2022 Ram 1500

Manufacturers of pickup trucks have traditionally used a leaf-spring setup at the rear. There are two reasons for this: they're cheap and durable. The Ram 1500 is not the first pickup to use an independent suspension up front and a coil-sprung live axle at the rear, but it is the first to use it and still retain class-competitive towing and hauling figures. Doing away with the leaf springs does wonders. It completely removes that rear bounciness present in 90% of pickup trucks. The Ram 1500 also shrinks around you, hiding its weight extremely well. It's the least intimidating pickup to drive, as it rolls less through the corners and responds very well to steering input at high speeds.

The Ram can also be ordered with a full air suspension, replacing the progressive-rate coil springs. This improves the ride quality even more, straight into SUV territory. We can't imagine anyone preferring an old-school leaf-spring setup. This setup literally predates the vehicle itself and was used on the ox-wagons that built Deadwood.

The main problem is the image. Pickup buyers are a traditional crowd and tend to frown upon newfangled technology, even though coil suspension is nothing new. Just think of the poor Honda Ridgeline and its unibody construction. The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding. It's too soon to make a call on whether Ram's coil-spring suspension will be as durable as a set of bent steel beams. We certainly hope so because it means pickups can finally move away from this horribly outdated rear suspension construction.

We think the Ram's stellar sales performance so far is already proof enough that it's a superb pickup truck. Pickup truck buyers are arguably the most loyal customers out there, so luring them out of a Ford or a GM product is a stellar achievement.

There's an argument to be made about reliability, however. Ram doesn't have the best reputation in this regard, but we'll keep on revisiting this topic every year. To go from over 20 recalls to just four in two years is already a step in the right direction.

Some might want a back-to-basics truck, but why? The Ram is physical proof that you can have your cake and eat it too. With its new suspension setup and overall approach to quality and luxury, the Ram proves that there's no need for a pickup to be a bouncy castle on wheels. You can have an SUV-like ride and handling and a decent tow rating.

The Ram 1500 had such a good run as the best pickup truck available in the USA, but now the newest Ford F-150 has arrived to rain all over its parade. Like Ram, Ford knew it had to pull a rabbit out of a hat to stay relevant, and it has. The F-150 still rides on an old-school leaf-spring setup at the rear, but the newest model is the most comfortable by far. Ford also made massive improvements in terms of quality, and now offers a 12-inch display on high-end models. If anything, the interior looks even better than the Ram's. There's a gorgeous digital instrument cluster, a shifter that folds flat to create a workspace, and separate controls for the basic media functions and climate control. The Ram's dual-screen setup is great, but we'd take a physical button for the latter functions every day of the week.

By comparison, what really sets the new F-150 apart is the six available engine options. There's a large V8, a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6, 3.5-liter V6 Ecoboost in two outputs, a smaller 3.3-liter naturally-aspirated V6, a 3.0-liter Power Stroke diesel, and an all-new 3.5-liter PowerBoost hybrid offering 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque. It's already cleaned up with top-notch safety scores - five stars for the 2022 model at the NHTSA and a 2021 Top Safety Pick at the IIHS. The all-new F-150 tips the scale back in Ford's favor, and it will likely retain its number one spot for years to come.

These two are fundamentally the same truck, using the same underpinnings and similar interior layouts. The main difference is the powertrain options. The 2500 comes standard with a 6.4-liter V8, with a 6.7-liter Cummins inline six-cylinder turbodiesel being optional. The tow ratings of the 2500 are more impressive, but it is a much thirstier pickup. If you go for the optional diesel engine, the consumption isn't that bad. And it can tow 19,990 lbs compared to the 1500's maximum 12,750 lbs tow rating. The pricing structure of these two models are remarkably similar, but it's worth keeping in mind that they serve different purposes. The 2500 is a hard worker adorned with some comforts, while the 1500 is a luxury truck that can do some work.

Thanks to the dimensions, the 2500 isn't as easy to live with daily. Unless you need the additional pulling power, we'd stay with the 1500.