500, Ford continues to espouse the benefits of the 3.5L EcoBoost as Toyota does with the 5.7L iForce.
The most exciting story for 2014 may be the Ram 1500, which will receive the first turbo-diesel engine offered in a half-ton truck in the last 25 years. It will be paired with their eight-speed automatic transmission and this 3.0-liter V-6 should offer roughly 240 hp at 3600 rpm and 420 lb-ft at 2000 rpm – out later this fall and currently unavailable for testing.
You may notice the Nissan Titan isn’t included in this review. But most of you wouldn’t have noticed as this truck has an insignificant market share in Canada, in other words, virtually no Canadians are buying this truck. In 2012, Canadians purchased over 100,000 F150’s vs. 3,499 Nissan Titans. This is partially because the Titan hasn’t been significantly upgraded since its introduction in 2003. However, rumour has it that the 2014 model will be completely redesigned and offer a diesel engine as well as a more powerful and more fuel efficient V6. Release dates and specs are currently undisclosed.
Who’s in the running for 4WD’s 2014 Truck of the Year?
The interior of the GMC Sierra/Chevy Silverado was well designed and although the Ford offered a marginally better rear seat cargo area, the upfront layout of instruments, accessory power options and storage spaces were superior. The navigation of the infotainment system was slightly below that of the Ram but overall GM provided a better design upfront and a much better rear seat cargo space.
As we said earlier, with respect to exterior styling, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in our eye, it’s Ram.
GM provides the best towing options and electronics although not the top numbers. The trailer sway control, trailer brake control, automatic grade braking, hill start assist and driver assistance systems (along with the most comfortable seats) make it the best long haul vehicle.
The torque curves for all the power trains are relatively flat. We have to give kudos to the Ford 3.5L EcoBoost for providing V8 performance with a V6 engine, we only wish that real world fuel efficiency was closer to the advertised numbers and we have concerns about the reliability of this turbo charged system. The Dodge 5.7L Hemi is still our favorite engine for acceleration and power and we have 260,000 trouble-free km’s on ours – if only the gas mileage was better.
The 5.3L EcoTech from GM provides the best balance of power and fuel economy with the reliability of proven V8 technology matched with transparent cylinder deactivation providing the economy of a V4.
If the Sierra/Silverado had an air suspension system it would be the clear-cut winner – but I guess that’s what the aftermarket is for – those extras we can’t live without.
So unless something completely unexpected is delivered to us from the automotive industry, you can expect the GMC Sierra/Chevy Silverado to be 4WDrive’s 2014 Truck of the Year.