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2019 Chevy Silverado 1500 vs. 2019 Ram 1500 vs. 2018 Ford F-150: How they compare

The full-size pickup truck market is seriously hot right now. Both Ram and Chevrolet have introduced completely redesigned trucks, the 2019 Ram 1500 and the 2019 Chevy Silverado, and as the companies slowly roll each one out, more and more information comes to light. We've put together this comparison post to help you keep track of all the features and specifications of each of these new models, along with the updated 2018 Ford F-150. Among the stats we'll take a look at are engines, power, fuel economy, trim levels, weight and more. Weight savings Both the 2019 Ram 1500 and 2019 Chevy Silverado 1500 have gone on a diet for the new model year, similar to the one the F-150 went on in 2015. The Silverado is the weight-loss leader, having shed 450 pounds when comparing quad-cab V8 models. The Ram 1500 lost 225 pounds compared to the current truck. Both trucks achieve their weight loss in part due to the use of aluminum parts. On the Silverado, the hood, doors, and tailgate are aluminum, while on the Ram, just the hood and tailgate are aluminum on the body. Compare that to the F-150, which uses aluminum for all exterior body panels for a total weight loss of up to 732 pounds, which makes the aluminum-intensive F-150 the weight-loss leader. View 160 Photos Engines and transmissions There's only a bit of overlap in powertrains on the Ram 1500 and Chevy Silverado. Each has a V8 for the top engine. The Ram's is a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 making 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. The Silverado will once again use a 6.2-liter V8 as its range topper with the same 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque as the current model. Both of these V8s boast some extra fuel saving technology. The Chevy's 6.2-liter (and some 5.3-liters) comes with the company's latest cylinder deactivation system that can shut off any or nearly all of the eight cylinders. The Ram's V8 boasts an optional 48-volt mild-hybrid system that, in addition to likely helping fuel economy, can provide up to 130 pound-feet of torque right off the line. With the Ram, fuel economy sees an improvement of 2 mpg in the city and combined ratings for 17 and 19 respectively. Highway fuel economy improves by 1 mpg to 23 with two-wheel drive and 22 with four-wheel drive. The Silverado's 6.2-liter V8 only improves city fuel economy by 1 mpg to 16, and actually loses 1 mpg on the highway. The new 5.3-liter engine with the fancy cylinder deactivation does see an improvement over the simpler version.

There's an impending shortage of new trucks in America's heartland

URBANDALE, Iowa — Jerry Bill is worried the novel coronavirus could hurt business at the Des Moines auto dealership he runs, but not because of a shortage of buyers for the big Ram pickups on his lot. "Our biggest issue will be if we don't get more inventory," said Bill, general sales manager of Stew Hansen Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, which sells around 2,700 new vehicles a year in Urbandale, a suburb of Iowa's capital Des Moines. After a drop in sales in April when consumers stayed home, Bill expects pickup truck sales to end May similar to where they were a year earlier. And if demand remains strong, Bill said he will run out of popular models in June. Fiat Chrysler began slowly restarting Ram truck assembly lines on Monday after a two-month shutdown. The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession of 2007-2009 because of lockdown measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Economists warn the second quarter will be much worse. Still, far from the lockdowns of states like New York, Michigan or Ohio, dealerships like Stew Hansen have provided FCA and Detroit rivals General Motors and Ford a rare bright spot: strong sales of pickup trucks in America's heartland. Overall U.S. sales of cars and light trucks crashed to the weakest pace in 50 years last month. But sales of big Detroit brand pickups, particularly in southern and western states less affected by the outbreak, significantly outperformed the market, industry executives and analysts said. Pickup trucks are one of the most profitable automotive segments in the world. They account for a huge portion of the Detroit automakers' profits and formed a huge lure for Peugeot, which expects to merge with FCA by early 2021. The pressure is now on to boost pickup truck production and send vehicles to dealers in parts of the country with dwindling supplies. That is particularly true for GM, which is running short of certain truck models after losing 40 days of production to a strike last fall. "If you don't have what someone wants, they can choose to go to another brand," said Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs. 'Easiest swap ever' Detroit automakers in March rolled out large discounts — such as interest-free loans for seven years — to keep vehicles rolling off dealer lots.

Ram 1500 TRX too tame for you? Hennessey cranks its Hemi V8 to 1,012 horsepower

Ram captured the top spot on the horsepower podium when it released the Hellcat-powered 1500 TRX in 2020. The truck's 702-horsepower output places it comfortably ahead of the Ford F-150 Raptor, at least for now, but American tuner Hennessey saw plenty of room for improvement. It added over 300 horses to the TRX's cavalry. Hennessey is a master in V8-ology, so it was only a matter of time before it injected more power into the TRX. It announced two models named Mammoth 900 and Mammoth 1000, respectively, and each number vaguely corresponds to the V8's new output. The 900's 6.2-liter produces 912 horsepower and 873 pound-feet of torque, increases of 210 and 223, respectively, compared to the standard TRX. Hennessey achieved these figures by upgrading the supercharger pulleys and making relatively basic changes to the intake and exhaust systems. Stepping up to the 1000 unlocks 1,012 horsepower and 969 pound-feet of torque, numbers that give the 6,300-plus-pound truck the uncanny ability to reach 60 mph from a stop in 3.2 seconds. It flies through the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds at 120 mph. Building a pickup with supercar-like acceleration required installing a bigger, 2.65-liter supercharger, adding high-flow fuel injectors, and recalibrating the ECU. Intake and exhaust modifications are on the menu, too. Surprisingly, it doesn't sound like Hennessey made significant internal changes to the engine or to the transmission, which suggests the standard components can handle a massive amount of power. Context is useful here. Released in 2013, the fifth and final generation of the Dodge-turned-SRT-turned-Dodge again Viper took 3.3 seconds to sprint from zero to 60 mph, and it logged an 11.5-second quarter-mile time. Previewed in a computer-generated sketch, the Mammoth 1000 (shown above) also receives 20-inch wheels wrapped by 35-inch off-road tires, a 2.5-inch suspension lift, custom bumpers on both ends, extra LEDs up front, electronic fold-out steps, plus an array of model-specific emblems. Inside, Hennessey added a numbered plaque. 200 units of the Mammoth 1000 will be available for the 2021 model year, and pricing starts at $135,350 including the cost of the donor truck (which carries a base price of $71,790) and a warranty valid for two years or 24,000 miles. Put another way, you get 30.6% more power than stock for about 40% more money.