I read that issue when it came out. After reading the specs, I traded my 2002 PSD and bought a Dodge! The truth is in the numbers and that article convinced me that Dodge is the best. I read that article and took a test drive for myself. Their conclusions are all wrong. And this was from a Ford man: 1976 F-150 (Dad's), 1982 Mustang GT (Dad's), 1993 Ranger, 1998 Ranger, 2002 F-250 PSD. Kept having little troubles with with the f-250 and that 'stroke is a pile. So, two weeks before I got married I bought my last truck for a while, and I made it a good one!

 

Not trying to be argumenative here, but My Uncle's D-Max\Allisoon has 125,000 mi on it (New in 10-02), and it pulls a 32' GN all the time. I've put probably 5,000 mi on it, and believe me, it will flat give my Dodge a run, but I'll bet I could take it in the hills, because of my tranny.

But when that thing Downshifts it's like slamming on the brakes!! That thing stops better with 20,000 lbs on the trailer without touching the brakes than by Dodge does flat standing on them.
If I could get that tranny in with a 12v Cummins in front I'd buy another one (can't get rid of my baby\beater)

Chris

 

Actually that's my only complaint (slight) with the Cummins. The PSD I owned had alot more compression braking. Must be the 8 cylinders versus 6. Guess that's why they make exhaust brakes though!

 

Oh yeah...I'm not against the Allison tranny...if they'd put that on a CTD that would be the truck to have! It's just that the Ford tranny and the Dodge tranny doesn't have the same downshifting mechanism as the Chevy/Allison tranny. It's not a fair comparison.

I'm just saying the author has his apples and oranges mixed up...in the case of the Allison, it's not the engine compression that's slowing you down...it's a totally different mechanism (I forget what though).

A salesman told me that the '04.5 CTD's had a built in exhaust brake that you can turn on by pushing the tow/haul button and tapping the brake or something like that. I'm not sure how truthful that is though.

 

I also picked up the mag off the shelf and took it home I cant under stand how the cummins basically won all the test but for one reason they got third the tow/haul botton!!!!!are we testing diesel trucks here or is it a tow/haul botton manufacture schem.....got me . the part about not buying the chevy if you mind your friends asking you if its 2wd cracked me up. But lets face it people I drove all three before I chose one and was as openminded as one could be. The chevy had the class no doubt it was like cruising in a caddy, I took a 2 day test drive then I went to a dodge dealer.....took that first ride and man it just felt like a truck ya know you was settin up strait towering over trafic you knew you was in a truck a real truck the kind you fell asleep in when you was young and rideing with ol' pop it just felt right and man what power and it wasnt to hidein you knew it was there it just needed unleashed.well I was sold ,but still I went to a ford dealer and tried it out have you driven a ford lately I jumped in and went for a spin the interior was like the old beater you would sleep in as a kid really no change at all Im not even sure it had a cup holder well I over looked all that but then the motor no get up and go at all lowsey sounding motor and the muffer what a joke is this a diesel when is it gonna hit that famos power stoke ???? it never did so I drove the PSD to the dodge dealer and pulled beside the truck I test drove and my sales man came out...."Well I think I"m going to do with the ford" Thats all it took now my CTD is sitting out in my drive way so to break it down in my opinon ---------------chevy=caddy-----------dodge=real truck-------ford=junk--------------their was nothing that stood out that I liked in the PSD. Now gimmie a chevy interior and dodge suspension with a cummins motor and a ford................floor mat ????and all is well.