Pickup Trucks: Ratings of Sources
Total of 23 Sources
For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.
2008 Light-Duty Shootout
by Mike Levine
Our Assessment
PickupTrucks.com sets up a six-way shootout, judging popular half-ton pickup trucks on everything from comfort and fuel economy to off-road driving. The Ford F-150 takes the top spot -- even though the… Chevy Silverado dominates the power/performance category. No similar test is conducted for compact pickup trucks, but you can click on the reviews tab to read expert reviews of all pickups, with user ratings for some models. This site, which is owned by Cars.com, does a superb job covering pickup-related news overall.
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Half-Ton Fight Club
by Mark Williams
Our Assessment
Truck Trend was among the outlets invited to participate in PickupTruck.com's "Light-Duty Shootout," in which six half-ton pickup trucks go head-to-head. Its editors pick a different winner, however. The Chevy Silverado finishes first, barely edging out the 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year, the Ford F-150.
2009 Truck of the Year
by Frank Markus
Our Assessment
Motor Trend's annual Truck of the Year competition is limited to trucks that are brand new or significantly changed for a model year. Finalists include the Dodge Ram, Ford F-150, Hummer H3T and Suzuki Equator. The Ford F-150 wins, following testing on- and off-road, loaded and unloaded.
Truck Trend's Best in Class 2009
by Editors of Truck Trend
Our Assessment
Truck Trend's editors select best-in-class trucks, giving extra weight to value, towing and off-road capability. The best 2009 crew-cab pickup trucks are the Ford F-150 and runner-up Toyota Tundra. The best compact pickups are the Toyota Tacoma and runner-up Dodge Dakota.
2009 Full-Size Pickup Truck Comparison Test Drives: Exclusive
by Larry Webster
Our Assessment
Popular Mechanics tests five 2009 full-size pickup trucks: the Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, Nissan Titan, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra. Testers judge the trucks' comfort, features, performance (both loaded and unloaded), fuel economy and towing. The Ford F-150 finishes first, but Popular Mechanics says they are all "capable work machines."
6. ConsumerReports.org
Not Dated
Pickup Trucks
by Editors of ConsumerReports.org
Our Assessment
Consumer Reports purchases and exhaustively tests dozens of cars and trucks each year, recommending a handful of models across segments. Experts here place more emphasis on safety, reliability and fuel economy than many other pickup reviews do.
Dodge Ram vs. Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado
by Tony Swan
Our Assessment
Car and Driver pits its most recent comparison winner, the Chevy Silverado, against two newly redesigned full-size pickups: the 2009 Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram. Reviewers conclude that the Ram has surpassed the other two overall, although its towing capacity and fuel economy are the worst of the three. Experts here also provide single-vehicle reviews for most other pickups.
Top Recommended Trucks
by Editors of Edmunds.com
Our Assessment
Edmunds.com offers an insightful 2009 Truck Buying Guide, along with these top picks. Among small trucks, Edmunds favors the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma, while the Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram 1500 are named the best full-size trucks. This is also a good spot to read how owners feel about their trucks after weeks, months and sometimes years on the road.
Chevy Silverado vs. Dodge Ram vs. Ford F-150 vs. Toyota Tundra
by Dan Edmunds
Our Assessment
Edmunds Inside Line tests the new 2009 Ford F-150 and 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 against two other full-size pickups, the Toyota Tundra and Chevy Silverado (the Nissan Titan is too outdated, Inside Line… concludes). The Ram finishes first; the F-150 takes a surprising last place with a sluggish engine in towing and regular driving tests. Testers take the trucks off-road in the sand, but the write-up includes no details about off-road performance.
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2009 Pickup Truck Buying Guides
by Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
Our Assessment
ConsumerGuide.com tests most cars on the market. Top-rated trucks get a Recommended or Best Buy designation. The 2009 Toyota Tacoma, Dodge Ram and Ford F-150 are named Best Buys; the Dodge Dakota, Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Toyota Tundra earn Recommended tags. Consumer Guide is a great place to find options and trim-level information, along with pricing.
Video: 2009 Ford F-150 Versus 2009 Dodge Ram
by Chris Shunk
Our Assessment
Autoblog.com provides comprehensive car reviews, as well as news about the auto industry. Reviewers here haven't tackled many pickup trucks recently, but this video review comparing the new 2009 Dodge Ram… 1500 and Ford F-150 is very well done (each truck gets a written review, too). The workhorse Ford just edges out the impressive but more recreational Dodge. A web search also turns up reviews of the new-for-2009 Hummer H3T Alpha and Suzuki Equator.
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Showdown: Dodge Ram Laramie 4x4 vs. Ford F-150 Lariat 4x4
by Andrew Ganz
Our Assessment
LeftLaneNews.com tests a wide variety of new vehicles, and reviews are thorough and well-written. In this head-to-head test, reviewer Andrew Ganz finds the Ford a better daily driver with bigger towing… capacity, but the Dodge wins by a hair thanks to its impressive powertrain and style. Browse this blog's reviews and you'll also find reviews for the 2009 Hummer H3T (it's tested against a Toyota Tacoma and a Ford F-150), Chevy Colorado and Chevy Silverado 1500. Of these, only the Silverado impresses Ganz; if it had been in the Dodge-Ford comparo, it might have edged Ford for second place, he says.
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Car Reviews and Ratings
by Editors of TheTruthAboutCars.com
Our Assessment
TheTruthAboutCars.com doesn't hesitate to rip into a horrible vehicle, but reviews here are usually thorough, balanced and very useful. The site reviews a wide variety of cars, but only four 2009 pickups: the Dodge Ram 1500 and Ford F-150 (both of which earn four stars out of five) and the Hummer H3T and Dodge Dakota (both of which get one star).
2009 Most and Least Fuel Efficient Trucks
by Editors of FuelEconomy.gov
Our Assessment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists fuel economy estimates and pollution ratings for most vehicles on the market at this user-friendly website. Officials also name the most and least… fuel-efficient vehicles in each category. The most fuel-efficient small pickups are the rear-wheel-drive versions of the Ford Ranger, Mazda B2300 and Toyota Tacoma; least efficient are the four-wheel-drive Ford Ranger and Mazda B4000. The most fuel-efficient standard pickups are the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid rear-wheel-drive models, followed by the Dodge Dakota and Mitsubishi Raider rear-wheel-drive versions. The four-wheel-drive Nissan Titan is the least efficient in this class.
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5-Star Safety Ratings
by Editors of Safercar.gov
Our Assessment
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash-tests most new vehicles. Ratings reflect their ability to protect their drivers and passengers in both frontal and side crashes, as well as their likelihood of rolling over. The Honda Ridgeline and the rear-wheel-drive version of the Toyota Tacoma both earn five-star crash ratings and are the least likely to roll over.
Top Safety Picks 2009
by Editors of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Our Assessment
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit organization supported by the insurance industry, crash-tests most new vehicles. Its tests are slightly different than the government's; frontal tests… are offset (hitting only a portion of the vehicle's front) rather than straight-on, and the IIHS conducts rear crash tests instead of rollover tests. To be named a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must get good scores in all tests and offer electronic stability control. The Toyota Tacoma is the only small pickup to earn the Top Safety Pick award. The Honda Ridgeline, Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra win the award among large pickups.
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Recommended Shopping Lists: Pickups
by Editors of Kelley Blue Book
Our Assessment
The editors of Kelley Blue Book choose five best-bet pickups in both small and large categories. All of the usual competitors are reviewed here, but editors don't compare the trucks or try to rank them in any way. More useful are Kelley Blue Book's resale value predictions; the Toyota Tacoma compact pickup and Toyota Tundra full-size pickup win the Best Resale Value award.
2009 4x4 of the Year
by Fred Williams
Our Assessment
This magazine's test concentrates on only one thing: off-road ability. Five new or redesigned pickups -- the Dodge Ram TRX4, Hummer H3 Alpha, Ford F-150 FX4, Hummer H3T Adventure and Suzuki Equator Crew Cab RMZ-4 -- compete in the sand, rocks, dirt and on asphalt. Experts here are stunned when the Suzuki beats all of the big names.
Best Bets: 2009 Pickup Trucks
by Editors of Cars.com
Our Assessment
Cars.com now owns MotherProof.com and PickupTrucks.com, both of which produce truck reviews. Cars.com picks its own list of pickup Best Bets: the Ford F-150, Honda Ridgeline, Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Tundra. All trucks get their own write-ups, with links to other publications' reviews.
2009 Equator Has the Basics Down Pat
by Sherrice Gilsbach
Our Assessment
At MotherProof.com (owned by Cars.com), moms test new cars by living with them for a week or more. Reviewer Sherrice Gilsbach tests the 2009 Suzuki Equator with her two children, ages 3 and 6. She says it's… pretty good for a family, with a roomy backseat and easy-wipe upholstery, but she wishes for a cargo net and tonneau cover to make the bed more grocery-friendly. A search turns up a short review for the 2009 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrids, but MotherProof.com reviews very few trucks.
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First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid
by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Our Assessment
Autoblog.com's sister site covers the green side of the auto industry, with news about new hybrids, alternative fuels, electric vehicles, etc. This road test of the 2009 Chevy Silverado Hybrid and its twin, the GMC Sierra Hybrid, concludes that the trucks work well, towing large loads and delivering their estimated 21 mpg-plus fuel economy.
TheCarConnection.com's Best In Class: Pickup Trucks
by Marty Padgett
Our Assessment
TheCarConnection.com says its reviewers considered outside reviews, as well as their own driving impressions, when coming up with this list of the best pickup trucks. The Dodge Ram wins the award for best full-size pickup, the Nissan Frontier for best midsize/compact pickup and the Cadillac Escalade EXT for best sport-utility truck.
Ratings: New and Used Cars
by Editors of J.D. Power and Associates
Our Assessment
J.D. Power and Associates conducts massive owner surveys to find the best vehicles in initial quality, consumer appeal and more. The most recent ratings are for 2008 models (except for the dependability… study, which surveys people who bought their new cars in 2006). This landing page offers ratings searchable by vehicle category, including both midsize and large pickups, The Toyota Tundra and Ford Ranger are named the most dependable pickups. The Chevy Silverado and Dodge Dakota are best in initial quality, and the Chevy Avalanche and Honda Ridgeline get the best ratings for consumer appeal.
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