Price
Winner: 2019 Ford F-150
The 2019 Ford F-150 XL, the base trim, starts at $28,155. That undercuts the base Ram 1500 Tradesman by more than $3,500, giving the Ford the win.
If you want more luxury in your truck, the F-150 Limited trim starts at $67,135 and offers amenities that rival some highly ranked luxury cars. The Ram 1500 Limited (the highest trim offered) starts at $55,485. It matches the F-150 Limited’s luxurious appointments, despite its significantly lower cost.
Still, with a lower base price, the F-150 gets the win.
Reliability
Winner: TBD
The Ram 1500 was completely redesigned for the 2019 model year and has yet to be tested by J.D. Power. However, the previous generation earned average to above-average predicted reliability ratings over its tenure.
The 2019 Ford F-150 similarly does not yet have a predicted reliability rating, but is part of a generation that has earned mostly above-average scores from J.D. Power.
Because these trucks haven’t yet been given a predicted reliability rating, we’re unable to call a winner on this slide.
Safety
Winner: 2019 Ford F-150
The Ford F-150 is one of the safest vehicles in our full-size truck rankings. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave it the highest rating of Good in every crash test category. The IIHS also gave the F-150’s front crash prevention systems a Superior rating (the highest possible). Only the F-150’s headlights received a low rating.
In National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests, the F-150 earned a five-star overall rating, with five out of five stars in two tests, and four stars in one test.
The 2019 Ram 1500 has similar ratings in IIHS tests, with Good ratings in every crash test and a Superior front crash prevention score. The Ram 1500 bested the F-150’s headlight score, with a Marginal rating.
The NHTSA only tested the Ram 1500 in two categories, and it scored lower than the F-150, with a four-star rating in one test and three stars in the other.
Not only does the F-150 have higher safety ratings overall, but it comes standard with more advanced safety systems, too. The Ram 1500’s base model only has a rearview camera, while the F-150 comes standard with a rearview camera, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection. You can get these features in the Ram 1500, but you’ll have to step up from the base model.
Seat Comfort
Winner: Tie
The base Ram offers standard vinyl upholstery, while the base F-150 offers standard cloth upholstery. However, when it comes to the interior of these two trucks, it’s best to look a bit beyond the base trims.
You can upgrade the F-150’s interior (pictured above) to vinyl or leather seating in both rows. The 2019 Ram 1500 can be upgraded to cloth, leather, or premium leather upholstery.
Both vehicles offer plenty of room for adults in the front or back. With the Ram’s folding back seat, you can actually lie down across the floor if you’re out camping and forget a tent.
Because these models both have ample passenger room, comfortable seats, and loads of upgrades, we’re calling this category a tie.
Cargo Space
Winner: Tie
The Ford F-150 is available with three different bed sizes: a 5-foot-6-inch bed, a 6-foot-6-inch bed, and an 8-foot bed. You can add some helpful features to your F-150’s bed as well, including an integrated tailgate step, stowable loading ramps, and Ford’s BoxLink system, which makes it easy to secure your load with movable tie-downs.
The 2019 Ram 1500 (pictured above) only offers two bed sizes: a 6-foot-4-inch bed and a 5-foot-7-inch bed. Although the F-150 offers a longer bed option, the Ram has numerous interior storage spaces. Both sides of the floor in the second row have RamBins, which can hold a surprising amount of gear. You can also get the available RamBox, which adds storage cubbies along both sides of the bed.
Interior Quality
Winner: 2019 Ram 1500
The 2019 Ram 1500 is built with high-quality materials and exudes luxury. The Ram 1500 includes real wood on its dashboard, as well as, according to FCA, more real leather than any other full-size truck on the market. The cabin is quiet, even with a V8 Hemi roaring a few feet in front of you.
In upper trims, the F-150 is also luxurious and features high-end materials. At lower price points, however, there are some plastic trim pieces that cheapen the cabin’s quality.
Interior Features
Winner: 2019 Ram 1500
Among full-size pickup trucks, the Ram 1500 has a long list of standard features, including a 5-inch touch screen, three USB ports, and push-button start. Available features on the Ram include a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, wireless device charging, an upgraded version of FCA’s Uconnect system, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and either an 8.4-inch touch-screen display or a vertical 12-inch tablet-like display.
The Ford F-150 doesn’t offer many standard features; it just comes with a radio and basic climate controls. However, available features are abundant and include dual-zone automatic climate control, Ford’s SYNC 3 infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a USB port, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system.
The Ram’s more abundant standard features and large, up-to-date infotainment screen give it the win in this category.
Powertrain
Winner: 2019 Ford F-150
The redesigned Ram 1500 offers drivers a choice of a standard 305-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 or an available 5.7-liter V8 Hemi that pushes out 395 horsepower.
The base F-150 comes with a 3.3-liter V6 that pushes out 290 horsepower. A turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 making 325 horsepower, a 375-horsepower turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, and a 5.0-liter V8 that makes 395 horsepower are also available. Unlike the Ram, the Ford is also available with a diesel engine. It’s a 250-horsepower turbodiesel V6 that puts out 440 pound-feet of torque
Looking at base engines, the Ram should win this. However, step up a few trim levels (and maybe financial brackets) and you can put yourself in the F-150 Raptor. That beast comes with a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 that produces 450 horsepower. The Raptor will go wherever it pleases and it will get there fast. New for 2019, the Raptor’s engine also comes in the Limited model if you desire the ultimate in luxury along with the ultimate in power.
The Ford’s wider range of engines and powerful Raptor and Limited models give it the edge.
Fuel Economy
Winner: 2019 Ram 1500
The 2019 Ford F-150 is one of the most fuel-efficient trucks on the market. The base 3.3-liter V6 engine gets 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Fuel economy is more or less the same when you upgrade to either of the two turbocharged engines. The F-150 Raptor gets pretty poor estimates at 15 mpg city and 18 mpg highway.
Still, as fuel-efficient as the F-150 is, the Ram 1500 ultimately comes out on top. With its base V6, it gets 20 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Models with the optional V8 get 15 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway.
Ride & Handling
Winner: 2019 Ram 1500
Setting the bar for how a full-size truck should handle the road, the 2019 Ram 1500 feels stable both on the highway and through twisting roads. It comes standard with rear-wheel drive, though four-wheel drive is available. An air suspension can be added to make the ride even smoother.
The 2019 Ford F-150 is no slouch when it comes to handling. The truck is competent on winding roads and offers a smooth ride, even with larger wheels.
However, it just can’t match the redesigned Ram’s refined handling.
Towing
Winner: 2019 Ford F-150
When it comes to towing, nothing in the full-size pickup truck class can match the 2019 Ford F-150. Properly equipped, the F-150 can tow 13,200 pounds. The truck also helps drivers with Trailer Backup Assist, Dynamic Hitch Assist, and Trailer Sway Control.
The Ram 1500 isn’t far behind the F-150 when it comes to towing, with the ability to tow up to 12,750 pounds when properly equipped. That’s over 2,000 pounds more towing capacity than the previous generation.
The Winner Is …
2019 Ram 1500
The full-size pickup truck category is getting more competitive with each redesigned truck. The Ford F-150 was sitting pretty at the top for a few years, but the Ram 1500 has officially dethroned it in our rankings. Don’t think that the F-150 is a bad truck though, because it is still one of the best full-size trucks on the market.
When it comes to ride, interior features, cabin quality, and gas mileage, the Ram 1500 is the right truck for you. The F-150, on the other hand, has a lower base price, a wider range of engine options, higher towing capacity, and a better safety score.
This head-to-head was very close, with the models each coming out on top in four categories. In the end, we’re giving the win to the 2019 Ram 1500 since it has a higher overall score in our full-size pickup rankings.
More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report
If you want more information about the Ram 1500 or Ford F-150, check out their reviews. To see how they compare to the rest of the class, take a look at our full-size pickup truck rankings. You can also see our compact pickup truck rankings, if a smaller truck fits your needs.
Be sure to take a look at our best lease deals and financing deals pages. There, we’ve compiled a list of all the best incentives manufacturers are currently offering.
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2019 Ram 1500 vs. 2019 Ford F-150: Head to Head
- Price Winner: 2019 Ford F-150
- Reliability Winner: TBD
- Safety Winner: 2019 Ford F-150
- Seat Comfort Winner: Tie
- Cargo Space Winner: Tie
- Interior Quality Winner: 2019 Ram 1500
- Interior Features Winner: 2019 Ram 1500
- Powertrain Winner: 2019 Ford F-150
- Fuel Economy Winner: 2019 Ram 1500
- Ride & Handling Winner: 2019 Ram 1500
- Towing Winner: 2019 Ford F-150
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Which Full-Size Pickup Truck Comes Out on Top?
Full-size pickup trucks make up one of the most popular segments on the market. It seems like all across America people are buying pickup trucks at an extremely fast rate.
The Ford F-150 has historically been one of the best trucks available, and for good reason. It consistently gets high ratings and is also one of the safest trucks in the class. In fact, the F-150 is such a strong entrant in the pickup market that it helped Ford win our 2019 Best Truck Brand award.
The Ram 1500 has been completely redesigned for the 2019 model year. The new truck has a smooth ride, comfortable seats, and one of the nicest cabins in the class. It’s currently one of our top-ranking trucks.
Our rankings and reviews are changing constantly as we get new safety and reliability data, as well as new reviews from industry experts. Because of that, some of the rankings and scoring information in this article may not match our reviews.
Read on to see which of these two full-size pickup trucks comes out on top.