Thinking of trading in my 18 Taco for a full-size

Likely true.

Honestly, if I could put the 2.7L EB with the 10 speed in my Taco I’d have the best truck, for my personal uses, ever. I’ve scoped it out and think the engine would fit.

 

At the end of the day, it all boils down to weight and speed. All engines are very close as far as efficiency.

 

So, according to this thread, every other truck should be avoided, ha.
2017 GMC 2500hd with 43K on the clock, nothing has happened, previous GMC 2500 40k with no problems, no dealership visit for either truck.

Not a lot of miles on either truck, but to listen to you guys, one would think instant explosions will occur when driving anything but a Toyota, you're all funny, fucked up funny.

 

It's all about efficiency. They are all close to your knowns.

 

You’re gonna get a lot of Tundra love here because it’s a Toyota and most of everyone here is a Tacoma owner or some Toyota owner.

That being said I agree with your assessment. Besides the tundra being completely outdated, it’s a gas guzzling pig. However it does have proven reliability and pretty decent resale.


The F150 is set for a remodel soon. They didn’t do much in their refresh. So by comparison GMC and RAM should have better products out currently, as they just released new models within the last year. The new F150 and Tundra should be dropping about the same time. If your interested in seeing their new products I would suggest just waiting it out another year/year and a half. But if you can’t then go with what you think fits YOU and your needs best. Not us here on the forum. You’re the one making the payment and the one driving it everyday. Do what makes you happy and best of luck with your search if in fact you do get rid of your Tacoma.

 

Yes, it’s physics, but no you are wrong about being in line the domestics’ MPG. The domestics are rated at 22-24 MPG on the freeway. That’s much better than Tundra’s 17 MPG, even with a heavy foot. Domestics use 8 and 10-speed transmissions vs Tundra’s 6-speed. Those higher gears help the most precisely on the freeway. And from everything I’ve read, the domestics’ transmissions are up to the task in terms of response, smoothness and durability.

 

Toyotas main problem causing lower mpgs is the low 4:30 gearing in the rear end. It much lower than the other brands. They could add 2 mpg just by using higher gears.

 

Tundra with the trd sport package has no chrome. Its color matched.

 

I just went through the same thing. Decide what capabilities are absolutely the most important, each has their own strengths/weaknesses, and are ALL machines that have bugs or break. You will always hear OPINIONS on everyone else's preference or specific situation. Good luck, and enjoy what you choose!

 

i've been looking to upgrade to a full size truck. three of us and three dogs get a little tight in the tacoma..



i love tundea but the gas mileage and low payload of the tundra make me skeptical of buying one. i don't mind crappy mileage if i know going in but i want top of the line payload and towing to go with it. maybe i just haven't configured it properly online but it seems to fall short on payload.

i will never even consider a RAM truck or any other fiat/chrysler product for that matter... i'm a die hard mopar guy and the new chrysler products and dealer network in this area suck. in my personal ownership experience anyway. others may have had better luck..

the F-series truck i like.. though i'd go V-8 as a personal preference. small motor with turbos just seem to just more to go wrong... a ford nut that i'm friends with and works for ford says the alumn body warps in the heat. says to look down the side of the truck on a warm sunny day and it will be rippled looking.. all that money for a truck thats rippled i'd be pissed. i haven't looked to see if what he says it true. he bought a GMC a few years ago and loves it..

was just looking at the GMC. crew cab std bed 4x4. 1/2 ton, max tow with 6.2 engine 8 or 10 speed trans (gotta look into it and see which it is) and 3.42 gear. will tow 11,700 pounds and has a 2100 pound payload.

i really like the looks of the GMC. haven't driven any of them yet so that will be the next step.. pricing and deals will also play a part. i'm more concerned about function and reliability then looks in the end... i have always had great ownership experiences with toyotas and its gonna kill me not being able to buy a full size toyota pick up. scared to death to buy from gm,ford or chrysler but i need payload and towing capacity..

 

Actually I agree with that. Ram or Ford, I personally hate the handling characteristics of the other two.


I drove a 2008 Ram quadcab with a 6MT. For the first five years I was fine with it. Then a cat went bad and the dealer to their credit replaced both under emissions warranty. After that, it eventually started having difficulties maintaining 70mph, It no longer liked 6th gear unless it was going down a steep hill, there was also a random gremlin that shut off the engine once in a while. (I was thankful for the manual then. 60 mph, engine just shuts off. Clutch in, turn the key to start it again, clutch out, continue on with my day.) Oh, and the tailpipe fell off once. No rhyme or reason, I didnt offroad, didnt hit anything, but the section of tailpipe from the front of the bed to the muffler just decided it wasnt going to hang around anymore. Fortunately the dodge shop warrantied that last one too. To be fair, I bought that Ram at the height of the 2008 recession, I took advantage of Chrysler's problems by scoring a sweet discount, only to pay for it in so many other ways. That truck was a lemon meringue shitshow.

I hear they're much better now though.

 

True. But Toyota had to lower Tundra’s gearing to be able to compete with the domestics in the towing battle. If Tundra gearing goes up, it won’t be able to pull a shopping cart.

Again, Tundra is limited by a 6-speed while everyone else has 8 or 10 gears.

 

agreed. it needs a 8 or 10 speed trans then adjust gearing.

 

Choose what is right for you after you research.

For 3 years, I leased a 2015 Ram 1500 Express 4x4 5.7 with 6sp. Did not have any problems, and the build quality was solid. When the lease was up, I decided I wanted to go up a trim level, so I bought a 2017 Big Horn 4x4, 5.7 with the 8sp. Loved that truck. Not a huge fan of the 2019 Ram looks up front, but the interior is really nice. I don't like buying first year releases.

I can't speak about any other domestics, since I haven't owned any of the newer ones.

 

OP,

Great comparison. I am in the same boat looking for full size. I know a couple of people that have the Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi MDS VVT and they said they are getting 19-22 miles per gallon, that was surprising to me. Keep us updated what you decide to do. Wish you the best.

 

I personally would go with Ford over Ram. I think if you check overall quality ratings, you'll find Ram consistently comes in below Ford. That may be changing with the recent models though. Also, the EcoBoosts (both 2.7 and 3.5) only had direct injection when they first came out. I beleive Ford rectified that recently by using dual direct/port injection to reduce carbon deposits. GL with your decision.

 

My 2017, was getting 18-19mpg mixed driving and hills everywhere. My best was on a trip home from Virginia when I got 24.3 mpg.

 

^This. There are too many loudmouths out there who like to criticize the Tundra for having horrible efficiency, yet they tend to ignore the fact that the other 1/2 tons get only marginally better mpg, or the same, in most realistic driving situations. Even the F-150 ecoboost is overrated; yes, it can get 21-22mpg highway if you drive steady-state on the highway. If you drive like a normal person (merging, accelerations from a stop, hills, ect.) you'll average far lower than that (which is borne out on fuelly). The V8's used by GM and FCA really are no better than the Tundra's....they're still using pushrod v8's (compared to Toyota's DOHC V8) and those trucks are usually under-geared compared to the Tundra's 4.30 final gear ratio. When you average everything out, most of the 1/2 ton's mpg scores are within arms reach of each other.

The simple fact is that big, heavy gasoline-powered 1/2 tons will only be so fuel efficient. 18-19mpg is about the best you can expect on the highway for realistic driving. If you want better than that, get a midsized truck.

As for comparing the overall trucks against one another:

Ram 1500: Beautiful interior, decent enough engine options (minus the ecodiesel which has been trouble from day one), good tech features and creature comforts, comfortable ride, but it's made by FCA which currently has the worst reputation for reliability by any survey or metric.

GM Silverado: Decent interior, good/solid engine options (Chevy small blocks are known for being reliable powertrains, even if they are dated designs), decent ride comfort, GM build quality overall has improved over the last 10 years, but I still see obvious missteps in some of their builds. It remains to be seen how the newer generation of GM trucks will fare for the long run. I will also say that of all the truck companies, GM seems to build trucks which are the least prepared for true offroad duties. Between how the shocks are positioned on the rear axle to approach angles and air dam's, GM trucks need a bit of work to become decent offroad.

Ford F-150: The Big Mac of the truck world...highest volume of sales, and thus a lot of people like to say it's the best 1/2 ton truck (though I've never heard anyone claim the Big Mac is the best burger using that same logic). Decent build/design quality. Good diversity of engine options (gasoline v8, gasoline turbo v6, diesel). Good tech features. Reliability seems better compared to the previous two companies, but Ford has had its fair share of problems, many of them linked to the ecoboost family of engines (turbo's going bad, direct injection, intercooler issues, ect.). Also, they offer high-payload/GVWR variants, but the underlying axles, brakes and other chassis components aren't really upgraded from the base version. I see Ford engaging in a lot of "value engineering," meaning they promise the world with their payload and towing ratings, but they don't do a lot to reinforce the underlying platform.

Toyota Tundra: The dinosaur of the bunch...though there have been minor changes over the last few years, the underlying chassis/platform is mostly the same. Same engine and transmission options too. Interior isn't the best in class, but it certainly isn't as "dated" or inferior as some here make it out to be...I actually find Toyota's build quality better than the rest. Despite its age, the truck is still very capable (I've never heard anyone complain about a lack of power with the 5.7lv8 w/ 4.30 gearing), has decent range (38 gallon tank is biggest in the segment) and is easily the most reliable truck in the 1/2 ton segment, arguably in all segments as well. That and Toyota just seems to understand what dedicated truck owners are looking for (adjustable headlights, dampened tailgate, decent approach/departure angles for a 1/2 ton, ect.).

So figure out what your priorities are:
If you want to use a truck for daily driving duties for a few years before you trade in for something else, any of the 4 will do fine.
If you want to own a truck for 10 years or beyond in austere conditions/environments, the Tundra is still the way to go.

 

Same interstate, same time, same speed, they all get the same regardless of transmission. They have to, because... physics. Now, mountains, elevation, etc then they would be more efficient with more gears. Read my post. The domestics won't ever get that mpg as it is way too optimistic. The Toyota will get the rated mpg. I would say at the end of the day, and this is optimistic too... the 10 speed transmission is 2 mpg more efficient on average. The turbo Ford will be a few mpg more efficient at high altitude. Don't fall for the hype. Go look at fuelly or the forums and see what real people get. I get 17 all day and on trips right at 18. My Tacoma got 19.

 

I promise you that there is a significant difference between what the domestic 1/2 tons are rated at and what they are actually getting in the real world. Check out fuelly...it's not perfect, but it's certainly more credible than the myopic facebook pages and internet forums where illiterate fanboys post big-fish tales.