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REVAMPED HEAVY DUTIES AND MIDSIZERS SQUEEZE OUT HALF-TONS AT TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Finalists

PRO Phenomenal powertrains • Responsive steering • Good pulling power
CON Boring interior • Seats not comfortable • Horrible backup camera

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The powertrain is the heart of a full-size pickup. A functional bed, interior accouterments, and ease of pairing a phone all impact how livable a truck is. But if the key criteria are how the truck accelerates, sounds, shifts, and tows, you can’t go wrong with the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a gas or diesel engine and 8- or 10-speed automatic transmission smartly tuned to take advantage of the torque.

It’s hard to believe the 2.7-liter is a four-cylinder; most judges said they would take it over any other gas engine in the Silverado lineup. This compelling engine, which generates 310 hp and 348 lb-ft, may not sound stirring. However, it’s a torquey engine at low rpm, which is where it mostly lives, as Walton noted. And it hustles, powering the 5,022-pound truck to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and covering the quarter mile in 15.3 seconds. It cruises well at highway speeds and produces little body roll on winding roads. Shifts are smooth and efficient.

Attach a 4,000-pound trailer, and the RST 2.7 is fastest off the mark of our test field, scooting to 30 mph in 3.5 seconds, while its 0–60 time of 14.1 seconds is ​second only to the Ford Ranger’s. Walton was impressed on the Davis Dam; the 2.7 towed with slick upshifts and held cruise speed with ease on the downhill grade. The weight savings with the I-4 provides a stunning amount of extra payload capacity, able to carry almost one ton.