Chevy Silverado HD outclasses Ford SuperDuty for Truck fo the Year

[BORG]

Chevy is having a good time at Motor Trend these days, sweeping both Truck and Car of the year.

 

Ford has really struggled to get the SuperDuty in shape, especially with their Diesel Engines.

 

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/truck/1102_2011_motor_trend_truck_of_the_year_chevrolet_silverado_hd/index.html

 

Edit: Ah Crap! Can somebody fix my typo in the title?

Edited December 11, 2010 by BORG

[Marginal Economist]

Chevy is having a good time at Motor Trend these days, sweeping both Truck and Car of the year.

 

Ford has really struggled to get the SuperDuty in shape, especially with their Diesel Engines.

 

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/truck/1102_2011_motor_trend_truck_of_the_year_chevrolet_silverado_hd/index.html

 

Edit: Ah Crap! Can somebody fix my typo in the title?

 

And yet Ford has 50% of the heavy duty truck market - November press release

[Violet96GT]

Longtime BlueOvalNews reader here, but this is my first posting ever. Here goes:

 

I would think (and hope!!!) that the Super Duty engineers at Ford are taking a very close and critical look at the results from the recent www.pickuptrucks.com face off out west in Colorado between the Super Duty and the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD. You'll recall that the Silverado HD smacked down the Super Duty pretty thoroughly in that match-up, even though the Super duty had, on paper, the better specifications. These days, it is reassuring to know that Ford has finally gotten serious about year-to-year, continuous improvement across pretty much all of their vehicle lines (PDCA as we say in the world of quality engineering). Hopefully, they won't take that beating sitting down!

 

We currently have two Ford vehicles in our family: I drive a 2008 Lincoln MKX, and my wife has a brand new, gorgeous, Kona Blue (with a silver stripe) Mustang GT (couldn't pass this one up, with the end-of-the-model year rebate, coupled with a Ford retiree z-plan discount remaining from my father). Both of these are splendid, enjoyable vehicles, and we couldn't be happier with them!

 

This one test nothwithstanding, isn't it great to see many of the other auto manufacturers chasing Ford for a change?

 

Talk to you all again soon! Thanks!

[suv_guy_19]

There are also other tests where the Super Duty comes out the winner. It all depends on the circumstances.

[Hydro]

There are also other tests where the Super Duty comes out the winner. It all depends on the circumstances.

Exactly, GM knew high altitude pulling is Fords weak point. Just like Ford chooses which areas to test and broadcast .

[Moosetang]

Yeah that test was silly. GM knew their variable-geometry turbos were better at adapting to altitude than Ford's single sequential turbo. Ford's architecture is cheaper and more than enough everywhere else, but on that particular test GM won.

[Moosetang]

The really amusing stuff is what MT is highlighting. "Wow, Gm has a fully boxed frame now!"Yeah, wow..... Ford's had one for awhile. I don't know how an interior can be depressingly boring but also attractive but whatever. In fact they kinda gloss over the fact that the interior and electronics are dead last among the full-size trucks...

[RichardJensen]

Motor Trend's awards are for sale. Anyone who believes that this award reflects a serious comparison............................................................

[packardbob]

Does anybody ever read Popular Mechanics? Ford beat Chevy and Dodge in their comparison. I would believe Popular Mechanics long before any car rag nowadays MT are after advertising dollars and I think whoever has the spent the most has the best chance of winning. I will admit the Chevy HD does make a better car than the Ford SD though. Ever ridden in one? At least they're good for something. Too bad the IFS needs rebuilt every 40000 miles if being used to tow anything serious. And the best mod to these trucks is taking the "legendary" Allison tranny apart and putting HD components in them, otherwise they will crap out. These trucks are pretty much a joke and I would be far more concerned with Dodge than with Chevy. Dodge has Cummins on their side and years of diesel building experience to back them up, they use axles from Dana like Ford does, they finally have started buying automatic transmissions from Aisin and they have made great improvements in their interiors. Now if their trucks weren't so damn ugly they might have something.

[FordBuyer]

Why the hell does the Ford Super Duty weigh 800 more pounds than the Chevy HD? That is a massive amount of extra weight to carry around considering both trucks have very similar capabilities. Ford needs to put its pickup trucks on big diet. If I were Mulally, I would be posing that question to Ford engineers. Get the lard out!

[RichardJensen]

Why the hell does the Ford Super Duty weigh 800 more pounds than the Chevy HD? That is a massive amount of extra weight to carry around considering both trucks have very similar capabilities. Ford needs to put its pickup trucks on big diet. If I were Mulally, I would be posing that question to Ford engineers. Get the lard out!

Because durability isn't important, right?

 

The Silverado HD wouldn't survive Ford's durability testing. You ever seen a ten year old HD Chevy? Me neither.

[RichardJensen]

Those Ford GT40s weighed wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than the Ferraris too........................................................

[Bryan1]

The really amusing stuff is what MT is highlighting. "Wow, Gm has a fully boxed frame now!"Yeah, wow..... Ford's had one for awhile. I don't know how an interior can be depressingly boring but also attractive but whatever. In fact they kinda gloss over the fact that the interior and electronics are dead last among the full-size trucks...

 

Fords are only fully boxed in the half ton. Only the front of the frame is fully boxed on the Super Duty. The rest is open c section down the frame. The c section makes it easier for Ford to put on different frames and for upfitters. But in the tests the fully boxed frame makes for a better ride and more payload and better traction in the shootouts. Pickuptrucks.com and Motor Trend said the Chevy and GM have a better ride due to the frame. Ford will have to put an all new frame on the next redesign. Although Popular Mechanics test did say the Super Duty has a slightly better ride than GM. I'll have to side with MT and pickuptrucks.com on the fully boxed frame giving the better ride because PM was the one I've seen that said Ford had the better ride. I agree about the features. The performance is close, so it will come down to features for most buyers.

 

Motor Trend's awards are for sale. Anyone who believes that this award reflects a serious comparison............................................................

 

Please explain how the awards are for sale. I'm interested in hearing about this.

Edited December 11, 2010 by Bryan1

[jpd80]

And yet Ford has 50% of the heavy duty truck market - November press release

 

Oh it's much more than that, read the next line in the Ford release:

 

• Ford Super Duty grabs 50 percent of heavy-duty truck market, its highest since 2001

• Super Duty accounts for 80 percent of this year's growth in the heavy-duty segment

 

If Ford SD accounts fro 80% of the growth in the HD Truck sector, then where does that leave the HD Silverado Trucks?

 

Motor trend can give all the awards they like, it's clear that buyers are voting with their wallets and buying Ford SD.

Edited December 11, 2010 by jpd80

[RichardJensen]

Pete DeLorenzo, some time back, detailed meetings that he was party to, where MT's editors wanted to know how their award would be promoted, and what sort of media buys would be made in their (and their sister) publications before the award was given.

 

It's a short leap from that to the conclusion that the award is basically for sale. A quick review of past winners doesn't undermine that claim (1991 Lincoln Town Car?)

 

Of course Pete didn't name Motor Trend, but his description made it impossible for a thinking person to conclude otherwise.

[RichardJensen]

better traction in the shootouts

Right. Because that's such an important part of a day's work for a Class 3 pickup.

[jpd80]

Ford SD is selling its head off in the HD market this year yet MT would have us believe that the Silverado is a better truck,

while that is a subjective view, I prefer to use the weight of numbers and see what people are actually buying and why.

[ANTAUS]

I question how many real subscriptions MT really has. I haven't paid for a subscription in years. I just go to one of the auto shows and they automatically, for free, sign you up and I've had it delivered for years. Soooooo yeah at this point I think these awards can be bought.

[FordBuyer]

Ford SD is selling its head off in the HD market this year yet MT would have us believe that the Silverado is a better truck,

while that is a subjective view, I prefer to use the weight of numbers and see what people are actually buying and why.

 

I believe that MT lost some credibility when it stated that SD had much better interior and Chevy HD interior was dated. I mean that is where you spend your time when driving the vehicle. It's easily a deal breaker most of the time. Especially if other vehicle is competitive in most other ways. The other vehicle would have to be vastly superior to dismiss a dated interior. So MT lost me there as most everything else was close enough.

[Bryan1]

Right. Because that's such an important part of a day's work for a Class 3 pickup.

 

It's not important to me, but in the shootouts you hear how Ford lost due the traction control, wheels spinning and hopping and how GM's stays nicely planted on the pavement with the new frame and how it rides better. I also notice the GM's have more payload and conventional towing. Ford has more 5th wheel towing. I wouldn't buy the Silverado or Sierra because it is faster or had better traction at WOT, but there is room for improvement with Ford's traction control and chassis.

[RichardJensen]

in the shootouts

Nobody cares.

 

At least nobody that counts.

[RangerM]

I'd think most any SD/HD truck could do 99.9% of jobs that the respective owners would expect.

 

I'd be more interested in a comparison of (or "shootout" between) two of these trucks after 75,000-100,000 miles of (intended) use.

[mikeputc]

I think this summer, when it gets good and hot, we're going to do a head-to-head towing test in Arizona at Davis Dam with HD pickups. We'll call it the Best Dam Truck Challenge. Hopefully, we'll be able to get equal trucks together. Stay tuned.

[fordmantpw]

I think this summer, when it gets good and hot, we're going to do a head-to-head towing test in Arizona at Davis Dam with HD pickups. We'll call it the Best Dam Truck Challenge. Hopefully, we'll be able to get equal trucks together. Stay tuned.

 

Mike, it would be sweet if you could include half-tons in that as well. I'd love to see the Ford EcoBoost, 5.0L, and 6.2L compared to the others.

[mikeputc]

Mike, it would be sweet if you could include half-tons in that as well. I'd love to see the Ford EcoBoost, 5.0L, and 6.2L compared to the others.

 

Agree. Two tests. One with LDs and the other with HDs.