According to Edmunds.com, a top-selling luxury truck in 2018 sold for nearly twice the price of a brand new midsized car. SUVs and trucks made up almost 70% of all new vehicle sales in the United States last year.
Luxury truck drivers don’t seem to make many compromises. Ride quality, interior design, technology, and roominess in addition to off-road capabilities that most people will never need, make the high-end tricked-out luxury truck just as attractive to city dwellers navigating the streets of Chicago as they are to ranch owners in Montana.
Ford’s 2000 Harley-Davidson edition of the F-150 started the luxury truck party amount the “big three.” Now, truck shoppers can get the record-setting F-150 in three trims: the King Ranch, the Limited, and the Platinum.
Chevrolet’s Silverado 1500 High Country and the GMC Sierra 1500 Denali are Ford’s main competition in this segment. The Ram 1500 is available in the Laramie, Laramie Longhorn, and Limited editions.
While imports don’t post the same sales numbers as domestic auto brands, the Toyota Tundra 1794 and Platinum edition and the Nissan’s fully-loaded Titan Platinum Reserve trim have a lot of the same premium amenities.
The price tag on many luxury trucks approaches $100k
The most expensive luxury trucks of 2019 cost between $60,000 and $100,000. For luxury truck drivers, compromise is unnecessary. These vehicles are powerful, technologically advanced, have some of the highest safety ratings, and seat five tall people with plenty of room to stretch out.
Here are the 10 most expensive 2019 luxury trucks on the market:
- #10 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab High Country Base MSRP $54,495; fully loaded $67,190.
- #9 Nissan Titan Crew Cab Platinum Reserve Base MSRP $55,105; fully loaded $59,630.
- #8 Ram 1500 Crew Cab Limited Base MSRP $55,535; fully loaded $65,440.
- #7 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab Denali Base MSRP $56,195; fully loaded $68,295.
- #6 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Crew Cab High Country Base MSRP $57,295; fully loaded $66,245.
- #5 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Crew Cab Denali Base MSRP $57,895; fully loaded $65,640.
- #4 Ford F-150 Crew Cab Limited Base MSRP $68,630; fully loaded $76,580.
- #3 Ram 3500 Mega Cab Limited Base MSRP $62,440; fully loaded $80,075.
- #2 Nissan Titan XD Crew Cab Platinum Reserve Base MSRP $57,665; fully loaded $71,165.
- #1 Ford F-450 Super Duty Crew Cab Limited Base MSRP: $87,780; fully loaded $95,655.
Ford F-Series represents the most popular trucks in America
The most expensive luxury trucks in the United States are also the most popular. Ford F-Series sales dominate the industry. During the first quarter of 2019, Ford sold 214,611 F-Series pickup trucks. Ram pickups hold the number two spot with 120,026 sales.
The 2019 Super Duty F-450 Limited can tow up to 34,000 pounds. A 6.7-liter turbodiesel delivers reliable power under every driving circumstance. Adaptive steering makes maneuvering this beast a breeze.
This is an ideal road trip vehicle, with a functional interior that includes plush leather seats, a quiet cabin, and a customizable digital display to keep the driver informed and passengers entertained, the F-450 Limited starts to seem worth its $95,000 price tag.
For drivers that don’t need to tow 34,000 pounds, the F-350 offers a price break without sacrificing features and comfort.
Nissan Titan XD may not be worth the money
The 2019 Nissan Titan XD Crew Cab Platinum Reserve has the second-biggest price tag, but declining sales caused the company to cut production of the Titan pickup earlier in 2019 at its Canton, Mississippi plant.
Buyers and reviewers had issues with the 2018 model’s Rockford Fosgate sound system, and Nissan addressed that by upgrading to a new Fender audio system in the 2019 model. They also redesigned the infotainment head unit so that it now supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
For the price, professional reviewers found the Titan XD comfortable but generally underwhelming. The Cummins diesel engine adds $6k to the price, but that upgrade over the less-expensive V8 gasoline engine makes for a more efficient powerful and reliable machine that easily tows 10,000 pounds.
2019 Ram 3500 Mega Cab Limited wants a bigger piece of the American truck pie
This one-ton truck is at home traveling through the suburbs, running errands, on a family vacation, or driving through a field on a 100-acre ranch. Mud, snow, rough terrain, and anything you can throw at this truck on a work site are no problem.
With a towing capacity of 35,100 pounds and as much as 1,000 pound-feet of torque, the 2019 Ram 3500 Mega Cab Limited is also competing for most luxurious in its class.
The Limited edition has more real wood and leather interior coverage than either the GMC Sierra 3500 Denali or the Ford-350 Platinum. It also has the largest-in-class dashboard-dominating Uconnect Touchscreen, at 12 inches.
It just gets better for luxury truck lovers
Tesla promises a pickup that will be a better truck than the F-150 and comparable to the standard Porsche 911 for drivability. It’ll also cost under $50,000. Elon Musk says drivers should be able to get a “really great truck” for under $49k. His vision looks sci-fi and isn’t a typical looking pickup truck.
Ford says they are creating an electric version of their F-150 that will be a more traditional take on the pickup people are used to. Last year, they said they would have 16 battery-electric powered vehicles available by 2020. Early in 2019, Ford CEO Jim Hackett announced that the company would electrify the F-Series as well as Transit.
Jeep is joining the luxury truck marketplace in 202 with their Gladiator. This Wrangler-based pickup looks like a four-door traditional Jeep Wrangler with a pickup bed. Drivers can choose to upgrade from the standard 285-horsepower V6 engine to a 260-horsepower diesel with 400 pound-feet of torque.
The Ram Rebel TRX is specially designed to go head-to-head with the Ford F-150 Raptor. A 707-horsepower supercharged V8 makes this a powerful alternative to one of the best-selling luxury trucks available.
It seems all truck manufacturers see the F-Series as their main competition. For buyers, that’s a signal that luxury truck shopping should perhaps start with America’s best-loved pickups. It’s likely that you’ll find your perfect truck under the Ford nameplate.
