Love the integrated step in the rear bumper, wish my RAM had that.

Not a fan of the "integrated" exhaust tips. I think current RAM does the best job of it.

The front end on the Silverado reminds me of someone wearing hiked up pants. Some of the Jalopnik comments were pretty funny-truthful: on the work truck version it looks like it got into an accident and all the front end plastic fell off

And yet-another-10-speed transmission. Im very interested to see how these things hold up into the future. I think the only saving grace for the 8HP70 is that FCA pretty much just connects to the engine, untouched from when ZF built it.

 

Yeah I agree I love the built in step in the bumper. Had it on my 2015 Sierra and you use it more than you realize. Also was able to squeeze some nice backup lights in there.

Yeah we'll see about this 10 speed. I know that it sure is performing well so far.

Really interested to see if Ram updated the Hemi. Hopefully they did to stay competitive.

 

Wow! Round wheel wells.

 

Semi rounded lol. So id imagine the higher trim levels will go for about $100K up here:doh:

 

The Chevy looks like an amalgamation of 3 or 4 different truck’s design elements thrown together. Its high level desperation.
The interior is typical Chevy Cheap and the gauge cluster is non descript and bland.

It has some nifty features but honestly some of them are frivolous.

 

Honestly, I think most of the upcoming redesigns (and the recently put into production designs) look the same: love children of Tundra, F150, etc. All square flat and boxy. And yes, that includes the upcoming RAM redesign.

On the flipside, Im sure there were people complaining about the 09 RAM when it came out too

 

The best part about the Duramax 3.0 diesel - it’s an In-line 6!

 

I think it looks pretty good, a lot better looking then the F-150 anyway. Waiting to see a sport version of the 2019 Ram tomorrow.

 

What scares me is their AFM will shut the gas engines down to 1 cylinder instead of 4 like the current Gen of AFM. They did not come close to perfecting it like Ram has with the MDS, yet they get more aggressive with it? No thanks.

 

The AFM coupled with their A8 automatic is causing the automatic to grenade itself because of some programming they did to make the AFM engagement less harsh.

Maybe 1 cylinder mode AFM is easier for them to engage lol

 

GM's 6spd auto was terrible. I owned three Silverado's with that transmission and it was horrible at low speeds such as in stop and go traffic or driving through the neighborhood. It was clunky as hell and never seemed to know what gear it wanted to be in at lower speeds. The Rams 8spd is miles ahead of it in every aspect. Did GM ever fix the oil consumption issues with their version of MDS not to mention they had cam and lifter problems too. Of course the most important question is did they address the vibration problems that the 2014 and newer trucks are world famous for? The vibration thread on GM-trucks.com is still going strong at 780+ pages.

 

Access to their version of the Rambox is going to be a pain
A person will have to unload the truck to open it & you will have to climb into the bed to see what is in there.

A body shop or PDR guy won't have too much trouble straightening out dents in the bed, with all those tie down points, they will have easy access.

I don't care for the tow hook panels looking so much larger then the headlights, it just looks off some how.

 

The 3.0 Duramax will be a winner.

 

I think the inline six 3 liter Duramax will be a great engine.

Considering how GM has always had problems with cylinder deactivation, whether it was the 8-6-4-2 system in old Cadillacs, or the newer systems with oil consumption issues that led to owners getting their short blocks replaced under warranty, I am not sure the 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system will be very reliable. I have driven a new Ecot3c and it transitions more seamlessly, but I'll take a more noticeable transition for a system that doesn't have consumption problems.

The body is terribly ugly; it a poorly flowing blend of square, diagonal, and curved lines. The 14-15 Chevies looked better than the 16-18, and those looked better than the 19. The 14-15 GMC is the best looking GM truck in recent memory

 

that thing looks like a penguin. nope. I agree- like the plastic fell off after an accident. But I'm sure, someone will buy it.
I hate to see the uniform truck style. next generation of trucks will be like- looking at the badge to see, what it is.

 

It's hilariously front heavy, I mean come on. The hoodline is higher than the bed and doors!

 

GM is still having AFzm issues, they have been replacing cam/lifters in trucks as new as 16... no thanks.

MDS may not be seamless, but I prefer that, and no oil use will be nice.

 

2019 Ram

Now that the 2019 Ram is released, I personally don't think that I would ever consider a Chevy.
I guess we all are so used to the 4th gen shape that the styling kinda leaves bit of getting used to. But that all black Laramie is off the hook. Certainly better that what Chevy or Ford are bringing out to the market.

Even the powertrain is a something revolutionary. No Turbocharging but this hybrid system should have the potential to be more economical than Ford's Ecoboost and the fact that they are still keeping the same HEMI is cool.
I for one think that Ram have done really well with this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg9ySKIPEF4

 

Yep that blacked out Laramie is badass. It just needs a direct injected Hemi with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque and don't forget the extra port fuel injector in each cylinder to keep the carbon buildup away.

 

IIRC they have reduced the weight of the Silverado by 450 pounds. That's quite an accomplishment.

The new RAM was reduced by about half of that. I would have thought RAM engineers would have been more aggressive in weight reduction as payload is the achilles heel of the RAM IMHO!

 

But they also didn't go to using as much aluminum meaning the body is tougher and easier/cheaper to repair. They upped the payload by more than just the 225lbs they saved in weight; they beefed up the suspension too. If you need more than 2000lbs payload you should be looking at 3/4 tons anyway, I don't understand why Ford has F150s that overlap F250s

 

Keep in mind, weight loss can eventually come at a cost.

When I test drove the current F150, while it felt more nimble presumably because of the weight loss, it also felt a lot tinnier and cheaper. Granted, I wasnt driving a Platinum, but it cost 5K more than my Big Horn and felt like a toy.

 

The lighter the truck, the more problems you get, when you try the max tow. I can't wait, when the first videos coming, where an old 5.9 stock RAM pulls a 2019 F150 limited 4x4 off the lot.

 

2014 Beluga- I'm also confident, that they had just one thing in mind- people, who would need the payload, but a RAM 2500 cost as much as a F150, would leave the brand, because they can't afford the F250. But from technical and physical point of view, a halfton looses it's stability- it's just simply not sturdy enough. The problem I see is, that people pulling way too much camper, the truck can handle, when they have to make an emergency brake down hill. this is, where it makes a difference, that the tow load is twice the mass than the tow vehicle.

 

The tail wags the dog

 

If the mass of what you are towing is twice the mass of your truck, you bought the wrong truck.

 

and here we go- a 6500# truck with 12700# tow capacity...

 

On bigger trucks like 1 ton duallies its fine, they tow 3x their weight and are designed to. Half tons not so much.

If you are actually towing 12,500 with a 1500, then I don't want to be anywhere near you on the highway and you're going to need a new truck before too long

 

In response to post #31:

I thought it was common knowledge that nothing should be towed with anything less than a Freightliner.

 

Is that more or less than a Peterbilt? What about a Kenworth?

 

This view looks strange to me.

If you look at it as a 3-box design, having the front end box taller than the bed box just seems off IMO. Maybe it's that way in the other trucks as well, but it must not seem so prominent as it does in the Chevy. As I said, it just looks off to me.

Love the 3.0L I-6 Duramax and like the fact that they ditched the square wheelwells.

 

I agree it looks strange, but I don't think it's because the hood box is taller than the top of the bed. Our hoods are taller than our bedsides:

I think it has to do with a peculiar blend of curves and corners on the Chevy that don't necessarily flow together smoothly and make it look like it has front end damage. The front box is also very stubby looking like on a Tundra or 1st gen Titan-American trucks have always had longer and more proportionate looking hoods which also allowed more engine bay room. I helped a buddy of mine replace the idler pulley on his 04 Titan and the engine bay was very cramped-many a knuckle bled that day. On our trucks you could remove the clutch fan and have enough room to stand on the frame rails between the engine and radiator

The round(er) wheelwells are an improvement, but it isn't a constant curve-the drop to the bottom of the wheelwell is almost vertical and gives them the appearance of having been squeezed along the horizontal axis.

Also, anyone notice the badging up high on the quarter panel-sort of like the hood badges on the DT Ram? Maybe this is where style is trending, as it was with LED running light strips a decade ago

 

Chevy's actually been doing that for a while now, at least on their HD pickups with the Allison trans- they've had Allison logos there. I particularly hate it on the DT, as it looks as if the hood was designed to have the logo inset, making it much harder to debadge. At least on the Chevy, it appears to be just 3M taped on and could be removed without much effort.