2015 Heavy Duty Truck Roundup

chevy silverado hd

There's a bit of a war going on amongst heavy duty trucks for 2015.  It seems like with each passing month one manufacturer is sniping at another when it comes to tow rating, turbodiesel torque, or luxury features. The end result is a positive one for heavy duty truck buyers, as this intense competition has forced dramatic improvements across the board for anyone seeking a professional-grade truck that can out-tow or out-haul a light-duty model. Truck builders are also increasingly adopting SAE standards for measuring things such as overall towing capacity, which over the course of the next few years will provide a level playing field for evaluating one heavy duty pickup against another.

Let's take a quick look at the four major players in the heavy duty truck business and see what they bring to the table for 2015.

01. 2015 Ford F-Series Super Duty

Ford has plowed some serious cash into refreshing the 2015 Ford F-Series Super Duty line-up. The improvements start under the hood, where F-Series Super Duty's optional 6.7-liter Powerstroke turbodiesel V-8 engine has been given an additional 40 horsepower and 60 lb-ft of torque to bring its total output to 440 horses and an astonishing 880 lb-ft of twist. The extra grunt can be attributed to a redesigned turbocharger that's not only bigger, but also more efficient than the one it replaces - oh, and you get an exhaust brake, too, which is new for 2015. A 6.2-liter gas-powered V-8 remains standard with the F-250, and it provides 385 horsepower and 397 lb-ft of torque (both engines are shifted via a six-speed automatic transmission).

What does all of this power give you?  If you opt for the dual-rear wheel configuration of the Ford F-350 heavy duty truck, you'll be able to tow up to 26,750 lbs with a fifth-wheel hitch. This is 3,500 lbs better than in 2014. If you aren't quite as gung-ho about hauling your house around behind you, the F-250 is still good for 12,500 lbs of trailer weight.  Four-wheel drive is optional with the Ford F-Series Super Duty, and you can get single, extended, and crew cab body styles with the truck. There's also the considerable luxury of the Platinum trim level, which features extensive leather upholstery along with the latest in communications and entertainment technology from Ford.

02. 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD

Like the Ford, the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD is new for the current model year, and the biggest changes made to the heavy duty pickup are also the most obvious. The Chevrolet Silverado HD has adopted fresh styling that borrows heavily from the light duty models, which saw their own refresh the year before. The trucks not only look better, but the cabins are now quieter as well as more aerodynamic thanks to the changes that have been made, and extended cab models gain a set of front-hinged doors so that they can match their crew cab confederates in ease of access to the second row of seating. Interior amenities and quality are also much better than they were before, and there's an surprising number of USB ports and power points to be found throughout the cabin.

Mechanically, much of the Chevrolet Silverado's driveline has carried over for 2015. This means that, like the F-Series Super Duty, you can choose between either a turbodiesel V-8 (6.6-liter Duramax, 397 horsepower, 765 lb-ft of torque) or a 6.0-liter gas V-8 (360 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque). Towing power is divided along similar lines, with turbodiesel 3500 HD pickups featuring a dual-rear wheel configuration and a fifth-wheel hitch can lug as much as 22,300 lbs - a figure that has increased by 700 lbs for 2015. The gas engine offers a respectable 13,000 lbs of towing capacity, and it can also be ordered in a special bi-fuel version that can run on natural gas. Six-speed automatic transmissions are the order of the day for the Silverado HD (with an exhaust brake and a special Allison unit for the diesel), and four-wheel drive is of course optional.

03. 2015 GMC Sierra Denali HD

For all intents and purposes the 2015 GMC Sierra HD is mechanically identical to its Silverado HD sibling. This means that it enjoys the same engine, transmission, and towing specs, and although it comes with its own unique styling cues - the GMC Sierra HD is more squared-off than the Chevrolet - if you're looking for a real difference between the two corporate cousins, check out the Denali trim level. The GMC Sierra HD Denali offers a higher standard of interior luxury, including a digital gauge cluster that can be configured to show exactly the information most pertinent to the task at hand, along with nicer leather seats. You also get unique Denali design on the outside that consists of a prominent mesh grille along with trim that has been color-matched to the body's paint code in order to present a sleek, upscale appearance.

04. 2015 Ram Heavy Duty

The 2015 Ram Heavy Duty or HD - which comes in 2500 HD and 3500 HD editions, the latter available with a dual-rear wheel setup to maximize towing - is the kind of the hill when it comes time to pull a trailer. If you opt for the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel six-cylinder engine option provided by the RAM 3500 HD, you'll have access to a 30,000 lb tow rating that is honestly more than almost anyone would ever need, even in a commercial setting. The Ram HD's secret is the 865 lb-ft of torque produced by Cummins engine, which also offers up 385 horsepower. A six-speed Aisin automatic transmission handles the gear shifting duties for this version of the Ram HD, although you can get two slightly less mighty versions of the 6.7-liter mill starting at 660 lb-ft of torque that come with a different six-speed autobox. 

If gas power is more your thing, then there's always the entry-level 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 offered with the 2500 (383 horses and 400 lb-ft of torque) and a new 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 that's good for 410 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque.  Six-speed autoboxes remain standard with either motor, and four-wheel drive is optional across the product range.  Ram has elected to install coil springs in the back of 2500 HD models, which gives the pickup a much smoother ride than other heavy duty truck options, and an available air suspension also helps keep things civilized. Luxury-seekers will be happy to know that the Ram HD (which is available in regular, crew, and mega cab body styles) features the option of the Limited and Laramie Longhorn trims with their exceptionally well-appointed interiors. Off-road fans are also taken into consideration by way of the RAM 2500 Power Wagon, a truck that comes with a rugged all-terrain suspension system, a taller ride, a winch, and a more aggressive look than other versions of the pickup.