A breath of fresh air is great once in a while. This time, by "breath of fresh air," I'm referring to taking a break from all those sedan and supercar drag races. Today, we're witnessing something spectacular in a true all-American fashion: a 1/4-mile race between three massive pickup trucks that look like they can haul mountains while playing your favorite country song.
Let's start with the American purebred Ford F-250 Limited edition. This monster has a 6.7-liter High Output Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel engine that produces 500 hp (507 ps) with a whopping 1,200 lb-ft or 1,627 Nm of torque. All that power is sent through its 10-speed automatic transmission system and ends up in all four corners.
It's a full-size pickup truck, so naturally, it's on the heavy side: 8,400 lbs. or 3,810 kilograms. There are six versions of the Ford F-250: the $44,970 XL (MSRP), the $51,105 XLT, the $62,410 Lariat, the $76,975 King Ranch, the $77,865 Platinum, and today's version, the $97,095 Limited.
As a light contrast, the F-150 is priced at $80,970 for the Raptor variant with a 3.5-liter Ecoboost High Output engine that outputs 450 hp and 510 lb-ft (691 Nm) of torque. However, there's also a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 for the Raptor R version that delivers 720 horsepower and costs no less than $112,895.
Next, we have the Toyota Tundra with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 gas engine that produces 389 hp with 479 lb-ft or 649 Nm. It has a 10-speed auto gearbox, 4WD, and weighs considerably less than the F-250, at 5,856 lbs. or 2,656 kilograms. The Tundra starts close to $42,000 for the SR version with RWD and ends with the $80,695 Capstone model. In between them, there are six other variants.
Last but certainly not least, there's the imposing $85,885 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Denali proudly equipped with a 6.6-liter turbocharged Diesel engine that sends 470 hp and 975 lb-ft (1,322 Nm) of torque to all four wheels via its 10-speed automatic transmission system. It weighs almost identical to the Ford, at 8,346 lbs. or 3,785 kg.
Photo: Sam CarLegion
Out of the five versions of the Sierra 2500 HD, the cheapest is the 2WD Pro variant with a 6.6-liter V8 gas engine and an MSRP of $54,095. The top trim is the 4WD Denali Ultimate with a 6.6-liter Duramax turbocharged Diesel V8 that starts at $95,195. If you want to go even bigger, the 3500 HD Denali Ultimate (470 hp and 975 lb-ft of torque) begins at $98,495.
Before heading off to the races, we have some more juicy info regarding fuel consumption, as presented by Sam from the "Sam CarLegion" YouTube channel. These cars were put to the test, and it turns out that the GMC came in last, scoring 19.7 mpg (11.9 L/100 km). The runner-up is the Toyota with 21.3 mpg (11 L/100 km), and the clear winner is the Ford F-250, pulling off 21.7 mpg or 10.8 liters per 100 kilometers.
Now, it's finally off to the races. The Ford and GMC went head-to-head first in 4WD mode, and the former beat the living daylights out of the latter. The F-250 went from 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and finished the 1/4-mile race in 14.2 seconds. The Sierra 2500 HD did the 0-60 mph stretch in 5.7 seconds and crossed the line in 14.5 seconds. Quite close, but no cigar.
The Toyota faced the winner in a couple of roll races where it beat the Ford hands down. The results didn't change during the drag races, and the Tundra won spectacularly. Both trucks went from 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, but the Toyota was quicker across the finish line with 14.2 seconds on the clock, while the Ford came in 0.1 seconds later (14.3 seconds).
It's a shame this Tundra didn't come with a Diesel engine to make things more even, but at least we got a great pickup truck race in the heart of the Canadian wilderness.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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