Let me ask those of you who have owned a truck before a question. Have you ever had a friend, relative, neighbor, or even an acquaintance ask you for assistance in hauling something heavy? Of course, I’m not talking about simply moving a piece of furniture from one room to another, but to help them transport something large with your truck from one place to another. Sometimes you may enjoy helping others, I know that I sure do, but to really lend a helping hand, you need a truck that can keep up. We want to discuss the battle between the 2022 Ford F-350 vs 2022 GMC Sierra 3500HD to help you make an informed decision before you visit your local dealership.
Let’s first begin by discussing the trim levels. The XL is the base trim for the F-350, and this has a starting price of $36,715. This price will slowly go up following the five other trim levels. The Limited is the best trim that you can purchase with its state-of-the-art features, comfortable interior, and a strong turbo-diesel engine to power it all. The GMC Sierra 3500HD starts at $37,900 for the base model, the Pro. In addition to four more trims, this is the make-up of the Sierra 3500HD. Trim levels and pricing don’t tell us the full story, but it’s a viewpoint of sorts into the competition that we can expect to see. It’s not always a clear-cut comparison between two vehicles, especially with these two here, but with the pricing in mind, the results may shock you. There’s a lot to digest here, so we just want to get right into it and discuss which truck is the better purchase for someone who doesn’t want to settle for second best.
A Promising Start… For Now
At first glance, it’s easy to be impressed by the Sierra 3500HD, and why not? It’s a strong truck and the main competitor to the F-350. Someone who walks into a dealership and doesn’t know the difference between these two trucks may look at the Sierra 3500HD and think that’s as good as it gets. That’s not the case, and we’ll tell you why. But first, let’s discuss the base engines in these pickup trucks.
We see a similar setup between the base engines for the most part. The Sierra 3500HD contains a 6.6L V8, and the F-350 has a slightly smaller 6.2L V8 dubbed the “Boss.” Both engines come standard with a 6-speed automatic transmission, but what if you wanted more? Fortunately, the Boss engine inside of the F-350 can also be linked to a 10-speed automatic. The 6.6L V8 inside of the Sierra 3500HD? Well, that doesn’t get an upgrade, and it’s stuck with a 6-speed automatic. We suspect that for many drivers out there, this can be a massive drawback for the Sierra 3500HD. This is especially the case since you have to pay extra for an entirely different engine to receive the same transmission that can be fitted onto the base-level F-350.
This is where things get interesting. The horsepower output of the Boss is 385 hp, and the 6.6L V8 inside of the Sierra 3500HD has 401 hp. Torque output sits at 430 lb-ft for the base F-350 engine, and the Sierra 3500HD gets 464 lb-ft of torque. Alright, so how does this translate to towing potential, since that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day, right? Here’s the answer, the smaller engine inside of the F-350 can tow 16,700 lbs, and the Sierra 3500HD tows 16,800 lbs. With the price differential, and the ability to utilize a 10-speed automatic transmission without even mentioning a mere towing capacity difference of 100 lbs, we think this one is a clear point for the F-350 in this contest.
Okay, so how about those diesel engines? We’ll get to those, but first, there’s something that the F-350 has that is nowhere to be found on GMC’s lineup. Leaning on the much larger side of consumer-grade engines, this is a massive 7.3L V8 engine that is codenamed “Godzilla.” With a name like that, you must be expecting some power, and you’d be right as this engine produces 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. This is more powerful all-around than the base engine in the Sierra, and this is most apparent with its maximum towing capacity of 21,200 lbs. This means that the F-350 offers the strongest gasoline engine between the two, with its best offering boasting a 26% increase in towing capacity.
Things Get Heated Up
What’s a decent pickup truck without a diesel option? The F-350 and Sierra 3500HD both offer one here, and these bring the most power to the table. With Ford’s truck, this is a turbo-diesel 6.7L V8, and the Sierra 3500HD can be equipped with a turbo-diesel 6.6L V8, so it’s the same size as the base engine. The real difference between the two turbo-diesel engines is in horsepower and torque output, and the F-350 seriously impresses here.
Starting with the Sierra 3500HD, the best you can get is 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the base engine, the turbo-diesel variant comes with a 10-speed automatic transmission, which we’d like to remind you that is already available on the base F-350. Speaking of the F-350, the turbo-diesel engine that it can come with has 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft of torque. The list of pickup trucks that offer over 1,000 lb-ft of torque is slim, and it’s both an accomplishment for the manufacturer and something to be admired by everyone else. Towing capacity between the two is similar, with the F-350 having a maximum capacity of 35,750 lbs and the Sierra 3500HD having 36,000 lbs. Keep in mind, a difference of 250 lbs in towing capacity isn’t a detriment, and it shouldn’t turn you away from the F-350 over the Sierra 3500HD.
There’s No Doubt
Based on all of the information we could gather between the 2022 F-350 and the Sierra 3500HD, there’s no doubt in our minds that Ford has made the overall better vehicle. Moving up the trim list doesn’t help things for the Sierra 3500HD either, as the F-350 keeps its pace. This is especially true if you sincerely want the most power that you can muster from these trucks, as the F-350 can offer you over 1,000 lb-ft of torque. As we mentioned prior, the base models fare better too, and you can generally expect a better experience on the F-350.
These pickup trucks aren’t toys, nor are they your average vehicle. No, these pickup trucks are something far more than that; these are the quintessential tools for someone who needs a truck with some serious power behind it. We guarantee that you won’t be disappointed with the F-350, and it might just become your most favorite vehicle that you’ve ever owned. Keep in mind that the F-150, which is the most popular truck from Ford, has a mere fraction of the power that the F-350 can give you. If this comparison has taught us anything, it’s that Ford never ceases to amaze us, and this makes us very excited for what’s to come. Today, however, the 2022 F-350 will be the perfect vehicle for millions of hard workers for years to come.
