In the ongoing quest to decide on my next tow vehicle, I visited the local auto show over the weekend with the intent to check out the current crop of mid-size and 1/2 ton trucks. I was most interested in looking at real-world payload capacities and obtaining an overall feel of each vehicle.
I looked at various examples the F150, Ram 1500, Sierra/Silverado 1500, Tundra, Colorado/Canyon, Frontier, and Tacoma. Unfortunately, Ford did not bring a Ranger to the show
. All were highly-optioned versions (not what I would order). That probably means that the payload ratings I saw are close to the worst case scenario.
Here are some broad conclusions:
I don't know if I'm any closer to reaching a decision, but it was an interesting experience non-the-less. On the non-truck side, my overall favorite car at the show was the Subaru BRZ. $40K CAD out-the-door for a very capable purpose-built sports car seems like an incredible value in the current market.
I looked at various examples the F150, Ram 1500, Sierra/Silverado 1500, Tundra, Colorado/Canyon, Frontier, and Tacoma. Unfortunately, Ford did not bring a Ranger to the show
. All were highly-optioned versions (not what I would order). That probably means that the payload ratings I saw are close to the worst case scenario.Here are some broad conclusions:
- The Canadian MSRP pricing on any new truck is truly sinus-clearing. Granted, nearly all the display vehicles were top-spec models, but holy cow these things are pricy! The cheapest truck was the Frontier, which stickered at around $65K. All others were in the $75K - $100K range. If you think that's bad, the diesel 3/4 and 1 ton models on display from GM/Ford/Ram all stickered at $120K - $130K. Even worse is to think that prices are likely to increase even further in the not-too-distant future.
- Payload ratings were disappointing across the board. Again, this is likely due to the high-level options/trims. It serves as a reminder as to how much premium creature comforts can compromise towing/hauling capacity.
- Sierra, Silverado, and F150: 1300-1400lbs
- Colorado/Canyon: 1300lbs
- Tundra and Tacoma: 1200lbs
- Ram: 1000lbs
- Frontier: 900lbs
- GM really surprised me with the quality of their interiors. They seemed to be the nicest/least plasticky feeling of the bunch. They really appear to have stepped up their game as of late. The F150's interior (a high-optioned XLT Tremor) was the worst by a wide margin.
- The new 4th gen Tacoma is very nice in terms is size and overall fit/and finish, but over $85k for the hybrid Trailhunter model on display.....yikes! It was also disappointing to see that the payload increases that Toyota originally touted over the 2nd/3rd gen trucks is not reflected in the real world. I've looked at lower spec non-hybrid 4th gen models with about the same payload capacity. That pretty much eliminates the Tacoma from my list of contenders.
- The fit/finish of the $100K Tundra didn't seem to be quite as good as the Tacoma (nor the similarly priced GM/Ram models). Surprisingly, both the Tundra and Tacoma on display had about the same payload ratings. However, according to Toyota, the specific Tundra model I am considering (extended cab SR5 4wd) offers much greater capacity...about 1800lbs. I definitely want to verify that.
I don't know if I'm any closer to reaching a decision, but it was an interesting experience non-the-less. On the non-truck side, my overall favorite car at the show was the Subaru BRZ. $40K CAD out-the-door for a very capable purpose-built sports car seems like an incredible value in the current market.
Last edited:
