itguy09

Sprinters are decent but expensive to maintain. And Ram is junk - the Diesels use a DCT and the others use a minivan drivetrain in FWD configuration. They are cheap but junky. Doesn't GM Still make the Express/Savana?

Don;t get how Dodge and Ram are tops. Dodge's cars are ugly (never cared for the pig Challenger) and Ram looks like a Chevy now and is the weakest of the big 3 trucks. Guess the ads work. Ford should try that as their products are better than anything from Dodge/Ram/Chrysler/Jeep.

I sat in all 3 and didn't feel any was better or worse than the other in the interior department. I don't generally but into the Internet Circle Jerks nor did I sit in top level of any of them. The Ford 6R80 has also been quite reliable. The 10 speed, well time will tell. I've found JDP and CR closely tracking in long term dependability. Both put Ram well below Ford. Can't think of ANY reason to buy a Ram over the Ford and GM.

I keep hearing that the ZF 8 Speed is God's gift to the vehicle but what exactly makes it great? It doesn't get better Fuel economy (RAM is behind) and doesn't put more power tot the pavement. It may have better shift quality but that's more down to tuning. Ride quality means little if it won't carry the load or sag. Interior. I've sat in all 3 and all 3 seem on par. RAM is the gaudy one always reminding you are in a RAM. It is a little tacky, IMHO. Safety - I put little faith in IIHS as they constantly move the goalposts. Given that they recently changed the test and that the Ford is the oldest I'd expect it to not do as well as the GM and FCA products. I'm sure the 2021 will do fine. As far as reliability, look at JD powers 3 year dependability. Ford is above average and RAM is below average. That's telling as those vehicles include the POS DPS6 transmissions in the Focus/Fiesta.... Sorry, no reason to choose Ram if you want a truck to do truck things. It is one of the weakest of the bunch. It's got a lot of window dressing but it's the same old POS.

The outgoing model was #2 in towing and payload. One of the GMs (I think GMC) has about a 400lb tow rating advantage and the EB 3.5 is neck and neck with the big GM V8. Ram is behind. Our 2011 F150 with SuperCrew with Max Tow has a payload of 1800 lbs. IIRC the new models have north of 2000lbs payload. It also has cool technologies that I don't think are available on the competitors. Trailer stuff, the active safety features. I'd upgrade for the parallel parking alone as I hate that in ours. We tow a camper with our F150. If I were replacing it today you bet your bottom I'd go for the Ford - the power, trailering aids, and the generator would be awesome. We could pull over, plug in the camper, make coffee, microwave something, and if the hybrid even run the AC. Heck, for tailgaters it would be awesome - no external generators or inverters. Sorry, I don't get the love for the Ram. It's got a GAUDY interior and having sat in all 3 2020 models at an auto show none was better or worse than the others. But the Ram loses in most metrics that matter to people that use their trucks. Not much capability, lower power options, and dubious reliability. I'd go GM next after Ford and would walk before a Ram.

Me too. And I dislike the Ram's styling.

Really? What competitor offers an integrated "generator"? That would go over very well for the camper crowd as they could leave their 2k Hondas at home. I'd love to be able to plug our camper in at a rest stop or while on the road. That tailgate with the integrated tie down points addresses a needs of many. I wish our 2011 had them for our kayaks. The interior looks class leading. Ford's powertrain has already been the top of the class and this will solidify that it for those that want performance. The towing capacity will be class leading. See #1.

Catch Cans - LOL. Who said "A Fool and his money are soon parted"???? I've got 2 Gen 1 EB 3.5s. #1 in a 2010 SHO - 138k no catch can and it runs as great as the day it rolled off the line. Smooth idle, performance, and the only issue is the startup rattle that the early ones are known for. Fully expect to get 150-200k before I think about the timing chains. #2 in a 2011 F150. 101k no can and it spends the summer towing a 10k camper. So worked hard. Runs as good as the day I bought it at 38k. Outside of exhaust manifolds, it has been rock solid. Cans are not needed on the EB 3.5. As a matter of fact one of the can manufacturers could not provide dyno or other data to support his claims of performance.

What class action actually benefits consumers in a meaningful way? I (and probably you) was a member of the Lawn Mower class action. (https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/closed-settlements/604-lawn-mower-class-action-lawsuit-settlement/) Apparently the amount of HP was mislabeled on lawn mowers. So you could get "Up To" $35 or $75 per lawn mower. The breaakdown was as follows: Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Amount(s): $142,950,000 = 65,000,000 in Cash Benefits to Consumers (ESTIMATE) + $42,500,000 in Extended Warranty Benefits – $35,450,000 Attorney Fees and Expenses (ESTIMATE) + $1,000 for Each Lead Plaintiff – Settlement Administrator and Notification Costs $34 MILLION to the lawyers? Over a misleading HP rating? Seriously? Now take this to the DSP6 claims. Those that have the cars file a class action. What are they going to get? $1k towards a new Ford? Most probably want a new car or at least a transmission that works. We all know that't not going to happen. To put a new transmission in, Ford would have to re-certify with the EPA and possibly re-crash test the vehicle. Not going to happen. They would have to buy back the vehicles. Probably would bankrupt them with how many were sold. There will be class action, Ford will pay a couple hundred million. The lawyers will get a huge chunk and owners will get next to nothing and still have a bum car. Or sell their car back and have huge payments on a new car. How is any of that fair to the owners who just want a working car?

Diedard was a wrong choice on my part but I doubt many cross shop sports cars and Jeeps. Those that buy a 2 door sports car know what they are getting into - an impractical vehicle that's fun. The Wrangler is marginally more practical but definitely a totally different type of vehicle and one I doubt many cross shop. Agree completely on the Mustang. There has never been a year since 64 that you couldn't buy one. Some were great, some were good, and some were bad (looking at you Mustang II). But it's the one of most widely known vehicles on the planet. As long as it can share bits with the F150 (engine, transmission) and make money I don't think it's going anywhere. Some may bitch about the expansion of Mustang but I say bring it on as long as it performs. Porsche did that with the SUVs and even the Panamera. They are Porsche through and through. I love my Mustang but for all intents and purposes it's a 2 seater. If it had 4 doors, handled, sounded, and looked like the current generation I bet they would sell tons more.

Polishing the turd yet again. Mopar, just die already. You won't be missed.

Wonder how they figured that out? Most die hard muscle/sports car people don't want Jeeps. 2 totally separate types of vehicles.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a28918699/2020-ram-1500-rebel-ecodiesel-by-the-numbers/ Those are some pretty poor MPG numbers for a Diesel and given the EcoDiesel is quite unreliable and takes expensive fuel one has to ask WHY? No Guts, No Glory, Ram. Built to Serve the Mechanic.

I dono. The 3.5 with the exception of the exhaust manifolds is built really stout. If they did integrated manifolds and kept the turbos cool I don't think it could work. Yes MPG would be bad (it is on ours when working it hard) but you can buy a lot of gas over the life of the truck for the premium of Diesel in initial cost, maintenance, and any repairs. Our next truck will be an F350 and while we tow a camper and plan on going big, I'm not looking forward to a Diesel. I'd much rather have a turbo gas engine.

It's amazing what cheap will do. It's also a damn shame that the POS Ram is 2nd place. GM better wake up and figure things out to get back into #2. Hopefully the next F150 will be even better and take Ford's lead further. The only good thing is that a lot due to the lack of quality in Ram, those Ram sales today will be Ford, GM, and everyone else in the future.

Again, everyone that touches Jeep ends up in bankruptcy. Willys, AMC, Chrysler (x2), etc, all 9 of them. They were "hot" in the 90's, cooled way off, and were hot again. They have had a couple months of decline and it will be interesting to see if it's a trend. They have never made great quality vehicles so they can't even fall back on that.... They do have great advertising and proof you can polish a turd, as evidenced by the hype of the POS Gladiator. I personally don't get the love for the Wrangler. It' rides horribly, is ugly like a Hummer and usually is either a Bro or "babe" truck that is gussied up to 'look cool' by someone who wouldn't be caught dead off road.

Why? It seems Jeep sales are peaking and on the decline. And it's not been good for any of its owners - all have gone bankrupt or been bought.

Why would Ford want the POS that is FCA? They have had more partners than a $2 hooker and each and every one of them has failed. Ford can do performance and has a much better brand image in Mustang than the Dodge stuff. Ram trucks, while nice interiors are junk the whole way through. Jeep is cooling off. Stick a fork in Chrysler. Maserati - Ford tried that and sold them all off. Alfa - not really going anywhere Fiat - same thing. Ford would be best to go at it alone. Any merger would have the family ceding control which they probably won't do. They need to keep the laser focus on product and quality.

CR has heavily influenced us on many things. Their surveys from actual owners of things can't be beat and generally track what other surveys say about the vehicles. Outside of Alfa and Maserati what is so sexy about the Italian designs? Fiat? 500 is Fugly, 128 is a Miata hit with the ugly stick. And nothing Mopar makes is nicely styled, including Ram (boy racer to generic) and Challenger (lime green leisure suit). And they have garbage long term reliability too.

They have great ads and that's about it. That's one thing Ford could seriously learn from. FCA's ads tug at you and that does get people interested. Ford it kind of getting there with the Built Ford Proud ads but they need to keep it up and get that emotional connection out there. You can see tons of ads for the Charger/Challenger but when was the last time you saw a Mustang ad? Yes, everyone knows the Mustang but it's the better car and they should advertise it. If Ford were to do what FCA is doing they would be crucified. FCA's platforms and engines are ancient. Sure profits are up because they are not investing in new stuff. Hemi is old and inefficient (and has issues), the Pentastar is a good engine but nothing stellar in the competition. They have no smaller engines, little electrification, and no real new platforms in the pipeline. Sure selling old crap makes profits go up. But they still have not figured out reliability so that eats into profits. Sorry, they should have been relegated to a footnote in automotive history in the 80s and again in 2008.

What is there to admire? The powertrains in the FCA stuff are not that great. EcoDiesel has been junk with tons of issues, Hemi has issues lunching cams and other issues. Styling is subjective and IMHO the previous Ram looked better. Up until this refresh they were the least capable 1/2 ton and mediocre 3/4 to 1 ton with the Cummins carrying them. Jeep's platforms are not that much better. The cars are riding in platforms that are old enough to vote, relying on advertising and big power numbers to sell. So what is there to admire? Selling outdated junk with good ads? Ford would be better to emulate Toyota (perceived quality) and Subary (loyalty) than a company that has taken handouts twice, has abysmal quality, and is riding on ancient platforms. I'm not saying Ford has been perfect (Powershift, early EB 3.5 condensation/chains) but I'd bet $$ Ford has a lower TCO than nearly anything FCA. Reliability on all FCA products has been abysmal by most places that track things. Jeep has never been stellar and near the bottom. The most recent JD power survey of 3 year old vehicles bears this out.

And the worst thing is they have a gorgeous digital cluster in the Mustang and Lincolns. Heck, in the Mustang it's a drop in replacement for the analog gauges so it's not like there would be a lot of re-engineering needed.

Love to see a source for that. It's the result of great ads as the FCA products are and have always been crap.

The Taurus has been quite reliable both in civilian and police use. Mine, while needing some stuff under warranty has been super reliable after the warranty. A few little things here and there (belt tensioner, AC blend motor come to mind) but all were simple repairs. Even at 130k I'd drive it cross country tomorrow. Agreed. When I first got it, people at work asked what new car I got. When I said 2010 Taurus they looked at me like I was an idiot. Then I said - see that red car there? That's the Taurus. Then the oohs and aahs came out. We did notice the cramped interior and the back seat room is tight for the size of the car. I kind of like the "cockpit" nature of the drivers's seat. It's most definitely a long distance cruiser for sure. I did PA - Orlando in a day -and it wasn't bad at all. Set the cruise and it was basically gas, bathroom and food until we got there. It's a shame they didn't advertise it and figure out how to tweak it over the past 9 years.

Shame to see it go. My 2010 SHO has been one of the best cars I've owned. It's fast, quiet, loaded with tech, and at 130k has been RELIABLE. Yes, it's a pig, yes the back seats are cramped but the trunk is huge and it's an awesome highway cruiser - getting near 26 MPG and will fly past most cars on the road. For a 2009 non-luxury car it did have the tech - radar cruise, heated/cooled and massaging seats, auto high beams, cross traffic alert, blind spot, push button start, Sync/BT, nav, auto wipers. It's a little thing but I even love the rear sunshade. It's a shame Ford never kept updating it - it could have been a great vehicle