Instead of simply listing off the 5 most expensive trucks, we’re going to mix it up and list the most expensive trucks in 5 different categories:
- Highest overall cost
- Highest cost per pound of towing capacity
- Highest cost per pound of payload capacity
- Highest cost per horsepower
- Highest cost per foot-pound of torque
We’re focusing this list on trucks that people can actually buy – no fancy custom jobs or limited production units. The trucks need to have an actual pickup bed, they have to be mass produced, they have to be one ton or smaller, and the trucks had to be available for sale in the USA during 2009 (09′ or 10′ models are OK). Simple, right? Here’s how it shook out:
The Most Expensive Trucks Overall
| Model | MSRP |
| 2010 Cadillac Escalade EXT AWD Premium | $69,950 |
| 2010 Hummer H2 SUT Luxury Package | $68,695 |
| 2010 Ford F350 Crew Long Box Harley Davidson 4WD 6.4L Diesel | $58,560 |
| 2010 Ford F350 Crew Long Box Chrome King Ranch 2WD 6.4L Diesel DRW | $57,915 |
| 2009 Ram 3500HD MegaCab Laramie 4×2 Diesel Resistol Edition | $54,830 |
As you can see, the Escalade is the most expensive truck you can buy, followed very closely by the Hummer H2 SUT. Special-edition diesel trucks round out the top 5. NOTE: Comparing the value between a luxury one-ton diesel truck and a Cadillac “truck,” it’s easy to see why diesel pickups are popular as luxury vehicles.
Highest Cost Per Pound of Payload Capacity
| Model | MSRP | Payload (lbs) | $/lb of Payload |
| 2010 Cadillac Escalade EXT AWD Premium | $69,950 | 1,150 | $60.83 |
| 2010 Hummer H2 SUT Luxury Package | $68,695 | 2,200 | $31.23 |
| 2010 Chevy Silverado 1HY 1500 Hybrid 2WD | $42,485 | 1,473 | $28.84 |
| 2010 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4×2 Platinum Edition 5.7 | $46,377 | 1,645 | $28.19 |
| 2010 Ford Explorer SporTrac Limited Adrenalin 2WD V8 | $38,120 | 1,380 | $27.62 |
The Tundra Platinum edition makes this list largely because it includes a host of extras, and once again the Escalade EXT is the big “winner.”
Highest Cost Per Pound of Towing Capacity
| Model | MSRP | Towing (lbs) | $/lb of Tow Capacity |
| 2010 Cadillac Escalade EXT AWD Premium | $69,950 | 7,500 | $9.33 |
| 2010 Hummer H2 SUT Luxury Package | $68,695 | 8,200 | $8.38 |
| 2010 Chevy Silverado 1HY 1500 Hybrid 2WD | $42,485 | 5,900 | $7.20 |
| 2010 Honda Ridgeline RTL 3.5L V6 4WD | $35,291 | 5,000 | $7.06 |
| 2010 Ford F150 SuperCab Raptor 4WD 5.4L | $38,995 | 6,000 | $6.50 |
The Hummer and Escalade are at the top of most of these lists, but there are some interesting changes at 3-5. The Raptor, Ridgeline, and Silverado Hybrid aren’t made for big towing…but unlike the high mileage Silverado Hybrid and the off-roading Raptor, the Ridgeline has no excuse for being such a weak tow vehicle.
Highest Dollar Per Horsepower
| Model | MSRP | Horsepower | $/hp |
| 2010 Hummer H2 SUT Luxury Package | $68,695 | 393 | $174.80 |
| 2010 Cadillac Escalade EXT AWD Premium | $69,950 | 403 | $173.57 |
| 2010 Ford F350 Crew Cab Long Box Harley Davidson 4WD 6.4L Diesel | $42,485 | 350 | $167.31 |
| 2010 Ford F350 Crew Cab Long Box Chrome King Ranch 2WD 6.4L Diesel DRW | $35,291 | 350 | $165.47 |
| 2009 Ram 3500HD MegaCab Laramie 4×2 Diesel Resistol Edition | $38,995 | 350 | $156.66 |
Diesel trucks dominate this metric simply because high HP is dependent on high RPMs. Diesel engines are low-revving when compared to gas engines, so they typically have lower HP figures than one would expect.
Highest Dollar Per ft-lb of Torque
| Model | MSRP | Torque (lbs-ft) | $/lb-ft |
| 2010 Cadillac Escalade EXT AWD Premium | $69,950 | 393 | $167.75 |
| 2010 Hummer H2 SUT Luxury Package | $68,695 | 403 | $165.53 |
| 2010 Honda Ridgeline RTL 3.5L V6 4WD | $35,291 | 247 | $142.88 |
| 2010 Ford Explorer SporTrac Limited Adrenalin 2WD V8 | $38,120 | 315 | $121.02 |
| 2010 Ford F150 SuperCrew Platinum Edition 2WD 5.4L Max towing max payload | $43,680 | 365 | $119.67 |
Once again, the comparative weakness of the Honda Ridgeline becomes apparent. Of all the trucks we spec’d, only the Double Cab Tacoma had a lower MSRP…and even the Tacoma had more ft-lbs of torque.
Some more notes about the comparison:
- The MSRP numbers came from each manufacturer’s website. The base package MSRP is used – most trucks don’t include a lot of “extras” like sunroofs, navigation systems, etc., unless these features are included in a package.
- In the interest of being as equal as possible, all trucks were priced with automatic transmissions.
- All the trucks were priced with 2wd, unless 2wd was not available.
Question – Are the Ridgeline, H2 SUT, and Escalade EXT trucks? Should they be included in this analysis?
Popularity: 1%
Sure they should since I’m pretty sure the DOT lists them as a truck class. No offense Jason, but none of the vehicles listed interest me at all. I think all of these vehicles are overpriced and pretty much useless or overkill.