I can only agree with you, and it just comes down to what each buyer prioritizes. From my test drives, I will say I like the Ford interior more (I was in a Lariat Ultimate a few times). The seats are much more comfortable than the AT4X I ordered and ultimately passed on (that shifter location was a deal breaker for me when the ZR2 does not have the problem). I might get flamed here, but the ZR2 2500 seats are noticeably softer than the AT4X 2500 seats (maybe the massagers make them firmer?). The stereo, absolutely the Ford blows away the GM (I think the one I drove had 12 or 14 speakers, B&O, very impressive for stock).
GM gives you a better tailgate. The Ford ladder is an afterthought. GM box is bigger and has lots more tiedowns. I also like the GM auto 4WD. But the biggest advantage is the shocks and ride quality. I understand IFS vs. SFA is a big deal. Maybe you can go aftermarket on a Ford and make it ride better, but I guess I prioritized this feature most as my truck is a daily driver. Good luck w/ your new truck, and I hope you keep posting here.
This is a great community, and the Duramax-Allison combination is hard to beat. I plan to keep visiting/following you guys.
Many of us like to joke about whatever brand truck we’re not driving. I’ve joined in the fun at various times in my life, mostly to bust the chops of my brother or buddies at work, but you’re right: truck preference mostly comes down to which features matter most to us. I gambled on the Sierra because our fleet mechanics had better luck with GM and Ram than Ford for most of the last ten years AND the Sierra was beautiful AND I liked the ride and smaller sunroof much better. The tailgate is cool too, although I did miss having swing boxes on both sides of the bed.
My family had a large ranch. We bought only John Deer heavy equipment, but we bought GM and Ford trucks and station wagons. The truth is, Ford and GM both built some great rigs, and they both laid some terrible eggs too. The 1982 Diesel Jimmy I bought was, hands down, the worst vehicle I ever owned. If I owned something that terrible today I’m confident it would go back without objection under the Lemon law. That 6.2 diesel was a total fail — and it came on the heels of the Oldsmobile diesel, which was also a total fail. Gutless too. But the Duramax-Allison combination has been one of the best powertrains ever developed.
Ford’s 6.0 was terrible too, as delivered. Folks eventually figured out that longer head studs, a new turbo, and a couple other tweaks could turn that into a decent platform, but for a while they couldn’t give those trucks away… Ford also brought us the pickup that required removal of the truck cab to do some comparatively simple work. You have to wonder if everybody on the design team was drunk when they approved that idea.
My brother is a Dodge guy. Those trucks were fuuuuugly before the 1990s front-end design change. After that, they were the talk of the town for a while, and the 5.9 Cummins is one of the best motors ever built. My brother’s last 5.9 was the first year of the 24 valve. When he had about 75,000 miles on that truck he took it to a shop outside Atlanta and they built the crap out of it. It dynoed at over 750 hp and had massive torque — so much he was afraid to dyno it before it got a new transmission. He took that truck down to Florida and SunCoast built him a billet transmission. (He also did some work for them, and his transmission was one of the first they built for a diesel pushing that kind of power as a daily driver pilling a contractor’s box trailer, so for the first three years he’d go down there once a year so they could open the transmission up and check for dmage/wear.) He finally sold that truck with almost 250,000 miles on it, and the motor and transmission were still going strong. (The rest of the truck, not so much).
My windy point is, they all do some stuff well, and the king of the heap varies from time to time.
I don’t think there’s an economical way to make a solid axel, 12,000 pound GVWR truck as comfortable as n optimized IFS truck, but you can narrow the gap. If the seats are good enough it can come down to differences so small that tire type and pressure can eclipse the difference. Today I mounted up 37” Toyo AT3 tires. They’re rated to carry almost 4000 pounds per tire at 65 psi, but when the truck isn’t loaded they’re very comfortable and quiet at 42 up front and 40 in the rear. The next step is new shackles and Deaver progressive leaf packs and airbags in the rear. The weight rating won’t change, but the ride will be much improved. We’ll see how much that narrows the gap.
