Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500: Which Should You Pick?
Date: Nov 28, 2022
Ford pickup F150 engine
The Ford F150 and the Ram 1500 are two of the most reputable and popular pickup trucks. They both come packed with plenty of hauling capabilities and features. That said, it can be difficult to assess which one is better for you without reviewing each truck’s features.
Different trucks suit different people, we want to help you find out which of these two trucks suits you best. At Eagle Motorsport, we’ve seen tons of customers walk into our lot looking for a pickup truck not knowing the difference between two of the most popular vehicles. There are many different models of each of these trucks. However, we decided to judge them based on their 2016 models since this is the typical age of used trucks we deal with on our lot.
How To Evaluate A Pickup Truck
Before we even try to compare the Ford F150 vs Ram 1500, we need to outline some standards for the comparison. Note that while we considered all the main points of comparison, this isn’t an exhaustive list. For your specific use case, you might consider what kinds of modifications you can make to a truck. Alternatively, you might focus more on comfort for your family rather than performance.
Engine
Your engine choice depends heavily on what you’ll use your truck for. But you need to balance the features. A 2-wheel drive is usually more suited toward city driving and costs less. However, a 4-wheel drive is required for many of the typical activities that people need a truck for like offroading or other extreme endeavors.
Towing Capacity
For most jobs that involve a truck, you’ll need a high towing capacity. Of course, this merely describes how much weight your truck can tow behind you. That’s different from the weight that your truck can carry in total. You usually need towing capacity if you’re going to tow heavy items like trailers behind your truck.
Hauling
In contrast to towing capacity, hauling is the amount of weight your truck bed can tolerate. Hauling capacity is usually smaller than payload since all this weight is concentrated in a smaller area of your truck.
Payload
Payload is simply the towing capacity of the truck plus the hauling. In essence, this is the maximum amount that your truck can carry excluding its weight. Whenever you have to transport a lot of heavy items at once, it’s useful to know the payload to calculate the threshold of materials you can transport on each trip.
Torque
A lot of people focus on horsepower when they analyze prospective truck purchases, however, torque is the real figure that matters if you want to get a lot of power quickly. For instance, on a construction site, you would benefit from a truck with high torque to be able to move a boulder out of your way.
When you’re comparing different engine options for a truck, you should choose a V8 engine for more torque. Even if a V6 engine saves you money on fuel. This is because the V8 engine includes more cylinders which in turn generate more power to make the truck move quickly.
Interior
Your interior choice is a bit personal. You might want to consider which people will accompany you in your truck and whether they’ll feel comfortable with the interior you choose. Some designs will suit you better than others.
In general, we recommend that you look for a truck that is made with high-quality durable materials. You can test the material for yourself, but looks on the test drive are deceiving. Read past reviews to ensure that the materials last a long time.
On the other hand, the extent of technology features you need is entirely subjective. How much value do you place on luxury? For some, a truck is a utility vehicle. For others, their focus is on ensuring their truck is comfortable for the whole family during road trips.
Exterior
Evaluating the exterior of your truck is a bit less superficial than you think. While both the F-150 and the Ram 1500 have distinctive appearances, you should spend more time thinking about materials and durability rather than looks. Note that a lightweight exterior can assist with fuel economy since it makes the whole truck lighter. Moreover, you should evaluate the quality of visibility through the windows during your test drive to understand what it will be like to drive the truck.
Fuel Efficiency
We’re well aware that trucks aren’t known for their fuel efficiency. However, as gas prices are always increasing, you should spend more time considering fuel efficiency than you might have before. This is especially true if you are mostly planning on driving your truck in the city.
Truck Bed
As we mentioned earlier, the truck bed relates quite a bit to the payload. That said, you must also consider the balance between the truck bed and the cabin as it relates to the design of your vehicle. There is a major trade-off between the amount of space you have in the cabin and the pickup bed. You need to decide ahead of time whether it’s more important for you to haul people or cargo.
Ford F-150
Now that you understand which features to look for in a pickup truck, we can move on to our breakdown of the F-150. Of course, this is Ford’s flagship truck, so you know that they put a lot of effort into this vehicle. For such a large truck, the F-150 is quite a smooth ride, regardless of whether the bed is full or not. With this truck, you’ll benefit from a wicked combination of luxury and performance.
Ford F-150
Engine & Fuel Economy
Most F-150s include a V6 or V8 engine. Both are reasonably powerful. Ford also offers a twin-turbo option for the V6 which allows you to optimize both for torque and fuel economy. Of course, as the weight of your cargo increases, your gas mileage is going to diminish. Note that your mileage from the truck is usually not as good as what Ford advertises. This advice applies to just about any vehicle.
Towing
The F-150 comes with around 5 tons of total payload and can haul up to 20% of that figure in the truck bed. However, that last bit only applies to full-sized beds that come with a 2-door truck. A 4-door truck will have less hauling capacity.
Interior
No matter what model of F-150 you plan on getting, you’ll benefit from all sorts of interior options. Even older models have a 360 camera to help you observe the environment around you. Moreover, you’ll find that it makes for a comfortable ride for every passenger given that there is plenty of legroom in the back row. Alternatively, you could use all that extra room on storage space if you want by folding the bench seats.
Exterior
Surprisingly, the F-150 is quite fuel-efficient. The aluminum body and trim make for an extremely light exterior and therefore cut roughly half a tonne of body weight from the vehicle. This has positive repercussions on the fuel economy of this vehicle. You’ll also notice that the F-150 has ample sightlines through the side windows to help you see the road from several different angles.
Cost & Other Considerations
If you want to purchase a used Ford pickup with plenty of extras like a V8 engine or extra technology options, it’s not uncommon to pay around $25,000 to $30,000 for a used model from the mid-2010s. However, newer models with those features cost around $40,000-$50,000. The F-150 also comes with a fair few safety features on its standard models so you need not worry about that.
Ram 1500
The Ram 1500 is another titan in its class that offers truck drivers incredible value for its price. Every part of the Ram seems to be constructed with care. It starts at the steering wheel which offers a degree of precision not seen in other pickups. Not to mention, the Ram is a rather quiet truck that you can trust to stay calm regardless of whether you’re driving in the city or on the highway. If you go for the optional air suspension, you’ll be able to ease your exit from the car by about 2 inches to give yourself extra clearance.
Ram 1500
Engine & Fuel Economy
The Ram 1500 gives you about 21 miles per gallon combined (18 in the city and 25 on the highway. Just like the F-150, the Ram gives you a bit more in terms of fuel economy than most trucks, but the F-150 still edges it out. You’ll find that the best combination of fuel efficiency and torque comes from the V6 diesel engine whereas the V8 engine will provide you with more raw power. Whether you choose the rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, you’ll get enough power to keep your truck going.
Towing & Torque
While the Ram 1500 is equal in towing capacity to the F-150, its hauling is a bit lower at only 1,600 pounds. This could be a difference-maker if you have a lot of cargo to carry in your truck bed.
Interior
Once again, the Ram 1500 showcases its designers’ attention to detail with a well-thought-out control panel. The design of the panel is quite ergonomic and ensures that every element is within reach. If you choose to add a crew cabin to your truck, you’ll benefit from bench seats that allow you to carry 6 passengers rather than the 4 or 5 that are standard in a pickup truck.
Exterior
With some of the older versions of the Ram, we have to admit that they look a bit outdated. Not to mention, the Ram’s body isn’t quite as lightweight as that of the F-150.
Cost & Other Considerations
You can easily find a used Ram for between $20,000 -$25,00. Even recently-used models easily go for under $30,000.
Ford F150 vs. Ram 1500: Our Verdict
There are several perspectives that we can take on the F-150 when compared to the Ram 1500. In general, we would say that both of these trucks are good options for any truck buyer. However, it’s still necessary for us to point out some of the main differences between these two trucks.
First of all, the engine and fuel efficiency of each truck are just about equal. However, the Ford F 150 edges it out slightly in our book due to its fuel economy. Plus, you don’t need to opt for a diesel engine like you do with the Ram if you want to take advantage of a powerful V6.
Moreover, the F-150 also gets our vote when it comes to safety. It’s not that the Ram is unsafe, it’s simply that the F-150 usually gets the best safety ratings in its class. Plus, Ford offers technology like the 360-degree camera which is far better than other trucks.
One final obvious advantage to the F-150 that we noted was that its max towing capacity is higher than the Ram by almost half a ton. That makes the F-150 the obvious choice for anyone who needs to do some heavy-duty hauling.
On the flip side, we would say that the Ram offers a better experience to drivers both on the inside and the outside. The Ram’s cabin is simply roomier and also much better designed. Moreover, the F-150’s exterior is nice and light, but its unique nature also makes it more challenging and therefore expensive to fix any issues with this truck. Plus, the Ram tends to be a smoother ride as it appears its engineers were quite dedicated to perfecting the driving experience.
The final thing to consider with the Ram is that despite some of its shortcomings, it’s usually cheaper than the F-150. Considering the Ram takes you about 95% of the way there in terms of features but costs maybe 80-90% of what the F-150 does, you’re probably going to get better value.
At the end of the day, we must admit that the competition between the Ram and the F-150 is simply too close to call. The F-150 performs better on many essential features while coming in at a higher price. We would say that if you prioritize utility from your truck, then go for the F-150. In any other case, the Ram is likely your best bet.
Why Many Buyers Prefer To Buy A Used Truck
Since it’s clear that you’re interested in buying a truck, we encourage you to consider purchasing a pre-owned one. Here are a few reasons why our buyers have opted for a used truck in the past.
Dependability
With a used truck, you already know what you’re getting beforehand. For instance, if you look at a 2017 model, you can read all the reviews and research all the recalls that have occurred thus far, if any. With a 2022 model, you’re taking more of a gamble. People haven’t had enough time to drive the car and understand its lifespan. So long as the used truck has been vetted with a history report, you can be more confident in its durability.
Affordability
A great way to cut down on new truck costs is to simply buy a used one. After all, the value of any vehicle diminishes immediately after you drive it home. Why bother paying that extra expense?
Customizability
If you want to add your own modifications to a used truck, then there will be much more information for you in case you need to conduct research. Plus, some used vehicles come with the modifications or options that the dealer threw in on the original purchase. For example, someone might have already added a hybrid powertrain or adaptive cruise control so that you don’t have to pay extra.
Visit Eagle Motorsport For A Wide Selection Of Pickup Trucks
Whether you want a Ram or an F-150, we usually have one or two waiting for you on our lot. Come out to Eagle Motorsport for a test drive. Alternatively, you might want to try out an entirely different truck. Whatever your decision, our sales team will be at your service to help educate you on different vehicles and financing options with a patient and friendly demeanor.
