How is a 3/4 truck as a daily driver?

[All50States]

As I'm considering upgrading my tow vehicle, I'll be looking at 3/4 tons.  I test drove a F250 last weekend (not sure of the bed size) and that truck was big!  How are the 3/4 ton trucks as daily drivers?

My driving is mostly short, frequent trips (unless I'm camping).

 

[Memtb]

    You quickly find that many parking lots are designed for the ?Prius? crowd. They?re doable, but a pain. Other than that.....?EVERYTHING? else is a positive!

 

[Gizmo]

Agree with Memtb, although in my case a 1-ton DRW which adds a little extra considerations to the equation.  However, if the 3/4 ton truck is the right choice for your towing needs, whether it is a good daily driver or not is irrelevant.

 

[Roy M]

Mine has been a daily driver for 9 years. Yeah, parking can be a pain and some might complain about the ride but I am so used to it that I don't feel comfortable in my gf's Matrix.

 

[donn]

2500 series trucks are fine.  Depending on the drive train you pick you will loose a bit on fuel milage and ride comfort.  But like lots of things in life it is a trade off to get what you need for towing.

 

[HappyWanderer]

When I had the quad cab and eight-foot bed, I just got used to parking farther away.

 

[8Muddypaws]

I drove my F250 for 11 years.  I solved the parking dilemma by always parking the furthest I could get from the door.  Didn?t get door dings that way either.

Walking is good for you.

 

[Joezeppy]

I drive about 45 miles round trip every day so I usually drive my Hyundai Elantra to save money on gas but I think my truck rides fine. It can "ride l like a truck" over some road surfaces but it's got just as many creature comforts as many cars.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Drive and ride fine but a little big even for supermarket parking lots. Parking at the far end of the lot gets to be a habit.  We had an extended cab long bed model, and a crew cab standard bed is about the same length or a tad longer.

 

[martin2340]

Agree with all of the above posters, you will learn to park further away and something I always find easier is backing in to most spots with the new backup cameras. I never after the past 10 years driving a Crew cab 150 5.5' and now a 250 crew cab 6.5' seem to be able to judge the front. I think I am about to hit the front and get out to find I am 6-8' away. The 3/4 ton does ride harder on rough terrain but cruises nicely at highway speeds. My wife drives a Lexus getting 21 mpg and my 250 diesel gets close to 19 mpg on local roads.

 

[Dvan]

I drive my F350 every day, crew cab with 8? bed so it?s looong. I really love it though, I?ve been driving them so long I feel strange in a little car. The only complaint I have is the ride can be a little stiff at times, probably more so with the 1 ton.

 

[John From Detroit]

I used to drive an F-350 Custom (10000 pound straight truck) with a 12 (I think) foot bed.. They are big.. But doable.  Expensive too (MPG) but.. hey.. You can tow a SERIOUS trailer with a 350..  That's getting into the "OF course my truck can tow this" range.

 

[scottydl]

My 2500 Suburban is my almost-daily driver. Same as what others have said... a little stiff in the suspension department, but I'm used to that and the terrible gas mileage (even when not towing). It makes me appreciate my 2013 Traverse a lot more, which feels like a Cadillac in comparison.

 

[Chakara]

  I daily drove my old Dodge.  It was a short bed with 4 doors.  You learn and compromise on parking but at most places - even the hard ones - you can find a way.

  Then I added my Camry....so the truck is mainly just for camping. 

  Then I swapped the short bed for a dually Chevy.  I'm considering selling the Camry and daily driving the new Chevy, but am concerned about the drive around problem so still in mental debate mode on that.

-Kyle

 

[rbTN]

Been driving either a 2500 or 3500 for the last 20 plus yrs daily but my drives have always been 45 min or more each way, usually highway.

One thing not mentioned (or I didn't see it) is that diesels generally don't like constantly doing short trips all that much. It takes them longer to get warmed up and from what I've read about the newer models with the emissions stuff they can soot up faster. That may not be an issue if your towing frequently to clean things out.

 

[Isaac-1]

A lot of good information above, but in my opinion a lot depends on where you live, if you live in a city with a lot of parking spaces sized for subcompact cars, and downtown parking garages (particularly older ones), then it is no fun at all.  If on the other hand you live in rural farmland countryside then it is not too big of deal though even then there can be some parking limitations, need to find 2 empty spaces in line, etc.

 

[scale obsession]

I've recently done just this. I traded in my 16' 5.3 crew cab 6.5 bed silverado 1500. I purchased a 2019 F250 XL 6.2 gas.373 gears. Crew cab 4x4 6 3/4 bed. I find this truck has a tighter turning radius than my 1500. I no longer have to do a multi point turn in the cul de sac. Fuel mileage is very similar to the silverado. My silverado was outfitted with LT tires and averaged 12, in mixed driving and 17 on the highway. The F250 is getting 14mpg in mixed driving and 15 on the highway. It only has 1100 miles on it at this point, so it may get better. 

Yes, its a big truck. Yes you need to be cognitive of the size, but as long as you don't live downtown in an urban jungle, its manageable. Mine is very tall. No lift and it just squeaks through my 7ft tall garage door. It WILL NOT fit in a local parking garage. As for the ride, i prefer the ride of the f250. The silverado almost seemed to soft. When the road got choppy, it felt like an old cadillac. It wasn't real planted. The f250, sure you feel a bump, but its planted.

Overall, gaining the additional towing capacity and gaining a margin of safety while towing our trailer I feel is well worth the additional bulk of the truck. I don't mind parking further out. I feel like these are good trade offs.


On a side note, One thing I personally like about the 3/4 ton series truck, is that it does not have cylinder deactivation like my silverado did. My 1500 would drop off to 4 cylinders and it was incredibly sluggish when it would do this. The exhaust note would change and it would sound like a broken air compressor. I personally know 3 guys who have had cam failure also, due to lifter failure involved with the cylinder deactivation.

 

[NMDriver]

A lot of good information above, but in my opinion a lot depends on where you live, if you live in a city with a lot of parking spaces sized for subcompact cars, and downtown parking garages (particularly older ones), then it is no fun at all.  If on the other hand you live in rural farmland countryside then it is not too big of deal though even then there can be some parking limitations, need to find 2 empty spaces in line, etc.

X2 Here in NM I have no trouble finding close in parking big enough for the truck.  Everyone drives a truck, if a merchant does not have big parking spaces they do not have customers.  In SF bay area, where the grand kids are, it becomes a problem, especially in the parking garages.

 

[Joezeppy]

Like others have commented, I tend to park far from stores (and here at work) and back in or "drive through" a parking spot so I can pull out. I get such a laugh out of people trying to cram a full size 4 door pickup into the first spot they see. They either have to reposition it 5 times or end up so close to (or over) the line that they have to squeeze out of the door. And then there are the inconsiderate morons that leave themselves lots of room on the driver's side but park 4" from the car on the other side so those people are screwed!

 

[All50States]

Thanks Everyone for your feedback!  I tried a lot over the weekend to get an F150 to work.  I'm already at a 1500 lbs payload (stuff in current truck and trailer hitch weight) and that doesn't include wanting to put extra stuff in the bed of the truck.

Not thinking of buying new at this time to get the HDPP. Looks like a F250 is in my future!  I see a lot of these trucks in the XL or XLT. Not many in the higher trim levels.  The search is on. I have 3 months to get one and then start loading it up for the Rockies.