Here’s the third and final portion of our 2009 Tundra vs 2009 F150 comparison, where we compare ride, handing, and comfort, and announce a winner. Make sure to read part one, a mechanical comparison, and part two, comparing features and pricing, before reading the overall results.

RIDE:

For 2009, Ford added six inches of length to the F150’s leaf springs to enhance both capacity and ride quality. Ford seems to have emphasized compliance in this suspension – driving off the highway and onto a gravel access road we couldn’t feel any difference in terms of noise, vibrations, bumps or jerks. Frustrated, we slowed to a crawl and found erosion ruts at the road’s edge before we felt any difference in the ride quality. Even then, the difference didn’t come in the form of any perceptible bounce.

The Tundra gives you more feel for the road with a stiffer suspension tuning, but that better feel results in a few more bumps and jolts. Still, for a truck, the ride is excellent. Neither of these vehicles will impersonate the ride you get in a new Lincoln Towncar, but the F150 is just a little closer.

Winner: F150, but if you’re partial to a stiffer suspension (and we are) the Tundra gives you a nicer truck driving experience.

HANDLING:

Both trucks have rack and pinion steering with power assist and are loaded with all the traction control software you need to keep you on the road. Slalom tests and g-force measurements aside, our simplified definition of handling is: Can you drive it in civilization as if it didn’t have a significantly larger wheel base than a normal car? Both passed that test. The only hesitation was caused by the Tundra’s fall-away front fenders, but this disappearing act is more mental than physical.

Edmunds.com did its much more legitimate slalom test on the Tundra and post-2009 F-150. The new F-150 carries more weight, but has no radical changes to the suspension, with the exception of the six extra inches on the rear leaf springs. Using that test as any sort of proof of agility and handling isn’t entirely valid, but it’s all we’ve got. The F-150 executed the course at 55.1 mph, the Tundra at 54.9 mph which proves the post-2009 F-150 is 0.2 mph more agile and precise. Pickuptrucks.com came up with very similar results in their slalom test, with the F150 finishing only slightly ahead of the Tundra in a race-like performance.

Winner: This is another draw. Say what you will about the F150’s slightly superior racing performance, but both trucks felt solid, quick, and agile…kind of like a bull in a china shop. These are trucks, plain and simple, and no one is racing them. Ties always go to the older design, so Tundra wins.

COMFORT:

This is a tough section of the comparison since comfort parameters are entirely relative and subjective. Absolute comfort can really only be judged after hours of continuous driving and perhaps the most rigorous test is when those hours are spent in stop-and-go urban traffic. Still, in our short test, both trucks were comfortable and quiet. Any idiosyncrasies have more to do with the driver than the truck design and none were significant. We weren’t crazy about some of the dash features in the Tundra, but we like the louder engine note of the Tundra. The Ford feels a tad more solid, but, again, not sure that’s an element of comfort in the strictest sense.

Edmunds.com did interior decibel tests on the Tundra and our post-’09 Ford.  The Tundra hit higher decibels on acceleration but was quieter overall. However, the differences were hardly significant.

Winner: This is likely another draw…but the F150’s solid feel, larger number of cool new interior options (like Ford’s SYNC) system, and the new Platinum package (with luxury to the nines) compel us to give Ford the edge here.

OVERALL COMPARISON WINNER:

IT’S A TIE. These two trucks are awfully close. While the Tundra has a clear advantage in power and pricing, the F150 offers more features, more refinement, and just as much capability. There’s no downside to choosing either one of these trucks, and as much as it pains us to admit it, the F150 matches the Tundra in most ways. Were it not for the Tundra’s superior power-plant and resale value, the F150 would have won.

Yet there are a lot of items to be aware of when you go to buy one of these trucks. If you’re looking for the maximum tow rating on the F150, you’ll need to opt for the 3.73 LS axle package (which is a $2300 option on the XLT SuperCab we configured). Take this $2300 option off, and the F150 becomes a little less expensive…and also loses the towing crown (the regular tow package is topped out at about 9700lbs). If you opt for the Ford SFE package, you’ll get class leading fuel economy, but you’ll also hand the payload and towing advantages over to the Tundra (not to mention most SFE F150s won’t have the top luxury features that give the Ford the win in the comfort and features categories). Bottom line – configurations will determine the winner.

Our advice here is to go look at both trucks, figure out what you really need, and then make your own head-to-head assessment. For many buyers, the Tundra’s better overall value (more features are standard, better resale value, better capability in the standard package) will outweigh the F150’s superior comforts and features…and for many others the F150’s larger variety of options and luxury options will make the choice seem like a no-brainer.

We struggled with this comparison a little because the F150 tries to be all things to all people, but only in a few very narrow ways is the F150 clearly better. The Tundra offers big advantages in some areas, but many buyers likely won’t find them as great. While we’re quite certain that our comparison will be criticized by the Ford faithful for glossing over some of the new F150’s advantages, we’re also sure that many Tundra owners will criticize us for failing to emphasive the Tundra’s game-changing power advantage, superior resale, Toyota quality, etc. Our freelancer who assisted us with this comparison, Dan Murphy, said it best: “The winner here is anyone who is lucky enough to be able to own one of these trucks.”

Popularity: 7%