Ford XL vs GMC Pro Trim best bang for you buck

[COGrandDes]

The Pro trim with nothing added will probably get the best payload. I don't know what else would get 4100 lbs payload in a SRW.

Interesting that payload number for the Denali is down 140 lbs from my long bed......

[lorend]

Curious what size tires you are running on the Montana. The ones we have on our GD have a speed rating of 81mph. Don't want to push too close to that rating so it sure does not give me a chance to compare to your 80 mph ride.

[jh2pizza]

I forgot to add the Ford rides like a truck. I remember we were driving the GMC and as soon as my buddy rode in it (who owns a ford) instantly commented how nice the GMC rides.

Yet another thing I liked about the GMC.

It's a great thing that we have choices for each of our tastes and preferences. We went to Yellowstone last fall in my new GMC and it was like sitting in an easy chair pulling at 80+ MPH with my new GMC and our 16K lb 40' Montana. Once we arrived in the area, we carpooled with our friends in/out of the park each day in their new F350 which they used to pull their travel trailer. My wife and I both could not wait to get back into our truck after several days in the Ford. We much prefer the car-like comfort of the GMC, the ride, and I do like the brushed aluminum accents and custom stitching in the interior of my AT4. To each his own....Lol

[COGrandDes]

Curious what size tires you are running on the Montana. The ones we have on our GD have a speed rating of 81mph. Don't want to push too close to that rating so it sure does not give me a chance to compare to your 80 mph ride.

I ran these: Power King Towmax STR II - Trailer ST235/85R16 and never had a problem. I replaced them after every three camping seasons though. I don't mess around with keeping them too long to ensure I don't have blowouts. It's cheap insurance. They were great tires and I had a couple sets of them on the Montana before I traded it last fall for the GD Reflection.

[gabathey]

With a 40" inseam, I always go with the one with the most front seat leg room So, in 2021, that was Ford. Love my Lariat.

But .. this winter I have sworn that I will never buy another new truck without a heated steering wheel, which the Lariate ultimate package does not offer - didn't know that at the time. We'll see what happens when I see the price tag in a few years!

[Jwalthall]

I ordered a Ford Super Duty XLT with exactly what I wanted...and am entirely happy with the whole experience. I was not extravagant but got everything we needed for comfort and functionality. The delivery was only about 60-days and the quality was excellent. GMC was also a consideration but the local dealers were not interested a Ford's service beat them out! I did add the leather interior locally for $1200 and the bed-liner for about $400.

[Wileykid]

Sounds like the same truck that I have. No sunroof on mine. Does the one you are looking at have a crew cab?

Here is the door sticker of a '22 3500 Denali. This had a sunroof. Payload is down 119 lbs. from mine.

Attachment 44722

It doesn't have the sunroof. Also, the one I am looking at is a LTZ, which will be lighter than the Denali, and the Chevy is usually lighter than a GMC, as it is not as "upscale". I am waiting to actually see the sticker, but also, I was reminded that in a couple of months, Chevy is getting the refreshed interior, and the engine has been tuned for more hp and torque, a mid-year update. I may wait for that and see if any of the numbers change.

I am not a fan of the sunroof, have one on my current truck, and have opened it twice over three years. Surprisingly, the sunroof will account for 150-200 lbs of payload.

It is too bad that Chevy, and Ford do not allow you to look at the payload number on a specific truck with the vin, like you can with RAM. Ford did it for about two months, and stopped.

[COGrandDes]

It doesn't have the sunroof. Also, the one I am looking at is a LTZ, which will be lighter than the Denali, and the Chevy is usually lighter than a GMC, as it is not as "upscale". I am waiting to actually see the sticker, but also, I was reminded that in a couple of months, Chevy is getting the refreshed interior, and the engine has been tuned for more torque, a mid-year update. I may wait for that and see if any of the numbers change.

I am not a fan of the sunroof, have one on my current truck, and have opened it twice over three years. Surprisingly, the sunroof will account for 150-200 lbs of payload.

It is too bad that Chevy, and Ford do not allow you to look at the payload number on a specific truck with the vin, like you can with RAM. Ford did it for about two months, and stopped.

Those are good points. I have to agree on the sunroofs as well. I have had several cars with them and never use them all that much. On my current new truck, I decided not to order it and spend another $1K for something I would not use and would penalize me for payload. As someone that worked for GM and has had allot of conversations with customers who believe that GMC trucks are different than Chevy...I am intrigued by your comment about the GMC weighing more. My neighbor just bought a new Chevy LTZ dually and we compared the features and such inside the trucks. The interiors are really identical as well as the dash and etc. Our seats were stitched a bit differently because of mine having the AT4 package and my truck is allot higher than his but other than that...they are nearly the same. It would be interesting to compare a comparably equipped GMC and Chevy (Like the Denali and the High Country) and see if there really is a difference. From my experience most of it is marketing hype except for the subtle differences in like the grills, badging, and fender/tire positioning.

If we are that close to the re-tuned D-Max numbers and the interior refresh....might be worth waiting for those things too. I am not a fan of all the cars/trucks with the large Telsa-like screens so that's not appealing to me but I know it seems to be to the masses. I prefer old school buttons, knobs, and instrument clusters that are not all computerized. I want to interact with the features quickly and easily and don't like to have all the common features hidden behind 10 clicks and menus that I have to scroll through. Who wouldn't love a bit more power though!

[Wileykid]

Those are good points. I have to agree on the sunroofs as well. I have had several cars with them and never use them all that much. On my current new truck, I decided not to order it and spend another $1K for something I would not use and would penalize me for payload. As someone that worked for GM and has had allot of conversations with customers who believe that GMC trucks are different than Chevy...I am intrigued by your comment about the GMC weighing more. My neighbor just bought a new Chevy LTZ dually and we compared the features and such inside the trucks. The interiors are really identical as well as the dash and etc. Our seats were stitched a bit differently because of mine having the AT4 package and my truck is allot higher than his but other than that...they are nearly the same. It would be interesting to compare a comparably equipped GMC and Chevy (Like the Denali and the High Country) and see if there really is a difference. From my experience most of it is marketing hype except for the subtle differences in like the grills, badging, and fender/tire positioning.

If we are that close to the re-tuned D-Max numbers and the interior refresh....might be worth waiting for those things too. I am not a fan of all the cars/trucks with the large Telsa-like screens so that's not appealing to me but I know it seems to be to the masses. I prefer old school buttons, knobs, and instrument clusters that are not all computerized. I want to interact with the features quickly and easily and don't like to have all the common features hidden behind 10 clicks and menus that I have to scroll through. Who wouldn't love a bit more power though!

I was told, that the heavier weight with the GMC was it is the upscale version of the Chevy, and as such, it had the better interior as standard, and that the fancier (or better looking?) body work adds a fair amount of weight. I wouldn't expect the body work to add that much, but then again, I never thought the sunroof weighed that much either.

They are talking 505 hp and 1,085 tq with the new Dmax. It is interesting, as GM until 2020 stayed out of the numbers war that is going on. 2020 they updated the GVWR on the 2500/3500, and now the Dmax. Seems they joined the fray, and are gunning for RAM/Ford, and the sales numbers are showing some success.

[Maximus216]

With a 40" inseam, I always go with the one with the most front seat leg room So, in 2021, that was Ford. Love my Lariat.

But .. this winter I have sworn that I will never buy another new truck without a heated steering wheel, which the Lariate ultimate package does not offer - didn't know that at the time. We'll see what happens when I see the price tag in a few years!

So the Lariat Ultimate package doesn't include heated steering wheel? What package does? I think GMC offers it in some of their lowest trims. I'm really becoming upset with the Ford options on new trucks. My superduty lariat has everything, adaptive cruse and steering, heated and cooled seats and steering wheel, rain sensing wipers ( I guess they don't offer this anymore) auto high head lights, keyless entry, power folding mirrors, etc. I got all of this for less than 65k in 2017 new. It makes me sick that I have to pay almost 15k more just to get power folding mirrors!