Toyota's Tundra is getting a redesign for '07 with a more powerful V8 and many other upgrades. For now, it's a respectable offering that gets overshadowed by Nissan's Titan and Ford's F-150. The Nissan Titan has a wonderful V8, a fully boxed frame that's as strong as Ford's F-150, but has a smallish rearend that might not hold up to hard use if towing, for example.
Ford's F-150 has a super-strong boxed frame, a 9.75-inch rearend that's the largest in any 1/2-ton pickup and, in my opinion, great styling. Its 5.4 V8 feels anemic though, even though the numbers say otherwise. Our F-150 project turned out so nicely that I might be a bit biased here.
Dodge just changed its torsion bar independent front end to coilovers like Ford and now, GM. Dodge is a player in the 1/2-ton market with its great styling and good performance. The frame isn't boxed, and the Hemi V8 gets pretty poor fuel economy, so the Dodge isn't perfect either. Also, the 1/2-ton Dodge is priced too high to compete with GM and Ford.
In the heavy-duty 3/4- to 1-ton segment, we have Chevy, Dodge, Ford, and GMC. GM's big-block 8.1 V8 gets awful fuel economy, but, once again, the 6.0 is really a great all-around powerplant. The Duramax diesel got an infusion of horsepower and torque this year at the expense of its class-leading fuel efficiency. The frames on these trucks, like all the others in this segment, could be stronger.
Ford's Super Duty gets a new diesel for '07, and we'll have to see how that works. As I'm writing this, I don't know whether or not the V10 gasser will continue, but if it isn't offered in '07, it would be a shame. That engine turns in respectable horsepower and torque numbers while also affording pretty good fuel economy. I like the Ford's straight-axle frontend and suspension. Its turning radius leaves a lot to be desired though, and, as already mentioned, frame strength needs to be upped.
Dodge's heavy-duty trucks feature the Cummins diesel, a great mill that also gets changed in '07, so we don't know how it will work. The only gas offering worth considering is the Hemi V8, which has good horsepower numbers, but peak torque is reached at higher rpm and it gets so-so fuel economy. The Dodge's straight-axle, four-link frontend is the best of the lot and lets the big Dodge turn much tighter than any other HD truck. Dodge also offers the Power Wagon, with front and rear locking diffs, 4.56 gears, 33-inch tires, and a big winch from the factory! This may be the truck to choose, even though it's only available with a Hemi and not the Cummins.
So, which truck is the best? I certainly can't decide. All of these trucks are good vehicles that I'd be happy with. Most of the shortcomings mentioned here aren't very significant and don't detract much from each truck, as their positive qualities outweigh any negative ones. So, the perfect truck isn't here, but all the OEMs are getting close.
This is a great time to be a truck buyer.