The No-Nonsense Truck Buyer’s Guide: What I’d Buy Today Based on the Engine.

Truck Buyer’s Guide, Best Truck Engines, Best Half-Ton Truck, Best HD Truck, GM TurboMax, 2.7L TurboMax, Ford 5.0 Coyote, Ram 5.7 HEMI, Toyota Tundra, Gas vs Diesel Truck, Heavy-Duty Towing, Pickup Truck Advice

Shopping for a new truck has gotten ridiculous.

There are multiple manufacturers, engines, transmissions, axle ratios, trim levels, tow packages, payload packages, hybrid systems, turbochargers, diesels—and enough option combinations to turn buying a pickup into a research project.

Then you head to YouTube looking for advice, spend three hours watching 30-minute videos, and somehow end up more confused than when you started.

So I’m going to do something different.

I respect your time. If I were shopping for a new truck today, these are the powertrains I would buy.

No fence-sitting. No “they’re all great in their own way.”

Here we go.

GM Half-Ton: Buy the 2.7L TurboMax

Yes, I’m picking the four-cylinder.

The 2.7L TurboMax is still one of the most misunderstood engines in the half-ton truck market. People see four cylinders and immediately assume it must be an economy engine that GM shoved into a full-size truck to satisfy fuel-economy regulations.

That really isn’t what this engine is.

The TurboMax produces 430 lb-ft of torque, and more importantly, that torque arrives very low in the RPM range. For normal driving, hauling, and towing, it behaves much more like a truck engine than its displacement or cylinder count would suggest.

It also avoids some of the complexity associated with GM’s V8 cylinder-deactivation systems.

I’ve spent enough time actually using the TurboMax—including towing with it—to reach a pretty simple conclusion:

If I were buying a new GM half-ton, this is the engine I’d buy.

The 5.3L and 6.2L V8s certainly have their advantages, and someone wanting maximum half-ton capability may make a different choice. But for the combination of torque, capability, price, and everyday usability?

Give me the TurboMax.

Ford F-150: Buy the 5.0L V8

Ford gives F-150 buyers an almost absurd number of engine choices.

EcoBoost V6s. A hybrid. A V8. Different power levels and configurations. There are legitimate arguments for several of them.

I’m still taking the 5.0L Coyote V8.

That isn’t because turbocharged engines are inherently bad. I just recommended one in the GM. The 5.0L is simply a fantastic match for the F-150.

You get naturally aspirated V8 power, a broad and usable operating range, plenty of capability, and an engine architecture that has been around long enough for us to know quite a bit about it.

The EcoBoost engines make tremendous torque and are excellent performers, especially at elevation. But if you asked me to walk onto a Ford lot today and spend my own money?

5.0L.

Next question.

Ram 1500: Buy the HEMI

Ram has been moving toward its turbocharged Hurricane inline-six engines, and those engines are impressive on paper.

But if I’m spending my money, I’m buying the 5.7L HEMI while I still can.

The HEMI isn’t perfect. No engine is. But it’s familiar, well understood, sounds like a truck, makes good power, and has an enormous knowledge base behind it.

Sometimes the newest and most technologically impressive powertrain isn’t automatically the one I’d choose to own.

For me, the HEMI remains the Ram powertrain I’d want.

Toyota Tundra: I Wouldn’t Buy One

This will probably be the controversial one.

If I were shopping for a new half-ton today, I would pass on the Toyota Tundra.

That doesn’t mean every Tundra is junk. It doesn’t mean Toyota can’t build a reliable vehicle. And it certainly doesn’t mean Tundra owners made a terrible decision.

It simply means that when I compare the current Tundra with what GM, Ford, and Ram are offering, there isn’t a compelling enough reason for me to choose the Toyota.

Toyota’s reputation for reliability once made overlooking some of the Tundra’s shortcomings fairly easy. With the current generation, I don’t think that argument is nearly as automatic as it used to be.

If I’m writing the check, I’m buying something else.

What About Heavy-Duty Trucks?

This gets even easier.

If you’re towing somewhere around 10,000 pounds, I’m buying a gas HD truck.

Modern heavy-duty gasoline engines are incredibly capable. Ford’s 7.3L Godzilla, GM’s 6.6L gas V8, and Ram’s 6.4L HEMI can all do serious work.

A diesel gives you enormous torque, excellent exhaust braking, and tremendous capability for genuinely heavy towing. But it also comes with a substantial purchase-price premium, additional emissions equipment, different maintenance considerations, and the potential for some very expensive repairs.

If you’re towing 10,000-ish pounds a handful of times each year, you probably don’t need a diesel.

I’d take the gas engine, save the money, and enjoy the simpler ownership experience.

But You Want the Diesel Anyway, Don’t You?

Yeah. I know.

If you’ve already decided that you want the diesel, I’m probably not going to talk you out of it.

And that’s fine.

Sometimes we buy trucks because we want them—not because a spreadsheet proved that we need them.

Just be honest with yourself about which one you’re doing.

The Short Version

Here is my truck buyer’s guide:

• GM? Buy the TurboMax.
• Ford? Buy the 5.0L.
• Ram? Buy the HEMI.
• Toyota? I’d pass.
• HD truck towing around 10,000 pounds? Buy the gas engine.

It really is that simple. All three of the Big Three make great gas engines.

Still want the diesel?

I can’t change your mind.

What Would You Buy?

These are my picks, not universal answers.

How you use your truck matters. Someone towing 18,000 pounds commercially has very different needs from someone commuting every day and pulling a 7,000-pound camper six weekends a year.

That’s part of what makes trucks interesting.

So I’m curious: If you were walking into a dealership tomorrow and spending your own money, which truck—and which engine—would you buy?

Drop your answer in the comments.