2022’s Best Full-Size Pickups
When I need trustworthy information about a particular product or industry, I usually begin by consulting the leading publication(s) covering the field or category from which the product originates.
For guidance about cars and trucks, for example, I typically consult Car & Driver and MotorTrend magazines, which have provided accurate and continuous coverage of the automotive industry since the late 1940s.
So, when a new neighbor of mine, a first-time truck buyer, recently asked my opinion about which 2022 pickup he should purchase, I decided to do him a favor and do the research rather than simply spoon feed him my own biases and preferences.
What I discovered confirmed what I had long suspected. The Dodge Ram 1500 absolutely rules the road, having been chosen as the #1 full-size pickup for 2022 by both MotorTrend and Car & Driver. Moreover, Car & Driver went a step further by naming a fully-loaded version of the Dodge Ram—the Ram 1500 TRX—as the year’s second best truck.
What makes the Ram 1500 so special? MotorTrend flat out states that “The Ram 1500 is the best full-size truck you can buy.” It features a “high-quality and ergonomically friendly interior (which basically means it offers maximum comfort and efficiency for drivers and passengers alike), is great to drive, rides like a cloud, and enjoys best-in-class tech and infotainment.”
Car & Driver agrees, saying that the Ram 1500’s “unmatched luxury transcends traditional pickups without compromising its capability.”
On the downside, MotorTrend cautions that the available options for the Ram 1500 can “shoot prices to the stratosphere,” which is an interesting point because Car & Driver describes the Ram 1500 TRX as “a regular Ram 1500 on steroids.” The difference between the two, besides a base sticker price for the TRX that is more than double that of the basic Ram 1500, has mostly to do with size.
With 8-inches of additional width, a front track that is 6-inches wider and fenders that are 2.5-inches taller to accommodate the larger 19-inch wheels and 35-inch tires, the TRX still manages to rocket from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, which makes it one of the speediest full-size pickups ever built.
Both magazines emit a low-grade grumble about the Ram’s disappointing fuel economy while offering that its diesel version offers better mileage. But really, who buys a full-size pickup truck expecting great fuel economy?
MotorTrend concludes with this final recommendation: “Whether you choose the work-grade Tradesman (the basic Ram 1500 model) or opt to load up the Limited (a higher end model) with every bell and whistle, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better (or, in the case of the TRX, a quicker or more powerful) truck than the Ram 1500.”
It is well worth mentioning that MotorTrend chose the Ram 1500 as its Truck of the Year for 2019, then again as Truck of the Year for 2020; then followed that a year later by naming the 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX as Truck of the Year for 2021. Couple these with similar picks by Car & Driver and you have a rock-solid, across-the-board endorsement of the entire Ram 1500 line .
Here are 2022s full-size pickup rankings as judged by each publication:
- Ram 1500
- Ram 1500 TRX
- Ford F-150
- Ford F-150 Raptor
- GMC Sierra 1500
- Chevy Silverado 1500
- Toyota Tundra
- Nissan Titan
- Ram 1500
- Ford F-150
- Toyota Tundra
- GMC Sierra !500
- Chevy Silverado 1500
- Nissan Titan
