Roger Miller famously sang about the king of the road. And when you are talking about pickup trucks, the king of the road is a full-size pickup built for heavy-duty tasks. Sometimes, your regular garden-variety pickup truck isn’t going to get the job done. Whether you’re towing a large trailer or carrying a heavy load, you need a full-size truck. Ford calls them Super Duty while Chevrolet calls them Heavy Duty, but no matter what you call them: if they can’t do the job, then no truck on the road will. That said, when you’re deciding between the 2020 Ford F-250 vs 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500, you have to get down into the dirty details to see which one will suit your purposes the best.
Neither of these trucks are like your granddad’s old heavy-duty truck. They have roomy and comfortable cab interiors. Each also features their brand’s respective infotainment system. The 2020 Ford F-250 has FordPass Connect on an 8-inch color touchscreen, which allows you to turn your truck into a Wi-Fi hotspot and provides Bluetooth connectivity for you and your co-workers. You can even use Alexa while you’re working with Google Assistant, among other features. Similarly, the 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 has the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth connectivity, and OnStar.
In addition, these are two rugged trucks with aggressive profiles and the strength that comes from the years that Ford and Chevy have put into building these powerful vehicles. They also come rear-wheel drive standard with four-wheel drive as an available option. Nevertheless, there are some clear distinctions between them that should help you make your decision when buying your next big truck. So let’s look into those now.
Trims and Configurations
The 2020 Ford F-250 comes in six different trim levels compared to only five for the 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500. The base model Ford F-250 is the XL with an MSRP of $33,705. The other trims are the XLT with an MSRP of $38,485, the Lariat with an MSRP of $46,600, the King Ranch with an MSRP of $59,000, the Platinum with an MSRP of $65,895, and the top-of-the-line Limited with an MSRP of $83,600. Each move up the line of trim levels adds extra items like larger wheels, leather seats, and additional infotainment system features.
Similarly, the Chevy Silverado 2500 has the Work Truck as its entry trim at a base MSRP of $38,300. This is substantially more expensive than the Ford F-250 XL. The four other Chevy Silverado 2500 trims have a price point difference that is not as extreme. The Custom has an MSRP of $40,800, the LT with an MSRP of $41,800, the LTZ with an MSRP of $50,500, and the top trim High Country with an MSRP of $61,100. Like Ford, Chevrolet offers certain extras like their EZ Lift tailgate and advanced safety features on the higher trims.
Other than the number of trims and price points, there is also a key difference in configurations. The 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 is only offered in a crew cab with either standard or long bed. The crew cab is what Chevrolet calls a truck cab with two rows of seats with four full doors. Ford lets you choose between one of three configurations.
You can get a Ford F-250 with a two-door single-row Regular Cab, ideal if you are using your truck primarily for commercial purposes. Ford also offers the F-250 in a super crew cab with four full doors and two rows of seats or a super cab with two rows of seats, two full doors, and two half doors. In addition, Ford gives you the option of either a standard 6-3/4 foot cargo box or a long bed 8-foot cargo box. This increases your options when buying a super duty truck from Ford. Overall, this makes for a more customizable vehicle, ultimately rounding out Ford’s win for this part of the competition.
Engine Options
Ford offers the 2020 F-250 with three different engine options. There is a 6.2-liter Flex-Fuel V8 gas engine that is paired with a TorqShift G 6-speed automatic transmission. This engine produces 385 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. The second engine option is a 7.3-liter OHV PFI V8 gas engine that works with a TorqShift 10-speed automatic transmission to produce 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. And the final engine option is an extremely powerful 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel engine. This also is paired with the TorqShift 10-speed automatic transmission that produces 475 hp and an amazing 1050 lb-ft of torque. This is the one to get if you are looking to do some serious trailering.
Chevrolet only offers two engine options on its 2020 Silverado 2500. The standard engine is a 6.6-liter V8 direct-injection gas engine. This works with a 6-speed automatic transmission to produce 401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque. The other engine option is a Duramax 6.6-liter Turbo-Diesel V8 that is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. It produces 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of torque, giving it more towing power than the gas engine.
Between the two, the Ford engines provide better overall performance. Ford’s turbodiesel produces more torque and horsepower than the one on the Chevy Silverado 2500, giving you more overall power. In addition, Ford gives you the option of choosing better fuel efficiency with the 6.2-liter V8 or stronger performance with the 7.3-liter V8 on the 2020 Ford F-250. In contrast, Chevrolet only offers one gas engine that is not as efficient as the 6.2-liter V8 on the Ford or as powerful as the 7.3-liter V8. Therefore, Ford is yet again trumping the competition.
Towing and Payload Capabilities
The difference between the 2020 Ford F-250 and the 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 in engine options carries over to the two trucks’ ability to tow trailers and haul cargo. The 2020 Ford F-250 can tow up to 24,200 lbs. This is significantly more than the 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500, which can tow a maximum of 18,500 lbs of trailer.
Additionally, the Ford F-250 can carry up to 4,323 lbs of cargo in its payload bed. This is over 600 lbs more than the 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500, which has a maximum payload capacity of 3,715 lbs of cargo. This difference will come in handy when you are faced with moving the heaviest objects you or your customers can find. In general, the Ford F-250 is the stronger truck.
The Final Winner
The 2020 Ford F-250 is truly a Super Duty truck that gives you the power and performance you need, whether you’re towing a trailer for work or just a boat to take on a pleasure cruise. It also gives you that extra strength to carry the heaviest loads you need to haul. In addition, Ford offers the F-250 in three different configurations with two different sized payload beds, three engine options, and six different trims so you will have no problem finding the exact F-250 truck you desire for whatever task you can think of. While the 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 is a fine truck, it is just no match for the 2020 Ford F-250.