I wish there was a clear answer
I have been doing a lot of research because I am also looking at what truck to buy next. Here is what I have found so far with 1/2 tuns. Please note that this is all just MHO and I know a lot of people disagree with this.
-Chevy seems to have one of the best truck engines today. Good low end grunt and will will with ease. On the other hand I am not impressed with their interiors and think the truck body/suspension is geared a little too much toward the weekend warier and not a work truck. Reliability seems to be on par with Ford but that is subjective.
-Ford has a truck that (IMHO) looks like a work truck and has a frame and suspension to match. On the other hand, their engines are not all that great from a power/towing standpoint, especially the 4.6L. If you get a F150 make sure the 5.4L is in there. Oh, and the mpg doesn't seem to be as good as the Chevys.
-Dodge I have heard very little good about. While some seem to have good luck with them most of what I hear indicates a lot of problems, especially transmission, and very low mpg, especially with the Hemi. One little fact about the Hemi, it is mostly hype and that makes sense. The hemispherical head design is outdated as new designs have proven more efficient, especially has they allow for multi-valve designs.
-Toyota is an interesting one in my book. They have that record of reliability, but then my dad's '01 Tundra has had a lot of problems both electrical and fit-and-finish. I think the first design was a little small for a 1/2 ton, really made for runs to HD and towing a bass boat. The new one is more commercial hype in my book then anything else. A great example is the tri-frame they try to brag about, having a c-channel frame under the bed and where the tow hitch is doesn't seem like a good thing to me. It is way to early for any of us to look at reliability of new Tundras.
I have been doing a lot of research because I am also looking at what truck to buy next. Here is what I have found so far with 1/2 tuns. Please note that this is all just MHO and I know a lot of people disagree with this.
-Chevy seems to have one of the best truck engines today. Good low end grunt and will will with ease. On the other hand I am not impressed with their interiors and think the truck body/suspension is geared a little too much toward the weekend warier and not a work truck. Reliability seems to be on par with Ford but that is subjective.
-Ford has a truck that (IMHO) looks like a work truck and has a frame and suspension to match. On the other hand, their engines are not all that great from a power/towing standpoint, especially the 4.6L. If you get a F150 make sure the 5.4L is in there. Oh, and the mpg doesn't seem to be as good as the Chevys.
-Dodge I have heard very little good about. While some seem to have good luck with them most of what I hear indicates a lot of problems, especially transmission, and very low mpg, especially with the Hemi. One little fact about the Hemi, it is mostly hype and that makes sense. The hemispherical head design is outdated as new designs have proven more efficient, especially has they allow for multi-valve designs.
-Toyota is an interesting one in my book. They have that record of reliability, but then my dad's '01 Tundra has had a lot of problems both electrical and fit-and-finish. I think the first design was a little small for a 1/2 ton, really made for runs to HD and towing a bass boat. The new one is more commercial hype in my book then anything else. A great example is the tri-frame they try to brag about, having a c-channel frame under the bed and where the tow hitch is doesn't seem like a good thing to me. It is way to early for any of us to look at reliability of new Tundras.
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