Trucks are as popular as ever and the Ford F-Series truck continues to be the top-selling vehicle in the US, but the competition is strong.
The Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra are also competent contenders in the full-sized pickup truck segment and of those, the sport versions are understandably popular.
Ford’s F-150 Raptor is the go-to hardcore choice when style and speed matters (above that sits the even faster Raptor R), but the F-150 Tremor is a capable machine with comparable power to the Raptor.
Still, finding the right flagship pickup can be difficult, but if it’s straight-line-speed you’re after, YouTube channel Sam CarLegion presents a drag race between three extremely-evenly-matched sport pickups.
What Do They Consider The Best Full-Size Truck?
The best pickup is another subjective conundrum, but Sam groups together trucks with comparable power outputs and the same type of drivetrains to see if one truck stands out in a series of drag races.
This won’t be a test of practicality, value for money, towing or comparison of features: it will test the trucks’ acceleration abilities.
In the race there is a Ford F-150 Tremor – a 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 with 400 hp and 500 lb-ft, a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro with the same type of engine and 389 hp and 479 lb-ft that is lighter than the Tremor, and finally a Chevy Silverado ZR2 with a 6.2-liter, naturally-aspirated V8 engine that is heavier than the others but has the most power at 420 hp and 460 lb-ft.
Will there be a clear winner in this race where the specs all seem evenly-matched and all machines have 4WD and 10-speed automatic transmissions?
The Best Full-Size Pickup Truck Is The Ford F-150 Tremor By 0-60-Mph Time
In an intriguing series of races, all the trucks are so evenly-matched that they follow each other side-by-side down to the finish line every time, with negligible difference in position.
It becomes clear though that the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro has a slow-reacting transmission that the team refer to as ‘Pretty garbage’. That, in combination with its higher weight and lower torque, may be its downfall in this type of drag race, though it loses by a trivial amount even so.
The takeaway is that the Ford F-150 Tremor is the winner here, with a marginal lead in the rolling start race and seems like a good candidate for a full-size pickup if you want the fastest one.
This doesn’t take into account off-road prowess or handling either, but the Ford is also cheaper than the other two trucks.
It is crucially also much cheaper (around $16,000) than the Ford F-150 Raptor. The difference between the Tremor and the Raptor are the power and torque levels, towing ability, the powertrain, suspension set up and more. The Tremor has more than 2,000 lbs extra towing ability, so if you don’t need the Raptor’s upgraded suspension and the extra 50 hp, the Tremor could be a smart purchase. If all else fails and money is no object, there's still the Ford F-150 Raptor R for the ultimate in quarter-mile fun.