Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge 4×4 – What’s your 1st choice?

Last Updated on January 30, 2024 by Jeremy

In this article, I’m going to get right into it. This has been a topic, long overdue, with several gazillion opinions from truck owners about which vehicle is better. In this Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge 4×4 post, you will get my reviews based on a non-bias opinion, as I’ve owned all 3 brands at one point or another.

My first truck I ever owned was an ’84 GMC 1/2-ton 4×4. It had some rust, 4 very reliable tires, a 350 engine, a worn-out seat, a radio that sometimes worked, and 2 gas tanks that took you almost 350km before you had to fill up again. You could tow a standard car trailer with it, but I never tested the limits of towing much with it.

My next truck I had was a 2018 Ford F-150 4×4, 2.7L Eco boost. It had no rust, lots of leg room, airbags where you wouldn’t think of, back seat storage, and one heck of a feature called “trailer assist”. You could parallel park a truck/trailer with ease, something I’ve personally accomplished.

I traded that in for my next truck, which is a 2020 Dodge Ram 1500 Classic 4×4, 5.7 Hemi. To me, not only was it the Hemi, but I always saw RAM’s to be wider and box-like. This thing has the looks of a workhorse, while still being designed to give you comfort and reliability.

Out of all 3 trucks, there’s not one better than the other, although some will argue that fact. Let’s take a look at towing specs, safety ratings, fuel economy and comfort ratings for all 3 brands, starting with…

Chevy

According to Motortrend.com,

“both Chevrolet and GMC were founded in 1911, however, as separate entities by different people. Chevrolet gained a controlling interest in General Motors in 1918 in a sort of reverse takeover and General Motors then began the acquisition of GMC in 1925, completing the purchase in 1943.”

They have since made several, well known vehicles such as the Camaro, and Corvette, but since this is a truck post, lets stick with their most prized models, the Silverado 2500 (3/4 ton), and 3500 (1 ton) series, with a year between 2000, and 2022.

Towing specs – Keeping this key description with weights in mind;

• -a fishing boat and trailer usually weighs between 900 lbs. to 6,000 lbs.
• -a tent trailer typically weighs between 1,000 lbs. to 1,500 lbs.
• -a fifth-wheel travel trailer averages between 12,000 lbs. to 15,000 lbs.

it would be a good idea to note that the towing capacity of a vehicle means it can tow up to the certain weights as mentioned above. Specifically, the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 has a towing capacity between 5,000 lbs and 14,500 lbs. whereas the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 has a towing capacity between 8,500 lbs and 14,600 lbs. This means for those long hauls and a 5th wheel trailer; you’ll want to steer towards a 3500 series truck.

Safety Rating – for an example, the NHTSA or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rated a 2018 2500 series Chevy at 4 stars out of 5.

Fuel Economy – In this instance, we can use the example of a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, it gets a combined Avg MPG of 12.57

Comfort Rating – 4.6 – 2017 Silverado 2500 series

Rating breakdown (out of 5):

• -Comfort 4.6
• -Interior design 4.5
• -Performance 4.6
• -Value for the money 4.4
• -Exterior styling 4.6

Of all of these categories, there was not much difference between the years of 2000 and 2022.

My own Personal Rating (Out of 5): 4.8

Ford

Quoted from Wikipedia;

“Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903.”

Some of these popular vehicles that made it into production were the Model T, Mustang, and Thunderbird. Again, focusing on trucks, we will look at the F350 in general.

Towing Specs – The Ford F-350 has a towing capacity between 6,800 lbs and 21,200 lbs. This has a significant greater number than that of the Chevy Silverado 3500 series.

Safety Rating – Ford F-350 Safety Ratings from NHTSA are given a 5-Star Safety Rating based on advanced safety technologies of 60, Ford F-350 vehicles.

Fuel Economy – 2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty MPG Based on data from 115 vehicles, 11,241 fuel-ups and 3,514,321 miles of driving, the 2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty gets a combined Avg MPG of 12.85.

Comfort Rating – 4.7 – 2018 Ford F-350

Rating breakdown (out of 5):

• -Comfort 4.7
• -Interior design 4.8
• -Performance 4.5
• -Value for the money 4.2
• -Exterior styling 4.7

My own personal rating (Out of 5): 4.8

Dodge

“The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck from Chrysler LLC’s Dodge brand. The name was first used in 1981 on the redesigned Ram and Power Ram, though it came from the hood ornament used on 1930s and ’40s Dodge vehicles. Dodge Ram trucks have been named Motor Trend magazine’s Truck of the Year twice: the second-generation Ram won the award in 1994, and the third-generation Ram Heavy Duty won the award in 2003. The truck is in its fourth generation as of the 2009 model year.” – Dodge-Wiki.com

As for Dodge, the most popular in their day were the Challenger, and the Charger. Of course, we’re’re looking at the truck models of RAM and they will be the 2500 and 3500 models as well.

Towing Specs – The Dodge Ram 2500 has a towing capacity between 8,100 lbs and 15,080 lbs, whilst the Dodge Ram 3500 has a towing capacity between 10,000 lbs and 16,200 lbs. Although not a huge difference between the two series, if you’re hauling anything at a grand distance, you’ll still want the 3500 series trucks.

Safety Rating – From 1994 to 2001, Dodge had an overall safety rating of 3 stars. Since then, the NHTSA does not have any up-to-date safety ratings on the Rams. I did random year searches on the website and the responses were conclusively the same:

“NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings help consumers compare vehicle safety when searching for a car. More stars mean safer cars.”

This car had not been rated. You can see for yourself by clicking >>HERE<<.

Fuel Economy – The Ram’s fuel economy has been poor for some time, but it seems the 2022 versions are starting to climb up in comparison mode. As you can see by this chart; the Ram3500/Hauling Economy

• – Big Red 2022 Ram 3500 Big Horn DIESEL Automatic 6 Speed Cab & Chassis – Crew Cab Added Apr 2022 17 Fuel-ups Property of JPCamper
• – 14.2 Avg MPG

Comfort Rating – 5.0 – This was poor, between 4.0 and 4.6 in the 2014-2018 years, however they’ve changed their tune and got this rating for their 2021 RAM 3500 series model;

Rating breakdown (out of 5):

• -Comfort 5.0
• -Interior design 5.0
• -Performance 5.0
• -Value for the money 5.0
• -Exterior styling 5.0

My overall Rating (Out of 5): 4.7

Is there Another Truck?

When looking at the overall topic and needing a vehicle that can do what these three workhorses have done, this question can only be answered by doing a deep dig into structure.

I looked at the next popular name brands in 4×4, and they are 2022 Toyota Tundra and 2021 Nissan Titan.

Towing Specs – The 2021 Nissan Titan has a minimum towing capacity of 9210 lbs. while the 2022 Toyota Tundra has a lower minimum towing capacity of 8300 lbs.

The 2021 Nissan Titan has a maximum towing capacity of 10990 lbs. while the 2022 Toyota Tundra has a higher maximum towing capacity of 12000 lbs. When compared against Chevy, Ford, and Dodge they could haul the average 5th wheel, but you’d be pushing your weight limits.

Safety Rating – 2021 Nissan Titan has a 4-star safety rating according to the NHTSA, while the 2022 Toyota Tundra is the Only Current Truck to Earn IIHS’ Top Safety Pick+ Rating.

Fuel Economy – The Tundra comes up with a 22 MPG rating, while the Nissan sucks it up at 11.9 MPG.

Comfort Rating – Starting this time with the Nissan;

Rating breakdown (out of 5): 4.5

• -Comfort 4.5
• -Interior design 4.4
• -Performance 4.2
• -Value for the money 4.1
• -Exterior styling 4.4

while the Tundra is as follows;

Rating breakdown (out of 10): 6

• -Styling: 8/10 Two words: gargantuan grille. …
• -Comfort: 6/10 As per truck tradition, the Tundra is still built on a ladder frame – far from problematic but certainly obvious from inside, with uneven surfaces jostling this half-ton in a familiar way. …
• -Power: 10/10 …
• -Driving Feel: 7/10 …
• -Fuel Economy: 6/10 …

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s no real solution to the “mine’s better than yours” argument of Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge 4×4. It’s like trying to decide what the brightest LED flashlights are.

Although to break it down, the F350 does take the edge when compared to all the rest, making it My personal choice for winner in this category. 

The Chevrolet is a very close second, while the Dodge, in my opinion gets a hard-earned number three. For what it’s worth, the Nissan and the Toyota brands are giving some good competition to the other 3, but they have a lot of work to do if they want to succeed.

Another notable feature that Dodge, Chevy and Ford have is the ability to transition their factory tailgates to a Fifth wheel Tailgate, which is suitable for towing needs.

Feel free to chime in with your truck opinions in the comments section, and make sure to read Fifth Wheel VS Travel Trailer – Making Your 1st Ultimate Decision Easier to see which Truck you need for your next trailer!

Cheers!