For many Canadians their vehicle is a critical element to their everyday lives. This is especially important for landscapers and contractors. These are the men and woman that don't clock out at 5pm. They work their fingers to the bone and use their trucks for everything from picking up the kids after school, to ripping down 500 pound trees and hauling brick from one site to another.
With this in mind, we decided to find out what truck would best fit their everyday needs. Because the market is saturated with different trucks who, of course, claim they are the best we narrowed the field to the top two.
The first competitor is the 2013 Ford F150. There's no question,it is the bestselling pickup truck on the market. Starting at $19,999 for a regular cab, $31,899 for the SuperCab (extended cab), and $36,099 for the crew cab, the pricing is aggressive, but, of course, you can always go much higher. The Raptor, the steroid-enhanced off-road model, starts at $56,599, and, for the first time, offers factory beadlock-capable wheels for those who truly go off the beaten path. There's also a new limited trim line, in 4X4 SuperCrew configuration, which now sits at the top of the luxury models. It starts at $64,799. As before, four engines are available: a 3.7 L V6, a 5.0 L V8, a 6.2 L V8, and the turbocharged 3.5 L EcoBoost V6. All engines come with a six-speed automatic transmission.
As incredible as this pickup is, it does have its issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that it'll be opening up an investigation on Ford's F-150 pickup truck. They say that there have been 95 reports of F-150 trucks losing engine power after accelerating, especially when driving in humid or wet conditions. The truck's motto, "built Ford tough," might be put on hold while the NHTSA investigates the problem.
Although there are questions swirling around the acceleration it's hard to fight the F150 repetition and long lasting reign.
However Dodge may have finally trumped the F150 with their newly released 2013 Ram 1500. The 1500's engine is the best in class in terms of gas mileage. Both the V6 and V8 are 20% better than Ford's. They have also increased the power with 305 hp V6 and a 395 hp Hemi V8. Although the 1500 has a higher starting price at $23,600, its overall performance has completely outmatched the F150 and with the reported acceleration problems Ford's credibility is on a
Whether you're a landscaper, construction worker, or general contractor, your truck is more than a way to get from point A to point B. You need something that is not only big enough for all of your equipment and materials, but also reliable, comfortable and strong enough to put in the long hard hours with you.Our research says you need a 2013 Dodge 1500, but decide for yourself by taking the Ford and the Dodge out for test drives.
James Resstin has done a lot of work over the years on his many Old Junk Cars. He owned an automotive recycling yard in the last 90's and now just fixes up cars for friends and family.
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