With prices for luxury pickup trucks skyrocketing, we took another chance to look what each of the Big Three is offering at the top of their lineups.
We borrowed a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali, 2019 Ford F-150 Limited and 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn to see which is truly the best overall luxury package, not an easy choice to make considering how nice each of them is.
What goes inside these trucks is of the utmost importance in the luxury world, and the Ram 1500 certainly offers the most panache of the three interiors. While the Laramie Longhorn is technically one trim below the top Limited truck, they are essentially the same interior, with the Longhorn going for the cowboy look while the Limited comes off like a cleanly pressed suit. The open-pore wood, massive 12-inch touchscreen and serious attention to detail on material choices land the Ram easily in the top spot when it comes to interior.
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Inside the Ford F-150 is also an exceptionally nice place to be, offering the most comfortable and downright gorgeous seats in this comparison, the only of the three that can offer you a massage. Little things like the powered-steering wheel stock, the only of these three to offer such a convenience, also help to set the Ford apart. It’s the hard black plastic that lets down the F-150’s interior, leaving the center stack looking like it doesn’t fit in.
This problem is even worse in the GMC Sierra Denali. For a truck that is said to be the most luxurious GM has to offer, the interior comes off as a step behind its counterparts. Functionally, there’s nothing wrong with the GM, even offering exclusive luxury options like a head-up display and a rear camera mirror. But visually, the interior lacks the style, depth of materials and overall wow-factor that both the Ford and Ram manage to bring to the table.
To be fair to the GMC, in Canada, this truck is easily the cheapest of the three. As tested, our Denali came to just under $80,000, while the F-150 added up to a little over $87K and the Ram clocked in at the top, going for an MSRP of a little over $88K.
In the power department, the F-150 has stepped up its game considerably for 2019, something the RAM and GMC didn’t do, at least nearly as much. The F-150 Limited adopted the high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 from the Raptor, creating 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque.
Both Ram and GMC kept their power output the same for 2019, enhancing the powertrains in other ways. In the case of the Ram, the eTorque 48V mild hybrid system was added, helping with fuel economy and overall engine smoothness. At GMC, the 6.2-liter V8 was given active cylinder deactivation that can run the powerplant on any number of cylinders, depending on the load. This system works nicely in the background to save fuel, but again, does nothing for the operation of the truck that is noticeable to the driver.
As for output, this leaves the 5.7-liter HEMI in Ram at 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque while the GMC makes 420 hp and 460 lb-ft. And in this comparison, the HEMI in the Ram actually ends up feeling underpowered compared to the other two.
There are plenty of factors that go into a luxury truck, so make sure you watch our comparison video above where we cover these rigs in close detail.
