I just test drove a 2011 Ram and of course the truck was awesome. I asked the sales guy about the U-Connect and if it allowed voice control of an iPod and he said it did not. Normally I know more than the sales guy but he seemed pretty in tune with matters. He stated the U-connect was really about hands free phone use as opposed to voice commands for an iPod like the Ford Sync system allows.

Can anyone confirm if U-Connect allows voice control or not?

Now for those who aren't tired of drive impressions, here are mine. First up the 2011 F-150 with the 5.0 engine.

Before I drove the Ram I test drove a 2011 F-150 with the new 5.0 liter V8. The 6 speed transmission allowed for very strong acceleration but the engine did feel a little soft at the 2,000 rpm range. Once kicked down the truck definitely pulled nicely. The ride was a little stiff but I prefer a stiffer ride to too soft of a ride. The interior was nice and I really liked the 4" LCD display in the center of the dashboard. It had lots of information available and for me bridges the gap between only having six analog gauges of data and a full blown 6" LCD in the center of the dash. I really don't like those. So the F-150 was impressive save for the low end power.

This truck had the 3.55 rear end and if I went Ford I'd go with the 3.73 which arguably would help with acceleration. Also, some have commented that the F-150 throttle response can be tuned up quite a bit which may be what I was feeling more than the lack of torque. The F-150 had a bench seat with the column shifter. Although the steering wheel obscured the buttons, you have up and down shift on the shift lever. It is nice having easy access to a downshift so I can prepare for passing without having to floor the gas pedal to get a downshift.

Bring on the Ram. The truck I drove was close to what I would have purchased. I prefer a bench seat up front and a 3.92 in back but other than those two items, the truck was what I am after. The interior was definitely a notch above the Ford but both trucks are nice. The center display doesn't quite have as much information as the Ford but still has the important data available. I drove a Ram in January of 2010 and that model had the bench seat. For my purposes, the center console with shifter takes up way too much room in a full size truck. The 2011 Ram had buckets and if I buy a Ram, I'l definitely go for the split bench. Also, the 2010 Ram had a similar shift mechanism to the Ford as far as being able to ratchet up or down a gear on the column shifter. The 2011 had the console shifter with the tiptronic mode. I did not take the time to downshift the truck manually as I really didn't have to. I'd say the hemi has quite a bit more torque at the 2,000 - 3,000 rpm range where I do most of my driving. As smooth and nice as the 5.0 was in the Ford, I think the Hemi is quite a bit stronger. The ride is definitely better than the Ford and I found how big the difference was to be quite surprising.

Of course both vehicles are very nice, and they should be as both sticker for 37kish. However at this point I lean towards the Ram for that Hemi engine and "supposed" 22mpg on the highway with the MDS. This sales guy seemed quite sure that was attainable if you aren't a lead foot.

I hope to buy the last week in December and part of what will make up my mind is if either brand has exactly what I want available for a pre-2011 purchase.

NC

 

With u-connect you obviously have hands free phone. In addition you can change the stations on your radio via voice. They really missed by not putting a activate voice control button on the wheel though.

 

Maybe with a 50mph tailwind while traveling downhill. Figure 17, maybe 18 on the highway in the warm weather.

 

Yes 22 is a little on the high side there. I saw my truck hit 20... Once! It was when I drove it off the lot and hit the highway on my 600 mile drive home. 17-18 is much more realistic.

 

I have a 3.21 rear end and can get 22 on flat terrain with zero headwind but I have to really behave. The second I get over 65 the best Ill get is 20, add any rolling hills even small one and 18 is normal..

With any other rear end, you need that tailwind downhill

 

So the sales guy was blowing smoke about MDS? Oh well. The Ram is still my top pick as of now.

NC

 

U-connect is for the hands free phone. If you have a Bluetooth phone, it will pick up the U connect. The mic is in the rearview mirror. It works pretty well so far. It does not let you change radio stations via voice however.....

There is something else called "voice command" - maybe that is what he is referring to regarding the changing of the radio stations.

 

Well, it came with my radio... Just push the button, say "Channel" followed by the number.

 

With my 2011 Mustang GT I can press the voice button while listening to an iPod and say, "Play artist Sammy Hagar" and it will do just that. So it sounds like the Dodge system won't allow this for iPod control but will do it for radio station changes? I wonder if they can reprogram that in the future.

I won't bet on it.

NC