Our next test, after leaving the confines of the quarry, were the handling tasks offered up at the airport. Again, with the same King Ranch F-150 as before, we attacked the snow with reckless abandon and the truck – along with the tires – ticked in perfect harmony like metronomes on a rolling base.

With all the electronic aids off, save rollover protection, the F-150 offered up some slides and awkward drifting. But, with everything turned back on, the electronics successfully kept us on the straight and narrow, restraining us from the traditional genocide automotive journalists inflict on traffic cones.

The Monty Hall Problem: Pickup Edition

Marilyn vos Savant answered her reader’s inquiry with a yes: if you switch doors, you’ll have a greater chance of winning – 2/3rds versus 1/3rd to be precise; not the ½ and ½ you’d expect. But, that depends on the host – or in the case of pickups, the dealer – not offering you an incentive to stick with your first choice.

On Let’s Make A Deal, Monty Hall would offer up cash to those willing to stay with their initial door of choice. Much like the host, dealers and automakers offer up loyalty bonuses to stay with the brand. “Stay with us and we will give you $1,000 toward your next truck!” they shout over the airwaves.

But, as good as the F-150 is (and it isn’t the bestselling truck because their buyers are delusional), it does have its foibles. For one, the interior isn’t best in class anymore. That crown goes to Ram. Same for in-cabin quiet, a quality that’s been a mainstay in General Motors pickups for years. Ram and Chevrolet/GMC also feature some amenities not offered on the Ford, such as the RamBox in the Ram trucks and movable tie-down hooks on the GM offerings. And that makes this pickup buying business all rather tricky considering the aforementioned odds.

To the Ford’s credit, it has the best engine lineup of the lot, offers significant weight savings, and has exclusive features of its own, like Box Link and the oft-maligned man-step the other two truck makers are more than willing to ridicule while developing their own versions behind the scenes.

Warranty:
3 years/60,000 km; 5 years/100,000 km powertrain; 5 years/unlimited distance corrosion perforation; 5 years/100,000 km 24-hour roadside assistance

Competitors:
Chevrolet Silverado
GMC Sierra
Nissan Titan
Ram 1500
Toyota Tundra

So, let’s consider this: the Chevrolet and GMC twins, while great trucks, are the odd ones out at this point in the game. Their engine lineup is 9/10ths by the standards of the other two manufacturers and they don’t offer up quite enough unique features to trump the competition. This is the option Monty Hall is going to show you behind door #3.

If you’ve been in a Ram all your life, does it make sense to switch to a Ford? You betcha’. That means the inverse is also true. But, that said, incentives are an interesting factor easily swaying a buyer one way or another. And, if incentives are your game of choice, there’s still a number of 2014 F-150s with cash on the hood looking for a new home.

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