Ford Australia is finally set to muscle in on the full-size 4×4 pick-up action, but how does the F-150 compare to the segment leaders?
This week’s bombshell news that the Ford F-150 will be sold in Blue Oval showrooms across Australia from mid-2023 means Aussies will finally have access to North America’s top-selling vehicle – bar none – for the past four decades.
In this three-way bench test we’ll compare the 14th-generation Ford F-150, which will be converted to right-hand drive in Australia by Ford, against the equivalent ‘remanufactured’ RAM and Silverado trucks in terms of size, payload/towing capacity and powertrain details.
Ford has only just confirmed the F-150 for our market – for the first time since 2007 – so pricing and specifications are yet to be confirmed. But we expect safety and technology levels to match the segment leaders and Ford says pricing will be competitive with both the Silverado LTZ and latest DT-series RAM 1500s, which start at around $114,000 and $124,000 respectively.
Dimensions
Given it was the instigator of the factory-backed full-size pick-up craze that’s swept the nation over the past half-decade or so, we’ll start the comparisons with the RAM 1500 – specifically the newer DT series that will likely be available here for longer than the older and lower-spec DS.
Riding on a 3672mm wheelbase, the DT RAM 1500 Crew Cab measures 5916mm long, 2085mm wide (without mirrors) and 1971mm tall.
Pushing the envelope even closer to the six-metre mark, the Silverado 1500 LTZ Crew Cab measures 5931mm long, 2063mm wide and 1933mm tall – although the cheaper and lower-spec but more capable Trail Boss ups the overall height to 1963mm.
The big Chevy is longer between the wheels too, riding on a 3750mm wheelbase.
When it arrives here in mid-2023, the Ford F-150 SuperCrew will be the ‘smallest’ full-size US pick-up available here. Fitted with a standard 5.5-foot tub – the shortest available in the US and equivalent to our RAM and Silverado 1500s – the F-150 has an overall length of 5885mm, width of 2029mm and height of 1961mm.
Despite its shorter overall length, the Ford actually splits the RAM and Silverado in terms of wheelbase, measuring 3683mm between the axles.
Payload and towing
All three of these big American utes come with larger tubs than the smaller mid-size twin-cabs that Aussies know and love so dearly, including the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, which – at least in theory – means they should be able to carry more stuff.
Once again starting with the RAM, the 1500’s tray – without the optional RamBoxes – has an internal length of 1712mm, an internal width of 1687mm (1295mm between the wheel-arches) and depth of 543mm.
But despite its immense size, the RAM 1500 only has a maximum payload of 833kg, which is less than smaller utes like the Ranger, HiLux and Isuzu D-MAX, all of which can carry close to 1000kg or more, but the RAM strikes back with a vastly superior 4500kg maximum braked towing capacity.
It’s a similar story with the Chevrolet Silverado, which has an even bigger tray than the RAM – 1776mm x 1814mm (1286mm) x 569mm – but lags even further behind on payload with a 760kg maximum.
As with the RAM, towing is the reason for the Silverado’s being, with an identical 4.5-tonne maximum braked towing capacity.
Reflective of its smaller overall stature, the Ford F-150 also has the smallest tub of the trio, measuring 1704mm long, 1656mm wide (1285mm) and 544mm deep. Yet it also happens to comfortably offer the biggest payload of 953kg.
And as one might expect, the F-150’s maximum braked towing capacity matches its rivals at 4500kg.
Powertrains
Each of the three models in this bench test are or will only be available in Australia with a single powertrain, although we expect Ford Oz to eventually have an answer for the upcoming RAM 1500 TRX in the F-150 Raptor, and the battery-powered F-150 Lightning is also being studied.
In the case of the DT RAM 1500, the engine in question is a 5.7-litre ‘HEMI’ petrol V8 developing 291kW of power and 556Nm of torque, harnessed by an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Once again continuing the one-upsmanship, the local Chevrolet Silverado is powered by a 6.2-litre V8 good for 313kW/624Nm, while transmission duties are taken care of exclusively by a 10-speed automatic.
In a move that’s sure to raise eyebrows, Australia’s 2023 Ford F-150 will be the only pick-up of this trio to have a forced-induction and non-V8 engine, in the form of a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre petrol EcoBoost V6.
Despite being down two cylinders and almost three litres under the displacement of the Chevy, the F-150 is actually the second most powerful vehicle of this trio – and the outright winner in terms of torque.
Thanks to the hard puffing of its two turbos, the Ford’s V6 churns out a healthy 298kW and 674Nm. And, like the Silverado, the engine is paired to a 10-speed automatic.
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Keyword: Bench Test: Ford F-150 versus RAM 1500 and Silverado 1500