Long time Ford guy

[Outdoors76]

only thing i miss about my ford was how it felt sitting in it.
Steering and braking seem better in the RAM to me. The ford drove nice several long 1000+ mile trips. Did same trips with RAM and was just fine but I felt a little more comfortable in the FORD as far as seating goes other than that Ride quality seems better in RAM however I had level spacers in front of the ford and in the RAM i swapped to bilsteins so its not a fair comparison.


I will say that I had never driven a RAM before and when I went to the RAM dealer and drove one I wanted one instantly.

 

[Whammo]

At work I was driving a 2014 Ford w/a 3.5 twin turbo eco boost. Drove fine good acceleration, brakes were ok. I felt it was somewhat cramped for me (6'3" 250#) so not a small guy. When I went truck shopping for myself...I sat in a 2016 RAM 1500 and went "ahhhhh' great leg & hip room and the seats were way more firm than Ford's...it was love at first sit! For me I give the RAM interior huge high marks, what I need I can reach and long trips towing or not towing it is the most comfortable truck I've ever been in! The interior has held up very well, better than my Ford at work (I was the only one using that truck) seats took the shape of my ****, hasn't happened w/my RAM.
I did change my pads and rotors to some beefier ones around 11,000 and it stops great; I find the handling more precise than the Ford which became a little mushy.
IMHO you will enjoy your new RAM, I have nothing bad to say about mine. My only negative experience was w/a dealer and NOT the Truck! Never went back to that dealer and I have had zero issues!

Good Luck!

 

[mlaugh]

Worked for Ford for 18.5 years. I had 3 Ford f150s. Yeah they were good but not great. My Ram 1500 3.6 v6 runs every bit as good as my 2007 F150 5.4 v8. No joke. I get better mileage and better acceleration with this Ram. Who else has a similar story???????

 

[RammerHarder]

Like anything made by man, no trucks will be perfect. Every brand makes some bad apples.

That being said, welcome to the Ram club. I've sat and rode in newer bowties, blue ovals, about every other half ton except for the Titan. For interior technology and arrangement, Ford and Ram have everyone else beat, in my opinion. I prefer the Ram, obviously.

The Hemi, 8-speed, and 3.92 gears are my perfect combo. However, some prefer the V6 and 3.21 gears, or something in-between, for gas mileage. I like the fully loaded Longhorn, others prefer more basic models that have less tech. Whatever floats your boat.

The Hemi is getting a bit "long in the tooth" as the old saying goes, and it has its quirks like any engine design. Its still a decent engine, and still keeps up with the newer designs for the most part. Says a lot about an engine originally designed around ten years ago or more.

The 5.7 Hemi came to market in late 2002. I had the first 2003 5.7 hemi truck in my county.
And i`ve been a HEMI believer ever since. It is a GREAT engine! Best thing since it came out, is when they transitioned to the MDS and the 8-speed!

 

[RammerHarder]

Those of you who have driven later Fords and Dodges (Rams) have commented on engines but what I would like to hear is how does driving compare? Noise, steering, braking, ride quality and driving experience in general are the things I am so impressed with when driving my 2018 Ram and I wonder are the Fords similar?

No comparison in my opinion... i`ve always test drove them all, BEFORE i would buy my next RAM truck. So there must be something good about the RAM trucks, i`ve not bought anything else but RAM`s since 2003. And when i bought my first hemi truck in 2003, that sealed my fate. Been in a HEMI RAM truck ever since. Anything before the RAM trucks were nothing but trouble, as far as ford chevy boyota pissan. I`ve YET, to have a RAM truck leave me along the road anywhere. (i truly cant say that about any other brands i`ve owned)

Ride is like no other... the others only dream of a ride and handling as great at the RAM truck is. Noise...??? What noise, the only noise i hear is when my wife is riding in the truck with me. My 2018 has the best brakes on it over all past Ram trucks i`ve owned. Steering...??? The new electronic assisted steering in the RAM has set the bar for all others to follow. It is effortless and so much easier to drive over anything else i test drove in 2018.

 

[Raylan Givens]

Those of you who have driven later Fords and Dodges (Rams) have commented on engines but what I would like to hear is how does driving compare? Noise, steering, braking, ride quality and driving experience in general are the things I am so impressed with when driving my 2018 Ram and I wonder are the Fords similar?

My wife really liked the suspension and steering on my Ram. When I test drove them, this is what I found (imo):

Best-
1. 2019 Ram, 5th gen, I like the looks and the feel of it. The 8 speed paired with the Hemi is awesome, same with 4th gen. Less droning noise than my 17' when MFS kicks in and a flat floor with no shortened middle seat .

2. F-150, 2017+, with the 10 speed. I tried the 3.5 and 2.7, I like the 2.7 better. Felt just as powerful as the hemi. Pretty good gas mileage, around 24-25 mpg when cruising at 75 for a few hours. I don't like the cluster on the dash, Ram looks better.

3. 4th gen Ram, good value for what you get (bought a 17'). I think the looks are a little dated, I like the flatter front on the 2500 better, but it still looks nice in the sun.

4. The 2018 Sierra, in a shortbed. Nice looking truck, and the quality feels good.

5. Now don't make fun of me, I really like the new Honda Ridgeline. The interior feels good, never a rattle in a Honda and the engine is actually very fast, much faster than the pentastar I test drove. The payload is close to 1500lbs, not that far off my 1500. Took my buddies a few hours away to a biking trail, we got 27 mpg going 75 on the freeway. Impressive.

If Ford or Toyota makes a good effort on a hybrid/electric i would be all over that.

 

[Lucy Girl]

So my 2000 Ford w 5.4 2v has 191,*** and although it purrs and doesn’t burn oil not have rust I’m wanting a new to me truck.

You Dodge guys want to laugh go to the F150 forum and read all the issues w the 2.7,3.5,5.0 engines and the new 10-sp tranny.

We’ve owned a 2003 Chrysler van AWD LTD w 3.6 and we got over 200k without any problems. Gave it to our daughter who put another 75,*** till she donated it to her church-it’s still running!

I’ve rented Ram 1500 and love the ride and reliability and smoothness of the pushrod engine. It may not boast “ state of the art technology “ like the troubled VCT systems in Ford but it sure as hell seems to be far more reliable.

Aside from my 2000 which this 1st generation Triton was the last hurrah for Ford, I’m buying a Dodge Hemi.

Leave them Fords behind. Smart move.

 

[Outdoors76]

I forgot to mention that when i bought this ram 1500 express with rambox and cargo bed with quad cab i test drove several fords which is what i wanted and then went home empty handed because they all wanted 27k-33k for used trucks with 50k miles or more and i got this AWESOME truck for $34k and fell in love with it...

Whats funny is even comparing this express with an f150 xlt i still like the ram better and i was never a ram guy but i am now!

 

[Marine Les]

My wife really liked the suspension and steering on my Ram. When I test drove them, this is what I found (imo):

Best-
1. 2019 Ram, 5th gen, I like the looks and the feel of it. The 8 speed paired with the Hemi is awesome, same with 4th gen. Less droning noise than my 17' when MFS kicks in and a flat floor with no shortened middle seat .

2. F-150, 2017+, with the 10 speed. I tried the 3.5 and 2.7, I like the 2.7 better. Felt just as powerful as the hemi. Pretty good gas mileage, around 24-25 mpg when cruising at 75 for a few hours. I don't like the cluster on the dash, Ram looks better.

3. 4th gen Ram, good value for what you get (bought a 17'). I think the looks are a little dated, I like the flatter front on the 2500 better, but it still looks nice in the sun.

4. The 2018 Sierra, in a shortbed. Nice looking truck, and the quality feels good.

5. Now don't make fun of me, I really like the new Honda Ridgeline. The interior feels good, never a rattle in a Honda and the engine is actually very fast, much faster than the pentastar I test drove. The payload is close to 1500lbs, not that far off my 1500. Took my buddies a few hours away to a biking trail, we got 27 mpg going 75 on the freeway. Impressive.

If Ford or Toyota makes a good effort on a hybrid/electric i would be all over that.

I'm biting my tongue on the Ridgeline, hope I don't bleed out. From the responses it sound like Ram is the best driver and that does not surprise me.

 

[tidefan1967]

Those of you who have driven later Fords and Dodges (Rams) have commented on engines but what I would like to hear is how does driving compare? Noise, steering, braking, ride quality and driving experience in general are the things I am so impressed with when driving my 2018 Ram and I wonder are the Fords similar?

The main difference is the bouncier, stiffer ride on all but the smoothest road surfaces due to the F150 having leaf springs. Another big thing I noticed was quicker steering on the F150. If you looked away for even a second you would almost run off the road as even the smallest steering input had a big effect.
Was not particularly impressed with the 5.0 seemed to me like the HEMI would eat it for lunch. The 3.5 Eco is a beast no doubt but I still prefer the sound of the HEMI.

 

[RammerHarder]

Driving a ford ECO boost is equivalent to driving a grenade with the pin pulled. It makes you wonder when its gonna blow.

A co-worker went thru three f150 eco`s back to back. Two blew the engines, the third one smoked the transmission.
Each f150 he had, the dealers had his trucks longer than he did while he was waiting for repairs.
Ford ended up doing a buy-back on two of them. The 3rd time, he traded up to a hemi.

He`s in a hemi truck now, he`s been happier ever since he switched to a RAM truck.
When i asked him why he switched brands, he then asked me if i liked baseball.
I guessed it was due to "the 3-strike rule"...? His reply.... YUP!


LOL... truthfully, i think he got tired of hearing saying, shoulda bought a RAM, mine have ALL run GREAT!

 

[gdawg55]

I came from a 2006 Tundra, which was my first pick up. I had always been an SUV kinda guy. The Tundra was nice for its age, but I got into an accident and had to get something else. My wife drives a Ford product and we've had good reliability from it so I initially started looking at F150s. Used prices seemed high. On a whim I went by my local Ram dealer and took one for a spin. Well, I bought it on the spot. 2018 1500 Big Horn 4x4 with 3.92 gearing. It was like a luxury vehicle compared to my old Tundra. The 5.7 Hemi has gobs of power, awesome ride quality, and the interior layout and comfort sold me. So far I don't regret my impulse decision....except my bank account stays low due to all the mods....lol.

Ram's are great trucks.

Oh, and this is for the guy that likes the Ridgeline..... (sorry couldn't help it).

 

[Outdoors76]

I think someone mentioned the nissan titan.

I drove my friends with the 5.6 v8
VERY powerful...

Thing is a complete beast in every way... Which includes its f#$king ugliness inside AND out....
Horrible looking truck with a strong ass motor. But my mechanic friend says stay FAR away frim them lmao...

 

[RammerHarder]

I think someone mentioned the nissan titan.

I drove my friends with the 5.6 v8
VERY powerful...

Thing is a complete beast in every way... Which includes its f#$king ugliness inside AND out....
Horrible looking truck with a strong ass motor. But my mechanic friend says stay FAR away frim them lmao...

Couldn`t be any closer to the truth... i know a couple people that aren`t to happy with their nissan trucks. Both guys said they seem to break alot. Horrible mpg too.

 

[Patrick Vaughan]

Love my Ram Sport-just drove it about 2,000 miles round trip on family vacation with no issues-love the space on the inside with the crew-cab, if you have kids or plan on having adults ride with you, best way to go. (only complaint is gas mileage - about 13 on average but its lifted and has 35's so what do you expect).

 

[Robeffy]

He he,
Okay, first Dodge Pickup was Club Cab, short box, slant six, 3 on the tree, in 1976. 10 years daily use. Sold it for almost as much as I bought it for.
Next Dodge was a Dakota R/T, also owned for 10 years. Sold that for a ton of cash, had 1 problem in 10 years of driving. The coil pack wire broke off..
3rd Dodge was a 1979 Lil Red Express. Bought it 20 years ago, and just sold that one. Made money on that.
Current Dodge Pickup is in picture, 1995 Club Cab, short box, 318, automatic. Bought it 3 years ago, no rust at all, 160xxx km, 100xxx miles on it when I bought it. I bought it from a farmer who took it into town once a week, for groceries and feed and seed. Tows my 4500 lb trailer anywhere.
Haven't owned any other trucks, don't plan on it either. These have always worked well, been reliable.

 

[mrq]

Biggest problem with the 5.0 is the cam phasers, which my work vehicle ('12 F150 with 221k) has fortunately not had an issue with. The 6R80 that backs it up is also tank of a transmission and has held up exceptionally well over the years.

My biggest problem with the 5.7 is exhaust header bolts, but otherwise it is a very strong unit, a worthy replacement to the indestructible 5.9 V8 Magnum it replaced. The 6 speed has held together so far with it only requiring a sensor replacement in its 7 year old, 118k mile life.

 

[PumpkinStealer]

I cant say too much for the Fords but my brother in law has a 2012 with the Eco and is at almost 250k miles. It was the truck I wanted to upgrade to up until I found my Ram and fell in love as soon as I saw it in the lot. I still think Ram is the most Aesthetically pleasing.

Though I do like the roll down rear window in the Titan I believe.

 

[jasonw]

The 5.7 Hemi came to market in late 2002. I had the first 2003 5.7 hemi truck in my county.
And i`ve been a HEMI believer ever since. It is a GREAT engine! Best thing since it came out, is when they transitioned to the MDS and the 8-speed!

Unfortunately, I must disagree on the first part. The 2002-2008 Hemi was a not the same engine as the one in the 2009+. The 2009+ was upgraded with a whole range of items, from variable valve timing to a different intake manifold to higher flowing components, and many others. While they may be similar, they are not the same engine.

I will agree on the 8-speed. It is my favorite transmission of any I've driven so far. Only down side to it is its a tad harder to change the fluid compared to the older 5/6-speeds.

 

[Random_Walk]

We’ve owned a 2003 Chrysler van AWD LTD w 3.6 and we got over 200k without any problems. Gave it to our daughter who put another 75,*** till she donated it to her church-it’s still running!

I feel you on that one. This past autumn, I sold my ancient 2002 Chrysler T&C @ 150k, and it's probably still cranking out miles. Damned minivans are unkillable if you treat them right.

I’ve rented Ram 1500 and love the ride and reliability and smoothness of the pushrod engine. It may not boast “ state of the art technology “ like the troubled VCT systems in Ford but it sure as hell seems to be far more reliable.

Aside from my 2000 which this 1st generation Triton was the last hurrah for Ford, I’m buying a Dodge Hemi.

The Pentastar (6 cyl) and Hemi (8 cyl) are mature base engine designs with plenty of room for evolution w/o radical change, so all the new-tech teething troubles have been pretty much solved by now.

PS: The brand-new Rams have the low-end eTorque which is scary-new tech (as in, 2019 model year new) that seems so far to do an awesome job of providing bags of low-end torque when you need it the most (especially when towing heavy loads).

I agree on the ride, though - I drive some twisty-assed roads out where I live, and that ride makes it all worth it - doubly so if you're cursed with a lead foot on these roads.