We're going to save you from research hell.
We're going to save you from research hell. Sifting through mountains of literature, hundreds of Web sites, and watching hours of TV, just to figure out the right vehicle that's worth your money--that's where we come in. We've driven all of these vehicles and, in many cases, have been able to compare them in head-to-head competition with their peers. But we do have our own biases: We tend to like power, payload capacity, and size, and our picks reflect that. In the interest of full disclosure, we've once again published all the specifications we could get our hands on and listed them here for you (and your magnifying glass).
If you'd like, take your own set of priorities, scan all the specs, and create your own short list of vehicles to take out for a test drive. We've made every attempt to be as up-to-date and mistake-free as possible, but we're guessing you'll let us know if you find any errors or if you disagree with our choices. In fact, we're counting on it. Your feedback makes the magazine better. Visit our Web site and e-mail us your own picks. Also, let us know what new categories you'd like to see or what new vehicles should be thrown into battle.
All pricing information was collected from the "2005 Models Kelley Blue Book New Car Price Manual, Second Edition." For more pricing information or long-term ownership predictions, go to www.intellichoice.com.
To get more information on all the vehicles included in this class, please click on the headline graphic above to reveal a spec chart.
Winner: Ford Super Duty F-250
With a redesigned front suspension on four-wheel-drive models, a stronger front frame, and various tow packages (not the least of which is the exceptional TowCommand package for only $425), the new coil-spring frontend makes this full-size 4x4 drive like a completely different truck. Now with the new three-valve-per-cylinder head on the 5.4-liter V-8 and 6.8-liter V-10, their gas motors are not as feeble as they've been in the past. While this diesel has the least amount of torque of the three, we still think the truck has the best transmission--it's the smoothest and smartest, with or without a load.