Ford 6.7L or Chevy 6.6L LML

[bsavage14]

I'm looking to get a new(2011 or 2012) diesel truck and am stuck between a ford or chevy. What are some of your un biased opinions? Which one gets better gas mileage for mixed driving?

[jeffc]

Originally Posted by bsavage14

I'm looking to get a new(2011 or 2012) diesel truck and am stuck between a ford or chevy. What are some of your un biased opinions? Which one gets better gas mileage for mixed driving?

I drove both and liked both for different reasons. Personally, I think the GMC is the better looking truck on the outside (minus the DEF tank hanging below the passenger door), but the Ford's interior is much better. Both make great power. I personally think that Ford makes a better drivetrain. That can be argued to death, but only time will tell how well they hold up.

GM's products are proven, but not necessarily with the emissions components. When I was tooling around and weighing my options, a fair amount of people were complaining about poor mileage with the LML, more than people who owned a 6.7 Scorpion. One of the guys that worked at my local GMC dealership did mention that they had a few unhappy customers due to lower than expected fuel economy. This was one of the deciding factors for me. Slight edge to Ford in the fuel economy department.

That being said, mpg is directly proportional to your right foot, terrain, climate and type of driving. I live in a hilly area in Pa, often make short trips mixed with the occasional highway trip and I'll see roughly 17mpg. According to the truck itself, I have seen as high as 24mpg during a 100 mile highway trip, but that's mostly because I was REALLY trying to get the best possible number. The people around me on the highway weren't all that pleased, but who cares. Around town numbers will be 13-15, just the nature of this beast. They are incredibly efficient at speed on the highway, but it takes a lot to get them moving during stop and go situations.

To be honest, you really can't go wrong either way. Both companies make a solid truck. When you drive each of them, you'll figure out what you like and don't like. I sat on it for a week or so, went back and test drove them again to confirm my likes and dislikes. I would be happy to have either. It's the payment that made me like the Ford a whole lot better than the GMC

Good luck picking one out! Let us know what you decided on either way.

[ucpa111]

Read a consumer reports. It will tell you an unbiased opinion. Quality goes to Ford over Ram/GM. Agility goes to GM. Cab size goes to Ford. Mileage goes to Ford.

I too weighed the options (Ram, GM, Ford). I drove them all. I felt the GM and Ford drivetrains were awesome, but I gave the edge to Ford. I really didn't think it would be that way, but I drove 4 different Fords to be sure. And they all were awesome and slightly smoother than the GMs.

I like a quality vehicle. If you research Alan Mullaly and Ford, you'll find that he really takes quality seriously as well. He took his managers to Consumer Reports to hear why they didn't rate as well as Toyota. I believe they listened.

Interior and exterior looks are a personal preference. If the GM had a larger interior with more updates, and better quality, I'd probably have purchased one. But, quality, aesthetics, and smoothness won me over to Ford. I have driven Tundras (3 of them) since they came out in 2000 (my first vehicle out of college) and loved the quality. Never let me down, efficient...but not gonna pull what these beasts will. So, I ordered my dream F350. Just got an email that it will be here in 3-4 weeks! Can't wait!

[regxinc]

I just went through this same battle both have strong positives. MPG and power are going to be the roughly the same. What did it for me was the comfort of truck,interior and drivability. The interior of the chevy is years behind the ford. Either trucks you should be very happy with .

I have owned two duramaxs both LLY's one was great to 125 no major problems the other was a POS injectors,turbo then the tranny at 27K. I also had a 6.0 powerstroke that was great to me.

Theres no perfect truck if you go by the numbers your going to drive yourself crazy. Just get which on feels better to you.Number wise there to close.

["Stroker 8"]

[Alberta Advantage]

I like the GM product because of its turning radius or lack there of compared to the Ford. It is a lot more nimble than the Ford in terms of drive-ability in my opinion. However, the GM product is still the same as it was when they introduced the new body style. Haven't upgraded anything in the interior. I like bells and whistles so I really like the dash display/computer in the 2011 and up Fords. I don't like where the DEF tank is on the GMs either. It hangs a few inches down on the passenger's side which seems like it could be problematic. I understand that there is a skid plate now available for the DEF tank so it is/was a problem. There is also quite a lot of room under the hood of the GM and its seats seemed more comfortable than the Ford. To be honest with you, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the newer diesels. They all have their pros and cons. In my opinion, when I was looking at an upgrade, the final deciding factor was what my truck's trade-in value was and what the price of the new truck was. Whoever had the best deal would more than likely ear my business.

[TrickTruck]

I also drove all three on two separate occasions separated by about 6months - so I saw '11s and '12s.


*Chevy had great power and tranny (stock) - very well balanced, closely followed by Ford, Ram far behind.
*Ram had a gorgeous interior, closely followed by Ford, Chevy far, far behind. Chevy’s interior felt cheap and plastic and rattled even on a brand new truck – ick.
*Ram had the softest ride, very nice suspension. Nearly car like. Amazing. Ford rides like a 1 ton truck and Chevy rides like a saucer sled.
*The Cummins seems to have far better aftermarket support and HP is nearly limitless. Chevy is also well supported though not to the extent the Cummins is. Ford, well, not so much, all new, 500RWHP max (as of today.)
*Ram's tranny isn't great. Feels like a slush box. Decent aftermarket support, but the Cummins will outrun even the best aftermarket trans. Ram's reputation on the 6speed is quite poor. Can't say I know a whole lot about the Allison. Ford's trans is also new and unproven. '11 Fords have a lot of complaints on the tranny. The trans in my Job2 '12 is fantastic!
*Chevy's crew cab is really small. Ford and Ram are pretty roomy.
*Chevy is a LOT more expensive and the Chevy dealer told me that if I were price shopping to go buy a Ram. Ford’s a little more than the Ram, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t a lot. Chevy would have been 20% more than the Ford.
*IMHO the Chevy is ugly, Ram is gorgeous, Ford is ok (needs accessorizing.)
*The whole ‘twist’ thing and ‘tailgate jamming when the truck is twisted’ commercial Chevy ran is absolutely true. The least bit of cross-up and the Ford’s tailgate is totally jammed, even with the truck totally empty. Sucks.

No clear standout winning every category. Depends on what you want. IMHO the Chevy had great power, but nothing else. Ram was the best looking, riding and a stunning interior. Ford got a lot of 2nd places. But it was enough to convince me to order a F350 just the way I wanted it. It arrived about a month ago.

I’ve got 3000 miles on it now and am quite happy. While I’m sometimes wondering what I’m doing driving a humongous truck like this I do not regret my choice of brands.

[olds403]

Here is my 2 cents for what its worth. I had 2003 GMC Crew Cab 2500HD and while the GMC was a great looking truck it was falling apart at 100K and time for a new one. Though the dealer I traded it into sold it the next day

I considered another GMC, but for one the GMC's cost more than the F250 Lariat's that I was considering. Also, my wife really did not want another GM product as I was always having to work on it or take it to the shop in the last six months before trading it. That being said, I test drove a 2011 F250 CC FX4 at the end of the year and bought it. It rides smoother than my 2003 GMC and has more power than I could ever use. I never owned a Ford in my 26yrs of driving and been pleased so far with this truck. My suggestion is to drive one. The fit and finish is what I noticed most about the Ford Super Duty. Though it is a lot of truck for sure though its big its easier to drive than my GMC with the large mirrors and back up camera system. Like others have mentioned, the Ford motor is huge and fills up the engine bay so its unlike the Chevy/GMC where you can work on it if you need to. Though if that is a concern, buy a longer warranty.

About the only thing I think could be better is the brakes. Maybe, its just me, but I find myself giving a lot more room in front of me to stop this truck. It weighs about 1/2 ton more than my old GMC. My GMC had hydroboost so I knew it was going to stop. This truck.......don't know yet. When loaded, I do leave a lot of room.

[TrickTruck]

IMHO it's the spongyness of the brake pedal that is what's giving the uneasy feeling.

I've done a couple panic stops to see just how it does. That's a full stomp, everything I've got (and I'm a good sized man.)

Truck really stops. You can feel all the anti- systems working to keep it straight and from skidding.

Now, these were done totally empty from 70mph, so loaded would certainly be different.

I will say, there was quite a bit of smoke and the stench of brakes was nearly overwhelming.

Mine is a '12 Job2 w/ vacuum boost