Judges Comments

The 2013 Canadian Truck King Challenge took on the task of evaluating the three Detroit-designed one-ton pickup trucks from Ford, Chrysler and GM last month. This is the fifth year the challenge has been held; each year looking at a different segment in the truck market. Last year, for instance, we tested the five most popular half-tons — however this year the HD segment (which has had the most recent updates) deserved some scrutiny.

Ford F-350

Andy says:

  • Grab handles on the A-pillars are right in my line of sight. No good.
  • Steering feel (while towing) is vague, with not much on-centre feel. It’s noticeable during quick lane changes over cambered lanes.
  • Has some steering column shake on rough roads.
  • 0-100km acceleration, with trailer, was 21 seconds. Very quick — anything under 30 seconds is considered adequate when towing.

Jil says:

  • Like flat rear floor.
  • Big, easy to use vents.
  • Not much storage in the centre console — though there is storage under the middle front seat.
  • No 110V outlet; no auto up windows.
  • I like the satellite 7-pin hookup inside the box.
  • Like seeing the gear number in the dash display.
  • Confident brakes.
  • Pushes around a bit while towing.
  • With payload squats the most of any truck. Rides fine, just looks bad.
  • With payload light on the front end.
  • Seats are firm but not supportive — 54 minutes in and my butt hurts.
  • Narrow front passenger foot well. Not comfortable for a long drive.
  • Pre-wired auxiliary switches are a good feature.

Matt says:

  • Like the heated/cooled seats, and reverse camera.
  • Quiet cabin.
  • Truck has good visibility.
  • Gas pedal position leaves nowhere for the leg to rest.
  • Console cup holders are too low.
  • While towing the overall ride is smooth; acceleration is great; transmission shifts up and down smoothly.
  • Like the engine braking.
  • Trailer brake controls are well placed. Brakes in general are good.
  • Over bumps the trailer jerks the truck and the front end comes up a bit.
  • When the front end comes up the steering gets light.
  • With payload the truck has a comfortable ride; feels confident with good brakes.
  • With payload the truck squats too much. The steering gets lighter.

Stephen says:

  • Like the front bench-seat option.
  • Info cluster is easy to operate — offers good info; displays what gear you are in all the time.
  • Lots of acceleration; holds flat through the corners.
  • Middle console storage is poor; seats get hard over time.
  • Like the dedicated fifth-wheel power outlet in the box.
  • Trailer brake controller is well positioned.
  • Steering is light while towing.
  • Brakes are strong for towing.
  • Power mirrors are convenient.
  • While towing truck feels soft in hard corners.
  • With payload the truck feels planted; minimal body roll.

Howard says:

  • Powerful engine; transmission shifts are sometimes harsh.
  • Good interior, best info screens; most amount of electronic info.
  • Flat floor in back, good seat.
  • Front seats hard.
  • While towing nose feels light; accelerates well; brakes OK; some push/pull in crosswinds.
  • With payload squats too much; doesn’t look level — drives better than it looks.

Chev Silverado 3500

Andy says:

  • Console is just one big odd-shaped hole.
  • There are no dash pockets.
  • The radio and Nav screen is placed too low; long way to look down.
  • 0-100 km acceleration time matches the Ford. However 5th gear is a much taller ratio — yet stays in that gear even on grades.
  • The Silverado had some chassis flex resulting in some ride surge.
  • The front suspension was easily the smoothest riding without the unsprung weight of the others.
  • There was no steering column shake.

Jil says:

  • Nice steering feel, well weighted light but not over boosted. Nice smooth ride; good throttle response.
  • Like the three position heat seat — comfortable.
  • Nav system is easy to use.
  • Good mirrors.
  • No auto-up windows; no grab handle on driver’s door.
  • Climate buttons are too small and fiddly — way too low.
  • Dated looking interior.
  • No 110V outlet.
  • Needs a dead man’s pedal.
  • I’m most confident in this truck. Easiest to keep between the lines while towing.
  • Good brakes.
  • Independent front suspension handles nice.
  • Could feel bumps through the steering wheel.
  • Exhaust brake works well.
  • With payload found the interior noisy.
  • Good crew space.

Matt says:

  • Like the console storage; comfortable back seat; large convex side mirrors; good cupholders and headrests.
  • Transmission is smooth, no lag.
  • Control buttons are very small; awkward location for HVAC controls.
  • Lots of cabin noise.
  • Interior is drab — boring.
  • Find the shifter is too close to the steering wheel.
  • When towing tracks well — even in winds. Good acceleration. Brakes are smooth. Side mirrors, non-mechanical and very good.
  • With payload stays level. No body roll, smooth ride.
  • Didn’t like the plastic bedliner — too slick and covers tie-downs.

Stephen says:

  • Steering is easy to control — feels the most direct; nimble.
  • Not the softest ride, but comfortable.
  • No deadman pedal.
  • Small center console buttons; console too low. Climate control screen too low.
  • While towing: steering feedback is minimal; crosswind control good; take-off is effortless; hood design helps road positioning; brakes engage instantly, feel strong.
  • With payload body roll is minimal.
  • Comfortable over bumps, very good cruising.
  • Most direct steering of the three.
  • Tie-downs inaccessible because of bedliner; bad bedliner.

Howard says:

  • Worst interior — dated, too plastic, control buttons too small; info screen too low to view.
  • Seats are best part of cabin. Quiet inside.
  • While towing steering is firm with little feedback.
  • Power is ample; tranny is strong and very smooth.
  • Truck attitude under load is level, controlled, confident.
  • Plastic bedliner stinks.
  • Backseat not comfortable.
  • With payload squats the least; drives well — no body roll.

Dodge RAM 3500

Andy says:

  • 0-100km acceleration was 28 sec. Slowest of the three. However, tons of low-end torque. Would climb moderate grades in sixth gear while the other two had to downshift.
  • Steering precision was better than Ford, not as good as GM.
  • The Ram had the best interior — best thought out, attractive with very nice seats.

Jil says:

  • Good grab handles to get in.
  • Very quiet — much quieter inside than the Chevy.
  • Large open console and huge covered storage. Double glove box.
  • Like the heated steering wheel, full-size pass-through door handles inside and out.
  • The prettiest of the three.
  • Only one with a 110V outlet.
  • Has auto-up windows.
  • Power seat is hard to adjust, moves in multiple directions at once.
  • Very firm ride; too harsh.
  • Heavy steering when empty, better when loaded.
  • Steering wheel too thick for small hands.
  • With payload: no lateral stability and its soft over bumps; lots of body roll.
  • For towing: simple, effective mirrors; good exhaust brake; steering is heavy.
  • While towing: brakes felt spongy; the trailer pushes and bumps the truck; slowest acceleration of the three.

Matt says:

  • Beautiful interior; good placement of console, buttons and controls. Attention to fine details.
  • Lots of storage; quiet cabin; seating is comfortable; good space and legroom.
  • Like the heated steering wheel and seat heat/cool options.
  • Do not like the side view mirror size.
  • Slight wobble in steering.
  • While towing: transmission clunks in up/down shifts.
  • Felt every bump on the road.
  • Jerky, slow acceleration.
  • Engine is strong — in towhaul does not struggle; exhaust brake good.

Stephen says:

  • Longhorn interior has great style/character.
  • Center stack layout is very sensible, easy to use, not cluttered.
  • Like the heated steering wheel.
  • Trailer brake controller badly positioned.
  • Spongy brake feel.
  • Quiet interior.
  • Exhaust brake is effective, sounds good.
  • While towing holds a straight line on the highway.
  • While towing: works too hard off the line; the ride is rough; the steering feels heavy; chassis flex is noticeable; occasional clunky down-shifts.
  • With payload: spongy suspension gives no confidence; lots of body roll; spring back from bumps is too aggressive.

Howard says:

  • Best interior of the three; best looking design.
  • Electronics, info screens are old.
  • Engine has lots of torque, but is slow off the line with load.
  • While towing too much push/pull on body; feel flexing in frame.
  • With payload suspension is soft, spongy; lots of body sway – feels bad.
  • Good exhaust brake.
  • Like the mirrors, heated wheel, seating, storage and consol layout.

So, what were the conclusions?

Well, in short, we collectively came up with the following insights:

  • The Ford and Chevy were very close in all areas while the Ram just wasn’t in the same league this year.
  • The Ford and Chevy both handled the towing weight and payload weight well — however the suspension on the Chevy was better. Meaning it sat more level under load, it squatted less, and in general felt better while driving.
  • Steering feel was best on Chevy, under all conditions.
  • As an empty truck everyone loved the Ram best — interior-wise and design-wise. However that love was lost once weight was added.
  • Fuel consumption on the Ford and Chevy was almost identical; however the Ram was a distant third.

The Judges