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The Heavy Duty Shootout: GM vs. Ford vs. Dodge, who ya got?

PickupTrucks.com recently held their Heavy-Duty Shootout, pitting some trucks from Detroits Big 3 against eachother in a number of comparison tests. The trucks tested included a 3/4 ton gas, 3/4 ton diesel, and 1-ton diesel dually from each manufacturer for a total of nine trucks – GM sent a 3/4 ton gas Silverado, a 3/4 ton diesel Silverado, and a 1-ton GMC Sierra Denali dually to do battle with the best from Ford and Dodge. The Denali dually blew away the competition (and was therefore named Best 1-ton DRW) which was great to see, but I’ll focus on the Disel 3/4 ton trucks as they are the most popular trucks around here. If you want to see full results, head over to PickupTrucks.com for some very, very indepth analysis.

Unloaded Quarter Mile Acceleration Test – the GM and Dodge trucks came with a 3.73 axle ratio, while the Ford  had a 3.55, but basically all other components were equal. The results were very close, not surprising considering how close the trucks all are in their specifications, with the deciding factor basically being which truck could get the power to its wheels without too much slip. The quarter mile times for the trucks were 17.10 seconds for both the Ford and Dodge, while the Silverado came through in 16.90. Winner: GM

Loaded Quarter Mile Acceleration Test – In order to separate the trucks a bit more, they did a second quarter mile race, this time towing 10,000 lb. conventional trailers. Again, the axle ratio didn’t help Ford’s case, and the Ram seemed to get bogged down after each shift, while the Silverado was the most seamless of the group. Time’s were again close, with the Dodge finishing in 23 seconds, the Ford in 22.3 seconds, and the GM in 21.5 seconds. Winner: GM

Fuel Economy Test – All 3 trucks were tested for their fuel economy both without trailers and with trailers, and with an overall combined rating as well. The GM had the best rating with no trailer at 19.66 MPG, while the Ford had 18.55 and the Dodge had a rating of 17.20. With a trailer hooked up the Ford edged out the GM with a rating of 13.91 MPG to GM’s 13.28, while the Dodge had a 12.38 rating. Overall combined rating had the GM finishing just ahead of Ford with ratings of 16.47 and 16.23 MPG respectively, while the Dodge finished third with a combined rating of 14.79 MPG. Winner: GM

16% Hill Climb Test – The Silverado really showed it’s teeth on the 16% grade hill climb, while the Dodge fell behind a bit. With the trucks pulling a 10,000 lb trailer up the 16% hill, none actually even made it out of second gear (of all trucks, only the 1-ton Sierra Denali made it to third) The problem with the Dodge may have come from its lack of hill-hold assist, as it was the only truck that started to roll back as the driver switched from brake to accelerator while starting the climb. The speeds at the finish line were close between the GM and Ford, at 32 MPH and 31.08 MPH respectively, while the Dodge crossed the line at 24.21 MPH. The total times were also quite close between the GM at 25.60 seconds, and Ford at 26.74 seconds, but as mentioned the Dodge fell behind, finishing in 30.85 seconds. Winner – GM

 

That’s only a few of the tests they ran on the trucks, head over to PickupTrucks.com for the full run down, but as you can see the new trucks from Detroits Big Three are all fairly evenly matched. PickupTrucks gave the nod to the GM, but we’d like to hear what everyone else thinks about the new trucks so get out there, take a couple for a drive, and let’s hear what you’ve got to say!