Pickup Trucks By The Numbers: Who Wins On Fuel, Power, Towing, Payload
There's a whole lot of dick-measuring happening right now on how half-ton trucks stack up on power, fuel economy, payload, and maximum towing capacity. Here's your guide to decoding what every US automaker's truck in this class is really putting down.
This chart compares half-ton pickup trucks sold in the US. To see some specs on the US market "mid-sized" trucks, check out this chart right here.
2WD Half-Ton Pickup Trucks
2WD
Engine
City MPG
Highway MPG
Combined MPG
Horsepower
Torque
Max Towing
Max Payload
Ford F-150
2.7 EcoBoost
19
26
22
325
375
8,500
2,250
Ford F-150
3.5 V6 Ti-VCT
18
25
20
282
253
7,600
1,910
Ford F-150
5.0 V8 Ti-VCT
15
22
18
385
387
11,100
3,300
Ford F-150
3.5 EcoBoost
17
24
20
365
420
12,200
3,270
Chevy Silverado
4.3 EcoTec3 V6
18
24
20
285
305
5,600
1,800
Chevy Silverado
5.3 EcoTec3 V8
16
23
19
355
383
11,100
2,180
Chevy Silverado
6.2 EcoTec3 V8
15
21
17
420
460
12,000
2,060
Ram 1500
3.6 V6 VVT Pentastar
18
25
20
305
269
7,300
1,522
Ram 1500
5.7 V8 HEMI
15
22
17
395
410
10,500
1,719
Ram 1500
3.0 V6 EcoDiesel
20 (D)
28 (D)
23 (D)
240
420
8,900
1,614
Toyota Tundra
4.6 V8
15
19
17
310
327
6,800
1,605
Toyota Tundra
5.7 V8
13
18
15
381
401
10,500
2,080
Nissan Titan
5.6 V8
13
18
15
317
385
9,500
2,153
4WD Half-Ton Pickup Trucks
4WD
Engine
City MPG
Highway MPG
Combined MPG
Horsepower
Torque
Max Towing
Max Payload
Ford F-150
2.7 EcoBoost
18
23
20
325
375
8,400
2,160
Ford F-150
3.5 V6 Ti-VCT
17
23
19
282
253
7,500
1,690
Ford F-150
5.0 V8 Ti-VCT
15
21
17
385
387
11,000
3,060
Ford F-150
3.5 EcoBoost
17
23
19
365
420
12,000
3,050
Chevy Silverado
4.3 EcoTec3 V6
17
22
19
285
305
7,100
1,790
Chevy Silverado
5.3 EcoTec3 V8
16
22
18
355
383
10,900
2,210
Chevy Silverado
6.2 EcoTec3 V8
15
21
17
420
460
11,800
2,050
Ram 1500
3.6 V6 VVT Pentastar
16
23
19
305
269
7,100
1,576
Ram 1500
5.7 V8 HEMI
15
21
17
395
410
9,300
1,435
Ram 1500
3.0 V6 EcoDiesel
19 (D)
27 (D)
22 (D)
240
420
8,850
1,398
Toyota Tundra
4.6 V8
14
18
16
310
327
6,500
1,500
Toyota Tundra
5.7 V8
13
17
15
381
401
10,200
2,005
Nissan Titan
5.6 V8
12
17
14
317
385
9,300
2,016
Things to note; the "maximum payload" and "maximum towing capacity" don't necessarily reflect specs of the same truck, it's a pure "top end." Some models had lower payload maxes to get the highest max towing and vice versa. Max capacities on both those figures are also generally referring to when a "tow package" is fitted.
Chevy Silverado figures are identical for the GMC Sierra.
So, what can we see here?
GM's still holding down the power crown with their 6.2 V8. Even Ford's mighty 3.5 EcoBoost V6 can't come close on power... though it pulls 3 more combined MPG.
The GM 6.2 is also close enough on towing that the difference is almost negligible, but the payload max in Ford's 3.5 EcoBoost and 5.0 V8 are untouchable by anybody at a whopping 3,300 pounds.
Ram's EcoDiesel puts out a fine effort on twisting power with 420 lb-ft of torque, but Ford's 3.5 EcoBoost matches it there. Of course, the EcoDiesel gets 3 MPG better in combined driving and 4 better on the highway.
Toyota and Nissan's maximums basically look pathetic stacked next to the Big Three, and makes a pretty clear case as to why they trail so hard in sales. Their engines are much bigger, and generally make way less power at the cost of more fuel.
And finally, a useless fact...
If you add up the peak power of each automaker's most powerful pickup, you get 1,898 horsepower!
Want to see all these broken-out by category?
I thought seeing every stat in one spreadsheet would be the best way to compare the pros and cons of each truck, but here's each attribute in it's own chart for closer scrutiny.
Highest Horsepower & Torque By Make
TruckEngineHorsepowerTorqueFord F-1505.0 V8 Ti-VCT385387Ford F-1503.5 EcoBoost365420Chevy Silverado6.2 EcoTec3 V8420460Ram 15005.7 V8 HEMI395410Ram 15003.0 V6 EcoDiesel240420Toyota Tundra5.7 V8381401Nissan Titan5.6 V8317385
Best Fuel Economy By Make
Truck (2WD)EngineCity MPGHighway MPGCombined MPGFord F-1502.7 EcoBoost192622Chevy Silverado4.3 EcoTec3 V6182420Ram 15003.0 V6 EcoDiesel20 (D)28 (D)23 (D)Toyota Tundra4.6 V8151917Nissan Titan5.6 V8131815
Towing
Truck (2WD)EngineMax TowingFord F-1503.5 EcoBoost12,200Chevy Silverado6.2 EcoTec3 V812,000Ram 15005.7 V8 HEMI10,500Toyota Tundra5.7 V810,500Nissan Titan5.6 V89,500
Payload
Truck (2WD)EngineMax PayloadFord F-1505.0 V8 Ti-VCT3,300Chevy Silverado4.3 EcoTec3 V61,800Chevy Silverado5.3 EcoTec3 V82,180Ram 15005.7 V8 HEMI1,719Toyota Tundra5.7 V82,080Nissan Titan5.6 V82,153