Getting a new truck, compare RAM EcoDiesel vs F150 Platnum??

Thanks for the advice. I read your post before going to pick it up and pay for it..., so I asked what it was called. They said (and the paperwork matches...) "It's the Chrysler Maximum Care service contract". My wifes cousin happens to be the sales rep who found us this truck (he knew exactly what I was looking for), so he took care of us/made sure we got the right "stuff".

WHAT?? I can't even see owning a truck without them. I'd bet EVERY manufacturer will be coming out with options similar to the Ram Boxes in the next year or so. Ram is killing it with them. Several of the sales reps (including my wifes cousin who sold us this truck) said they have people showing up just to see the Ram box, and then end up buying one... many of them Ford people switching like myself. Me thinks Ford is idiotic for not making them an option. It doesn't cost anything to make them, and yet they charge a $1,200 option charge for them.



You guys are all joking it up about the "massage seats" offered in the Ford. I'll tell ya, the first Ford I drove (the one pictured that started this thread back in post #1) had those seats in it, and I'll say they were the shizzle! That is the one item the Ford had I wish the Ram had. The Ram has decent lumbar control that works nicely, but nothing like that massaging seat. Not only did they massage, but they had a lot of control of where to set the multiple lumbar thingy's inside. Basically you can move around the massage things inside and stop them where you like them.

 

Ok, Pics! So far, day 2, the truck is pretty dang sweet. The electronics in it are absolutely amazing. The RamBoxes are worth the cost of the truck already. NO MORE MILK CRATE bungeed down in the bed with junk bangin around....Hallelujah !!! The bed separator/extender is also GENEIUS the way it works so nicely, great design.

Only the expected items to "complain" about:
1. The shift knob will take some time to get used to, still reaching for the shifter and getting nothing but air! I'll get used to it over time.
2. The truck "feels" big driving it around town. I think it's mainly the big bulbous hood on it, it makes the truck look and feel bigger from the drivers seat. Again, I'll get used to it over time.

You asked for it, you got it... PICS!

 

$1200 is a lot for built in tool boxes I think.

 

I can tell you there's been a lot of problems with the ramboxes from a manufacturing and supply chain point of view.

It's a great idea, but they were not the first.


There were probably one before the Titans first in bed storage.

When you take part of the bed rail away, there are structural compromises that have to be accounted for.

Ford's already taken some fairly big risks in going alloy, so I doubt they would attempt to do a similar thing this close to the 2015 release.

I still would be fine with the aftermarket internal bed boxes, or ones like the new Titan offers. For me, a 4 door pickup has more than enough storage possibilities for whatever I need. But I get why you wanted the ramboxes.

 

Wasent your old ford the smaller ones there like 2/3 full size? I think the new trucks are all bigger than those year fords.

I personally don't like the giant "ram" on the front and back or the running boards. Or the dual exhaust tips. And the body style still is not growing on me and I drive one everyday for work :-( But it does look good and it's your truck and your happy with it thats what matters.

As far as the shifter. I still forget to take it out of gear when I cut truck off sometimes, although I never did that with a normal shifter. And I still reach around to various knob from time to time to shift it.

 

Oh, I should mention this is a 2015 Ram 1500 Longhorn Limited with 26k on it. It was only 16 months old and obviously driven by an executive, al hwy mileage. There's not a scratch on it, it still has the new car leather smell in it, and the plastic was never taken off the bed extender. So the guy never even used the bed. Very clean truck for 26k on it.

 

Yes, it is. But there was a lot of engineering involved to get the bed structurally sound, then to make the intricate hinges, more tooling, plastics, etc to get them to work.

I understand the price, it's just I'd rather have a bigass moonroof than in bed storage. The bed of a truck has a lot of storage space.

 

No, the 02 Ford for sale on here is the exact same size. I parked them side by side yesterday, EXACTLY the same length, same bed, same body... The ford is higher (probably because of my big rims and tires on it, and the Ram air suspension sitting down for enter exit mode), but other thatn that they are identical in size.

I HATE the giant RAM on the tailgate. The others look fine, but that one is ridiculous. All the new ones have that, it really is just an advertisement for them. But when I first started shopping (start of this thread) I posted I liked the look of the Ford over the Ram. Now, I like the Ram look better after staring at all of the different trucks. I don't know if it's because I started looking at more Ram in the last 2 weeks, or what, but I definitely changed my view. The Fords now look boxy to me. But either way, I would not select a truck by looks. For me it's function.

 

The only 2/3 size full-size truck I can think of was the Toyota T100. It grew when it became the tundra.

I'm not a fan of the rotary shifter either. We're not alone. I think I saw that FCA was planning a redesign. Between people not liking the rotary, and the other style like on the grand Cherokee being investigated by NHTSA and a class action lawsuit, FCA needs to change them.

 

If you look at the bed with the Ramboxes closely, it looks a lot more structurally sound then the regular beds without them. You have 2 fill length STRAIGHT walls (outside of truck body, and inside of bed). And the inside wall of course is pretty thick with structural indents in it along the way. I would think they are stronger with the Ramboxes, than without them. Sure feels it when you pound on it, and look at it... ?? The regular bed simply has one wall between the bed and the tire well.

Engineering and cost wise, I don't know about all of them, but on my Limited model with all the convenience and keyless packages/options on it, the Ramboxes lock and unlock electronically with the keyfob and keyless entry. Key in pocket, touch knob and everything unlocks. I'm sure that part costs a few bucks to wire/control... The lock mechanism is pretty hefty too.

That big double moonroof on the Fords scares the hell out of me. I did not like that at all. While it looks nice, it looks like a giant leak and electrical problem waiting to happen. I have had almost every moonroof in all my cars fail and/or leak at one time or another. My Ford's was replaced once under warranty when it got jammed and motor burnt out at about 2 years old. And broke something on the rail for it to slide back a few years ago that cost me $400 to repair.

 

I thought somebody said here, Ford and GMC were also starting to make the rotary knob as well because of the electronic tranny's.... ?

My boat has ZF tranny's on it also, and it has electronic controls (fly by wire) also.

 

I think the giant "Ram" on them has to do with the trim package. They don't all have it. I see very few with it actually. My work truck is a 2016 ram1500. It's the tradesman trim level, which is the entry level work truck.. There is ram nowhere on the tailgate and just a Ram logo in the grill. The front doors say "ram 1500" is all.

 

I think the Ram boxes are a great idea and hope other manufacturers start offering similar options. Back when I drove a Ranger with a longer bed I always had a toolbox to keep random junk in but with a short bed like in crew cabs you end up with a uselessly short bed if you add a toolbox. I've found I can fit a lot of stuff under and behind the seats in a crew cab, but I'd still prefer to have something like the ram boxes. To me there's no good reason not to do it, there's a ton of dead space in the bed rails that goes unused.

As to the sizes, that's one thing I've always liked about Fords. While they are the exact same size as the other 1/2 tons, they typically look smaller and more importantly drive smaller. Dodge's have been the worse, they look the largest and it feels like you're driving a dump truck sometimes. But I think Dodge's primary customer likes that "big rig" feel as well. To each their own.

 

The latest 90s F150 is not as big as a 2015 f150. That's what I was talking about. I didn't think they were as wide.

 

That makes sense... I was trying to figure out which ones had it, and which ones did not. I think all the Limited model trucks seemed to have it. But I assumed because they were late year 2015 and 2016 models.

 

I'm pretty sure all trucks have grown in size over the years.

 

Exactly. What really bothered me is the "stuff" I kept in the crate in the bed (trailer hitch, wood blocks, rope, rags, bungee cords, jumper cables...) I needed. And if I was to use the bed to get plywood or a wood scrounge or something, I had to un-bungee the crate, and plop it down on my back leather seats in the truck to get it out of the way. Dirty moldy sometimes wet stuff now in the cab... Now all that crap was promptly loaded into one of my Ramboxes which is still 1/2 empty, out of the way, easily accessible and I never have to move it again. AND, I have a second Rambox completely empty ready for a chainsaw, tools, or whatever stuff I might need on a particular outing. LOVE them!

I think they all look about the same size, but the Ram definitely feels like it drives bigger for sure. I don't like that, but I'm sure I will get used to it. I remember when I first got my ford, it felt huge and I had a hard time parking it. I would think I was in a spot, and get out and walk to the back and find that I was 6' away from the car behind me. I would have to get back in and back up 4 or 5 more feet. So I added a backup camera which helped. I have the same feeling in this truck as well, except it has a nice backup camera which not only looks backward, but down from the top of the bed which is nice. So I can see the bumper of the truck which is great for parking/backing up to something.