Picking a Pickup: Choosing Between the Big 3

With more than 60 big-time automotive manufacturers worldwide, selecting the vehicle that best suits your needs can be overwhelming when differentiating between wants and needs. There are a plethora of makes and models available making it hard for consumers to pick an option. Within the United States, there is no shortage of pickup truck manufacturers. Companies such as Ford, Chevy, and Ram have all claimed to be the “best” when it comes to producing the best trucks, so in order to put this to the test, I decided to test drive three pickup trucks from three different brands.

Of these three included the 2022 Ford F-150 RAPTOR. At first glance, the truck looked absolutely beautiful, with a glossy red finish. However, one can’t help but notice the price tag of $71,000 dollars. The suspension on the truck was superb. This can be attributed to the 5-link rear suspension paired with the 24-inch coil springs. These specs give the 2022 Ford F-150 RAPTOR the longest coil springs within the class of pickup trucks that are under 8,500 pounds. Driving around, the best feature to me was the power felt in the engine. This was due to the 24-valve twin-turbo, giving the RAPTOR 450 horsepower to work with. The only con I noticed was the steering wheel sensitivity. Compared to other vehicles I had driven, the Ford RAPTOR understeered, meaning I had to turn the wheel far more than normal. Overall, this vehicle would receive a four-and-a-half-star rating in my books, with the steering wheel being the only problem I had with it. Ford pickup truck owner Mario Santos agrees with the idea that Ford makes quality trucks, stating that the trucks are “worth buying”, going as far as to say that “[he’s] had no issues and the reviews for it reflect that too.”

Another of the trucks tested was the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. This truck looked a bit boxy in comparison to the modern build of the Ford RAPTOR. In comparison to the expensive price tag of the Ford RAPTOR, the Silverado is a much more affordable vehicle, starting at about $34,600. The interior of the Silverado was similar to that of the RAPTOR, with an all-black interior. The only difference between these two interiors is that the Silverado has a less modern feel which is similar to the looks of the exterior. The lackluster interior and exterior left me disappointed, to say the least. However, the driving experience made up for the poor cosmetics. On the road, the Silverado exceeded my expectations. It drove well, with enough power to feel like you’re going fast, but not so much power that it becomes hard to control the vehicle. This, along with the sensitive steering wheel are what gives the Chevy Silverado 1500 a three-star rating.

The last truck I tried out was the Ram 1500 TRX. I had very high expectations for this test drive due to the hype surrounding it. In particular, the ruggedness of this truck was commended. Dom Galante, a senior at Pennridge High School, can attest to this. He claims that whenever his father drove his Ram 1500 on tough roads or took it off-roading, “it held up very well”. The exterior of the TRX was futuristic, similar to that of the Ford RAPTOR. The price tag was also quite similar to that of the RAPTOR, at $84,000. The interior of the TRX would be, in my opinion, luxurious when compared to that of other pickup trucks. Starting the truck, you could feel and hear the power in the motor. This is due to the supercharged V8 engine within the truck, giving it more power, and instant torque. Driving around with this truck was like cutting butter with a warm knife, smooth and easy. This warranted me to give this pickup truck a five-star rating in comparison to the others.

Overall, the Ram 1500 TRX was the best truck out of those I was lucky enough to test drive. However, when picking the right pickup truck, make sure to look at something within your price range, and something you are comfortable with. Stay safe, and drive onwards.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/3-most-common-chevy-silverado-1500-problems-reported-hundreds-real-owners/
https://www.motortrend.com/style/truck/
https://www.motortrend.com/features/best-full-size-pickup-trucks-to-buy/
https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/models/f150-raptor/
https://www.chevrolet.com/trucks/silverado/1500
https://rivian.com/r1t