My personal RAM vs my 2020 work F450

[DHayden]

This is not apples to apples as my RAM is a 2015 and my work truck is a 2020 Ford. Just going to note a few things I like and dislike about each.
New Ford Like:
1.10 speed Transmission
2. lots of aux switches even though it is not top of the line (guberment truck you know).
3. Kicks into high idle on its own if you idle for a decent time, cant find anywhere to enable or disable this but it is enabled from the get go so works for me.
4. Turn radius is fantastic, turns in a shorter circle than a Dakota. I'm sure a RAM4500 turns tight also.
5. Has Tow mode, Eco mode, mud/snow mode you can select on the shifter.
6. Tells you if and which lights are not working on your trailer
7. Exhaust Brake stays on once you turn it on.
8. It gets up and moves out! No waiting, no slug...press and go, right now.

New Ford HATE:
1. Hood has a horrible shape that irritates me while driving
2. Dually fenders ugly as hell
3. Instrument panel is laid out like crap. Speedo is off center to the right and only analog. many other things.
4. Exhaust brake is NOTHING compared to my RAM. It is almost worthless.
5. I'm 6'2" and feel the window switches and door locks are awkwardly to far forward on the door.
6. It has USB and 12v plugs and a AC plug, but they are placed in weird spots with no place to rest anything on while its plugged in. None in the center console. The phone spot on the center console is small and does not fit my personal nor my work phone. Small thing but irritating when your phone slides off into the passenger floor board.

Ok, maybe im nitpicking some of the dislikes and its getting a little long so I wont detail my truck since most of us are familiar with a 2015 and up.
However, being 5 years older I still think the RAM looks better, feels better, the interior is better, Exhaust brake is light years better. I am of course down on factory TQ and HP but still get the peppiness on my RAM with the first setting on an edge box. Instrumentation panel is much better also.
If RAM came out with a 10 speed I dont think there would be any contest. It would be nice if selections you made (like exhaust brake) stayed where you put it until you change it again but....small things.
I dont hate driving the Ford, but I'm happy when I get in my RAM to go home.

Just my initial thoughts. Only had the truck a week but have put over 700 miles on it so far. Your experiences/opinions may very.

 

[DonFitzwater]

I loved my Ford 6.7 until it blew up.....the headliner fell down on the afternoon of day 1.....transmission shifted into neutral all by itself like clockwork every day at lunch.....that one Ford spent more time in the service bay than all of my Dodges combined.

 

[SnoKing]

They 5 year old uconnect in my RAM is MUCH MUCH better than the Sync system in our 2020 Ford EDGE ST. The Edge drivers cluster sucks big time also. The RAM 7" EVIC rocks. And yes, I wish the RAM EB would stay set, however - push the start button - then the EB button - and finally push the CC on button, and off I go.

The new to us 2018 Can Am Spyder with digital driver cluster has a get ready to go sequence also with is forced. Turn on the key, wait for cluster to power up and present driver warning, push the mode button to get past the warning, put foot on brake pedal shift into 1st or Reverse, push the parking brake button(failure to do this step will result in a beeper going off if you try to move, along with turning the key off without first pushing the parking brake button, again the beeper, key has to be turned back on and PB button pushed, then it can be turned off)

 

[DHayden]

A few other notices after a few weeks:
Manual locking hubs (I knew this when I picked it up, forgot to mention it in initial post)
After even mix of driving down dirt roads below 30mph and on highway with cruise set at 79mph, it is averaging 15.3mpg with 1800 miles on the clock.
I have not put any cleaner on the interior but dust sticks EVERYWHERE. Dash, console, door panels...I understand I'm in the desert but my RAM does not attract and retain dust on everything even close to what the Ford does.

 

[SnoKing]

Before we left for Arizona this year, I installed the cab filter in the HVAC duct on the RAM and the interior seems to have a lot less dust this winter.

 

[Wiredawg]

This is not apples to apples as my RAM is a 2015 and my work truck is a 2020 Ford. Just going to note a few things I like and dislike about each.
New Ford Like:
1.10 speed Transmission
2. lots of aux switches even though it is not top of the line (guberment truck you know).
3. Kicks into high idle on its own if you idle for a decent time, cant find anywhere to enable or disable this but it is enabled from the get go so works for me.
4. Turn radius is fantastic, turns in a shorter circle than a Dakota. I'm sure a RAM4500 turns tight also.
5. Has Tow mode, Eco mode, mud/snow mode you can select on the shifter.
6. Tells you if and which lights are not working on your trailer
7. Exhaust Brake stays on once you turn it on.
8. It gets up and moves out! No waiting, no slug...press and go, right now.

New Ford HATE:
1. Hood has a horrible shape that irritates me while driving
2. Dually fenders ugly as hell
3. Instrument panel is laid out like crap. Speedo is off center to the right and only analog. many other things.
4. Exhaust brake is NOTHING compared to my RAM. It is almost worthless.
5. I'm 6'2" and feel the window switches and door locks are awkwardly to far forward on the door.
6. It has USB and 12v plugs and a AC plug, but they are placed in weird spots with no place to rest anything on while its plugged in. None in the center console. The phone spot on the center console is small and does not fit my personal nor my work phone. Small thing but irritating when your phone slides off into the passenger floor board.

Ok, maybe im nitpicking some of the dislikes and its getting a little long so I wont detail my truck since most of us are familiar with a 2015 and up.
However, being 5 years older I still think the RAM looks better, feels better, the interior is better, Exhaust brake is light years better. I am of course down on factory TQ and HP but still get the peppiness on my RAM with the first setting on an edge box. Instrumentation panel is much better also.
If RAM came out with a 10 speed I dont think there would be any contest. It would be nice if selections you made (like exhaust brake) stayed where you put it until you change it again but....small things.
I dont hate driving the Ford, but I'm happy when I get in my RAM to go home.

Just my initial thoughts. Only had the truck a week but have put over 700 miles on it so far. Your experiences/opinions may very.

I know I'm rolling in late on this, but nitpicking adds up to like and dislike... good stuff to know. My BIL is a Ford guy, but hates he had to give up his old 7.3 F250 reg cab for 2019 Ford F250 CC. Creature comforts good, but death wobble and frame flex not so much.

Still curious to keep reading this.

Christmas Cheers, Ron

 

[TFucili]

I haven't run that fast for any stretch, but I would guess my 3500 would be in the 13's. Lucky to get 15 running 70-72. One tank from Amarillo, TX to Durant, OK on mostly two-lanes it just about touched 16. That was my high water mark.

 

[Wiredawg]

Thought I'd throw another nugget out there... if you live in a dusty area, Genos grill intake filters are great to pre filter out the dust and pollen. Have em on the 17 and 19 trucks.

Christmas Cheers, Ron

 

[AH64ID]

Creature comforts good, but death wobble and frame flex not so much.

Are you saying the new trucks frame flex more than the old trucks?

That would surprise me, but only because the older ones flex like a piece of cooked spaghetti. The joke on dirt roads that have some suspension stretching areas is that on fords the frame flexes more than the suspension. I've even seen them have cab/bed contact before tires are lifted from the ground.

 

[Wiredawg]

Are you saying the new trucks frame flex more than the old trucks?

That would surprise me, but only because the older ones flex like a piece of cooked spaghetti. The joke on dirt roads that have some suspension stretching areas is that on fords the frame flexes more than the suspension. I've even seen them have cab/bed contact before tires are lifted from the ground.

I wished I would have taken a pic of it... frame flex front to rear where the cab and utility bed meet... like it was bowing or arching its back... seen a few on the road like it too with utility beds, not P/Us. Not huge, but noticeable.

 

[Wayne M.]

I dont hate driving the Ford, but I'm happy when I get in my RAM to go home.

Yep I feel the same, and mines much older!
On the locking hubs- they’ve had this system since at least the 6.0 trucks but I believe we have the same gubbermint XL trim, but there should be a vacuum sucky system that locks the hubs even if they’re unlocked. Cut the wheel and look for vacuum lines near the sway bar end links.

 

[DHayden]

Are you saying the new trucks frame flex more than the old trucks?

That would surprise me, but only because the older ones flex like a piece of cooked spaghetti. The joke on dirt roads that have some suspension stretching areas is that on fords the frame flexes more than the suspension. I've even seen them have cab/bed contact before tires are lifted from the ground.

Here's an interesting video from a guy building an expedition type Ram 5500. Skip to about 5:20 to see them do a flex test.

 

[Wiredawg]

Here's an interesting video from a guy building an expedition type Ram 5500. Skip to about 5:20 to see them do a flex test.

I saw the posts where this guy bought this and started doing major rework on it in his driveway... major wicked. A 5500 with 4.88s would be a monster with those giant tires.

EDIT: I noticed this time he had only floor jack holding up rear in video... needs jackstands. Just the safety me.

Thanks, Ron

 

[DonFitzwater]

I noticed this time he had only floor jack holding up rear in video... needs jackstands. Just the safety me. Thanks, Ron

Mother nature’s scrubbing bubbles comes in all shapes and sizes.