Winner: Back Seat Review Comparison – LEGO Technic Mack Set Goes To… (Reader Story)

(photo: Duncan)

[Editor: This reader review was submitted by Duncan Bourdaux for LEGO Technic Mack set contest. Contest closed on Mar 23rd, 2018. This submission was voted by the TFLtruck.com team as the winner. Thanks to all who submitted their truck stories and reviews.]

Win this cool Mack Truck LEGO Technic(TM) set

My name is Duncan Bourdaux and I live in Hudson, Wisconsin. I am 10 years old and have loved trucks for as long as I can remember. The thing that got me interested in trucks is my uncle’s truck Big Red. Big Red is a 1997 Ford with a V10 engine that he refinished from the ground up. I also love Legos so when my dad mentioned this contest I had to enter.

(photo: Duncan)

I chose to review two different heavy-duty truck models, the 2017 Ford F250 with the Power Stroke Diesel and the 2018 Chevrolet 2500 with the Duramax. I picked two very common trim levels, the Ford Lariat and the Chevrolet LTZ. Both are very similar as far as overall options and neither truck had an off-road package.

From the YouTube videos my dad and I have watched together many reviews are done from the driver’s point of view. I am writing a review from my point of view, where I ride, in the back seat.

The factors I looked at were; ride quality, general features, and comfort. Each truck was taken on a test drive with my dad driving and me in the back seat. The same 6-mile path including both freeway and side roads was used for both trucks. Unlike many of your videos, we tested the truck with no trailer or load in the bed.

Ride Quality

The Ford Lariat was very bumpy on the freeway and side roads. I measured the noise from the back seat traveling at 70 miles per hour using an iPhone app. The Db level was measured to be 82.6 Db.
The Chevrolet 2500 LTZ was taken on the same loop and offered a much smoother ride on both the freeway and side roads. The Db level was 81.6 going the same speed of 70 miles per hour.

General Features

I counted the number of cup holders that could be used from the back seat. In the Ford there were 4 total with 2 in the middle seat and 2 on the back of the center console. The Chevrolet had only 2 cup holders both in the middle of the center rear seat. This is difficult for me and my family as we have three kids and two adults. This means that the center-rear seat cannot be used as an arm rest or cup holder because it will be in the up position most of the time.

(photo: Duncan)

I also counted the number of ports for me and my two brothers to charge our devices. I found the Ford to have more options than the Chevrolet. The Ford had a total of 2 USB chargers, 1 12-volt round lighter socket, and 1 110-volt AC plug in. The Chevy offered only one option to charge, a round 12-volt socket.

Comfort

One thing I noticed sitting in the back of both trucks was that the Ford had rear air vents you could point up or down and direct the cool or hot air where you wanted it. In the Chevrolet the heat and AC vents were under the seats and could not be moved.

Neither truck had back seat heaters which is important to me as we live in a cold climate and the leather gets very cold in the winter.

(photo: Duncan)

As far as overall room in the back seat, the Ford clearly had more leg room and felt much larger than the Chevrolet. Both trucks offered enough room for me and my family to sit on both long and short trips.
In summary, if ride quality is most important to you, choose the Chevrolet. It was much smoother and offered a better overall ride. If you are looking for more overall features and need more room in the back seat and several options to plug in your gear, the Ford F250 is the best option.

I would like to thank the two dealerships, Hudson Ford and Hudson Chevrolet/GMC for allowing my dad and I to compare these two great trucks.