North Georgia Ford Compares 2019 Ford F-150 VS 2019 GMC Sierra Near Ellijay, GA

The rear seatbelts optional on the F-150 SuperCrew inflate when a collision is detected, helping to spread crash forces over a much larger area of the body and limiting head and neck movement. This can help prevent spinal and internal injuries. The Sierra doesn’t offer inflatable seatbelts.

Both the F-150 and the Sierra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available four-wheel drive, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the F-150 the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 139 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sierra has not been tested, yet.

The F-150’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Sierra’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 75 percent more Ford dealers than there are GMC dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the F-150’s warranty.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the F-150 have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Sierra.

The F-150 has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Sierra doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is ranked 20th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford 16th in reliability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is ranked 18th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ April 2018 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 11 places higher in reliability than GMC.

The F-150 has more powerful engines than the Sierra:

The F-150’s 3.0 turbo V6 diesel produces 135 lbs.-ft. more torque (440 vs. 305) than the Sierra’s standard 4.3 V6. The F-150’s 3.0 turbo V6 diesel produces 92 lbs.-ft. more torque (440 vs. 348) than the Sierra’s optional 2.7 turbo 4 cyl. The F-150’s 3.0 turbo V6 diesel produces 57 lbs.-ft. more torque (440 vs. 383) than the Sierra’s optional 5.3 V8.

On the EPA test cycle the F-150 V6 diesel 4x4 gets better fuel mileage than the Sierra 5.3 V8 4x4 8-spd Auto (21 city/28 hwy vs. 15 city/21 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the F-150 gets better fuel mileage than the Sierra:

Regardless of its engine, the F-150’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) GMC only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Sierra SLE/Elevation/SLT/AT4/Denali.

The F-150’s optional fuel tank has 7.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sierra Regular Cab’s standard fuel tank (36 vs. 28.3 gallons).

For better stopping power the F-150’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Sierra:

For better traction, the F-150 Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sierra (315/70R17 vs. 275/60R20).

The F-150 Platinum/Limited’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sierra’s optional 50 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the F-150 8 ft. bed Regular Cab’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Sierra 1500 Long Bed Regular Cab (141.1 inches vs. 139.5 inches).

For better maneuverability, the F-150 6.5 ft. bed Regular Cab’s turning circle is 5.6 feet tighter than the Sierra 1500 Short Bed Crew Cab’s (40.7 feet vs. 46.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the F-150 6.5 ft. bed SuperCrew has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sierra 1500 Standard Bed Crew Cab (9.3 vs. 8 inches), allowing the F-150 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The F-150 Raptor SuperCab’s minimum ground clearance is .6 inch higher than on the Sierra 1500 Short Bed Crew Cab Lifted (11.5 vs. 10.9 inches).

The Ford F-150 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 450 pounds less than the GMC Sierra.

The front grille of the F-150 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Sierra doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The F-150 SuperCab has 1.3 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 4.5 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sierra Double Cab.

The F-150 SuperCrew has 1.3 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, .2 inches more rear legroom, 4.5 inches more rear hip room and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sierra Crew Cab.

The F-150 has stake post holes, to allow the containment of tall, light loads. The Sierra doesn’t offer stake post holes.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the F-150’s standard exterior keypad (not available on F-150 XL). The Sierra doesn’t offer an exterior keypad entry system, and its extra cost OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The F-150’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sierra’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The F-150’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the F-150 (except XL/XLT) offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Sierra doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The F-150 (except XL/XLT)’s optional Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Sierra doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® chose the Ford F-150 as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The F-150 was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” for 2 of the last 2 years. The Sierra has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

Motor Trend selected the F-150 as their 2018 Truck of the Year. The Sierra has never been chosen.

The Ford F-Series outsold the GMC Sierra by over four to one during the 2018 model year.