rango88
Chuck Norris Drove a Ram
Asfew of you know last friday my Ranger went to the body shop for hail damage. My insurance called me up and asked if I wanted a rental, I said sure. Call up the rental company and they immediately saw I had a truck and asked if I wanted a truck as my rental. I made sure it was covered by the insurance and agreed. Choices of full size
-2012 Dodge Ram sport quad cab 4x4 (blue)
-2013 GMC Sierra crew cab 4.8L 4x4 (grey)
-2012 Gmc Sierra Crew cab 4.8L 4x4 (red)
Since the grey GMC was parked out front and ready to go I took that one. My brother has a 2010 ram so I didnt want to take a ram since I have driven one before. I wasnt sure how I would like the 4.8L in a crew cab format, or even the size of a full crew cab with short box but here we go.
I drove it home and immediately saw I was surrounded by three things
-Space and a lot of it (too much for my opinion, my fiance was sitting way to far to my right for liking
-Hard Plastic (the interior of the Sierra looks better in person then in pictures but it still looks and feels cheap. I do like the clarity of the dials, button placement and the steering wheel. Everything felt comfortable)
-lots of options (i was surrounded by lots of buttons my ranger could only dream of having. Onstar, Steering wheel mounted controls, bluetooth connectivity, 6 speakers that sounded great, dome light, auto headlights, vehicle information, etc. I could even completely turn off the traction control and stability with a push of a button. It had a bench seat but was more then comforable.
The engine left me somewhat laidback. The 4.8L had adequate power for merging and passing but off the line, its not an engine that feels rushed, power comes gradually with a great exhaust note. It just left me wondering "is the 5.3L better" I am sure for what I do the 4.8L would be fine, but it felt too lazy for my liking. I was also not a fan of the transmission. It shifted smoothly at cruising speed but the 4 spd OD was harsh when pushed above 2,000 RPM. Fuel Economy was far from impressive. I managed 16 MPG driving the same way I drive my ranger which achieves 19 MPG at this time of the year. Buying a GMC I am sure I'd opt for the 5.3L for better performance and for its 6 spd tranny.
Overall the truck impressed me. I tried to open minded, but out of the big three, the GM full sizes were my least favorite on paper and in terms of looks (exterior and interior). It was nice to drive, the steering was responsive (although a little light for my liking) the chassis was great in handling and the rear suspension bounced a lot less then my ranger does. It offered a pleasant ride and even my fiance was comfortable sitting the back seat.
But driving the Sierra for a weekend for 200 KMs through stop and go traffic, mall and hospital parking lots, backing up in my usual parking space merely confirm what I feared. I hate driving full sizes. I have driven a 2001 Ram, a 2010 Ram and now a 2013 Sierra and I hate how wide it feels on the rode, I hate not properly seeing where the front bumper is. I hate the height (I/m 6"2 and the ranger is the perfect height). I hate the length (tried to do a three point turn and it ended up being a 5 point turn. Now I know these are all things that are easily overcome with time and practice but I just dont see myself with one.
I enjoyed the space (a true back seat) and having a 6 ft bed would be fine with me, and I especially loved having a v8 (I dont mind the MPG if the performance is there). I loved cruising at 1,500 RPM at 60 MPH and not hearing anything but when you get on the throttle the pushrod engine sounds great, but the trade offs are enough to get me in one. the GMC's MSRP was $43,000. I am keeping my Ranger for a lot longer now, I thought of maybe getting a Ram with the 3.6L when it came out but no way. The bigger I'll go now if I need it (for kids) is a Frontier crew cab.
All I can say is that it felt like home driving my truck back yesterday. It felt great seeing my 4L SOHC on the hood, 5 spd manual in my hand, the road noise in my ears, but most of being able to park and fit anywhere
To those that traded up from a ranger to a full size, I respect you, its quite a big step in terms of size and its one I dont want to make. Rock your F150, Sierra Silverado, Ram or w-e truck makes you happy but this weekend confirmed that I love my Ranger
Next step is installing the LED cargo 3rd brake light I got from Buggman.
-2012 Dodge Ram sport quad cab 4x4 (blue)
-2013 GMC Sierra crew cab 4.8L 4x4 (grey)
-2012 Gmc Sierra Crew cab 4.8L 4x4 (red)
Since the grey GMC was parked out front and ready to go I took that one. My brother has a 2010 ram so I didnt want to take a ram since I have driven one before. I wasnt sure how I would like the 4.8L in a crew cab format, or even the size of a full crew cab with short box but here we go.
I drove it home and immediately saw I was surrounded by three things
-Space and a lot of it (too much for my opinion, my fiance was sitting way to far to my right for liking
-Hard Plastic (the interior of the Sierra looks better in person then in pictures but it still looks and feels cheap. I do like the clarity of the dials, button placement and the steering wheel. Everything felt comfortable)
-lots of options (i was surrounded by lots of buttons my ranger could only dream of having. Onstar, Steering wheel mounted controls, bluetooth connectivity, 6 speakers that sounded great, dome light, auto headlights, vehicle information, etc. I could even completely turn off the traction control and stability with a push of a button. It had a bench seat but was more then comforable.
The engine left me somewhat laidback. The 4.8L had adequate power for merging and passing but off the line, its not an engine that feels rushed, power comes gradually with a great exhaust note. It just left me wondering "is the 5.3L better" I am sure for what I do the 4.8L would be fine, but it felt too lazy for my liking. I was also not a fan of the transmission. It shifted smoothly at cruising speed but the 4 spd OD was harsh when pushed above 2,000 RPM. Fuel Economy was far from impressive. I managed 16 MPG driving the same way I drive my ranger which achieves 19 MPG at this time of the year. Buying a GMC I am sure I'd opt for the 5.3L for better performance and for its 6 spd tranny.
Overall the truck impressed me. I tried to open minded, but out of the big three, the GM full sizes were my least favorite on paper and in terms of looks (exterior and interior). It was nice to drive, the steering was responsive (although a little light for my liking) the chassis was great in handling and the rear suspension bounced a lot less then my ranger does. It offered a pleasant ride and even my fiance was comfortable sitting the back seat.
But driving the Sierra for a weekend for 200 KMs through stop and go traffic, mall and hospital parking lots, backing up in my usual parking space merely confirm what I feared. I hate driving full sizes. I have driven a 2001 Ram, a 2010 Ram and now a 2013 Sierra and I hate how wide it feels on the rode, I hate not properly seeing where the front bumper is. I hate the height (I/m 6"2 and the ranger is the perfect height). I hate the length (tried to do a three point turn and it ended up being a 5 point turn. Now I know these are all things that are easily overcome with time and practice but I just dont see myself with one.
I enjoyed the space (a true back seat) and having a 6 ft bed would be fine with me, and I especially loved having a v8 (I dont mind the MPG if the performance is there). I loved cruising at 1,500 RPM at 60 MPH and not hearing anything but when you get on the throttle the pushrod engine sounds great, but the trade offs are enough to get me in one. the GMC's MSRP was $43,000. I am keeping my Ranger for a lot longer now, I thought of maybe getting a Ram with the 3.6L when it came out but no way. The bigger I'll go now if I need it (for kids) is a Frontier crew cab.
All I can say is that it felt like home driving my truck back yesterday. It felt great seeing my 4L SOHC on the hood, 5 spd manual in my hand, the road noise in my ears, but most of being able to park and fit anywhere
To those that traded up from a ranger to a full size, I respect you, its quite a big step in terms of size and its one I dont want to make. Rock your F150, Sierra Silverado, Ram or w-e truck makes you happy but this weekend confirmed that I love my Ranger
Next step is installing the LED cargo 3rd brake light I got from Buggman
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