Car and Driver
Turn any friendly neighborhood barbecue into a backyard wrestling match with this simple trick: declare your pickup king. Well guess what, brother? Being the best isn’t about who has the biggest Calvin and Hobbes sticker on the rear window. Full-size pickup trucks are America’s bestselling vehicles, and the fight among them is closer than ever.
Trucks today are capable of accelerating quicker than sports cars like the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and can tow up to seven tons using conventional towing. That’s a lot of folding chairs and steel cages. The truck is the backbone of America. In 2019, pickups represented over 3.1 million vehicle sales in the U.S., or more than the entire population of Iowa. Each of these trucks can handle classic pickup needs with ease, and if you haven’t already sorted yourself into the Toyota, Nissan, Ram, Chevy, or Ford camps, we’ve ranked the segment’s players from worst to best to help you in your search.
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The Nissan Titan exists slightly outside of the mainstream in this segment. It lacks engine choices—there is but one 400-hp V-8 option—which severely limits configurability relative to its competitors, and the Titan’s overall execution seems lacking. For 2022, Nissan has given even its base trucks a trailer hitch and spray-in bedliner. Even with these new standard perks, the Titan is more choo-choo than chug. Its ride quality is poor and the steering lacks sharpness; look to the Pro-4X trim for off-road capability, but look everywhere else in terms of towing capacity as the Titan has the lowest in the light-duty class. Every model now has a 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is something fleet versions of its domestic competitors don’t have.
- Base price: $38,145
- Powertrain: 400-hp 5.6L V-8, nine-speed automatic transmission
- Max Towing: 9660 lb
The Toyota Tundra finds itself in an unusual position as the newest truck available in the full-size segment. The third-generation Tundra now offers a 437-hp twin-turbo hybrid V-6 with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Nonhybrid SR models have 348 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque, while other trims get a 389-hp version of the same engine. Its rear suspension is also brand new, replacing the old leaf-spring style with coil springs to give it a more controlled ride. Tundra TRD Pro models come with skid plates, a suspension lift, and black wheels wrapped in beefy all-terrain tires. Extended cab models can be had with either a 6.5- or 8.1-foot bed, while bigger crew cab Tundras get a 5.5- or 6.5-foot bed. An 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen is standard, but a 14.0-inch big screen is available, the biggest in the class.
- Base price: $37,645
- Powertrain: 348-hp 3.5L twin-turbo V-6, 389-hp 3.5L twin-turbo V-6, 437-hp 3.5L-twin-turbo V-6 with 48-hp AC motor; 10-speed automatic transmission
- Max Towing: 12,000 lb
Maybe it was cold feet, maybe it was common sense, but after a 2019 redesign, Chevy has again revised its Silverado 1500 for 2022. Trim levels LT and up get a fresh face and revised interior that includes a massive 13.4-inch infotainment touchscreen. This helps differentiate the interior of Chevy’s half-ton from other stuff in its lineup, like, say, an Equinox. One thing that hasn’t changed, a burly 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 that deactivates up to six cylinders for fuel savings. Other powertrains include a 310-hp turbocharged four-cylinder that can tow up to 9300 pounds, and a 277-hp turbodiesel that puts the Silverado near the top of the segment (when equipped on RWD models) for efficiency with an EPA-estimated 31 mpg highway rating. Chevy has also added an off-road ZR2 model with special bumpers to help approach and departure angles. That one is only offered as a crew cab with a 2.5-inch suspension lift.
- Base price: $28,195
- Powertrain: 277-hp 3.0L turbocharged diesel inline-6, 310-hp 2.7L turbocharged inline-4, 355-hp 5.3L V-8, 420-hp 6.2L V-8; eight-speed automatic, 10-speed automatic transmission
- Max Towing: 13,300 lb
If you can swing the new GMC Sierra 1500’s price premium over its mechanically identical, Chevrolet-badged sibling (the Silverado), do so. Like the Silverado, the Sierra has a gang of different engines and transmissions, and is available in either rear- or all-wheel drive. Although there’s no high-flying off-roader option like the Ram TRX or Ford F-150 Raptor, a Sierra AT4 model is available with 2.0 inches of suspension lift and other off-road equipment. Unfortunately, the pricier GMC version suffers from the same unimpressive interior styling and firm ride quality as the Silverado, but the extra chrome and sharper lines do wonders for GM’s half-ton pickup design.
- Base price: $29,295
- Powertrain: 277-hp 3.0L turbocharged diesel inline-6, 310-hp 2.7L turbocharged inline-4, 355-hp 5.3L V-8, 420-hp 6.2L V-8; eight-speed automatic, 10-speed automatic transmission
- Max Towing: 13,200 lb
Using new-generation F-series equipment, the Ford F-150 Raptor gets airborne for 2022. For landing gear, the Raptor uses meaty 35-inch BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrain tires; 37-inch KO2 are offered as well. A mix of Fox Racing variable compression dampers and multi-link rear suspension soaks up humps, bumps, potholes, and pits. A 450-hp twin-turbo V-6 with a 10-speed automatic transmission is the only powertrain, for now. A far more powerful and likely better-sounding supercharged V-8-powered Raptor R has been confirmed for future production. Only available in four-door SuperCrew guise, the hulk-like fenders and three amber LED lights in the grille set this one apart from vanilla F-150s with big tires. The Raptor can tow up to 8200 pounds and has an EPA-estimated range of 576 miles thanks to its 36-gallon fuel tank.
- Base price: $65,840
- Powertrain: 450-hp 3.5L twin-turbo V-6 engine, 10-speed automatic transmission
- Max Towing: 8000 lb
F-series trucks have been the bestselling vehicle in the U.S. for 43 years straight, and the Ford F-150, now in its 14th generation, isn’t getting left behind in the dust. Under its awning of powertrain options is a PowerBoost 430-hp hybrid that ups fuel economy by 20 percent with 30 more horsepower and 70 pound-feet of extra torque over the normal twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6. It can tow up to 12,700 pounds in this configuration. An optional Work Surface allows you to transform the front row into a work table. New variable-assist steering, standard on the King Ranch trim and above, is tight and direct, and even on lower trims the ride is quiet and composed. For a more Raptor-leaning F-150, the Tremor has off-road focus in a less aggressive package.
- Base price: $30,985
- Powertrain: 290-hp 3.3-liter V-6, 400-hp 5.0-liter V-8, 325-hp twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6, 400-hp twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6, 250-hp 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6, 400-hp twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.5-liter V-6; permanent-magnet synchronous AC motor, 47 hp; combined output, 430 hp, 570 lb-ft; 10-speed automatic transmission
- Max Towing: 14,000 lb
The nearly 3.5-ton Ram 1500 TRX is a lot of truck, but it knows how to show off its size. The 702-hp Hellcat engine is a screamer, and despite its heft, the TRX gets to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, making it the quickest truck we’ve ever tested. Bilstein dampers underneath provide more than a foot of suspension travel, allowing its 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler ATs to droop. It’s a wide load, measuring 5.9 inches wider and 3.3 inches taller than the regular Ram 1500, but inside it’s just as luxurious. A 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard, and a head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, and carbon-fiber accents are available options. No other truck can cruise to, climb up, and fly over whatever’s ahead of it quite like this.
- Base price: $75,275
- Powertrain: 702-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine, eight-speed automatic transmission
- Max Towing: 8100 lb
The Ram 1500 is king of the mountain, having bested its biggest rivals from Detroit in our latest three-truck comparison test and won another 10Best Full-size Pickup award for 2021. We could let those accolades do the talking, but here are a few more reasons we love this truck: The available EcoDiesel V-6 engine has the most power and torque among all light-duty diesel pickups and is fuel efficient; the interior is a step or three above the competition; and it just plain drives well.
- Base price: $36,195
- Powertrain: 260-hp 3.0L turbodiesel V-6, 305-hp 3.6L V-6 with eTorque, 395-hp 5.7L V-8, 395-hp 5.7L V-8 with eTorque engine; eight-speed automatic transmission
- Max Towing: 12,750 lb
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