A recent Motor Trend comparison between the 2015 Ford F-150, 2014 Ram EcoDiesel and 2015 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 4×4  saw the Chevy come in last. Why? Apparently it had to do with pedal responsiveness.
In a long article, Motor Trend went through each aspect of the truck and discussed the various tests they ran to determine a winner. Many of these tests were the everyday variety like track time, real-world driving with an empty bed, hauling (1,000 lbs) towing various types of equipment and passing while towing. Also, Motor Trend compared the entry/exit of the bed and the interior amenities. Lastly, they looked at fuel economy.
After all the testing, they concluded the 2015Â Silverado to be a step behind its competition from Ford and Ram. The reasoning is based on what they considered a sluggish gas pedal response in various tests. On the track, according to the article, the Ford 2.7 EcoBoost and Chevy had identical times, yet in real-world testing the Chevy felt slower. The Ram EcoDiesel finished last in acceleration, however, this has a lot to do with the diesel engine.
The subjectively of the testing was apparent during the freeway entry acceleration test. They found:
“The Ford still felt and was the quickest. The Chevy felt the slowest and most labored, but was actually the second-quickest. The Ram felt quicker than the Chevy even though it wasn’t. Here again you might say the numbers tell the tale, but when you’re behind the wheel, knowing the Chevy is faster doesn’t make it feel any less slow.”
What do you think about the results?
Comments
Funny how the Auto week I just picked up just praised the Silverado. The reality is this segment is competitive and all the trucks are pretty good.
Shocker. The turbocharged engines feel feaster.
Quite honestly, it seemed like the Silverado fell short in several performance areas. Nevertheless one of MT’s editors stated the Silverado is a great truck, but by itself. When compared to the competition it leaves a lot to be desired….. That seems to be the story for the Silverado/Sierra this generation. Let’s see what GM has up their sleeves to remedy these problems.
If you compare a 70’s truck and today’s truck by driving 60 mph on the highway, the 70’s truck will feel like you’re driving 80 mph and today’s truck will feel like you’re driving 40 mph. It’s the same effect that MT experienced with Silverado and its competition, since Silverado is the most quietest, well balanced, solid truck on the market today!
That’s pretty funny, my 2000 well used and abused Focus feels like your doing 200mph on the expressway…..Compared to our family vehicle. But I don’t think that’s what they mean when they test acceleration. I can tell you now that I sure as hell don’t feel confident pulling out in front of anybody in my car! And it “flys” on the expressway!
I especially like how the silverado was the most capable at what a truck is supposed to do. And still lost. Seems like some BS to me
What MT described in the article is why I drive my Suburban with tow/haul on most of the time. I think tow/haul would be more accurately called old geezer driving on/off. GM truck transmissions shift to early. If I don’t have tow/haul on I find myself pushing the pedal more to get the tranny to down shift so I can keep up with traffic.
Well yeah, whenever I want to drive fast, I take the Suburban. Nothing quite as athletic as a soccer mom land yacht that scrapes its door handles in turns.
At this point MT picked a very subjective item to pinch the GM truck on. The Turbo engines have lower and flatter torque curves and have a good feel to the, Also they have a lot of torque.
Now that does not make one better than the other just more subjective so it goes back to my point todays trucks are all very good.
The real telling point is in 10 years what one will have the most resale and be viable? Will the Turbo V6 hold up on the long run or will it need a lot of expensive work later on? My last tow trucks had incredible resale and were still very viable and on good shape well into six figure Miles on the odometer. With one I got only $4,000 less than I paid for it new when I sold it 12 years later. My other I got $8,000 less. Both were good values and so easy to sell.
That my friends will be the real test.
I thought that report was full of inconsistencies and made little sense. Feels slower but isn’t… really?
I wonder how much $$$ Ford and Dodge payed to have Motor Trend write that?
Give Motor Trend 3rd for a lack of responsiveness I say.
I own a 2014 Sierra Denali 6.2 and my dad owns a Sierra SLT 5.3 so I have some experience. The problem I have is the initial throttle response is slow. The pedal travel doesn’t match the amount of throttle opening. This is a calibration issue with the drive by wire system in my opinion. Also, the shift software seems hellbent on getting the transmission into 6th gear as soon as possible. The truck is incredibly smooth and quiet, maybe too quiet for some. These things can make the truck seem less powerful than it really is.
That being said, grab a foot full of gas pedal and the 6.2 is unbelievable, and the 5.3 is certainly not slow. I haven’t driven a 2.7 ecoboost yet but I suspect the 5.3 is a good match. I have driven a 3.5 ecoboost and it feels just as strong as the 6.2 down low but once the revs come up on the 6.2, the little V6 is left to admire the big GMC on the Sierra’s tailgate. But like I’ve always said, to each their own, all the trucks are good in their own right.
You would have to get a engineer to comment but my guess the slow pedal response is not a mistake. It could very well be a response to light throttle pressure to improve gas economy at tip in on the pedal. This area is where most driving happens and the smoother you are the more improved with MPG.
So I agree this may be what causes it but it may not really be an issue as much as a way to make the V8 more efficient. I noted on our truck with cylinder displacement that there is a delay in putting the throttle down too. It just feels like the tranny and engine are delayed. That I always put to the Cylinder drop system. Again another gas saving measure.
They can make a V8 more efficient but some of the things they use will be a compromise.
Same could be said for the V6 engines as while they give better MPG they just do not have that same sound. My buddies Sierra has a 4.3 and he has no complaints with the way the engine runs and performs but he does have issues with the way it sounds.
With Drive by Wire they can control the pedal movements at any speed or any gear to improve the MPG or feel.
Also the low end torque of a Turbo even a on a small engine can be amazing. My 2.0 Eco hits 315 FT LBS under 2000 RPM and it changed the feel of the entire engine as it holds that torque to 5300 RPM. Few V8 engines can do that as they need RPM to reach the power. This is the product of the new DI VVT forced induction engines.
With this entire segment things are going to change even more as we get closer to 2025. the old trick just will not work anymore.
I agree with you Scott that the pedal thing is intentional. I was expecting it actually because my 2004 Silverado was much the same. I would trade a couple mpg for responsiveness though. Do you think it’s something an aftermarket tuner could play with? I certainly don’t want to ruin the smoothness of the truck.
As for turbo engines, I was hoping for a small twin turbo V8 to be a Denali specific engine. It would have been nice to get more for the extra coin than just Denali badges and a different instrument cluster. I’ve driven a few new vehicles with turbo fours and they’re impressive. I guess I’ll keep up hope for the next gen.
It is all bout mpg if u want to race shift the gears yourself that’s why it is there also ford was a stripped down extended cab with a lower rearend also dodge had a 4.10 rearend . If u want to race up a mountain get chevys 3.73 rearend. Last thing we know chevys v8 will last forever what about turbos ?