I thought this might be a fun little comparison since I traded my 2012 Power Wagon for the Raptor, and my wife’s daily driver is a 2019 Colorado ZR2 with the gas motor. I’m not sure one is a clear winner (the ZR2 takes 3rd place for me), but I’ve enjoyed having my hands on all three vehicles.
2012 Power Wagon:
5.7L Hemi with 4.56 gears, Front/Rear Locking Differentials/Front Disconnecting Sway Bar, and 12,000lb Warn Winch. Essentially the love child of a Rubicon and a 3/4 ton Ram. Towing capacity on this truck was roughly 10,500lbs because of the rear springs. For a HD truck it road great. My biggest complaint was the dated interior (Ram updated the interior in 2013). I can’t say a bad word though about reliability. Other than normal maintenance the only thing I did was replaced a broken exhaust manifold bolt and the upper/lower ball joints that Ram is known for having issues with. It was a great truck for 62,000 miles.
View attachment 141945
2019 Colorado V-6 (wife’s daily driver)
This is a fun little truck that comes from the factory with front and rear lockers. My wife LOVES this truck, which means I’m happy (happy wife, happy life). Yes the interior is kind of cheap with lots of hard plastic, but it cleans up easily. The leather seats are a little on the firm side, but not bad. At 6’8” I’m pretty comfortable in the front seats. We have less than 7,000 miles on the truck in almost a year, so I can’t speak about reliability. I will say that this thing can be parked almost anywhere. The V-6 isn’t bad, but an extra 100hp wouldn’t hurt the trucks cause.
View attachment 141946
2020 Ford Raptor
Having a 1/2 ton is a new experience to me. Since 2004 I’ve been in a HD Ram. I’m not used to the ride quality of this truck, but it’s truly fantastic. I don’t need the HD truck, so the 8,000lb towing capacity will be just fine with our 21ft Pontoon Boat. The interior of this truck is the nicest vehicle I’ve ever owned and for the price, it better be. I’d say the seats have to rival that of a S Class Mercedes, they are flat out fantastic. While I’m still under 900 miles, the truck has been really impressive. My biggest complaint is the Auto Start/Stop, but I’m getting used to pushing the button on the dash. The truck feels pretty quick, and I’m very happy with the fuel economy over the 2012 Power Wagon. I look forward to learning more about this truck and enjoying it for years to come.
View attachment 141947
So which one is my favorite? Honestly, I’m not sure yet. The Raptor is a great truck, but I’m going to have to put some miles on it to declare it a winner. I really loved my 2012 Power Wagon, and it was hard to give up. Only time will tell.