When I was growing up, suburban families drove sedans, with some opting for the additional trunk space provided by station wagons. There were some who drove vans, but fuel economy concerns and the difficulty parking them often got in the way of suburban drivers. Nobody drove a pickup truck. But times have changed, and many family drivers have discovered the benefits of driving a pickup. Two of the best that go head to head for comfort and convenience features are the 2022 Ford F-150 vs 2022 Ram 1500. These two full-size trucks lend themselves well to suburban family drivers, with roomy cabs that can seat up to 5 passengers, well-equipped infotainment systems to keep the kids entertained, standard safety features, and luxury appointments on the top trims that can make you think you’re driving an SUV or full-size sedan.
As more families buy into the value proposition offered by pickup trucks, it becomes crucial to determine which ones offer more features for the money. This often may seem like splitting hairs, but for drivers the decision whether to buy a Ford or a Ram will come down to the details since both have exceptional powertrains and plenty of options, such as four-wheel drive and superior towing and hauling capabilities.
Roominess With a View Any Configuration
One reason why so many suburban families are choosing to make a pickup truck the family car is the roominess of the cab coupled with the lifted ground clearance of a truck that gives you increased visibility when driving. Ford offers three different cab styles on the 2022 F-150, including a two-door regular cab with one row of seats. Ram does not offer this cab style, opting only for two-row styles on the 2022 Ram 1500. This is of no major importance to most drivers looking to use a truck as a family vehicle, as a regular cab is impractical for this purpose. As a result, you will need to decide which of the two other cab styles on offer works best for you.
Here, there is a need for a word of caution. The names of the cab styles can be a little confusing. The cab with two full-size doors and two rear half-doors is called a SuperCab on the Ford F-150 and a Quad Cab on the Ram 1500. This one gives you a smaller total interior cab area. This translates to less legroom and slightly less headroom. For example, the Ford F-150 SuperCab gives front-row passengers 40.8 inches of headroom and 41.9 inches of legroom, while rear-seat passengers get 40.3 inches of headroom and 33.5 inches of legroom. Similarly, passengers in the Ram 1500 Quad Cab get 40.9 inches of headroom and 40.9 inches of legroom in the front row and 39.2 inches of headroom and 35.6 inches of legroom in the rear row. This is fairly comparable between the two models, with the rear seat possibly being a bit cramped if you have older kids.
This is probably why most suburban truck drivers choose one with a cab that provides full-size front and rear rows with four full-size doors. Ford calls this a SuperCrew on the F-150, and Ram calls it a Crew Cab on the Ram 1500. In comparing the two, the Ford is slightly roomier except for rear row legroom, where the Ram excels. The F-150 SuperCrew gives you 40.8 inches of headroom and 43.9 inches of legroom in the front row and 40.4 inches of headroom and 43.6 inches of legroom in the rear seats. The Ram 1500 Crew Cab provides 40.9 inches of headroom and 40.9 inches of legroom in the front and 39.8 inches of headroom and 45.2 inches of legroom in the back.
Both of these trucks can be configured to provide seating for 5 or 6 passengers. If you need room for 6 passengers, then you will have to order your 2022 Ford F-150 or Ram 1500 with a front-row bench seat. If you are fine with 5 passengers, then you can get bucket seats in the front row. Interestingly enough, both trucks provide the same hip and shoulder space regardless of which of the two cab styles you choose. In both, the Ford F-150 will give you more shoulder room (66.7 inches in front and 66 inches in the back) than the Ram 1500, which has 66 inches of shoulder room in the front and 65.7 inches in the back. Meanwhile, the Ram 1500 has slightly more hip room than the Ford F-150 – 63.4 inches in the front and back, compared to 62.5 inches in front and 62.6 inches in the back of the Ford.
Infotainment for Your Daily Travel Needs
If you are like me, then you love having a fully equipped infotainment system on your vehicle. There are few things more fun than connecting your smartphone through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and streaming your favorite music while the navigation app guides you to your destination. Both the 2022 Ford F-150 and 2022 Ram 1500 feature the respective infotainment systems from their automaker.
The F-150 comes with a SYNC 4 system on an 8-inch capacitive touchscreen on the XL and XLT models. Starting with the Lariat trim and running up through the Tremor, King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited, Ford gives you a standard 12-inch touchscreen on the system. The Ram 1500 also has a standard system, the Uconnect 3; however, it has a 5-inch touchscreen on the Tradesman and Big Horn models, with an 8.4-inch screen standard only on the Laramie trim and running up to the Rebel and Limited Longhorn. Only the Ram 1500 Limited has a standard 12-inch touchscreen on the Uconnect system.
The equipment on the infotainment systems is fairly comparable. Both the SYNC system on the F-150 and the Uconnect on the Ram 1500 allow you to connect your smartphone through Bluetooth, listen to music on an audio system, and give drivers a SiriusXM trial subscription. However, if you want to stream your apps through Android Auto or Apple CarPlay on the 2022 Ram 1500, you will have to choose a trim higher than the base Tradesman model. The 2022 Ford F-150 Platinum, Limited, King Ranch, and Tremor trims all feature a B&O Sound System by Bang & Olufsen that is also available as an option on the Lariat and XLT trims. Similarly, Ram offers a 19-speaker Harmon Kardon Premium sound system on the Limited and Laramie models as an additional option.
Ford and Ram Do the Safety Dance
Automakers have spent a great deal of effort over the past decades working to improve passenger safety on their vehicles. This is certainly the case with Ford and Ram when designing their pickup trucks. This is good news for family drivers like you who put a premium on safety features to better protect you and your loved ones. Both the 2022 Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 feature plenty of active driver assistance features. However, it seems that Ford offers more standard features of its Co-Pilot360 technology on the F-150 than Ram does with the 1500. For example, while both have a standard rearview camera, only the F-150 has standard pre-collision assist with automatic braking, which will engage the emergency brakes if the system detects an imminent collision. Similarly, only Ford has the standard post-collision braking system that will bring your F-150 to a stop to reduce the chances of a secondary crash.
If you want other active driver assistance features on your truck, you will have to move up from the base model. In the case of the F-150, that means going from a base XL to the XLT in order to get a lane-keeping system to keep you from drifting out of your lane. On the Ram 1500, you will have to move up two levels from the Tradesman and Big Horn to the Laramie to get a standard forward collision warning system and all the way to the top Limited trim to get the full complement of active safety features.
Trucks Are Fun for the Whole Family
With their roominess and utility, trucks can work as an ideal family vehicle. The 2022 Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 can each seat up to 6 passengers comfortably, with an infotainment system designed to keep you informed while driving and each of your passengers connected and entertained. This is probably why the three highest-selling vehicles in the United States are pickup trucks, with the Ford F-150 ranked number 1 and the Ram 1500 ranked number 2. Even if you don’t plan to do any towing or hauling, a pickup truck can make a perfect vehicle for you and your family.
