Full-sized US pick-ups, considered gas-guzzling monstrosities by some in our country, have found favour in the Aussie market with those who need a big comfortable work-and-play vehicle that is capable of towing more than the Aussie mainstream ute benchmark of 3500kg.
Once only available in Australia as costly grey imports with an expensive right-hand-drive conversion, now these big Yank Tanks have gained a foot-hold here, are readily available and becoming more and more popular.
If you’re considering purchasing a US pick-up, the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 are likely in your sights, so we’re going to take a look at this pair of big rigs.
Ute lovers, of which I’m proudly one, like to focus on plenty of the facts and figures that matter for work and play – price, power and torque outputs, turning circles, tub dimensions, fuel consumption and more – so, go with it, because I’m about to load you up with all of that good stuff.
It’s a real Battle of the Bulge and size does matter when it comes to full-sized US pick-ups.
For the sake of brevity and clarity, this yarn will focus on the top-spec Ford F-150 Lariat and the upper-spec Ram 1500 Limited Crew Cab. And we’re not going for a deep dive into how well stocked or how capacious they are – just know that they are.
The F-150 Lariat
The Melbourne branch of RMA Automotive is responsible for the right-hand-drive F-150 remanufacturing program, overseen by Ford Australia engineers.
The right-hand-drive F-150 line-up in Australia consists of two variants: the XLT and the Lariat. Both variants are available in standard or long-wheelbase.
The right-hand-drive F-150 line-up in Australia consists of two variants: the XLT and the Lariat.
The standard-wheelbase Lariat is priced from $139,950 and the long-wheelbase Lariat is priced from $140,945.
Standard features onboard the Lariat include a multimedia system with a 12-inch screen, an 8.0-inch driver display, a surround-view parking camera, power-adjustable heated and ventilated leather-accented seats, dual-zone climate control, moonroof, 20-inch alloy wheels, chrome bumpers front and rear, a spray-in bedliner and a power tailgate.
As for dimensions, well, there’s nothing small about the F-150. The standard-wheelbase Lariat is 5884mm long (with a 3694mm wheelbase), 2430mm wide (with mirrors out), and 1995mm tall.
The F-150 Lariat has a 3.5-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 petrol engine.
The long-wheelbase variant is 6184mm with a 3994mm wheelbase.
The standard variant has a kerb weight of 2535kg (with a payload of 685kg); the long-wheelbase variant tips the scales at 2555kg (with a payload of 710kg).
The standard variant has a GVM (gross vehicle mass) of 3220kg and GCM (gross combined mass) of 7720kg; the long-wheelbase Lariat has a GVM of 3265kg, and its GCM is 7765kg.
The standard-wheelbase Lariat is priced from $139,950.
Towing capacity (braked) is 4500kg, so 1000kg more than any mainstream ute available in the Aussie market.
And if you’re considering a full-sized US pick-up, you want to know about the business end, the tub, right? The standard Lariat’s tub is 1704mm long, 1285mm wide and 54mm deep. The distance from the ground to the tub’s load floor is 921mm. The long-wheelbase variant’s tub is 2004mm long.
The F-150 has a listed fuel consumption of 12.5L/100km (on a combined cycle). It has a 136-litre fuel tank, so the driving range may work out to be more than 1100km depending on your driving style, the road surface, and conditions.
Standard features onboard the Lariat include a multimedia system with a 12-inch screen.
The Lariat’s safety features include AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane centring, speed sign recognition and intersection assist, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist with driver alert.
Airbags in the F-150 include driver and front passenger, front side, knee, and curtain airbags.
The Ram 1500 is available in several variants including the Express, the Big Horn, the Laramie, the Laramie Sport and the Limited.
The Limited is priced from $156,950 (excluding on-road costs).
It has a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 petrol engine (producing 291kW at 5600rpm and 556Nm at 3950rpm), an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4WD with high- and low-range 4WD.
The Ram 1500 Limited is 2474mm wide and 1972mm high.
Standard features include a 12-inch touchscreen multimedia system with split-screen functionality, leather-trimmed, heated and ventilated seats, 22-inch black alloy wheels, panoramic sunroof, electric auto-deploy side steps, four-corner air-suspension, and fully damped tailgate with power release.
The Ram 1500 Limited is 5916mm long (with a 3672mm wheelbase), 2474mm wide and 1972mm high.
Its turning circle is 14.4m.
The Limited has a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 petrol engine.
Kerb weight is 2749kg. GVM is 3450kg, GCM is 7713kg.
Towing capacity (braked) is 4500kg, so, again, 1000kg more than any popular ute available in the Aussie market, think Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max et al.
The tub is 1712mm long, 1270mm wide, and 543mm deep. There are two 210-litre RamBox storage containers (basically a lockable rectangular cargo area), one on either side of the tub, and these are handy.
The Limited is priced from $156,950 (excluding on-road costs).
The Ram 1500 Limited has listed fuel consumption of 12.2L/100km (combined). It has a 98-litre fuel tank, so driving range is an estimated 803km.
Safety features include forward collision warning with active braking, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-path and trailer detection, 360° surround-view camera and parallel/perpendicular park assist, lane departure warning-plus and adaptive cruise control.
Airbags in the Ram 1500 include driver and front passenger, front side, knee, and curtain airbags.
Standard features include a 12-inch touchscreen multimedia system with split-screen functionality.
Warranty is three years/100,000km warranty.
What I reckon
There’s a place for full-sized US pick-ups in the Australian market and on Aussie roads, of course there is, as buyer behaviour and growing demand have well and truly shown that.
But these big rigs are hefty, expensive and occupy a niche-within-a-niche market – however they do make a lot of sense if someone wants a hardy towing platform or a work or recreational ute that will gobble up the miles (these are US trucks after all) and do it all in style and comfort.
As such, the Ford F-150 Lariat and the Ram 1500 Limited Crew Cab are even Steven in terms of mostly everything and they sit comfortably among any full-sized US pick-ups that deserve your attention.
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