The Ford's positively massive cabin is easy to enter and great to look at, with various textures like wood and aluminum on display. Materials selection is nothing to write home about though, and the F-150 uses mainly hard, unforgiving plastics in most of the areas where you'll find fake leather or soft-touch materials in the Dodge.
Got a job to do?
The Ford's flat rear floor and flip-up seats deliver the larger and more useful rear cargo area of the pair. Storage compartments are anywhere you may look--though it's the Ram with notably more of them.
In back, Ford's integrated tailgate step mechanism proves very useful for climbing in and out of the box. Same deal for the spring-out side steps mounted below the bed. These remained (perhaps surprisingly) functional at twenty below when packed full of ice and slush. A built-in bed extender and bedliner were fitted as well.
The tester's 9,700-lb towing capacity is significantly the Dodge's superior, and towing up to 11,300 pounds is possible. Add the more useful box and an integrated trailer brake controller, and F-150 seems the logical choice for the shopper after a weekday work truck that'll haul the family and their gear to camp on Saturday.
On the road
Cruising flat roads, F-150 is as smooth and quiet as the average family sedan, though things still feel bolted together tightly when the going gets rough.
With four-wheel drive engaged at the flick of a switch, traction on trails or during nasty weather--as expected--was never a problem. Power delivery is adequate, and the six-speed transmission shifts almost imperceptibly at low speeds.
Ram feels sportier and more athletic though--with a notable power advantage, better brake feel and sportier (albeit more vague) steering setup.
However, on my watch, F-150 achieved consistently better highway mileage while offering a more solid, heavy and planted feel to the suspension and steering.
Got a job to do?
The Ford's flat rear floor and flip-up seats deliver the larger and more useful rear cargo area of the pair. Storage compartments are anywhere you may look--though it's the Ram with notably more of them.
 |
| Cruising flat roads, F-150 is as smooth and quiet as the average family sedan. |
In back, Ford's integrated tailgate step mechanism proves very useful for climbing in and out of the box. Same deal for the spring-out side steps mounted below the bed. These remained (perhaps surprisingly) functional at twenty below when packed full of ice and slush. A built-in bed extender and bedliner were fitted as well.
The tester's 9,700-lb towing capacity is significantly the Dodge's superior, and towing up to 11,300 pounds is possible. Add the more useful box and an integrated trailer brake controller, and F-150 seems the logical choice for the shopper after a weekday work truck that'll haul the family and their gear to camp on Saturday.
On the road
Cruising flat roads, F-150 is as smooth and quiet as the average family sedan, though things still feel bolted together tightly when the going gets rough.
With four-wheel drive engaged at the flick of a switch, traction on trails or during nasty weather--as expected--was never a problem. Power delivery is adequate, and the six-speed transmission shifts almost imperceptibly at low speeds.
Ram feels sportier and more athletic though--with a notable power advantage, better brake feel and sportier (albeit more vague) steering setup.
However, on my watch, F-150 achieved consistently better highway mileage while offering a more solid, heavy and planted feel to the suspension and steering.
 |
| With 4WD engaged at the flick of a switch, traction on trails or during nasty weather was never a problem. |