Interesting you say the Chevy is quieter inside. I drove them back to back twice (Denali then F350 Platinum then the next day LTZ then F250 Lariat) and I thought the Ford was much quieter inside.
I agree, I wish they would focus more on mileage than power too. All these trucks have plenty of power to tow whatever most people need. And if they don't, they really belong in a larger (medium duty) truck anyway.
I just got back from a 4300 mile trip from Louisville, KY to Brawley, CA (Glamis dunes) up to Johnson Valley, CA and back. I saw anything from 14 MPG @ 80 MPH (tail wind) to 8 MPG @ 65 MPH (head wind). 70-75 was
The truck pulled extremely well, handled the load awesome, had tons of power, and the exhaust brake worked awesome. The transmission was average rolling speed. I didn't drive conservatively looking for good mileage, I wanted to get there. impressive, especially coming from an Allison before this truck. I love how comfortable the seats are (especially the cooled seats) and I love how great the stereo sounds. My only real bitches with the truck are the 26 gallon fuel tank and the cruise control's ability to hold speed (it goes way below and way above on it's own).
Trailer was 10,000-ish pounds - estimating, I didn't roll across the scale.