http://popularmechanics.com/automoti...up/print.phtml


http://www.iboats.com/sites/trailerb..._page_259.html

I dont know if this has been posted yet, and if it has I apologize. I dont know what to think about these articles. According to these guys I want to take my truck to the track every weekend and race

 

Wow! 375 views and not one reply. Well, I may take a bit of a beating for this but here it is..please don't get me wrong, I love my truck but...

To me these two articles represent real world testing by the average 'joe'. No overdone corporate hype or outlandish advertising. Seems ford is riding on the coatails of having the "#1 best selling truck" and that may not be enough anymore.

Alot of sales are coming from brand loyalty and there is nothing wrong with that but there seems to be alternatives that are equally good if not better. The playing field has been leveled and I think Ford no longer has the upper hand.

It seems that the Nissan can out-perform and out-tow the Ford. Yes, it is ugly as sin, and may not be as refined as the Ford but that's the comprimise between function over form.

 

Very interesting articles! At least somebody was able to make it through the marketing hype to give their real opinion of the truck. While it may be a bit depressing to look at the speed numbers (even the Tundra tested faster 0-60, with or without the extra 1000lbs in the back?!), take a look at the Service Index on the last table.

Service Index:
"Based on 60 simple weighted tasks"
Our truck flew through with an 80, while the much praised (fast, drivetrain, yada yada) Titan only got a 67 on this test.

Yet even more interesting is the article doesn't even mention these scores, all it was testing was the extreme speed and cornering abilities of the trucks. It may feel nice to know you have a fast manly truck in your garage, none of that speed means **** when you actually have work to do.

- Justin

 

There is a big reason for the pure speed, etc. results.
The Nissan was one of the lightest vehicles to begin with. Only the Toyota was lighter. When you start out over 400 lbs lighter, that makes a big difference on speed and acceleration tests! The only other truck that came close to the level of refinement and slightly more weight as the F-150 is the GMC Denali.

And, when you look at the bare facts, Ford was doing more with less. The engine produced only 300 HP, less than both GMC, Dodge, and Nisan and it had to drag around more weight than most.

 

Actually that article made for a very good read.
I found it interesting.
Maybe its just me, but after reading all the comments for the 5 trucks, when it came to the F-150, they seemed more intent to talk about fords "maybe not the the best truck" even tho its the best selling. Dunno, maybe i just took a different take on it.

To me:
If i wanted to own a truck where i can constantly light the back tires up from signal light to signal light, id would have bought the Dodge.
If i wanted a truck that pretty much can only tout how good the engine is, with an inferior interior, and off balance exterior looks, i would have purchased the Titan.
If i want to drive fast between cones all day, the GMC Denali would be in my driveway.
If i want to park into a hard to get into parking space where my truck would be begging for door dings and other related dents, id pick the Chevy Silverado with quadrasteer.
The Tundra....no thanks, IMO "got no game"
I chose the F-150 based on its overall merits, and not a day has gone by that i regert that decision.

 

anaheim,
I couldn't said it any better!

 

Was it just me or did the PM comparison test appear NOT to be comparing apples to apples? GMC Denali and Chevy Silveroado vs. Ford XLT? Dodge quad cab vs. Ford supercab? It then goes on to explain how the Dodge seemed to have more room (leg and head) in the back seat than the Ford. I wonder why, the dodge quadcab is a glorified cross of an extended cab pickup with a crew cab. This comparision would have been better between a Ford Screw and the Dodge quadcab since the dodge does have normal opening doors. Of course they had the F150 with 3.55 gears just to make things completly equal.

The trailer boat magazine article seems to be a fair comparision of the trucks. But it confusses me because the PM article described the Ford as having very poor breaking, yet the boat magazine article desribed the Ford as having the best breaking?

I would like to see a 6 month comparison test of these same vehicles. I may be making an idiot out of myself, but I swear up and down that my 5.4L FX4 is much much quicker now with 2000 miles on it than it was when I bought it a month ago. And as for the PM article saying that the Ford had excessive body roll, I disagree. I had to drive a Dodge quadcab for almost 2 weeks on the same roads I drive my F150. I feel much safer taking curves in the F150 than the Dodge, the Dodge had "mushy" steering that required lots of bump steer and the body rolled quite a bit.

 

Ask any drag racer and he/she will tell you that a hundred pounds represents 1/10 in the quarter mile. That immediately puts the Ford at a 4 tenth disadvantage compared to the Titan. I personally chose Ford because A- I want to give as little money as possible to those outisde this country, in any shape form or fashion. B- It is the quietest, best riding, and generally most comfortable truck I have had the pleasure to ride in, bar none. Everyone that has ridden in my truck has told me that it has the best looking interior of any truck they had ever seen. Try to get anyone to say the same about any of the other trucks. The style of almost every other truck is at best outdated, and in some cases antiquated. Wow, I intended to state a couple of facts and get outta here, but I guess I kinda jumped on a high horse... sorry. I love my truck, and most people I know are as enamored with it as I am.

 

Man, after reading that boat trailer article and the Popular Mechanics article, the Titan seems like the best truck in the world, on paper.

The resounding problem with the Ford is the monsterous weight, and the related slow ETs on EVERY test. I think the F-150 could have turned both tests completely around if the engine would get its **** together. Interesting how neither article mentioned the slow throttle response.

However, I did enjoy reading that the 7800lbs trailer could be towed at 65mph with "little or no" pressure on the gas pedal.

Man, I can almost taste that Stage 1 kit with my name on it.

C'est la vie.

- Justin

 

Now in my line of work I have developed a tendency to discredit someones story if any part of it is grossly false. The PM article stated in the opening paragraph that "All the trucks were optioned with 4wd, and the largest cabs and highest trim levels available." Can't a Lariet be had in 4X4 and SCREW. If so, it would seem that the author failed to order what they stated they did. If they did not know about this option trim level it shows poor research at best and biased at worst. In either case it calls into question the reliablity of the article. Also looking at the PM article, if all charts are taken together the F-150 overall did not do too poorly. We know the truck is slow, but as many have stated it's not a racecar.

Something else I noticed. The Chevy and GMC had essentially the same results on the skidpad. They had a difference of just over 3 mph in the slalom with the higher speed going to the truck with the poorer showing on the skidpad. I kind of wonder about the methodology of the tests.