Sierra vs Silverado vs Tundra vs Ram: Back to Back test drives.

Darkrider_LS

Original poster
Member
Jan 25, 2013
9,332
Hopefully this area is alright for posting this...but if any of the mods feel it needs to be moved somewhere else please do so...with that said...on to the review.

Ok earlier today i went on some test drives mostly to get a good look and feel for the new K2 series GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado. Both trucks i drove were the Z71 Crew cabs. The Silverado had some extra features added to it which i will mention in the review. I also went to the Dodge,Ford and Toyota Dealerships to see if i could get some test drives there to compare against the new trucks. Dodge and Toyota allowed me to take trucks out to compare against the two new GM trucks so those reviews are here as well. I am reposting the GMC truck review as part of this so you guys can get the entire process in one setting.

'14 GMC Sierra Z71 Crew cab

Interior Layout:

Features:
Easy to reach controls
Cruise,radio and bluetooth controls all on steering wheel
Power adjustable pedals
Multi adjustable drivers seat
Plenty of interior space
Tilt/Telescopic steering column with column shifter for transmission
Vinyl covered dash with white stitching in the Z71, Red stitching in the All Terrain.
Rear view camera uses head units large screen for display which is very nice

Opinion:

Great lay out
Cruise is a little confusing at first due to the addition of a speed limit warning set up on the cruise controls.
Seat and controls easily adjust to a multitude of drivers from a 6ft + driver down to a 5 ft nothing driver.
Plenty of interior room especially in the Crew cab

Drivetrain:
5.3 L Direct injection V8
6L80E Transmission

Opinion:

Great power for its size, it def gets up and moving with a similar feeling to the older GMT800/900 6.0 V8 trucks
Transmission is smooth shifting
Been told by a few people that mileage is reasonable for a truck its size

Suspension:

Z71 Package which includes Rancho shocks bringing back the upgraded shock part of the Z package that the 400s had with the Blistiens.


Opinion:

Firm ride but not unpleasant for long distance driving


Verdict:

Def on my to go to list when it comes time to get another truck in 5 years after the TB is paid off.

'14 Chevy Silverado Z71 Crew Cab

pretty much the same as the Sierra but will repeat just for the sake of the info being there. Plus the Silverado had a couple extra features over the Sierra

Interior Layout:

Features:
Easy to reach controls
Cruise,radio and bluetooth controls all on steering wheel
Power adjustable pedals
Multi adjustable drivers seat
Plenty of interior space
Tilt/Telescopic steering column with column shifter for transmission
Vinyl covered dash with white stitching in the Z71, Red stitching in the All Terrain.
Rear view camera uses head units large screen for display which is very nice
Collision warning controls on steering wheel

Opinion:

Great lay out
Cruise is a little confusing at first due to the addition of a speed limit warning set up on the cruise controls.
Seat and controls easily adjust to a multitude of drivers from a 6ft + driver down to a 5 ft nothing driver.
Plenty of interior room especially in the Crew cab
Lane warning was a nice feature, i believe this is an option since i don’t recall the Sierra having it..or i just didn’t trip it off in that truck, either way its nice to have.
Sun roof was kind of low vs the non sun roof truck but it is easy enough to adjust the seat low enough to be comfortable

Drivetrain:
5.3 L Direct injection V8
6L80E Transmission

Opinion:

Great power for its size, it def gets up and moving with a similar feeling to the older GMT800/900 6.0 V8 trucks
Transmission is smooth shifting
Been told by a few people that mileage is reasonable for a truck its size

Suspension:

Z71 Package which includes Rancho shocks bringing back the upgraded shock part of the Z package that the 400s had with the Blistiens.

Opinion:

Firm ride but not unpleasant for long distance driving


Verdict:

Def on my to go to list when it comes time to get another truck in 5 years after the TB is paid off.

Now on to the Toyota and Dodge

'13 Toyota Tundra Crew Max TRD

Mostly test drove this truck to get a feel for it since the company i work for runs them as their fleet trucks along with the Tacoma. Almost drove another Tacoma but found out the interior is too cramped for my size.

Interior lay out:

Mostly well thought out interior
Rear drop down window
Fold down rear seats with plastic cargo trays
Sliding/tilting rear seats
Most controls are easy to use/reach more on this in opinion section...
Plenty of space for larger drivers
no power adjustable foot controls

Opinion:

Like the Chevy and GMC twins the lay out is mostly well planned out especially with all the added storage areas like the cubby holes in the door and in the console...Would have preferred a Column shifter or at least a T handle style Console shifter like whats in the Trailblazer. Instead of this large joy stick looking thing that the Tundra has.
The Sonar option on the TRD is a nice touch but the Rear View camera leaves something to be desired, Lack of the power adjustable pedals was def a negative when it comes to the fact that my gf would have difficulties getting the controls set up for her to drive it.
Cruise control and mirror adjustment controls in funky non normal locations making them a bit...iffy to use...Def not a fan of either item...

Drivetrain

5.7LV8
Automatic transmission

Opinion:

Reasonable power for its size, great acceleration for a truck its size, Throttle response is great.

Suspension

TRD Off road package which adds Blistien HD shocks and possibly skid plating like the old GMT400 Z71 package.

Opinion:

Nice firm ride, Easy to live with on longer road trips like the twin GM trucks.

Verdict:

If it was just for me i would seriously give this truck another look and with a different sales person since the one i dealt with was trying to upsell me on stuff i wasn’t interested in at that time.


Now that i brought up the sales person in the toyota review i will add my notes on the Dodge and Ford Dealerships.....

Ford dealership sales person had a sort of "i'm here to work but not really wanting to work or show you a vehicle" attitude going on.....So no go on checking out a comparable F150 at this time.

Dodge dealership sales person reset my views on the dealership the second time i went in. I think i just caught them at a busy time of day when i went in earlier.

'14 Dodge Ram Sport Quad Cab 4x4

Interior Layout:

Features:
Easy to reach controls
Cruise,radio and bluetooth controls all on steering wheel
Power adjustable pedals
Multi adjustable drivers seat
Plenty of interior space
Vinyl covered dash
Firm large bolstered bucket seats
Rear view camera uses head units large screen for display which is very nice
Center screen on the instrument cluster which provides a TON of info!
Coolers in the floor in rear seat
Rear seat raised off of the floor with flat folding floor when lower part of seat is raised up
LED lights in seat bottoms to see back cargo area at night
Large storage well under the Drivers rear seat
Subwoofer under passenger rear seat when truck is equipped with Alpine stereo as the review truck was.
No Column or Console shifter...8 speed transmission uses a rotary dial in the dash and push buttons on the steering wheel to control gears manually.
Ride height adjustment buttons as well as controls for AC,Vented/Heated seats, Heated steering wheel, Parking collision avoidance on off/ 4wd controls.
110 V plug in in the dash as well
Push Button starting button when equipped with remote start set up
Ride height controlable from key fob
USB ports for cell phone charging and I pod/phone use in the upper console half as well as an SD card reader and aux in port.

Opinion:

Great lay out
Seat and controls easily adjust to a multitude of drivers from a 6ft + driver down to a 5 ft nothing driver.
Plenty of interior room especially in the Crew cab
Alpine stereo/Nav set up is very nice
Great amount of info provided by the programmable cluster center display.

Drivetrain:

5.7 L Hemi V8
8 speed automatic transmission

Opinion:

Great power for its size, Typical brutal Hemi power which is great!
Transmission is smooth shifting
It takes a moment to get used to the rotary dial but once you get past that and play with the controls on the wheel its quite easy to drive.

Suspension:

Air ride suspension with 4 different ride heights as well as an entry/exit height.
Ride heights include Normal, Off road 1, Off Road 2 and Areo

Areo lowers the truck slightly below normal height for max fuel mileage and efficiency.
Normal gives the truck a similar stance to the Silverado/Sierra Z71
Offroad 1 lifts the truck around 1" over normal height
Offroad 2 lifts the truck 2" over normal


Opinion:

Great set up, Makes the truck highly adaptable to what ever terrain you throw at the truck. Its nice being able to go from standard ride height to lifted to the same height as a 4" lifted truck with the press of a button or via the computer sensing what sort of terrain the truck is on.


Verdict:

Def on my to go to list when it comes time to get another truck in 5 years after the TB is paid off. Sales person from dealership reset my views on the Dodge dealer here, i believe i just caught them at a busy time when i went in.
 

Porkins

Member
Dec 5, 2011
6,960
Great review, makes me wanna go find a 2014 to test. I've been to alot of dealers lately and the two Dodge dealers I visited had night & day difference. First one the guy didn't care and didn't know any prices, the second the guy wanted to make a sale and knew about everything on his lot.
 
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Darkrider_LS

Original poster
Member
Jan 25, 2013
9,332
Porkins said:
Great review, makes me wanna go find a 2014 to test. I've been to alot of dealers lately and the two Dodge dealers I visited had night & day difference. First one the guy didn't care and didn't know any prices, the second the guy wanted to make a sale and knew about everything on his lot.

Glad you enjoyed it. It helped a lot that both the GM dealers and the Dodge dealer allowed me to explore the trucks and figure out how things worked for myself which made life a lot easier. The Dodge sales person allowed me to wind it out just to get the suspension to go into its Areo mode.
 
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mikeinDE

Member
Jan 4, 2012
855
Great detailed reviews!!
Some pics woulda been nice :raspberry:, but great job putting this all together :thumbsup:
 

Darkrider_LS

Original poster
Member
Jan 25, 2013
9,332
mikeinDE said:
Great detailed reviews!!
Some pics woulda been nice :raspberry:, but great job putting this all together :thumbsup:

Thanks man, I would have tried to get pics of the other 3 trucks but I had a feeling it was a bad idea to try to get them.
 

Darkrider_LS

Original poster
Member
Jan 25, 2013
9,332
TexazReece said:
Great Reviews :thumbsup::cool: Wish I could nab that Sierra:yes:

You would def like it!
 

TexazReece

Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,341
I got a chance to stop by the dealership and I really like the GMC Sierra All-Terrain. :thumbsup: They are really nice the interior is super nice also. The color matched bumper and grill make it look more aggresive but they don't come with the rear step bumper matched :frown:
 

Darkrider_LS

Original poster
Member
Jan 25, 2013
9,332
The all terrain would be my choice. The lack of a step bumper doesn't deter me.
 

Darkrider_LS

Original poster
Member
Jan 25, 2013
9,332
Bumping this up so I can find it to post my F150 review in a bit.
 

Playsinsnow

Member
Nov 17, 2012
9,727
Drive a raptor? Darkrider, skip the FJ. Visibility sucks. Unless it's eye candy or a steal.
 

Darkrider_LS

Original poster
Member
Jan 25, 2013
9,332
Playsinsnow said:
Drive a raptor? Darkrider, skip the FJ. Visibility sucks. Unless it's eye candy or a steal.

It was an Fx4 and I didnt mind the visibility in the FJ.
 

Darkrider_LS

Original poster
Member
Jan 25, 2013
9,332
2013 Ford F150 Super Crew FX4

Finally managed to get my hands on an FX4 packaged F150 to get a feel for it vs the GM K2 twins with the Z71 Package...

Interior Features:

Well thought out design, However the Radio is a lil confusing at first. More on this in a moment.
Stereo controls and Driver info center controls on steering wheel
All controls easy to reach and use
Pistol grip type shifter with Tow/Haul mode switch and manual shifting switch.
Cloth interior with bucket seats and what Ford calls a “Flow through console”
Red stitching on the seats on this particular example.
Firm and supportive bucket seats

Opinion:

Ford mostly has this truck dialed in other then the confusing as hell radio....it has the power and tuning switches down where most people expect the HVAC controls to be.
Interior is nice and quiet even at speed.
Seats are quite supportive.
Since i only got to be in the truck for 10 minutes i couldn’t really explore the interior as much as i would have liked but from what i seen it was well laid out.

Exterior Features:

18” alloy wheels with Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tires
Wheel trim and standard step bars color keyed to match the grey accents in the wheels.
Blacked out headlights and grille as part of the FX/4 package
Color keyed bumpers

Opinion:

Not a bad looking truck at all...Kinda looks like an old school sport truck to be honest which is never a bad thing.

Drivetrain

5.0 V8 with 6 speed automatic transmission.


Opinion:

Plenty of power for the size of truck. Transmission had firm shifts and overall the truck had plenty of get up and go for its size.

Suspension:

Well....whatever the FX4 package includes....the salesperson was seriously lacking in being helpful here. And i couldn’t really examine the truck to see what was under there. For the moment until i find out otherwise im going to assume it has Rancho or similar shocks under there and appropriate skid plating.

Opinion:

Firm suspension which is what leads me to believe it is upgraded like the GM Z71 package trucks with better shocks. Steering felt a lil heavy compared to the other trucks though.

Overall opinion:

Truck presented a great first impression of the brand and model but the salespeople are seriously lacking in people skills at the dealership i went to. First time i tried i got a lazy SOB..this time i got a kid younger then me talking down to me like i was some young punk wanting to take a truck for a joyride. BIG C- for this one.....
 

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