which newer full size 1/2 ton is the best overland platform

Clutch

<---Pass
Lol, take away the big screen, heated seat buttons and push button start and that is my interior.... I like it.
I don't see any issue with the Tundra's interior either. (the SR5's, not the Platinum or 1794 or whatever is pictured)

Yeah, not quite understanding why guys are saying the Tundra interior is dated??? Too lazy to google I guess...
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
The Oem XL tires are guttless on the new trucks. But then again, so are the upscale package tires. Save your money and get aftermarket wheels and tires.

I buried my truck up to the axles in clay mud and grass Sat. Missed my old STT's bad that day. Mich Lt AT's are buttered slicks in mud.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
The Oem XL tires are guttless on the new trucks. But then again, so are the upscale package tires. Save your money and get aftermarket wheels and tires.

I buried my truck up to the axles in clay mud and grass Sat. Missed my old STT's bad that day. Mich Lt AT's are buttered slicks in mud.

One of my FB friends got his stuck in wet grass...

...he posted this up. Needed a tractor to yank it out. Granted he probably could of floored it, and got it out, but didn't want to tear things up since it was on private hunting property. Needless to say he was missing his Tacoma. Which good thing, his dad still has it, going to take it next time he is out hunting.

46447701_10210706487212843_2743065225338028032_n.jpg
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
That's it exactly. Weight and wet grass shouldn't be under estimated. That clay underneath is slicker than ice, you can't grip it often, even with good tires. And sometimes, chains just dig. Once the axle is on the ground, you're done for. Shovel and sticks.

I had to flog the truck hard to get out, even with the rear locked. Whole truck covered in mud. $5 at a spray and wash has to be a record. Still have half of a prairie stuck inside my bumpers and wells.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
That's it exactly. Weight and wet grass shouldn't be under estimated. That clay underneath is slicker than ice, you can't grip it often, even with good tires. And sometimes, chains just dig. Once the axle is on the ground, you're done for. Shovel and sticks.

I had to flog the truck hard to get out, even with the rear locked.

Slicker than a greased pig!

Those street tread E-Rated tires are horrid. When I lived in PA, ran MT's on my old F250, it did pretty good.

That was a number of years ago, can't remember what exactly they were. But they kinda looked like this. That truck pretty much lived in the dirt though...rarely saw the highway.

kerb%20kicker%20003.jpg
 

XJLI

Adventurer
Four Wheeler pickup truck of the year winner should be out soon, and from everything I've seen (and heard) the winner is probably going to be the '19 Ram Rebel. Competitors were that, the AT4 Sierra 6.2, Trail Boss Silverado 5.3, and Tundra TRD Pro.

Makes sense. I'm a Chevy guy when it comes to trucks but Dodge (and FCA as a whole) has been doing great stuff the past few years.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Four Wheelers tests are weak sauce. It's whatever leftover demo vehicles they can get their hands on. And due to to their rules, it's just a lopsided love fest. The contest is decided before it starts and it's just filler for a bunch of adds.

They need to stick to axle tech and such.

This comparo sucks, didn't learn a single thing:

http://www.fourwheeler.com/events/1...-chevy-vs-ram-on-and-off-road-mega-challenge/

Nothing mega about it. Hardly a fraction of the best trucks in it. No Toyota, no Nissan, no Fords, No Jeep. A 3500 Diesel on pizza cutters, vs a Zr2???? [Yeah, that's a fair test.]

The comparo should have been called what it was. "We're going to call the Zr2 the truck of the year, and here's a bunch of slobs that are completely unrelated.'' Let me guess, is this years test a new TRD, vs a burrito truck, and a Honda?
 
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Dalko43

Explorer
Nobody cares what a truck looks like after a million miles. I only care what it looks like while I own it. This thread is about newer full sizes anyway. If you guys want to drive old junk, have fun. I'll take my brand new truck that will do almost any trail with an interior like a luxury car. I love having that option as do most buyers.

Some people will own their truck for that long (after all, that's how the Tundra in question racked up a million miles). And some people will buy these vehicles 2nd-hand on the used market.

So I suppose longterm durability matters to at least some people.

The short term ownership of many vehicles, not just trucks, is what has enabled certain OEM's to get away with crappy designs and build quality in years past and, to some extent, in present times as well.

Ford should have lost their share of the 3/4 ton market after their disasters with 6.0l and 6.4l Powerstroke, but a lot of Ford owners were willing to move on to newer Ford products and leave those trucks as someone else's problem. Plenty of similar examples for GM and Dodge/Ram vehicles.
 

Kingsize24

Well-known member
IMO... This! All day long. If I was looking for 1/2 ton capacity, and ultimate 4x4 capability in factory form, it doesn't get much better than the PW.

The best 1/2 ton overland platform is a Ram Powerwagon. 3/4 ton running gear and durability with soft riding coils that support a load like a half ton. There is zero reason to overload any half ton when that truck is available for the same price.

Think about it.
 

deserteagle56

Adventurer
The January issue of Car and Driver has another comparison test that I found funny. They compared the half ton 2019 Chevy, 2019 F150, and 2019 Ram. I found it amazing that, though the F150 beat the other trucks easily on the attributes any truck owner would want, the winner was the Ram, mainly because of the interior. Indeed, the description made me laugh..."little stitched-leather corsets on the A-pillar grab handles" and "filigrees sewn into the door panels and seats". And a 12" touchscreen in the dash! The Ram was also the slowest - the weakest engine - and had the worst brakes of the three.

Guess I'll have to trade my F150 for a Ram just so I can have corsets on my grab handles........
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
Yeah, not quite understanding why guys are saying the Tundra interior is dated??? Too lazy to google I guess...
I drove one before I bought the Ford. I thought it was a nice truck. The only reason I didn't go with the Tundra is I felt the Ford dealer was giving me a better deal for the options / mileage vs sale price.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Yep. LOLz. We don't need failed English majors, telling us what kind of trucks to drive. How many Fiat/Chrysler adds were in that magazine?

I miss Peter Egan's and Don Canet's articles in R&T or Cycle Rider. That was art. Now I have to look all the way to Britain for a decent motorcycle magazine (Bike), but unfortunately, they have nothing on trucks. Maybe the Aussies or South Africans have a nice truck magazine???

"But, Oh filigrees!"
 

Riversdad

Active member
They also said the Ram had the best ride and handled the trailer the best. Hauling a trailer is probably more important to most actual truck drivers then zero to sixty times. My next truck, however, will be a Powerwagon.
 

Dalko43

Explorer
The January issue of Car and Driver has another comparison test that I found funny. They compared the half ton 2019 Chevy, 2019 F150, and 2019 Ram. I found it amazing that, though the F150 beat the other trucks easily on the attributes any truck owner would want, the winner was the Ram, mainly because of the interior. Indeed, the description made me laugh..."little stitched-leather corsets on the A-pillar grab handles" and "filigrees sewn into the door panels and seats". And a 12" touchscreen in the dash! The Ram was also the slowest - the weakest engine - and had the worst brakes of the three.

Guess I'll have to trade my F150 for a Ram just so I can have corsets on my grab handles........

For better or for worse, the 1/2 ton market is increasingly focused on people who want trucks but don't necessarily need them. So the standards by which they are judged are often more car-focused than they are truck-focused.

Also, Car & Driver is one of the last places I'd go for a truck comparison/review....there are too many auto journalists who put out truck reviews despite having close to zero truck ownership experience. 90% of what they put out is meaningless drivel anyways.
 

Ballbearing

Observer
IMO... This! All day long. If I was looking for 1/2 ton capacity, and ultimate 4x4 capability in factory form, it doesn't get much better than the PW.
Personally, this is what I'm looking for except for the fuel mileage issue, which has already been discussed.

I did recently see a video of an F150 on 33s with a 5.0L that was getting 15 mpg. I'm not sure if that's normal, but if so, that seems comparable to the powerwagon and makes the decision easier.

However, the need for premium fuel would change things. I'd rather not have to worry about finding premium or spending the extra for it.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

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