GM trucks have slipped

[gsganzer]

I'll preface this by first saying that I'm not trying to start a brand war. I currently have a 2016 Chevy 3500 Crew cab DRW cab chassis, WT trim, with flatbed for a work truck, which has a great ride and has been problem free. It's a basic tool with vinyl seats, rubber mats, and simple but convenient safety features. However, I've always thought it was a little crude, even for a work truck.

I'm looking for a higher trim level 3/4 to 1 ton SRW for myself that will ultimately serve dual purpose as my everyday rig and work truck (probably swap the bed for a flat bed).

I went out and looked at all three today. What the heck has happened to GM!?!? Compared to Ram and Ford, I felt the GM was amateurish and gimmicky in it's execution, certainly not deserving of the price tag. The new tailgate looks like a stupid idea. Who the heck wants that kind of contraption for a simple tailgate? And vibrating seat alert? It's disappointing that even with a complete redesign for 2020, they still don't seem to be on par with the other two.

Ram impressed me the most. What a well thought out truck with innovative and useful amenities. Storage was great in various convenient locations. A trip odometer for trailers and the trailering mirror design are great! Insulated coolers in the rear floors, to throw your lunch in. The console is cavernous with lots of configuration options and the multimedia screen was awesome.

All three have the pricetag of a small house!!

I'm starting to feel like GM is on a slow fade and their latest workforce issues might be an indicator of even bigger underlying issues. Anyone else getting the same vibe?

 

[ovrszd]

I agree.

Keep us informed of your choice. For the money spent it's our privilege to expect to be impressed.

 

[Tomtint]

We have had several GM vehicles. ..Denalis, Escalades, a few pick up trucks, numerous Corvettes, a couple 2500 vans... that's off the top of my head.. From my experience they are not built to last. Maybe it's planned obsolescence.. the past few years the fit and finish have really declined in QC. As have the materials used. I think if all comes down to them cutting every corner the years can in attempt to boost margins. ..GM is not alone, but I believe they are more concerned with the frosting instead of the cake. I also think the Ram has made some great improvements to their trucks.. would wait to see a few years to see how well they hold up. We now have 5 Ford trucks. 3 F150s, a F350 and a F450... no significant problems or complaints with any of them. ... time will tell.

 

[oosik]

That's just one of the reasons I bought my new 2019 Ram Power Wagon ( "the" Taco Wagon). I looked a new, top of the line - Ford, Chevy & Ram.

Tomtint - it's called - "engineered obsolescence". OR - "manufactured to fail".

 

[1010]

I have a ram 2500 work truck, and F250 personal truck, I've wished I had gotten a RAM 2500 instead.. My only complaint about the ram 2500 is the brakes with a load.. The ford stops..
I had a 2500HD before the ram 2500.. Ram would run circles around the HD..

 

[arits74]

i have owned 2 dodges and 6 new gmc,all 2500 hd since 2012.i wont ever own another dodge they both had the death wobble and no amount of money could fix it.im in a 19 2500 hd gas burner now and its miles ahead of the dodges.the dodges both felt cheap to me on the inside.

 

[dalola]

I'm not so familiar with the HD trucks, but it's a similar story with the half tons. I shopped all the brands before settling on my '18 F150. The GM twins were disappointing for being all new models. No decent non-V8 options at all. The RAM has a nice interior for sure, but again, no decent non-V8 offerings. Nissan & Toyota are simply outclassed in all aspects by the big 3. In the end, it was the all around "goodness" of the F150, anchored by the awesome Ecoboost/10AT drivetrain that won me over. IMO, nobody has anything that can compete with the EB F150's in the half ton market. Their drivetrain tech is smoking everyone right now.

 

[MA1920]

I'll preface this by first saying that I'm not trying to start a brand war...

All three have the price tag of a small house!!

I think you may have unintentionally started one. I can't agree more about truck prices.

 

[kf4uda]

Through most of my adult life you would not have caught me driving anything but a GM truck. I agree with your observations which is why I am driving a F-150. I also agree that they are all way too expensive.

 

[Copperhead]

Guess it all depends on what one is looking for. I rather like my 2015 Chevy 2500HD 6.0 Z71 LT gasser. Not a bit of a problem in 5 years. Had a sticker of $48K and I got it for $38K new. Been a rock solid pickup and I have no intentions of letting it go anytime soon.

Chevy has increased the number of package offerings. Was the normal work truck, LT, LTZ, but they now have the "custom" package which is a fit between the work truck and LT packages. Not sure it is anything special though. Best I can tell the only major difference between the custom and the work truck is that the custom has 20" wheels and tires. I would prefer 18", so I wouldn't be interested in the custom package. I have generally been fond of the middle of the road LT packages for my pickup trucks. My wife has the Premier package (formally LTZ) on her 2017 Equinox.

They are all too expensive. I will not pay more than 80% of MSRP, and shoot for less. My last 3 vehicles, I got for 80% or less off of MSRP, and none of them were purchased during any special promotion or end of year sale stuff. All in the middle of the model year. I don't even bother with the marketing fluff of incentives and rebates and such. That stuff just sidetracks a buyer and it is a 3 card monty game to divert the buyer from what they are actually paying for the vehicle. Any dealer will make a fair profit on 80% of the MSRP.