The debate over which truck is the best for consumer needs has raged since the dawn of the pickup truck. The field has many players, but none more prominent than the Ford F-150 and the Dodge Ram 1500. However, the question remains: Between these two titans of the truck industry, who towers over the other?
Let’s break down the battle of Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500 category by category to determine which truck stands supreme for the 2021 model year. Two trucks will enter, but only one will emerge the victor. Which one will win? Let’s find out.
Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500: Engine and Horsepower
In the battle of Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500, let’s first take a look at each vehicle’s engine and horsepower.
What Ford Brings to the Table
The Ford F-150 offers six potential engine configurations. For the sake of simplicity, let’s look at the three most common of these.
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Standard, the F-150 comes with a 3.3L Ti-VCT V6 with two hundred and sixty-five foot-pounds of torque and three hundred and nine horsepower. For Diesel, it offers a 3.0L PowerStroke TurboDiesel engine with two hundred and fifty horsepower and over four hundred foot-pounds of torque. Its top engine is the High-Output 3.5L Ecoboost V6 with over five hundred foot-pounds of torque and four hundred fifty horsepower.
What Ram Brings to the Table
The Ram 1500, by contrast, offers only four configurations for its engines. To compare apples to apples, let’s look at the three most common of these.
Standard, the Ram 1500 comes with a 3.6L PENTASTAR V6 eTorque with over three hundred horsepower and around two hundred and sixty-nine foot-pounds of torque. For diesel drivers, the Ram 1500 has a 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 with over four hundred and seventy-five foot-pounds of torque and two hundred sixty horsepower. Its top engine is its 5.7L Hemi V8 eTorque with over five hundred foot-pounds of torque and four hundred and fifty horsepower.
So, Who Wins?
In this round, for sheer variety, we have to give the win to Ford. While Ram has the better base horsepower, the wider variety of engine configurations makes Ford a more versatile pick for consumers.
Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500: Towing Capacity
When it comes to towing capacity, the battle is a slam dunk in favor of the 2021 Ram 1500. With over twelve thousand five hundred pounds of towing capacity on both V8 and diesel engines, it leaves Ford over a thousand pounds in the dust.
Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500: Mileage
Once again, when it comes to mileage, the battle ends in favor of the Ram 1500. While Ford F-150’s hybrid offerings may exceed the mileage of most others on the market, Ram consistently beats them in every other category.
Where this is most noticeable is in diesel fuel efficiency. The 2021 Ram 1500 gets thirty-two miles per gallon to the Ford F-150’s thirty.
Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500: Trims and Pricing
When it comes to the Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500, deciding the winner in terms of the trims available and their costs is a bit tricky. Ford F-150 has seven trims ranging from $30,645 to $69,625. Meanwhile, the Ram 1500 has eight trim levels ranging from $33,940 to $71,790.
Which truck emerges the victor here depends on whether you’re looking for monetary savings or trim options. If it’s savings, then the winner is Ford. If it’s options, then Ram emerges on top. So, let’s call this category a draw.
Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500: Interior Design and Infotainment
One key factor that helps to decide the best selling truck year after year is the truck’s interior design and infotainment options. After all, if you’re going to spend hours hauling items on the road, you need to do so in comfort. Both trucks share many of the same features, but there are a few key differences between them.
What Ford Brings to the Table
The 2021 Ford F-150 comes with front seats that fold flat. It also has storage compartments you can lock, and an eight-inch touch screen with an optional twelve-inch touch screen. It also comes with the SYNC 4 Infotainment System, which has full voice command compatibility and regularly scheduled over-the-air updates.
What Ram Brings to the Table
The 2021 Ram 1500 comes with an almost eight-and-a-half-inch touchscreen. Its infotainment system comes equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a mobile hotspot. Its base model offers a front bench seat that can hold up to six people, while upgraded models offer a center console in the back row.
So, Who Wins?
With full voice command compatibility, we have to give the edge to Ford F-150. Touchscreens are nice, but they’re no substitute for giving commands without taking your hands off the wheel.
Ford-F150 vs Ram 1500: Colors and Dimensions
The 2021 Ford F-150 comes with fifteen exterior color options, while the Ram 1500 offers only 10. If color matters to you, then the winner in this department should be clear. However, we must also consider what each truck offers for bed sizes. Once again, the Ford F-150 emerges the clear victor, offering three truck bed sizes to Ram’s two.
Special Features
One thing we feel we should mention in favor of the Ram 1500 is a couple of the features its base model has that are only available on the higher trim levels of the Ford F-150. These features include blind-spot monitoring and LED brake lights. Both of these are crucial safety features, which makes it all the more strange that Ford’s base models would exclude them.
So, Who Comes Out On Top?
By tallying up each victory in the battle of Ford F-150 vs Ram 1500, we’ve determined that the final result is a draw. Yes, yes, disappointing, we know. However, as with most things car and truck-related, the “winner” comes down to a matter of personal preference over empirical data.
However, if you need to see more content about each of these cars to make your own decision, worry not. If you check out our blog each day, you’re sure to find more informative articles like this one.
