How Does The Chevy Silverado Interior Really Match Up Against The Ram 1500 Interior?
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Last month, GM Authority exclusively reported how the interiors of the all-new 2019-and-newer Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are a bit behind the curve when compared to direct competition from the equally new Ram 1500. Long story short, GM designed the interiors with various improvements, the focus groups agreed, and the interior remains totally functional for a pickup, with some improvements and upgrades. And yet, many continue to repeat the same line over and over again – the Silverado interior doesn’t match up all that well against the latest Ram 1500. So we decided to put the theory to the test with a direct side-by-side visual comparison.
To keep things simple, we’ve included a table breakdown showing which Silverado trim levels correspond with which Ram trim levels. Then we put it all on display in a series of side-by-side photos for easy comparison, using the base interiors for each trim level. Finally, we end with the available color combos offered by both the Silverado interior and Ram 1500 cabin.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vs. 2020 Ram 1500 Trim Levels
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | Ram 1500 |
|---|---|
| WT | Tradesman |
| Custom | Big Horn |
| LT | Laramie |
| Custom Trail Boss | Rebel |
| LTZ | Laramie Longhorn |
| High Country | Limited |
Chevrolet Silverado WT vs. Ram 1500 Tradesman
Chevrolet Silverado Custom vs. Ram 1500 Big Horn
Chevrolet Silverado LT vs. Ram 1500 Laramie
Chevrolet Silverado Custom Trail Boss vs. Ram 1500 Rebel
Chevrolet Silverado LTZ vs. Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Chevrolet Silverado High Country vs. Ram 1500 Limited
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vs. 2020 Ram 1500 Interior Color Combinations
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Interior Color Combos
- Jet Black
- Jet Black/Umber
- Gideon/Very Dark Atmosphere
2020 Ram 1500 Interior Color Combos
- Black
- Black/Diesel Gray
- Black/Light Mountain Brown
- Black/Light Frost Beige
- Black/Red
- Mountain Brown/Light Mountain Brown
- Black/New Saddle
- Indigo/Frost
There you have it, folks. Obviously photos only tell so much of the story, compared to actually sitting inside the vehicles, looking at the cabins and touching the materials. Even so, the pix do give us a pretty decent side-by-side comparo of what the Silverado interior is up against. Truth be told, there isn’t that much of a difference between the two until Limited trim and its huge, vertically-oriented screen. The Ram also executes a few details – such as the AC vents, HVAC controls, gear selector, and some stitching elements – in a flashier fashion. But arguably the biggest difference is the selection of interior colors, with the Ram offering notably more options in this regard.
Let us know how you think the Chevrolet Silverado interior matches up against the Ram 1500 interior in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Silverado news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
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GM already admitted defeat and will redesign their interiors for 2021
I owned a 2011 Ram longhorn, the interior, has not changed much. I now own a 2018 Silverado Texas edition, I didn’t want to buy the same truck only newer, so I got the chevy. The Ram had a better ride, more comfortable and a lot more little extras, for less money. The Chevy seems to be a little higher qaulity. ( the dodge had wind noise around the drivers window on the interstate and the back window leaked, in the corner of the cab, the whole time I owned it, the electric window button broke quickly) By the time i traded the dodge, it had lights on for traction control and would stop running for no reason occasionally and was leaving a oil stain on the carport. It had 98k miles on it. Old man miles, because i was always trying to get gas mileage and babied it. Both trucks where purchased new. I like the wireless hotspot in the Chevy, so the kids can play on their tablets. The Chevy gets 2 miles more to the gallon combined, but has a jerky ride, when you let off the gas and then apply it again. I felt very little when the dodge changed gears under any conditions and the dodge a/c worked better. Both v8 engines the ram had the himi.
The 2019 Ram’s AC is almost worthless in the summer and the updated for 2019 Ram 8-speed transmission clunks and bangs when coming to a stop or shifting it into drive. Some guys have put up youtube videos of their 2019 Ram’s transmission acting up and it would slam into drive so hard it looked like somebody rear ended them.
What a stupid article…. many are “repeating” the line… how does one categorize this article and writer?
Every article written about GM interiors in the last 5 years discusses how they cut corners and how they could have been better and should have been better. The new XT6 vs the Aviator via Motor Trend is staggering. I’ve seen the best pickup interiors and the Ram is fantastic… finally the CT6 I’d my favorite GM vehicle but it’s interior just doesn’t cut it compared to the A8, S or 7 Series. Please don’t insult you readers…
Decertify the UAW and make your interiors the best in class…. GM “ought” to rule and I want them too!
How does fca and Ford make better interiors with UAW but GM can’t
Ford’s interior is awful. Haven’t you seen all the talk about warped dashes and lawsuits. They use the cheapest plastics of the three. Its like they’re using polystyrene to make the dash.
Yup very common issue even on new trucks sitting on the dealer lot. If they sit on the lot long enough during the summer, the heat would cause the dash to start warping. It was a small part of why I got rid of my 2015 F-150. They kept my truck for two or three weeks to replace the dash and the new one warped just like the old one.
XJug
5 years ago, the automotive press was complementing the Escalade for its “rich luxurious” interior. It won lots of comparison tests.
One vehicle
Xjug the moron is back everyone! The only thing stupid about anything here is you and your never ending complaining.
The interiors on the GM trucks are fine… consumers voted with their wallets last quarter and bought more GM trucks than any other full size truck on the market.
Go back to the sandbox and let the big boys talk.
Currently 44 folks think you’re an idiot…
Are you really trying to compare German cars interiors to American Makes? The reason RAM’s interior is nice is because of Fiat. Unfortunately that’s also the reason I’ll never buy one as Fiat is always last in reliability and some of us buy our cars/trucks and drive them for 10+ years. German cars are for leasing and the reason their resale value is pitiful.
Fiat is Italian…
The unions job isn’t to design GMs crappy trucks, their job is to build the garbage GMs management puts in front of them. Maybe they should fire the front office instead so they can become just a bit competitive. They’ve turned into the Daimler Chrysler abomination of 2019
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
I love the way the Silverado interior looks in pictures, but after driving a WT model for a few days, I absolutely 100000000% agree with all of the “haters”. Everything feels cheap. Everything is plastic. And GM is missing stupid little details like no small item storage in the arm rest (center seat-back) or not having an adjustable seat belt, or having to reach through the steering wheel to change the DIC. Both the 16 F150 that the new Silverado replaced and the base RAM in the picture have the listed items.
I have not sat in the new base RAM, however I can honestly say that the new GM interiors suck!
Of course a WT doesn’t have any features. It’s a trim designed specifically for fleet customers. The real problem is that when you move up to the high volume trim, the Silverado LT, the F-150 XLT, and the Ram Big Horn, the Ram is missing a lot of features that even GM offers standard. Ram has keyless ignition but no button on the door handle to unlock the door without having to dig around for the key fob. GM offers LED headlights standard on an LT, something that neither Ram or Ford offer on a Big Horn or XLT. Have you seen the fold down seat in a Big Horn? The arm rest on the back of the seat is AWFUL. It looks older and cheaper than the previous gen Ram. Not to mention that Ram continues to force feed us that awful minivan shifter on the dash.
Lies lies lies, the Big Horn is def a step ahead of the WT. And as far as the pics of the Ram interiors they are also FAKE just to boost the interior of Chevy. Chevy just needs to stop and admit the 2019 are hideous inside and out. My 2016 ram Interior is still nicer than a 2020 Chevy WT-TrailBoss models
He was comparing the Big Horn to the LT trim. You need to work on your reading comprehension. The WT and Custom trims are the same thing as a Ram Tradesman.
Why does everything in the vehicles have to change when ever there is a new generation? When everything changes, like the interiors, it makes it harder for the technicians & mechanics to work on them. It is also way more dangerous to use a 12 inch touch screen radio (Ram) while driving, than the 8 inch touch screen (GMC, Chevrolet) radio with actual, physical buttons/knobs to change the radio stations/music volume.
I agree with keeping physical knobs. But, don’t agree that it is safer to use a smaller screen!
A larger screen is easier to see – which is important when it is being used for navigation. A smasher screen is more dangerous as it takes your eyes off the road longer to find the small icons/words.
The best is to have a larger screen while still keeping the physical controls that are used most often.
Another thing I would like to see is MORE high tech options for a reasonable price point. HUDS can be made very cheaply these days and they are so much more safe than taking ones eyes off the roadway to focus inside the cab and then focusing back on the roadway. It boggles the mind that they aren’t in many more vehicles. I put a cheap aftermarket one in my truck and was amazed at how convenient they were and how much more time my eyes were on the road! Speed, simple navigation arrows/lanes, an option to view the radio channel/song forward and reverse (can use steering wheel controls for music) on a HUD meant my eyes rarely left the road when driving.
Yes by lowering the prices. GM is still inferior, they still haven’t learned 10% more than they did when we paid billions to bail them out!
Ram is the only one that hasn’t learned. Using ancient port injection engines that guzzle gas and get beat in acceleration tests by the 2.7 Ecoboost and barely ties the little 5.3. That’s the best engine I can get in a Ram 1500? Pathetic.
The fact that Ram totally redesigned the 1500 for 2019, and then shoved those thirsty old engines back in is the definition of stupid. Its pretty bad when a 2019 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 gets outperformed by the 2.7 EB and 5.3. Thats on top of burning more a LOT more fuel than either of those engines.
I’ve never had any 5.3 beat my stock 5.7 off the line or a rolling start and any turbo has an advantage off the line regardless but try keeping up.
Heres my take. The interiors are pretty much identical until you get to Rams Top of the Line . Something GM dropped the ball on. The other glaring detail is Gm has 3 color options. 3! Ram has a bunch more. My 14 ltz has cocoa dune interior and I love it. Gm offered nothing close with the 19’s unless you count the Twix interior.
which is mostly black (shocking)
It’s simple add a high end interior for the high end trims and some color options. Problem solved.
@Mike24
I hate to say this but I disagree. I have set in multiple grades in the Silverado and the Ram. I’ll say this…In the Ram, the base materials are ok. Move up just to the Big Horn and the materials take a major leap up in quality.
The Base interior in the Silverado is a complete joke when compared to the Ram and the Mid Pack is not even close to the Ram Big Horn which is one step above their WT. I have stated on this site for many, many years that GM is going the cheap route in their interiors again and that it will cost them. It has BIG TIME.
I always try to talk anyone I know into a GM vehicle but everyone that is NOT just a huge GM fan like all of us here find GM interiors borderline dreadful. It is not just consumers but the media types as well. GM proved with the new Vette they can make a great interior at a certain cost level as well. So that tells me they have been choosing on purpose to trot out Subpar quality interiors. Design wise most GM interiors are fine but just nowhere near where they need to be on Quality. Now I will say this and it is just my opinion but I believe many share the same. GM failed to realize just how many people purchase Trucks that do not need them for “Truck Reasons” they just want to drive a truck. Many just want the most for their money and are not real truck guys that are loyal to a certain Brand. Ram realized this from their MCE of the last Generation and then on this new one just went Full Grand Slam. So in my opinion not only are the GM 1500’s interior quality seriously lacking, so is the Old 1990’s Truck design as well. I am extremely curious to see what GM comes with next year. I believe the new interior cannot come fast enough for them. I would actually be ok with them curbing a model or two a couple months to get the new interiors out even sooner. They need them badly. These are their cash cows and they know they totally blew it. I just hope it is enough when they debut.
The Big Horn trim is NOT the equivalent of a Silverado Custom. It is the same thing as an LT trim in a Silverado and an XLT trim in an F-150. It’s the big volume, affordably priced trim.
Based on 19 msrp the Big Horn actually fits in between the Custom and LT. A Big Horn base Crew Cab 4×2 5’7″ cost $545 more than a custom but is $1,755 cheaper than an LT. Ergo its closest competition would be the Custom NOT the LT.
No it is not. A Big Horn 2WD CC with the short box is $40,685 MSRP. An LT 2WD CC SB is $40,895 MSRP. Besides that the Big Horn is a lowest trim that the general public would consider buying. Similarly the LT trim is the lowest trim that the general public would consider buying. The Custom trim is designed for rental companies and possibly small government use. You seriously have no understanding of the Silverado’s trims if you think that the Custom is meant to compete head-to-head with the Big Horn trim.
Ram has more content on even the lower trims. Look at the steering wheels etc.
I prefer the look of the RAM though. The center stack look. Upward looking.
The GM ” to me ” looks sad, droopy, ugly !! The downward curves. I just don’t like it.
But I also do not want a huge screen, or I like the radio controls separate. But in the higher trims, I just think GM should have offered more !! Even in the lower trims GM should offer more !!!
For me a 10 inch screen and a better looking center stack would have done it !! Would have been ” good enough ” like GM interiors are!! It just seems like when GM does anything lately ” Cheap – good enough ” is the target !!
I like my 2020 Denali HD !!! Great truck, so great !!!!! Just the Center stack look, screen size, seatbelt adjustors, tilt wheel, Cheap, cheap, cheap !!!
On a $77,000.00 truck, the best GM has to offer !!!!!
Cheap GM, cheap !!
I’m ok with black, black only !! But colors for others are needed !!!
In my opinion.
Riiiiiight. Come on now you guys. This one is a huge reach.
I can add the HUGE Infotainment screen on the Ram Big Horn Edition. You cannot compare the GM Truck interiors to the new Ram. GM dropped the ball big time and they are paying for it in sales and market share. There is a reason why GM is Fast Tracking a new interior ASAP.
Comparing all black base interiors is a sad attempt to make the Chevy seem less bad. Considering the wide array of colors offered by the Ram and its multiple material and screen options there is no comparison. The GM looks severely outdated. The other big difference is material quality, which every publication has said is subpar in the Chevy and very good in the Ram.
I can say I have owned them both and I prefer the Ram. I traded my 19 Silverado LTZ in for the 19 Ram Limited. Both 3/4 ton. Love the 12″ display, nav on top, radio (or climate controls) on the bottom. The creature comforts in the Ram are far superior to the Silverado and I have been a Chevy man for almost 40 years. It goes much further than that but we are just discussing interiors here.
Lame article. I have a Laramie with the 12″. You can get that system in a rebel too. It may be standard in the limited but at least it’s an option in the lower models. Oh yeah, I looked at the Silverado and GMC interiors up close during test drives before I bought the Ram…they were super cheap feeling.
Ok – call me crazy – but I prefer a more basic interior trim in a truck, both visually and in terms of how I “feel” about the truck; I prefer the lower-middle-end Chevrolet interiors over their more expensive alternatives, but I also over their RAM equivalents. I prefer a truck to be a more basic and functional vehicle; I find the “luxury truck” trend to be bizarre. You should have a working purpose for a big truck, or otherwise at least pretend! Buying a luxury truck is like a city slicker dressing up like a cowboy, but then putting on make-up and earrings, and possibly some Victoria Secret panties. Ok – sorry – just joking – I’m sure there are plenty of high-end truck owners who don’t quite fit that description….
Here’s my other major issue – and again call me crazy. It’s the RAM logo. I would never, ever buy any vehicle that has what I consider to be Satanic symbolism.
Here we go again… Some old guy complaining about leather in a truck… Or at least some guy who is 82 years old at heart and buys into all the crap. The fact is leather is PERFECT for a work truck because it is 1) easier to clean than cloth, 2) resistant to stains where cloth attracts stains, 3) more durable than cloth and finally it’s no colder than cloth. Provided it’s genuine leather and not vinyl fakery.
Other than cost… There is virtually ZERO downside to Leather or higher end fit and finish in trucks.
You mentioned cold. You didn’t mention heat. I refuse to buy a truck or car with leather seats because I don’t like parking my ass on 140 degree leather seats! You can insult “older people” all you want. But, there are valid reasons beyond your limited life experience for wanting cloth interiors.
I have had plenty of friends with cracked leather seats and they aren’t as easy to repair.
I refuse to purchase a truck – any truck OR car – that doesn’t have cloth seats. MAINLY because where I live there are a lot of 100 degree plus days. And, I don’t like sitting on 120-140 degree seats over and over again. Go back to your “air conditioned” fantasy world.
Not sure what you were reading – didn’t specifically complain about leather – kind of like it myself – but you can always get leather after-market – maybe higher quality that way if you find the right place.
Also, hate to disappoint you, but I’m not 82 or close to it….
That camera angle, though. Obvious bias on the part of the person who took the photos for this article.
The bias is in your head because it looks like these photos are from the configurators which means Ram and GM took the photos. The joke is on you for thinking up a major conspiracy theory!
The Ram interior isn’t anything special until the $60,000 mark. People complain about the GM truck interior because it isn’t a huge departure, but has anyone actaully put their butt in a 2014-2018 SIlverado, and also in a 2019? The old interior was a great truck interior with very well thought out features and placement of buttons. The new interior update improved on that and made a good interior great. Everything is intuitive and where you think it should be and is convenient – like the TBC, like switches, like 4wd selector.
They missed the mark on the Denali and High Country. Everything including LTZ and lower is a great interior. The WT and Custom easily have nicer interiors than the competition
And that’s only comparing Ram, GM is far and away nicer than Ford. I know it’s subjective, and I admit I hate the styling of the F150 interior, but layout, materials, are also better in the GMs
There’s a big difference. I’m in these trucks every day. Truth be told, the High Country is closer to the Laramie in terms of interior quality. Longhorn and Limited are in an entirely different league.
Yes, an entirely different league. One where the payload ratings of a Longhorn or Limited is so embarrassingly low that the average Chevy Colorado has a higher payload rating. Car and Driver did a comparison test in their December 2018 issue. Their 2019 Ram 1500 Limited had a payload rating of less than 1,000 lbs. That is absolutely unacceptable and pathetic.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that noticed the horrible payload ratings. They’re huge trucks with weaker capability than a Ford Ranger.
Its worth noting that the Denali also has no payload. And many of the upper trim trucks of all three makers are <1400 Lbs.
My 2019 Ram 1500 Bighorn has a payload rating of 2200 pounds? What have you been smoking to say a limited has 1000lb payload?
I drive Chevys and gmc’s at one job and my ram for my own business, the interior is hands down much better in the Ram. Chevy feels very cheap compared to Ram and Ford.
As far as reliability goes, I’d say they are both on same level.
You guys are being dishonest, the lowest payload for a Ram is 1180, but it’s not the limited, it’s their small 3.6l V6.
The payload of Ram 5.7 V8 is a little higher than the Chevy, and Ford wins the payload and towing wars.
Please make sure you are being hinest and comparing apples to apples.
You do realize payload isn’t like towing the heavier the engine the lower the payload. 1180 isn’t far off 1000 if you add the right options or the Ecodiesel… Look at 2500 trucks and the Gas engines have the highest payload due to the diesels weight… I personally like RAM but being honest coil springs give up payload for ride comfort. That is why chevy and Ford haven’t switched. Personally I prefer the improved of ride.
Love my Ram Laramie Longhorn interior but the dammm little chrome strips are blinding when illuminated by the Texas sun.
The Ram interior pictures don’t show as much real estate as the Chevy Pictures.
3rd quarter fullsized truck sales
GM 221,680
– 155,482 Silverados up 17% YOY
– 66,198 Sierras up 29%
RAM 161,635 up 14%
Ford 214,176 down 6%
Toyota 31,565 down 1%
Nissan 7,386 down 49%
We spell it out right here:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/10/gm-truck-sales-outpace-ford-and-ram-in-q3-2019/
Easy Alex GM had one good quarter after offering rebate after rebate in the last quarter
Ram also outsold Chevy and GMC for 2 months in 2018. All 3 will peak and valley, so far Ford always comes out on top.
Congrats to Chevy for winning a month or two👍
My MAIN issue with GM interiors has been and continues to be the backwards lost in time decade old technology. The small screen in the dash just means I have to use my phone for almost everything (I can mount my phone where it is easier to see).
I have a 2009 (paid off) and will refuse to buy a new truck until GM makes the tech relevant to TODAY – not, a decade old.
A $50 cigarette lighter plug in device has better tech integration than my 2009 truck (which can ONLY use Bluetooth for phone calls? WTF?)
Other than the anemic screen I prefer the dark colors of the Chevy.
I just wish GM offered cloth in higher level trim packages. Maybe, they do these days. But, in the past I was always limited in the interior trim because 1) I want to be able to fold down the middle seat – NOT, have bucket seats up front without the possibly if seating a third person. And, second I refuse to have anything other than cloth seats. I live on Texas. It gets HOT. I do NOT like parking my ass on super heated leather /synthetic leather seats!
The idiot who commented than only old people had issues with leather seats must live up north because he only mentioned cold climate concerns. I have no issues with leather in cold climate – it is the 100 degree plus climate than in concerned about. And, I do NOT like sitting on leather when said leather is 140 degrees!
Well no company offers cloth in upper trims so I wouldn’t expect GM to change that. Cloth and the 60/40 split bench are offered up to the LTZ/SLT packages. Pleather seats get hot as all get out but I’ve never had a problem with my black leather seats being to hot and they have AC in the seats.
BTW Android carplay didn’t exist until 2014 and Apple carplay was a few years after that and both still have to be plugged into USB to work as Bluetooth doesn’t have the bandwidth. The first generation of Bluetooth streaming audio cars wasn’t very pretty and many didn’t have that option in 2009 either and the reason the AUX plugin is still common in most vehicles as IMO Bluetooth streaming sound is garbage due to its limited bandwidth. That was when GM’s Onstar actually made sense where today I simply don’t understand why they keep it around.
The screen is 8 inches. That’s the standard touchscreen size in nearly every vehicle sold today.
GM the issue lies with how the final product looks as a whole. RAM looks like a new truck at all levels with materials and a layout that is new and current where GM’s look like something from 2014 because very little has changed in 6 years. The baseball bat sized column shifter pretty much says it all………we didn’t care enough to look at cars/truck modernizing around us. The GM mid level trims and low that i drive at work are uncomfortable and the materials feel like packaging plastic. I feel like Ford/Ram are a trim level above GM at every level. I’d also add the Denali/High Country simple don’t compete with the competitions top trims. Same goes for my 2018 SLT not having smart key entry along with push button start, even my kids 5 year old focus has both of those.
Ram uses a shift knob borrowed from their minivan. That pretty much says it all about Ram’s new truck. Weak payload ratings, ancient slow 5.7 Hemi (slower than every F-150 engine option aside from the regular V6), and a shift knob that makes you feel like you’re driving the wife’s minivan. Odd that you bring up features. A 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn doesn’t even have keyless entry where even a 2019 Silverado LT trim comes standard with keyless entry. By the way, real trucks come with a manual or a column shifter, not a minivan knob.
Well for sure that’s not a Ram Rebel interior in the photos.
Yea as far as I’m aware the Rebel has red inserts in certain spots along with REBEL in the gauges.
I think there has been some serious photo shop work done on the Ram photos. All the bright trim has a monochrome look. The Rebel interior has all bright ruby red trim and carbon fiber. Somehow it’s not visible in the photos.
All photos are directly from the official online configurator of each truck. No photoshop. No fu##ery. Sorry to disappoint your conspiracy theory.
Wow…then Ram really dumbed down the photos in the configurator.