What's the best truck for our reader Chuck?

Share

Boys:

Truck. Mine's done. Full-size pickup. Won't tell you which I've got now because that'll influence your pick because you always say how loyal truck buyers are. But mine's old and too expensive to keep repairing.

Dodge, Ford or Chev? I'm not buying Japanese. I want to buy with financing, not lease. No crew cabs. Go.

Chuck

Cato: Chuck, you talk in machine-gun bursts. All business, no nonsense. Quick, decisive and to the point. My rancher in-laws are like this. They're in Saskatchewan. Raise horses because that's what they've been doing for generations. Grow some grainy things, too.

When they need a pickup, they're like you; fast and decisive. Then they drive it into the ground.

Vaughan: Oh, no. Cato is channelling his cowboy-boot roots. It's enough to make you heave. Truth is, Cato spends his days sipping low-fat lattes, with occasional visits to the tanning salon and the gym.

Cato: Vaughan, I spent five years living in Alberta, the pickup truck capital of Canada. I rode horses, went to rodeos, stacked wood, chopped trees - I know the importance of a pickup for someone who works hard.

Of course, Vaughan wouldn't know anything about hard work and pickups. He's down in Toronto's Beaches with all the old hippies and yesterday's singers and musicians. His Rosedale buddies? They only see a pickup truck when the gardener arrives.

What could Vaughan possibly have to say about Chuck's question?

Vaughan: Cato, for all you know Chuck IS the gardener. So my views are entirely relevant.

If you work with a truck, you are judged in part by your truck. They do have an image. In fact when they advertise the things, it's only about image. Speaking of which, I've just described yours.

Cato: Enough. Let's give Chuck an answer.

Of the three choices, Ford's F-Series sells best. Last year, the F-Series was not just the No. 1 selling light truck, it was the best-selling light vehicle of any sort in Canada.

So Ford lives or dies by pickup sales. Just over a year ago, the F-Series was reinvented and now it has best-in-class towing capacity, payload and the F-150 also boasts better fuel economy than the Ram and a six-speed automatic transmission where the Ram has a five-speed.

More? The Ford has an integrated trailer brake controller that is not even available with the Ram (pickup types are crazy about this stuff), and it has a stronger frame.

So the F-150 has these mine-is-bigger-than-yours numbers. I like it and I'd buy it if I were getting a pickup.

Vaughan: Look out, Cato's on a roll.

Cato: A roll? I've only started. There are deals here, too. Why do you think F-Series' sales were up 20 per cent last year.

I mean, Ford is offering a $500 Sync rebate; a $500 Targeted Loyalty rebate; the $3,000 Recycle Your Ride rebate; a $1,000 Costco rebate; and the $1,000 Orphan Conquest offer. All of these, where applicable, can be combined with a $7,000 factory-to-dealer offer. We're talking thousands in discounts.

Vaughan: Yes, but the Ford is bland.

The Dodge Ram - now that's what a pickup should look like.

And there's power.

The last Ram we tested came with a 390-hp Hemi V-8, while the F-150 had a 5.4-litre V-8 rated at 320 hp. The Ford's V-8 has a small fuel economy edge, but the Dodge flat-out wins the track contest: it's faster 0-100 km/h; it has better 80-120 km/h passing acceleration; and published stopping distances show the Ram has an edge, too.

I'll take the looks, the power and those Ram boxes - useful little tool boxes built into the fenders above the Ram's wheels. Looks, convenience and power, Cato. Slam dunk.

Cato: In terms of ride quality and autocross handling, the F-150 has my vote.

Vaughan: I prefer the Ram.

Cato: Of course you do.

But we can't leave out the Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra twins. The GM pickups are fuel-efficient, solid workers and very comfortable.

Vaughan: I agree the Silverado is a good, reliable truck, one with the basics covered - towing, payload, etc. The Silverado delivers a smooth, powerful, confident ride, too.

Cato: Yup. The V-8 engines have lots of oomph and the cylinder cutoff feature in the 5.3-litre V-8 helps with fuel economy. A six-speed transmission is paired with all V-8 engines other than the 4.8-litre.

Vaughan: And the interior is very good. GM even puts the gearshift lever where it does not take up console space. But there's nothing very striking about the exterior.

Cato: We'll say pleasant, but not exactly the George Clooney of pickups.

Vaughan: Look, Cato, our pal Ralph Gilles from Montreal was the chief designer on the Ram; he did a brilliant job. This thing looks great; it makes a statement.

Cato: Chuck, Vaughan has tipped his hand. He's a Ram man.

And by the way, it's being pushed with deals not unlike those on the F-Series.

My vote: the F-Series. Take that to the bank AND the ranch.

Vaughan: Let's stop here, before Cato breaks into a chorus of Home on the Range.

*****

Jeremy Cato and Michael Vaughan are co-hosts of Car/Business, which appears Fridays at 8 p.m. on Business News Network and Saturdays at 2 p.m. on CTV.