This fall, we have seen two of the most essential full-size truck models across the North American market get thoroughly updated. Does that mean the classic workhorse wars are entering a new phase?
The 2023 North American International Auto Show in Detroit was saved by the Big Detroit Three automakers from becoming obsolete, and chief among the superstars was also the refreshed 2024 Ford F-150 series. The Blue Oval Company believes this new model will "conquer life's challenges" – including the potential jeopardy of losing the sales crown to GM's Chevrolet Silverado.
However, it turns out the popular F-Series has another thing to worry about: the third-placed Ram 1500 has also undergone an extensive update and upgrade procedure. Meanwhile, the 2024 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Toyota Tundra are primarily unchanged from the prior model years. Now, let's see which one has the best chance to come out at the top of the sales charts next year.
As far as the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is concerned, the situation isn't great. Novelties include a couple of paints (Lakeshore Blue Metallic and Slate Gray Metallic), the availability of the Duramax inline-six with the ZR2 off-road trim level, and not much else. However, the prices are a bit scary – the base workhorse starts at $38,795 for the Regular Cab, Standard Bed! That's not too far away from the 2024 GMC Sierra, which kicks off at $39,695, by the way.
Moving on, the 2024 Toyota Tundra is a little more expensive at $39,965, and the 437-hp i-Force Max Tundra hybrid starts from $57,625, but a lot of loyal Toyota customers might think this is well worth the additional greenbacks. We are not going to complain much about it – other than the fact that reliability isn't what it used to be even with Japanese automakers and that Toyota keeps making us frown at the sight of zero availability for cool grades like the Tundra Trailhunter or TRD PreRunner.
Now, back to the updated Ford F-150. The 2024 model year clearly needs to become a swashbuckler to fight off its opponents successfully, but it's already off to a suitable base (MSRP) start. The classic XL trim is the least expensive 2024 Ford F-150, starting at $36,570. It sides with the STX ($43,895) and XLT ($47,620) because they share the front visuals.
They are followed by the off-road-oriented Tremor ($63,950), which has a lot of orange accents. In contrast, the Lariat ($64,995), King Ranch ($73,425), and Platinum (same price) plus the Raptor ($77,980) all have distinctive styling elements to make them easier to recognize – or a little more confusing, depending on who you ask and their POV.
In terms of powertrains, the Blue Oval company offers the 2.7-liter on the XL, STX, and XLT along with the 5.0-liter V8 rocking 400 hp and 410 lb-ft that's standard on the Tremor and Lariat (plus optional on XL, XLT, STX). The King Ranch and Platinum models, meanwhile, feature a choice of 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6s with 400 hp and 510 lb-ft or the 3.5-liter PowerBoost Hybrid V6 rocking 430 hp and 570 lb-ft (it's also optional on the XLT SuperCrew and Lariat). If you want one of the Raptors, the standard H/0 EcoBoost has 450 hp and 510 lb-ft, while the 5.2-liter supercharged V8 on the Raptor R is presumably still capable of 700 horsepower.
Interestingly, a direct comparison of powertrain options between the F-150 and the refreshed 2025 Ram 1500 shows the latter has the (partial) upper hand when speaking of the all-new SST (straight-six turbo) Hurricane 3.0-liter mill. The latter offers 420 horsepower and 469 lb.-ft. of torque in standard configuration – more than Ford's 5.0-liter V8. Additionally, the Hurricane H/O with 540 hp beats everything except for the Raptor R – hybrids included. One thing is for sure – next year, when the 2024 Ram 1500 TRX will be out of production, Ford will immediately brag about its Raptor R being a lot more powerful than the upcoming 2025 Ram 1500 RHO that's set to become the new off-road king.
Alas, the Ram 1500 series does have one special weapon – it's kind of like a grenade launcher brought to a machinegun fight. That would be the recently revived 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger – a full-size light-duty pickup truck that's an EV with full plug-in capabilities but also a model that won't suffer from range anxiety – the 92-kWh battery pack can be recharged from the grid at up to 145 kW or replenished on the move by the 3.6-liter V6 hooked to the onboard generator! And this range-extended Ramcharger is no slouch – it has 663 horsepower for sprints to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, a total range is estimated at up to 690 miles (1,110 km), and the ratings are extremely impressive, too: 2,625 pounds (1,191 kg) payload, up to 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg) towing.
Plus, with an independent suspension featuring a "standard, segment-exclusive, active-level, four-corner air suspension" and Autonomous Drive Assist System (ADAS) features like Hands-free Highway Assist (L2+), it might turn into a model that's good for everything – it could rival the F-150 Tremor when off the beaten path, act like a Tungsten flagship on the road, tow and haul just about everything, and also feature zero emissions whenever it needs to or the driver wants to. Plus, that deletion of the pesky range anxiety is pretty darn cool, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News