Ace of Base: Single Cab, 3/4-Ton Diesel Trucks

Let’s get one thing straight right from the start: like last week, this comparison isn’t going to change anyone’s mind. Truck buyers are a notoriously loyal lot, so the online bleatings of a shrimp-filled journalist are unlikely to curry favor with folks whose work boots are firmly entrenched in one of these three camps.

Thing is, though, I do know a thing or two about trucks. Plus, I had a deadline to meet and needed a topic for today. Having recently completed the trifecta by finally getting the chance to drive all three diesel behemoths listed here, I started to ask myself how these workhorses would compare in single cab, four-wheel drive, base trim. Fleet managers, please click on through: we’re about to step into the world of bare-bones diesel trucks.

All three trucks, equipped as regular cab, diesel, four-wheel-drive models, are within a pencil’s width of each other in terms of price. Configured this way but sans optional frippery, the Ford F-250 XL, Ram 2500 Tradesman, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 WT sticker for $45,420, $45,540, and $46,865 respectively. At this price point, I’d call that pretty equal footing.

The same can be said for safety features. All of these trucks find themselves equipped with a raft of airbags and stability control systems, items that my grandfather could only dream in his mid-‘80s GMC. All manner of theft-deterrent appears as standard equipment, lest a miscreant attempt to jack your honest working truck from the job site.

I will argue heartily against those who feel their base trucks need to feel like a penalty box. Today’s economies of scale assure us of better equipment levels in base rides – take the backup camera and power seat in the $20,000 Chevy Colorado as a good example. In the land of heavy-duty diesel, Chevy’s $1,300 price premium buys shoppers a few creature comforts over its Detroit rivals. Power door locks are standard, as is cruise control. These features must be cobbled together through a myriad of optional packages on the other trucks.

Naturally, these trucks are purchased for their brawny payload and towing performance, and all three offer capacities far exceeding anything found in non-commercial showrooms only a few short years ago. Nary a truck in this trio puts out fewer than 900 lb-ft of torque or accepts less than a ton of payload. Let’s examine the individual numbers, keeping in mind that all the gonzo towing ratings are for fifth-wheel hauling.

Ram’s 6.7-liter Cummins inline-six is rated at 385 hp and 900 lb-ft of torque. Despite these heady numbers, it’s the lowest output of the group. So, too, are its maximum recommended towing and payload limits: 17,610 lbs and 2583 lbs, respectively. The 30,000-lb towing figure is marketing bravado reserved for more expensive trims. Ram usurped its competition in torque and towing ratings the last time it redesigned the Ram, and I expect it will do the same when the new Ram appears, whenever that may be. For now, though, this is where the Ram sits.

The option of a six-speed stickshift in the Ram severely tests my love for all things manual but in the real world, an automatic is the more logical option. If you’ve ever experienced the misery of trying to reverse an 8,000-lb trailer up a slight incline with a three-pedal pickup truck, then you know what I’m on about. Skilled haul tractor-trailer drivers may freely laugh at my protestations. Also, it’s worth noting that choosing to row-row-row-your-Ram cuts towing capacity by more than a couple of thousand pounds.

Dearborn introduced its new Super Duty for the 2017 model year, marking a return to a shared cab with its little half-ton brother. The 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel V8 makes the most grunt of all three trucks, powerstroking its way to 440 hp and 925 lb-ft of twist. Choosing to plow some of its aluminium weight savings back into the chassis, the burly Ford sees its maximum payload crest 3,000 lbs, meaning one could drop a Mazda MX-5 in the bed and still have almost 700 lbs to spare. Fifth-wheel towing maxes out at about 16,000 lbs.

Inside, drivers should expect to find vinyl seats and a hose-it-out rubber covered floor, and the interior design is light years ahead of last year’s festival of plastic. While fancy pants Lariat and Platinum trims look great, I still get more than a whiff of poverty in the XL Super Duty. The big grille and headlights which work so well on swanky examples look very utilitarian on the base truck.

We drove the new-for-2017 Duramax in Texas a few months ago and while its torque is not at the top of the diesel pile (yes, we live in a world where 910 lb-ft is not the highest torque rating in a non-commercial truck), its 6.6-liter Duramax V8 does have five more horses in the stable than a PowerStroke. Despite its 6,671-lb curb weight, a base model WT can accept a 2,880-lb payload or confidently hook itself to a 15,900-lb fifth-wheel trailer.

Proving once again that there’s no plate like chrome, Chevy sees fit to garnish the front of its heavy hauler with a good dose of the shiny stuff, rather than force customers to choose a dark color in an effort to hide acres of black plastic. Styling is extremely subjective, but the Silverado looks the best of the three to this jaundiced eye. The option of $0 cloth seats and a standard fully automatic locking rear differential in the Chevy makes a difference, too.

This means, then, that I gotta go with the Chevy. Sure, the DEF refill remains annoyingly under the hood and the squared-off styling is not to everyone’s taste, but it’s hard to argue with capability and value compared to the other two trucks — even if it is about $1,300 dearer than its cross-town rivals. I can hear the die-hard brand loyalists hammering away on their keyboards already…

Not every base model has aced it. The ones which have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments. Naturally, feel free to eviscerate our selections.

The models above is shown in Trump Bucks, absent of regional incentives and cash allowances. As always, your dealer may sell for less.