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Gonna make the switch

471 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Jumbomotive 
#1 ·
Hello all in Tundra land. Long time Ford guy, but not a coolaid drinker.

It's time to retire my current '06 F-150 (its had some issues, but not too bad for 10 years) and I have resolved to be open to whatever fits my needs best, regardless of make...except for Fiat.

So after a couple of month of researching and talking to owners of new trucks of all brands, the wife and I spent l last Saturday driving the best that Ford, Toyota and GM have to offer. By the best I mean without high-end foo-foo that some seem to feel is necessary. Beyond an extra cab, V8 and 4X4, only I want power windows, door locks, A/C and a radio. Leather, DVD players and moon roofs interest me not one wit.

Results? I didn't like the GM much at all. It had leaden low speed steering; a terrible turning radius; much head toss on rolling but relatively smooth pavement; cylinder de-activation flutter and what seemed to be a lack of communication between the engine and transmission that resulted in a really lethargic throttle, odd shifting, and a clunk on the 1-2. Tried a second, more up scale version (LT) and it had the same dynamic issues. Not for me.

The Ford was damned nice. 5.0 with 3.73's (and an e-locker) had good smoke, tranny shifted when it should it, it drove very well and was very quite under way. Curiously, we found the seats in the lower spec XL to be much more comfortable than those in the up-optioned XLT we drove. The XLT seats were not good at all, and I had numb butt within the 1/2 hour ride.

The Tundra was nice. Engine and tranny were on the same page, fit and finish were good (on par with the Ford, I'd say), seat materials seem durable. It was noisier in the cab than in either the Ford or GM. I liked the interior layout the best: big knobs, few buttons, clean surfaces, and the best dash vents ever invented (pirated from Ford I might add). The handling wasn't quite as good as the Ford, but with no sway bar, that's to be expected (and a cheap fix I understand). But at the same time probably contributed to less head toss by letting the axle droop.

So it has come down to the F-150 and the Tundra. I buy vehicles for the long haul - this is my forth Ford that I've kept for more than 8 years (along with the last 3 cars at 10 yrs each) - so I'm really looking at the back end. I don't think I have the intestinal fortitude to be a guinea pig for Ford sorting out the long-term with the aluminum body, or with the apparent maintenance issues with all DI engines, or the teething issues with a new model. Guess I'm an end-of-model-cycle kinda of guy.

In the end, I'm going with the Tundra as much for what it doesn't have as what it does: no newest/brightest ideas, no DI, no cylinder deactivation, no aluminum body, no turbo-charger, no complicated rear diff. Just a proven, well developed package that does what I need. AND, this the maybe the best part, the base SR5 comes better equipped than the Ford I'd spec, and for a little bit less money (1k or so). So the backup camera, large LCD, fog lights, and rear underseat storage are free. I like free.

So here I am on this forum to try to stay ahead of the curve on my new "investment" (he he). Thank you all in advance for your patience. Cheers.
 
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#3 ·
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