PoorMansCat

I didnt know those mags were still in business... hahahaha...
Its amazing how the winner of the test is typically the one that has the most paid advertising in the mag..

NCPADiesel

Haha I have the Ford and Dodge...I like things about both of them.

These magazine reports and BS shootouts by magazines are a bunch of crap. Diesel Power is a know GM lover...you can't say in one article that the Cummins has the most effective exhaust brake when giving an overview of the Big 3 and then turnaround do a shootout in the next issue and say that GM hands down was the best.

adamkn

The reliability issues arent just related to the engine. Ball-joint and u-joint failures will also contribute to the "poor reliability" ratings - even though most of us understand that those are normal wear and tear parts. I've noticed that for any given vehicle, 2wd versions typically get better reliability ratings than the 4wd version - mostly due to fewer moving parts that potentially need to be serviced/replaced.

I used to subscribe to Consumer Reports - from what I recall, I dont think they accept outside advertisements...I dont think their ratings are swayed as much as some people may think.

I think the problem is the "standard" they use for reliability. The bar is set pretty high by cars like the Honda Civic and Toyota Camrys - but our trucks just can't compete with those kind of vehicles in terms of reliability. So the system is flawed, but as someone else already pointed out, Consumer reports can still be a good reference when comparing vehicles of the same type/class.

Grit Dog

Haha, I just read this at the tire shop Sat. They slammed the chit out of all 3 big diesels.
Maybe they use $/mile repair costs without factoring in a 7-8k lb truck is going to be harder on parts than a 4 banger grocery getter and the cost of the parts are generally more because they are more heavy duty.
They also dogged the handling and "step in" height...........
Uhhh, it's a big truck not a Prius.

Rednax

This is correct. Consumers Union doesn't accept advertising. And, to understand how they come about doing "ratings" one has to do the reading to see what criterion is used.

The cost-per-mile of a diesel pickup is high. And, if the vehicle is just used solo, unloaded and non-towing it is a damned poor pick of vehicle due to that high cost of ownership and operation. IOW, for a vehicle without IRS deductible miles (or being depreciated), there are better alternatives.

Take the initial purchase price, the cost of finance, tax, depreciation, insurance and then fuel, maintenance and repairs. Work from an estimated lifespan and total miles run over that period. (And add in any changes from stock, be sure to reduce reliability/longevity for power adders; faster rate of wear from lift kits or oversized tires, etc). The actual price is above $1/mile in many cases, and over $1.50/mile for many.

At that rate one could own two, even three, other vehicles. And get the exact same work done.

Using a trailer behind a car kills most arguments about pickup trucks. And for the same number of miles/time, many cars have far fewer problems, etc.

.

mpfireman

Being a reader of the Diesel Power magazine for many years, I think that they publish more articles about the Cummins power plant, in the Ram truck than the Ford or Chevy. Interesting to see how many owners convert their power plant to the Cummins engine when competing in those pulls and stationary HP competitions.
My 98.5 Cummins has over 115,000 miles, to date and i see no reason to replace it any time soon.

pronstar

Eggheads in lab coats at a private testing lab are great for rating things like appliances.

But IMHO they don't test vehicles the same way that I use my vehicles, so I generally take their vehicle ratings with a large grain of salt.

nolafishr

Sounds like Ford is paying them to put them up on top!!

DWG05

Ford will soon have cummins in their medium duty trucks F250/350). What does that tell you?

john40

I just ran my truck through KBB and NADA and this revealed that my truck is worth over $3,000.00 more than I paid for it, from a dealer, in Oct. '08. There must be a good reason for this.
John

Dadeo

The fact that the Ford 6.0 is one to avoid is seriously an accurate statement!
As for the rest I sorta think it comes down to expectations and usage. In the oil patch our diesel pickups are loaded up to God knows what kind of weight, smashed, beaten, abused and dragged kicking and screaming up and down some of the worst, roughest roads North America has. They go way past hours for service, are driven check engine light on and blinking because the nearest dealer is 8 hours away and we still need to get to work in the morning. So, here is the question I ask... I am sure one of their most reliable vehicles was a Honda Accord... See where this is going? Okay totally not fair, I'll give them that one... How bout an Honda Ridgeline... It's a truck right? Lol, yeah, umm, ok. So take that err "truck" and do with it what we do with our trucks. I will put money on that "more reliable" vehicle coming out of the bush on the hook of a tow truck, probably powered by a diesel!