I see so much disdain for pickups here on r/cars but figured this would be a good comparison to do as these are consistently the two best selling vehicles year after year.
I’ll get the why out of the way first. I bought both of these because I’ve always liked trucks. I don’t actually need their capability anymore than I needed my C7 with the Z51 package and 3.whatever to 60/over 1G cornering capability or the 392 Hemi in my Charger that averaged worse mpg than both of these. I wanted a comfortable, large vehicle with a massive back seat and a V8. Really no justification other than I wanted it just like all of the other unnecessary vehicles I’ve owned.
These two aren’t a perfect match trim for trim but it’s relatively close. The Silverado was a 2021 LT Trail Boss 6.2L that was completely optioned out minus the sunroof. This truck had a ton of issues that GM wouldn’t acknowledge or fix and I was luckily able to sell it to Carvana for more than I paid four months and 6,500 miles later.
The F150 is a 2023 XLT 302A FX4 with the 5.0 and 3.73 electronic locking rear end.
I’ll discuss powertrains first as I’ve now owned three 6.2 LT powered vehicles and three Coyote powered vehicles. The Chevy had a better programmed transmission. It was butter smooth and never once had a rough shift even when cold. The Ford’s 10 speed is just as good once warm and you’re tipping into the throttle but will sometimes deliver a clunky shift at low speeds especially when cold.
The engine performance surprised me a bit because the difference in torque is much less pronounced here than it was between my two Mustangs and Camaro/Corvette. I credit this to the Ford’s 3.73 rear vs the Chevy’s 3.23 and the Gen 3/4 Coyotes massive power increase over the gen 1 and 2 my Mustangs had. The 6.2 has more low end. It’s noticeable but the 5.0 will easily move this truck around under 2k rpms. It’s also redlines at 6,800 rpms vs the 6.2s 5,500 and sounds so much better. Get on the gas under a bridge and the exhaust echos sound like a quieter Mustang GT. The 6.2 sounds nice too but it’s that generic truck V8 sound and no exhaust note to speak of. Just like in the cars, I think the 6.2 is the “better” engine but I’ll personally pick the Coyote every time due to that hard pull all the way to redline. I averaged 18 mpg with the Silverado and 19 in the F150 both on 93.
My Silverado had the pre refresh interior so I won’t dog on it too much. It was bad. The new design is similar ergonomically and I’ll just flat out give the interior win to the Ford. I’m trying to think of even one area I liked better in the Chevy. The column shifter was nicer than Ford’s. My F150 has the console shifter that will fold flat. I thought it was a gimmick but it came in handy when I needed to fill out paperwork. The lowered door sill and mirrors provide better visibility in the Ford. As well as the lower dash board. Seat comfort is much better. I haven’t had constant CarPlay connectivity issues or nonstop rattles like in the Chevy yet. Both have absolutely massive cabins.
Both of these trucks have their respective trick tailgates optioned. I liked the Silverado’s version better. It folded into more useful configurations and came standard with a very nice bed liner. I needed to return a damaged 7 ft barbell when I had the Silverado and the multi folding tailgate made that a breeze.
Ride and handling is pretty different. The Silverado had a smoother ride but could be bouncy on the highway. The F150 in comparison has a borderline rough ride but feels more planted and stable. The Silverado had tighter steering. By that I mean the steering ratio seems higher in the Ford.
One thing that really frustrates me about Ford is how they gatekeep options behind trim levels. The XLT is the volume trim yet you have to move up to a Lariat to get the auto 4wd and heated steering wheel. Both of which are available in the LT trim Silverado and comparable Ram.
Overall I think the Ford is the much better designed truck. I formed that opinion within 30 seconds of sitting in the driver seat and continue to feel that way every time I drive it. I do think the Silverado is good enough post refresh that it would be the better truck for someone with a different use case than me and should still be in the running.
Nice review OP and I liked you did this in a place full of where people just blindly hate trucks and act like children when someone mentions them. These kind of posts give this place some much needed balance.
I have driven all the top trims of the big three brands and I agree with you, the F150 is technically the “best” of all the half tons, but how they do options now is almost like my BMW in terms of excess and they make you pay through the nose to get things you actually want. The F150 seats are a benchmark and all other brands should have them.
I drove the 2023 F150 Limited when I was in a search for my vehicle to tow and I learned quickly that despite its car-like ride, the XLT/Platinum were the best trims you could get and you dont really need more. The bed flex however and its ride quality put me off, it rode way too much like a typical economy vehicle to justify its price tag, not to mention the Powerboost felt too slow to me and I wanted a diesel.
The Ram trucks ride like luxury SUVs and have incredible interiors, but I feared being in the shop too much and frankly the dealer by me was an asshole so I gave up on them. The GM trucks (GMC and Silverado) may have an older chassis (T1XX), but they do highways nicer, the Sierra high trims ride almost exactly like the Yukon and Escalade I drove. Plus I got Supercruise which makes long trips towing a breeze and I get the Duramax which can get up to 30mpg in such a big truck.
For better or worse when it comes to pickups, I think they design them on purpose to not eat into each other’s markets and for people like me that just needed a truck and have zero brand loyalty, buying one was a very very hard call and just like you, I despise how Ford plays games with options, solid review.
The powerboost felt slow? I mean compared to a raptor r maybe. It has 570lb/ft and does 0-60 in the low 5s.
Because of the propower, the powerboost is all I really considered. I only have 7k miles on mine but so far no complaints. The awesome seats and hands-free blue cruise make long trips pretty easy. I’ve also successfully powered our camper including ac with no issues.