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Chevrolet Silverado Diesel vs. Ram 1500 EcoDiesel: Video

As we reported back in September, the new 2020 Chevrolet Silverado diesel is now rolling into dealer lots, marking the first light-duty diesel pickup that General Motors has offered in decades. That said, the new Silvy oil-burner must now meet challenges from rival products like the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. So then, how do the two pickups compare? To find out, TheFastLaneTruck put together the following review video.

Clocking in at 16 minutes, 43 seconds, the video looks at a number of facets for both vehicles. After a quick walk around the trucks and a rundown on the specs, the hosts then jump in the cabins of both and take them for a drive.

The video is set in a sort of fluid, one-take format where the reviewers talk about their impressions as they happen. For those buyers out there that want a long look at both these vehicles, especially from inside the cabin, this video definitely provides it.

For reference, the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado diesel is equipped with the all-new 3.0L Duramax I-6 LM2 powerplant, which is rated at 277 horsepower at 3,750 rpm and 460 pound-feet of torque at 1,500 rpm. Output is routed through the GM 10L80 10-speed automatic transmission.

Meanwhile, the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel mounts a 3.0L V6, which gains a number of improvements over the previous 2019 model year. Output for the Ram is rated at 260 horsepower at 3,600 rpm, less than the Silverado’s 277 ponies. However, the Ram bests the Silvy’s 460 pound-feet of torque with a maximum of 480 pound-feet at 1,600 rpm. Making the cog swaps in the Ram is a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission.

You can check out our engine spec comparison between the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Diesel and its competitor from Ram (as well as Ford) by clicking here. We also have a pricing comparison between the Chevrolet Silverado diesel and the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel here.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. I’d take the I6 turbo diesel over a V6 turbo diesel anytime.

    Reply
  2. Evo69 I’d take you over a v6 turbo diesel anytime

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  3. This is the rub about GM. Just like we saw with their all-new 2.7L GTDI power train, they have amazingly-smart power train engineering teams that can absoluely out design products to obliterate the competition. And by that I mean that a 2.7L I4 can provide the same or or near-equal advantages from a downsized forced induction system for light duty half tons as does the same set up as a twin turbo V6, but much less costly. And so when the decision makers made the packaging availability decisions for this all-new 348 peak ft-lb toque at 1600 RPM power train, they could have offered it along side the NA base engine as a no or low premium chooce in all configurations low and mid trim levels, thereby besting the competition for performance and mpg but at a much lower starting price than the Dearborn folks. But no! They’re too greedy.

    So with the all-new Duramax, here we go again. An even more impressive product. A less expensive-to-build I6 diesel with revolutionary and simplified exhaust treatment; about half the parts as a V6 in the upper half of the engine; a lighter and more compact and simplified diesel than has been seen in a mainstream American vehicle; American built. It has all that is needed to finally offer Americans a fairly economic choice for a superior diesel choice in a half ton truck. But no! The executives have done ot again. A line of pickups that start at or about $30.5K but a diesel option starting at $47K even though they could have easily offered equal or better value than Ram and still made more margin than Ram can possibly achieve with their sourced Ecodiesel V6. But what did they do instead? They stayed greedy. Instead of the least premium priced diesel, they have the most premium of the three. They did the same thimg with Colorado and Canyon and also Equinox and Terrain. Kudos to their engineers. To bad their work is wasted. Maybe they should go to Detroit and design products that regular Americans could afford.

    Reply
    1. Diesels are just expensive. The cheapest I could find it on the Ram is about $41k. On the Ford it looks like it’s about $43k.
      This isn’t a conspiracy, they just cost a hell of a lot more and need complicated emissions controls. Given that so fewer people are going to buy them, that can’t possibly help with the cost.

      Reply
    2. That’s what happens when your executive board is mostly female with only banking experience. They dont care about the product, nor the company, just their 3rd vacation home.

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      1. Not sure that is a fair statement given Mary Barra’s engineering career with GM. However I am getting more disenchanted with GM, and their bean counter behavior, by the day.

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  4. GM did a good job with this diesel, you seen the take off had hardly if any turbo lag and the ram it took almost a solid 2 seconds for it to get up and go. Paper power is only good for those who don’t drive them. The Silverado easily had the better power. One thing I am not really understanding is the fact that they have the better engine and probably the best chassis and tow almost 3,000lbs less than the Ram. Just wondering why they undershot it so much knowing the towing figures of even the Ford diesel? I know I talk real world performance and I’m without a doubt that the engine would do great with towing it’s max rating. I do remember motortrend saying they had a problem getting the Ford diesel up to speed hauling 9,000lbs. And I can see others using their tow ratings as bragging rights but not being able to perform it well.

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  5. With the end of the GM strike, 2 billion in the hole, big pay outs to hourly wikers, I doubt I’ll be able to afford future GM products in the future. The next thing will be moving more production outside the US. After the tsx payers saved GM you would think they would have tempered their demands for compensation.

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  6. The Chevy diesel will be significantly quicker than the Ram

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  7. Auto test have confirmed in testing of the diesel pickups.. Hands down they preferred the 3.0 duramax with the GM drive train over the Ram. Ram is all flash in the pan. Yes it is a little harder to gauge where the hood and bumper are. I feel that GM well address that is a refresh.. I like the looks of the GMC and Chevrolet.

    Reply

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