Have you guys read this article?

Edmunds Article

Apparently they loaded the vehicles/trailer to the same precentage of max combined weight, so the Dodge was towing a lighter load...

 

lets just rerun that test in 200,000 miles...

 

im not surprised at the results...they're comparing automatics...ofcourse that allison 6 speed has advantages over our 4 speed...now put and extra 5000lbs in all trucks and get a dodge with a 6 speed and lets see how they go up a hill

and for what its worth that latest duramax/allison combo is pretty darn good and sounds like they fixed a few problems with the motor too...and with the easy box stackign u can do to run 500hp...its overrall tough to beat

 

That article is irrelevant to me, as MY 2002 was king of diesels when new, as least to me...

JH

 

And is now severly overfueled, and probally still king of the diesels. To you at least...

IMHO- There is no fair way to test trucks for an article, there are to many variables. Durability (I'm talking 10 years 200k+ miles, not the Motor Trend long term year) Comfort, conveinence, the way it drives, the way it handles the load... I have a few friends that love their 7.3 PSDs and would never trade them for my truck. Which is good, because I would never trade for theirs. We all own trucks that do what we demand of them in a way that we like. That hopefully look good while doing it.

There is no one perfect truck, just the best one for our purposes. For me that is a lightly BOMBED 2500 12v 4x4. For someone else it may be something completly different.

 

Put a Cummins in the Ford, and toss the Allison behind it, and you'd have a **** near perfect truck.

 

But I hate autos

 

How about a Spicer 7 speed then? Basically, tear the drivetrain out of a F-650 and put it in a F-350.

 

I don't know why they did this test with automatics. They spent half their time debating over when the automatic was going to downshift, and when it was going to upshift, towing up their particular test grade. Who cares? If they were really serious about towing, they would have equipped all of them with 6-speed manuals, and put them up several test grades. Then we would have a test, truck to truck.

Michael

 

The article claims to have setup similar trucks for a 'side by side' comparison. What gear ratios are they running? Makes a HUGE difference in pulling a load up a hill.

I agree with all the comments made...durability, longevity, and most of all...preference...I could never own a Generic Motors Product. All the ones I have seen over the years, including my wife's POS when we got married, were terrible designs...fuel pump problems (lasting 50-70k), vacuum hoses that ran UNDER the intake, etc.....

Tony