Mandalorian

Those are apparently pretty popular in the Middle East

This. Blind brand loyalty is a dying concept. Switching forces innovation. What incentive does GM or any other company have to improve their products if they know people will blindly buy them no matter what? Do people think Mary Barra is going to show up at the doorstep with a trophy or something?

The AT4 is more of an FX4 competitor than it is a Raptor competitor, GM really doesn't have a true rival to the Raptor/TRX sadly. The AT4 is a great truck in it's own right, but just not really in the same league.

Shocks are not designed to last 300k miles.

Lincoln is just about the last brand left making plush seats. The "Perfect Position" seats on Black Label vehicles are pretty spectacular. Also, as mediocre of a truck the Titan is, Nissan's Zero Gravity seats are pretty sweet.

I don't think it's a manner of GM having less tech, it's just poorly packaged compared to the competition.

There was just something about the K2s, they had a really classic "Chevy Truck Feel", reminded me a lot of the GMT400s and 800s. I really liked the K2 interiors too, best truck interior on the market until the 2019 Ram came out. The cocoa/dune option was beautiful, and the interiors just felt more open and spacious, even if material quality was roughly the same as the T1. T1 interiors are just too dark. Like sitting in a coal bin, even with the lightest color option. That and the design just makes them feel smaller than they are.

Almost no one drives at WOT ever. Every single day I'm stuck behind some clown merging onto a 65mph (realistically 80mph) highway at 45mph.

Pay absolutely no attention to Vroom's "deadline". With the way manufacturing is going right now, it'll only go up. The worst thing you can do is feel pressured. If you do want to entertain the idea of trading, I'd wait to shop until the MY 2022 trucks come out with refreshed interiors.

Buying the first model year of a new generation is always a no for me.

Buying the first model year of a new generation is always a no for me.

The current 4.3 (2014) is completely different from the older one (1985), they only share a common displacement.

Ram and the new F-150 are game changers. GM is behind the curve in terms of interiors and innovation. Mechanically solid trucks, but don't have as much "wow" factor. A big part of it IMO is the asinine packaging. Ford and Ram let you spec the trucks a lot more a la carte. With GM things are overly bundled into sometimes weirdly incompatible bundles. Then there are just some head scratchers like offering 3 different transmissions and 2 versions of the 5.3L engine.

Both

I never got this. Someone can afford a $70k vehicle, but not an extra $0.25 a gallon?

Dealers and sleazy add-ons are a tale as old as time

Very familiar with Tundras, a bunch in the family. Pros and cons like everything else. The 5.7 is a beast of an engine, in the same league as the GM 6.2 and Ford HO 3.5 EB, especially with the 4.10 rear. The cabins are a let down. The 1794 leather is quite nice, but there's just acres of hard silver and black plastic. The driving feel is also much different, probably the most critical difference. I don't think the steering is as precise as a domestic truck (especially GM), the brakes are super touchy, and there's just more NVH. A GM truck is going to drive and handle a lot better, and IMO be less fatiguing to drive on long trips. As for the 3.0, I'd skip it. To me, light duty diesels don't make a whole lot of sense. The US isn't a country where diesel has a massive tax advantage or an engine displacement tax. Yes, they're a bit of a novelty and put out good MPG numbers, but servicing is a lot more expensive. So you probably break even in the long run cost wise, but get a much slower truck.

Circa 2017 tech in a 2018 vehicle? NO! Heresy!

I have the 12 Pro (not max) and it barely fits. Went with the regular size basically for this reason. If it's REALLY close, like milimeters, you might be able to trim the rubber sides a tiny amount with an xacto knife. Otherwise, you could look into some sort of raised adapter.

Sounds like the Ram is a better fit for your needs. Seat comfort is incredibly important in a vehicle. You have to make the best choice for your family. Besides, in all honesty, there really isn't a bad HD truck on the market. They all have minor pros and cons, but the segment is hypercompetitive and they're all solid options.

Sounds like you need to contact a Lemon Law attorney. The BBB? That really doesn't mean much.

A Land Cruiser, it is not

Why did you repeat the same paragraph 4 times? Besides that, it's pretty well documented MY 2015 and 2016 vehicles have a lot of issues. Just look at Consumer Report's scores.

These are some of the most mass produced vehicles on the planet, there are going to be some quality issues here and there. You'll hear about them more, especially at places like this just due to the sheer scale of sales. However, a 2020 or 2021 truck should be very reliable and last a very long time as long as you follow the maintenance schedule. The most serious issues tend to come in the first model year of a new generation, which you don't have.

Depends on your ownership plans. Air suspensions are not reliable long-term.