2021 truck comparison: New Ford F-150 vs. Silverado 1500, Ram 1500 and Tundra

Regardless of whether you’re shopping for a new car, SUV or pickup, today’s vehicles are definitely greater than the sum of their spec sheets. That said, it’s often useful to compare the cold, hard numbers to see how any candidates for your hard-earned dollars stack up. That’s especially true when it comes to light-duty pickups, because capability is everything. Ford has just unveiled its 2021 F-150 full-size truck, and while the company has yet to give us the main numbers like as power, towing and payload, it’s given enough specs to get an idea of how this truck will stack up with the competition. Here’s how it the Blue Oval’s most-important new model lines up against the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ram 1500 and Toyota Tundra.

The name of the game in full-size trucks is choice. Cab choice, bed choice, but namely, engine choice. Ford has no fewer than six powertrain options, including everything from a base, naturally aspirated, 3.3-liter V6, to its new 3.5-liter PowerBoost hybrid V6. Other companies aren’t quite so robust. Chevrolet offers five engines starting with a 4.3-liter V6 and climbing to a huge 6.2-liter V8. Ram has four engines available, including two mild-hybrid models. Toyota, meanwhile, only offers the Tundra with a naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V8.

While Ford isn’t divulging most of the official performance numbers, the company says it’s targeting at least 12,000 pounds of towing capacity and a 700-mile driving range with the new full-hybrid PowerBoost drivetrain. If that comes to pass, the F-150 will offer best-in-class towing — assuming it can beat the 12,100-pound capability Chevrolet’s Silverado has when equipped with GM’s 6.2-liter small-block V8 (and an optional max-towing package).

For the sake of this comparison, I’ve divided the engine choices into base, midlevel, upper-midlevel and upper-level specs. I’ve also included a table for the diesel and hybrid powerplants. For towing and payload, I’ve assumed the maximum capability for those particular engines. In most cases, that means those powertrains come on a two-wheel-drive, regular-cab model with a long bed, but not always. For fuel economy, I’ve used these trucks’ two-wheel-drive specs.

Full-size pickup truck: Base engine specs

Sure, most folks will option up, but that doesn’t mean that the standard engines have nothing to offer. While I don’t have specs for the 2021 Ford F-150’s 3.3-liter V6, the 2020 model produces a healthy 290 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. The base engine in the Ram 1500 is actually a mild-hybrid V6 with E-Torque technology, giving drivers an extra boost off the line.

Full-size pickup truck: Midlevel engine specs

Both Ford and Chevrolet offer turbocharged 2.7-liter engines here. Again, there’s no word as to whether the 2021 F-150 will get an uptick in power, but the current 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine pushes out 325 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. It’s doubtful that those numbers will go down, so the F-150 should handily beat out the Silverado in this category.

Full-size pickup truck: Upper-midlevel engine specs

Again it’s the Chevrolet fighting against the Ford when we go up a step. Here the Chevy is rife with transmission options for its 5.3-liter V8, but experience tells me the 10-speed on offer with Ford’s 3.5-liter V6 will be pretty darn good. What’s more, Ford’s 3.5-liter is turbocharged, so even though it’s smaller overall when compared to the Chevrolet’s V8, for 2020 it puts out 375 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. I don’t expect those numbers to move much.

Full-size pickup truck: Upper-level engine specs

Now we’re getting into the good stuff, with V8s offered across the line. The Silverado punches at the top thanks to its large displacement — for which there is no replacement. Again, I don’t have confirmed numbers for the 2021 F-150’s 5.0-liter V8, but for reference, the 2020 model pushes out 395 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.

Full-size pickup truck: Diesel engine specs

We’ve seen a resurgence in diesel offerings lately. Once seen mainly on heavy-duty trucks, diesels have been making their way down to half-ton and even midsize offerings. The current 3.0-liter diesel from Ford lags behind the oil-burners from Chevy and Ram, so let’s hope Ford perks up its numbers for 2021.

Full-size pickup truck: Hybrid powertrain specs

In this hybrid chart, note that the F-150 is a full hybrid powertrain while the Ram 1500 E-Torque is a mild hybrid with an electric starter-generator. Ram offers this technology in standard in the 3.6-liter V6 and as an option with the 5.7-liter V8.

Size matters with full-size, light-duty trucks

For both interior and exterior measurements, I’m using the popular crew-cab, short-bed configurations of two-wheel-drive trucks across the board. (Note: For the Ram 1500, fields with duplicate numbers indicate the maximum available with the optional air suspension.)

When it comes to exterior dimensions, the 2021 F-150 seems to split the difference nicely between the larger Ram 1500 and the Toyota Tundra, which is the shortest of the bunch. It’s one of the narrowest in terms of width without mirrors, but remember, if you want to add towing mirrors, you’ll add a whole lot of width. In the case of the F-150, the larger mirrors add a whopping 26 inches.

Inside, the Ford runs about midpack. The Silverado wins the front head- and legroom contest, but if you know you’ll have bigger folks in the rear seats, the F-150 offers the most space. Not surprisingly, the aging Toyota Tundra comes in last in most categories.

Off-Road ability

If you’re going to take your truck off road — and you should — ground clearance and angles are paramount. I’ve excluded the Ford F-150 Raptor, Ram 1500 Rebel, Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and the Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss in these numbers, as they really are different trucks in both design and price. Instead, I’ve assumed a four-wheel-drive, crew-cab model with a short bed.

Even though Ram touts its Rebel for serious off-roading, you can get air suspension on non-Rebel trucks, which results in excellent geometry and ground clearance. (Note: Fields with duplicate numbers indicate the specs with the air suspension.) But even with just a standard steel suspension, the Ford holds its own here. The Toyota Tundra  has a great approach angle of 26 degrees, but with just 17 degrees of departure angle, expect to scrape the bed a lot. Toyota unfortunately does not publish the breakover angle for the Tundra.

While it’s tough to make a recommendation without knowing all of the F-150’s numbers, it looks like the new truck lines up nicely with the rest of the segment — no surprise, as the F-150 has been America’s best-selling truck for going on 43 years now. For 2021, the F-150 has a few key new features that can’t be shown in a chart, like the available Pro Power Onboard that functions as a generator for accessory power on the go, a new interior work surface and Max Recline front seats that stretch out a full 180 degrees, perfect for job-site nap breaks.

I’ll be sure to update you when Ford releases full power, payload and towing numbers, but for now, let’s just say that I look forward to putting my butt behind the wheel of Ford’s new 2021 F-150.