2010 Car Comparison: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 v Dodge Ram 1500 v Ford F-150

The Competitors
Not long ago, full-size pickups were among each domestic automaker’s best-selling and most-profitable lines. Then sky-high fuel prices and a faltering economy, particularly in the construction sector, tag-teamed to apply a chokehold on the truck market, Though sales are down by significant margins over just a few years ago, Ford, Dodge, and General Motors hope a recovery will help move the metal once again. Still, it’s not likely the pickup market will return to its pre-2008 glories any time soon.

In their most-basic configurations, pickup trucks are the most purposeful vehicles on the road and are built to tackle the toughest hauling jobs. They’ve become increasingly refined over the last two decades, however. Top-line models offer levels of comfort and amenities once found only in luxury cars, with four-door five-passenger cabs that allow them to double as family vehicles on the weekend.

Competition in this segment is intense, thanks in no small measure to the fact that domestic pickup truck buyers are among the most brand-loyal customers in the automobile business. Fortunately, it’s difficult to go wrong with the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2010 Dodge Ram 1500, or 2010 Ford F-150. Each offers enough combinations of engines, cab configurations, cargo bed lengths, payloads, and towing capacities to satisfy just about any truck buyer.

The Ram 1500 and Ford F-150 were redesigned for the 2009 model year with myriad mechanical improvements and novel new features. The Chevy Silverado 1500, like its GMC Sierra 1500 cousin, last saw a major upgrade for the 2007 model year.

The Similarities

• The 2010 Chevrolet Silverado, 2010 Dodge Ram, and 2010 Ford F-150 come in three cab configurations. Regular-cabs have just a front seat and two doors. Extended-cab models feature added space behind the front seats for carrying gear or the kids on small seats and have clamshell-opening rear “access doors.” Crew cabs have four conventional side doors and, thanks to a full-size pickup’s substantial width, can seat five burly adults. The longer the cab, however, the shorter the maximum-length of the available cargo bed. Eight-foot beds, for example, are available on extended cabs but not on crew-cab models.

• Each of these pickups offers a choice of rear-wheel drive or four-wheel-drive in every cab configuration. And automatic transmission is standard; manual gearboxes are not available.

• These trucks are loosely termed “half-ton” pickups based on their payload capacity. Dodge and GM use “1500” to denote their half-ton lineups, and 2500 and 3500 for their three-quarter ton and one-ton models, respectively. Ford chooses F-150 for its half-ton pickup and F-250 and F-350 for its heavier-duty models.

• The styling of these pickups is intended to convey a tough image, while interior décor ranges from work-boot functional to leather-lined plush. It’s a tall step up into those passenger compartments, however. Ordering optional side steps or running boards is recommended for shorter riders.

• With hundreds of available combinations of trim levels, cab styles, bed lengths, powertrains, wheelbases, and myriad options, full-size pickups represent the broadest and most complex product offerings in the auto industry.

• All three of these pickups come standard with antiskid stability control and head-protecting side-curtain airbags. Among available comfort and convenience features available are audio systems with USB iPod connectivity, GPS navigation arrays, and rear-seat DVD entertainment.

The Differences

• The 2010 Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram offer rather anemic V-6 engines as their standard powerplants. Any serious trucker will choose from among their more powerful V-8s. The 2010 Ford F-150 is offered only with a choice of V-8 engines.

• The Silverado’s engine lineup consists of a 195-horsepower 4.3-liter V6, a 302-horsepower 4.8-liter V-8, a 315-horsepower 5.3-liter V-8, and a 403-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8; all can run on gasoline or E85 ethanol. The Ram comes powered by a 215-horsepower 3.7-liter V-6, a 310-horsepower 4.7-liter V-8, or a 390-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V-8; the 4.7 can run on E85 fuel. The F-150 offers a 248-horsepower 4.6-liter V-8, a 292-horsepower 4.6-liter V-8, a 310-horsepower 5.4-liter V-8, and a 400-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8; the latter two are E85-friendly.

• Transmission choices are largely dependent on the engines to which they are fitted: The Ram offers a four- or five-speed automatic and the Silverado and F-150 feature a four- or six-speed automatic.

• Maximum towing capacity is 10,600 pounds for the Silverado, 10,450 for the Ram, and 11,200 pounds for the F-150.

• The Chevrolet Silverado is virtually identical to the GMC Sierra, save for exterior styling and feature-packaging differences. Both are available as pricey but reasonably fuel-efficient gas/electric hybrid-powered V-8 versions. The Hybrid versions have 332 horsepower and rate 21/22 mpg (city/highway). 

• While none of these full-size pickups will be mistaken for a luxury car in terms of ride and road manners, the Dodge Ram is the most comfortable and best-handling of the three thanks in large measure to its coil-spring rear suspension. All other full-size pickups use traditional leaf springs. By comparison with the Ram, the F-150 feels like a lumbering hulk around town and the Silverado lands somewhere in between.

• Among specialty models, the F-150 is available as the motorcycle-inspired Harley-Davidson edition or as the high-performance off-road-racer-inspired SVT Raptor.

• Silverado and Ram can be fitted with dealer accessories that turn them into rolling Internet hot spots, enabling passengers with laptop computers to connect to the Internet via a wireless network. Signal strength extends for several yards around the vehicle -- great for camping and tailgating.

• Crew cab versions of the Ram 1500 can be equipped with Sirius Backseat TV, which brings four kid-friendly channels to the optional rear entertainment system. As with other Dodge models it can also accommodate the new dealer-installed FLO-TV system that offers up to 20 live and time-shifted news and entertainment TV channels, including CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, FOX News, MSNBC, and MTV.

• An in-dash computer and high-speed Internet access is available on the F-150 as part of Ford’s Work Solutions system. A proprietary Tool Link system can be added to alert a driver if a critical tool isn’t onboard; it employs radio frequency tags that interact with the computer. The F-150 also offers Ford’s novel Sync voice-activated multimedia control and the Sirius Travel Link system, which provides road warriors with current weather and traffic information, sports scores, movie listings, even local gasoline prices.

• The Dodge’s optional RamBox cargo system has weatherproof, lockable, illuminated and drainable storage bins built into the cargo bed rails; each can hold up to five cases of 12-ounce beverages. The rear passenger floor of the Ram Crew Cab features two bins with removable liners that are large enough for ten 12-ounce cans and ice.

• The F-150 counters with a stowable bed extender that folds neatly away when not in use while a “Midbox” enclosed storage system provides 26.3 cubic feet of protective, lockable storage for tools and other gear without sacrificing cargo bed length. Optional side-mounted plastic tool bins can hold up to 60 pounds and can double as rolling beverage coolers.

The Winner
This is a close call, which is one reason so many full-size pickup buyers stay loyal to a particular brand. Each of these pickups is own appeal, and each will do just about anything you could reasonable ask a half-ton to do. The F-150 boasts the largest tow rating. The Silverado offers a high-tech hybrid version. The Dodge and Ford offer lots of interesting tech and practical amenities. Unless we were dead set on a particular feature or styling element, we’d choose the truck we’d most enjoy driving on a daily basis. That’s the Dodge Ram 1500. Our decision is swayed by its smoother ride and more manageable handling, but the Ram also performs as expected, treats its occupants to a well-designed interior, and looks good in the process.