Pickup trucks have long been a favorite of the American consumer due to their rugged nature, strong usability, performance, and all-round road presence. But with the popularity of this vehicle segment comes competition between manufacturers to build not only the most practical, but also the most feature rich model to win the conquest for market share.

In this insight, we will look at five full-size pickup truck models from as many brands that are currently available in the US market to determine what features and trends these manufacturers are focusing on, and see which one offers the most for the typical pickup truck consumer.

The five vehicles being analyzed are as follows:

• 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• 2021 Ford F-150
• 2021 Nissan Titan
• 2021 RAM Pickup 1500
• 2021 Toyota Tundra

Feature Comparison

Using VehiclePlannerPlus, the five vehicles can be compared using the fitment of important features. These features have been identified as both important and useful to a current day pickup truck owner. Below, we identify the subset of features used in the analysis. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, so if you’re interested in additional features for this analysis, please reach out:

• Built-In Navigation System
• Android Auto (Wireless)
• Apple CarPlay (Wireless)
• Primary Leather Upholstery
• LED Daytime Running Lights
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Trailer Backup Assist
• Heated Drivers Seat
• Ventilated Drivers Seat
• Driver Adjustable Suspension

Using these features and their fitment on the five vehicles in question, a scoring system can be created to show how much customers are getting for their money, and which vehicle is the best value. The scoring system works as follows:

• Feature is Standard on the vehicle: 2 Points
• Feature is Optional on the vehicle: 1 Point
• Feature is N/A on the vehicle: 0 Points

Using this scoring method, the below chart can be created. This showcases the score for each trim of the five vehicles against that vehicles MSRP. Trendlines for each manufacturer have also been overlayed. The higher the score (Y axis), and the lower the price (x axis), the better the value. The steeper the trend line for a model, the larger the incremental value gain relative to the $ price increase of a trim upgrade.

The key takeaways from this chart are:

1. For the features considered, Ford are providing vehicles that are not only more feature rich than their competitors, but could also be perceived to be better value for money.
2. Chevrolet and RAM both have a wide spread of feature availability on different trims, with some trims coming with none of the analyzed features (Work Trucks) and others coming with a good selection, they cater to a wide spectrum of ‘core need’ customers.
3. Toyota and Nissan fill out the mid-range of this chart, featuring approximately half of the considered features at a comparable price to Ford, Chevrolet or RAM.

Convenience and Usability

Whilst feature fitment on pickup trucks has grown in demand in the last 5-10 years, performance and convenience statistics can still be considered a critical factor for potential consumers. The statistics analyzed on the five vehicles are outlined below:

• MPG
• Horsepower
• Torque
• Bed Length
• Payload Limits
• Towing Capacity

Because of the variance in these figures across vehicle trims, the five vehicle models have had the average taken for each statistic from across their range to best show how they compare. Please note that some of these variances may be exagerated due to different offerings from the manufacturers, i.e. Ford offering up to an 8ft bed and RAM only offering up to 6.4ft. The six charts can be seen below:

Conclusion

In summary, there seems to be a divide between what the five OEMs are offering to their consumers. Ford seems to be focusing on providing practicality and convenience by offering more features at an equal, or often lower price than their competitors. Chevrolet and RAM seem to be following in Ford’s footsteps but chasing the core spec, more traditional, pickup buyer. Nissan and Toyota have taken a different approach by focusing on performance and usability, with Nissan marketing the Titan model as “The truck with the most standard power, tech and safety features in its class”. Whilst this claim may be true, it is based on base trim vehicles, and once a customer has moved up a few trims, the likes of Ford and Chevrolet can be seen to have a competitive offering at a similar price. That’s all we have time for this month, as a potential next step to this analysis, we suggest using VPP trim share data to better understand what consumers are truly choosing to add context to this analysis. If you’re interested in exploring this, either in VPP yourself, or with support from the VPP team, please reach out.