Hampered by small tires and tall gears (it indicated 50 mph still in first gear), the Chevy ranked fourth, the return being the best mileage, even breaking the 20-mpg barrier (and EPA highway rating) on one leg; the truck's relatively low profile and new electric cooling fans helped. This translates into quiet cruising--below 2000 rpm at 80 mph--but will net a downshift at the slightest of grades (and require two for descents); we'd stick with the 3.73:1 gears if we planned on pulling anything.
Last to reach any speed, the Ford felt as sluggish as it was, with the gearbox sucking the power out of it instead of sending it rearward; one tester noted, "Aggressive tip-in with underwhelming follow-up. Where's the beef?" However, with the 3.73:1 gears in this truck, those familiar with SuperCrews found real-world performance and fuel economy superior to 3.55:1-equipped trucks. The Ford also was the heaviest (not the first vehicle where luxury added weight) and had bigger wheels to spin up than the Chevy or Toyota.
Trailing behind the Chevy's best-of-test fuel economy were the Tundra, F-150, and Titan, all within 0.5 mpg. Then came the Ram. With that Viper-like top gear, it appears the cylinder shutdown only occurs at light throttle, such as on level ground with no headwind. Add big wheels, significant frontal area and mass, and the highest power ratings, and the Hemi slurped fuel, barely clearing 17 mpg on its best leg. Its 13.7 average causes us to believe additional miles still wouldn't make it as efficient as the others.
Raw data was backed up by seat-of-the-pants impressions, as every tester ranked the Titan powertrain tops, and it got the only perfect 10s on the scorecards.
What Others Feel
If you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a truck by its looks. Even though the Tundra had a TRD package and lots of sidewall, it was the truck that won ride and handling impressions, while the Titan excelled in the slalom. Those 20-inch wheels may look cool on the Ram, but you pay a price in ride quality that isn't returned with improved handling; the Hemi ran behind in the slalom test.