C&D: 1/2 ton diesels compared

[kevm14]

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/co ... nl19152030

This is actually a good read even though it is kind of a mini-review. Aside from reconfirming that the Duramax 3.0L I6 and 10 speed is the best 1/2 ton diesel powertrain of the bunch, this article also taught me that GM and Ram are making better trucks than Ford. At least at this moment.

Chevy's powertrain shines all the time but never so brightly as when it's hooked to a 6650-pound trailer. If all we ever did was tow, the Duramax might be enough to win us over.

The Ford and Chevy share a transmission, but you would never know it by driving them. It isn't so much that the Ford's version is conspicuous, it's that the Silverado's works as seamlessly as the inline-six that turns it. Chevy's powertrain shines all the time but never so brightly as when it's hooked to a 6650-pound trailer. If all we ever did with one of these trucks was tow, the Duramax might be enough to win us over. It is that nice.

The Silverado also tops a lot of objective stats, including payload, as-tested price, and acceleration. It is the lightest in the test, too, which pokes a rusty hole in Ford's aluminum-body strategy. Even the fully kitted Ram 1500 is lighter than the F-series pickup.

But while this truck, equipped with the Duramax and the Z71 off-road package, rides better than other current-gen Silverados we've tested, it is no match for the Ram's supple ride and adept handling. The scary thing for the competition is that the Ram isn't just good for a truck; it's just plain good. The F-150, on the other hand, never settles down. It bucks, wiggles, shimmies, and hops endlessly after an otherwise minor bump in the road. We thought attaching a trailer might calm the ride, but it didn't.

I think GM trucks always rode better than Fords. But now with the Ram topping the segment as the luxury offering, the Ford looks particularly crusty. The weight thing despite aluminum panels is a great one to remember next time some Ford fan pipes up with that nonsense.

I also enjoyed this graphic that shows how the big 3 all approach towing capacities.

[kevm14]

Here is the info PDF.

15.5 @ 88 for the Silverado. Best 5-60. The horsepower advantage also shows up in the 0-100. It's 3 seconds ahead of the Ram and nearly 4 seconds ahead of the F150. This advantage is relevant not just for higher speed passing but also trailer towing. The Ram barely beats it to 30 and then the Silverado just walks away and doesn't look back.

Oddly the 200 mile trip MPG was by far the worst on the Silverado even though the towing mpg was the highest at 17 (the other two were 16). Something was going on. I bet we'll here more about it. It should have done at least as good as the Ram at 30 mpg (both have a 29 mpg highway rating as well) yet it only pulled down 23. May have done a regen while the Ram did not which is sort of luck of the draw. Again I think we'll hear more. All other results to date have generally exceeded 30 mpg for the Silverado.