Comparison Tests
From the February 2015 issue of Car and Driver
As any dime-store undergrad psych major can tell you, it’s a tough climb to the top of the hierarchy of needs pyramid, the point at which we supposedly have everything we desire. There are challenges at every level, from finding solid traction in the physiological realm to cresting the summit of self-actualization. Any base full-size pickup truck has the capability to get you there, but if you’ve got around $60,000 to spend, why settle for anything less than total fulfillment in a crew-cab, four-wheel-drive, luxury salon on stilts?
So the dean of the needs hierarchy himself, Abraham Maslow, is in the metaphorical driver’s seat for this comparison of top-of-the-line, half-ton personality haulers. Of course, Chevrolet and Ford are here, as are Ram and Toyota.
Naturally, the paradigm-shattering event that inspired this test is the all-new 2015 Ford F-150. Now fitted with a cab and bed that use aluminum instead of steel for every panel except the fire wall, the F-150 is potentially the great breakthrough the truck world has been secretly craving. But there’s still some cognitive dissonance here as this now mostly aluminum truck was maxed out for our test with the highest “Platinum” trim. Will a turbocharged V-6 be enough to overcome such an internal contradiction?
In general specifications, the Chevrolet Silverado is stunted. It’s mostly steel, there are leaf springs supporting it in back, and the engine is a straightforward pushrod V-8 that shares its bore spacing with the small-block that Chevy introduced 60 years ago. But there’s a primitive satisfaction that comes with familiar engineering; it’s a comfort zone where minds can relax. And, according to the trim, that zone is sold as the High Country.
Cushioning the world’s vicissitudes with a set of air springs, the Ram 1500 is practically a mood stabilizer. Under its hood is a Hemi V-8 featuring the only iron engine block in the test. Further, it is upsetting that this cowboy-chic Ram Laramie Longhorn can’t figure out if it’s a large sheep, a town in Wyoming, or a cow.
Toyota’s Tundra appears here in elongated “CrewMax” form, which sounds suspiciously like a hormone-therapy drug. The V-8 under its hood is equipped with four cams and 32 valves, or as many valves as Chevy and Ram use combined. Like the F-150, this Tundra is a “Platinum” model, though the only use of that metal in the truck is likely a few precious grams in the catalytic converters. That may be authentic enough for marketing purposes, but it’s hardly a coherent personality strategy. Relax on the chaise as we examine further.
