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Ordered Longhorn over GMC

3K views 20 replies 18 participants last post by  Roving Volunteer 
#1 ·
After a ton of research, I placed an order today for a 2014 4WD Longhorn 1500, even though the 2014 GMC truck that I was comparing was on a dealer's lot.

What I liked about the GMC:

Hydraulic Easy down / up tailgate. Very cool.

Driver's Alert -- I don't care for the lane departure but I did like the warning when you get too close to another vehicle. Several friends of mine have been in accidents that might have been avoided if they had gotten an alert when too close to the back of another vehicle.

Ultra-quiet cabin.

What I liked about the Longhorn:

Drive's better to me!!!!! More zest, shifts right.

The leather on the seats is far superior to GMC.

The proximity keyless go (no-fob door open). I'm always approaching my truck with my hands full. I have to put down what I have in my hands and get the key fob out. This was a huge positive for the Longhorn. Note: This is NOT available on 2014 GMC.

Send and Receive text messages. My son, wife, and friends all text me instead of call. I love it that the UConnect on the Longhorn (and other Rams) will read the text and also voice send texts. NOT available on GMC. HUGE!

8 Speed!!!! Not available on GMC. Engine technology here vs GMC.

Rambox's. Very cool feature.

Can order a 3.92 axle in Ram....can't in GMC. Probably a nit....but another plus.

When I did my own personal analysis....the ability to open the locked door and start the car without ever getting the keyfob out of my jeans was huge. Text messaging was huge, and the Rambox was a major factor. How this truck drives was the ultimate factor. I drove it on hills and on the freeway and on city streets....I liked how it shifted.

So, I ordered the Longhorn 1500 today. What's interesting is my analysis will probably not match yours at all. You may not care one iota about key fob access, ramboxes, or text messages. I don't haul much and even when I do, it's maybe 4 times a year.....so I didn't pay much attention to payload. For those of you hauling horses around, it would be a major factor.

By the way, I learned a ton from this forum. When I got ready to order the truck I sent an email specifying my options to my 4 local dealers asking for best price. I learned this from reading a forum post. I ended up with $1500 less than invoice and then subtract rebates of $2500 + $500 military. $4500 off invoice felt pretty good. I know they still made money and I wasn't trying to make it so they didn't. 2 other local dealers flat turned down the offer to match this, so I knew I was getting a fairly good price for me. HOWEVER, there is this dealer in Idaho that is off the charts cheaper. I just didn't want to drive from California to Idaho to save $1100 over my local price (I'd chew up $500 in plane tickets and hotel and gas).

Thanks to everyone on this forum for providing invaluable input...priceless data to us truck lovers. I needed this input since I was NOT a previous RAM truck driver. I'm a convert to Ram from a chevy avalanche (not a bad truck at all).

Hoping it goes well and thanks to the forum.
:smileup:
 
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#2 ·
I just wanted to say, Big Congrats on your research and comparisons between the two. I will admit, GMC's are nice trucks but by far, one of the most expensive when trying to equip one identical to a fully loaded Ram. I wish you all the best luck in finding your new Ram bud!
 
#3 ·
I enjoyed your comparison - actually it was identical to my experience; the only difference is I am driving my new 2013 Longhorn and I still have my Chev Avalanche (not a bad vehicle, 128,00 and no repairs whatsoever). The Longhorn does really drive great.
 
#4 ·
Congrats! It's important that you figured out what's important for *you*, not the rest of us. I'm sure you're going to be very happy with your choice!
I, too, have learned a ton from these forums. Everyone is very helpful.

Side note, I hope you don't have an iPhone. The text feature won't work for you. I wish Apple would ease up on their control issues sometimes.....
 
#7 ·
Text messages



I have a samsung Note II. Thanks to the forum, I noticed that the feature I really wanted about texting was not working on iphone....but that worked out for me since I don't have that phone. Seems that the Ram seems to lean away from iphone and more toward droid....rare.
 
#5 ·
I did a similar analysis with the 2014 Silverado LTZ. Mine was for different reasons. The interior of the GM is so far below Ram... the ride and comfort was not even close, nor was the power.

Not to hijack your thread, but how do I get my text messages to come up on the Uconnect? I linked my iPhone and can call by voice, see my contacts, etc. And no, I have not read the manual or watched the DVD.
 
#9 ·
Every time I get into my Ram, I step up on the side step and pull myself up grasping the A pillar hand grip.

The new generation Tchevy and GMAC trucks most think the humans have wings because they neglect to provide any kind of hand grip. Totally S T U P I D of GM, but that is what they are known for.
 
#11 ·
When I started shopping about 2 months ago the only truck on my list was the new 2014 Sierra SLT with all-terrain package. Just loved the way it looks and I previously owned 3 different Silverados ('00, '07, '09) and just always prefered them (and never had any reliability issues at all). I test drove it and loved it compared to my old '09.

Then I talked myself into being a smart shopper and decided to test and price the competition and man am I glad I did. Priced out and test drove a new Ram Sport and at the end of the day, and I'm probably in the minority here, but I liked them both equally. Exterior I preferred the Sierra with the all terrain package (again I know I'm probably in the minority here!) but ride quality, interior, and powertrain all went to the Ram. Add to that the new Sierra only gets about 1 MPG better fuel economy despite being down on power compared to the Ram, although acceleration-wise they feel similar (my Ram with 3.21 rear; a 3.92 would be a different story of course).

At the end of the day the Ram costed about $5k less so it won out on price point for me. No regrets at all!
 
#13 ·
I've been looking at the 2014 Ram vs. Silverado and here are my opinions:

Drivetrain:

Ram has more power and better tranny (8 speed) but it is unproven but has had no issues that I'm aware of.

GM gets a little better MPG (maybe 1 on the highway and 2 in town) but is down on power. Has proven tranny but it doesn’t shift all that smooth. New direct injection engine in unproven.

Comfort:

Ram has a better ride and better seat and better interior materials and layout. I hate the way Ram integrates the truck controls into the 8.4 radio and I wont buy one with a 8.4 which is the reason I can’t find a 2013 on the lot that is acceptable, they almost all have a 8.4.

GM has a telescoping steering column which for me is a big deal since I have long legs. The GM sits lower which for me isn’t a benefit but for most people the Ram is a climb and I hate running boards.

Other.

A big negative on the 2014 Ram is the switch to FY1234 AC refrigerant. Very few vehicles use it and servicing will be expensive after warranty. Mercedes actually is recalling vehicles they built using this stuff because it is significantly more flammable than the old refrigerant and they are concerned about safety in the event of a crash. There is NO advantage to this stuff other than getting a carbon credit from the government.

The GM is a flex fuel and runs on 87 octane. The Hemi voids it's warranty with over 10% ethanol and there is a national push for E15 plus the Hemi is supposed to use 89 octane.

I still don’t think Chrysler as a manufactures is out of the woods financially and I still have concerns about dealer support in 5 years where I think GM is here to stay. Ram truck are selling great but the rest of Chrysler is not doing as well.

The 2014 Ram is essentially a 5 year old design and I'm guessing that in 2017 the Ram will be all new whereas the GM is a new design. In 5 years the resale on a GM will probably be better because there wont be much difference from a current GM but a 2014 Ram will be a previous generation from the current Ram in 2019.

If I were to just buy what I like the best it would be Ram, no question but the other items have me really looking at GM. Both have good trucks and lemons but I know several people that have bought GM trucks in the last 10 years that have had literally no problems so GM can build good trucks. I actually don’t know anyone with a 2009+ Ram but every time I see one at a gas station I ask the owner if they like it and if they have had problems and so far everyone has said they loved it and had no real problems.
 
#20 ·
A big negative on the 2014 Ram is the switch to FY1234 AC refrigerant. Very few vehicles use it and servicing will be expensive after warranty. Mercedes actually is recalling vehicles they built using this stuff because it is significantly more flammable than the old refrigerant and they are concerned about safety in the event of a crash. There is NO advantage to this stuff other than getting a carbon credit from the government.
Where did you get this information from about the refrigerant?

Google is no help....
 
#14 ·
I'm not worried about the Torqueflite 8 transmission built by ZF. The 8HP70 transmission has been in use in several high performance European cars making more power than the Hemi since 2009 and I believe it's been pretty reliable. I'd be more worried about the new direct injected V-8's in the GM trucks for the first year or two especially when it comes to the carbon build up on these (direct injected) motors. I haven't seen much written about the direct injected GM motors or Ford's Ecoboost motors and if they engineered a way to keep the valves clean with the direct injection.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Watsamatter, no one likes the slimey smelly leather that GM puts in all its trucks?

Glad it has no entry grab handles?

Enjoying the instant vital recall of GM trucks?
General Motors announced last week that it's 'voluntarily' recalling almost 900 2014 Chevy and GMC half-ton pickup trucks to replace the passenger airbag that might not fully inflate during an accident.

Like the serious lack of GM innovation in their trucks? GM's apparent truck motto is "what's old is new again!"
http://www.automobilemag.com/features/columns/1212_gm_real_truck_problem/

Like the paint lift problems GM is having on its trucks? It's fun to watch the paint lift off your new truck.

Quote from another happy 2014 Sierra GM truck owner:

"Save yourself the frustration and DO NOT BUY THIS (Sierra) TRUCK!!!! I bought the SLT with the power and leather seats and they are junk!!! After about a week the seat bottom comes loose and the entire seat bottom shifts from side to side when you make turns. I took mine to the dealership twice and they said that is how the seat is built. They acknowledged that is a problem but that it is a 'characteristic of all the new 2014 Sierras' so they won't fix mine. Now I have a $50,000 truck that I hate to drive. Thanks GM!!!"

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1307_2014_gmc_sierra_1500/
 
#16 ·
Just ordered my 2014 Laramie and have to say that I agree with your analysis as it was much the same as mine. The Ram just plain drove better and the interior and options for the money could not be matched either. Was really an easy decision based on what is available today.
 
#19 ·
After a ton of research, I placed an order today for a 2014 4WD Longhorn 1500, even though the 2014 GMC truck that I was comparing was on a dealer's lot...When I did my own personal analysis...How this truck drives was the ultimate factor. I drove it on hills and on the freeway and on city streets....I liked how it shifted...
:smileup:
Hi ya'll. First post for me. OP, exactly what I went through as a long-time GM owner. Bang for buck is better w/Ram now.

 
#21 ·
Just received my 2014 - 1500 Longhorn RAM that I ordered a number of weeks ago. Same color as my 2011 but added the 8 speed and air ride. With all the upgrades it is a gem. Love the ride and feature to raise and lower the truck. Believe it will be excellent for towing as it will automatically level.and 8 speed. Only have 82 miles but will post more details later.
 
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