When you’ve finally made the decision to start looking for a new truck, it’s natural to gravitate to both Chevrolet and Toyota. These are two trusted automakers with long histories of producing reliable cars and trucks. Two popular trucks that you probably see on the road all the time are the Chevy Silverado and the Toyota. But choosing between the 2019 Chevy Silverado vs 2019 Toyota Tundra can be a tough task without the right help and information.
We’re going to take a look at how these two trucks stack up against each other to see if we can find a winner. You may be surprised with the result!
Performance
Most people buy new trucks for one reason, performance. With a truck, you can tow things, drive around in bad weather, haul heavy cargo, and generally put up with a lot more work than you’d be able to in a car. Some people only want a truck because it looks cool to drive around in, but those people just might be missing the full advantage of having a truck.
Performance is a combination of a bunch of different stats. When evaluating a truck, it’s important to check out its EPA estimated fuel economy, how much is can haul/tow, and the different engine options and their specific power. You don’t want to find yourself with a truck that’s all beauty and no brawn.
Here’s a look at the performance qualities when comparing the 2019 Chevy Silverado vs 2019 Toyota Tundra:
Towing & Hauling
The Silverado was completely redesigned for 2019, and Chevrolet didn’t skimp on improving its overall performance. The truck is lighter weight, but it features a larger cabin and bed so that drivers can easily haul more stuff. The 2019 Chevy Silverado also has a higher maximum payload by more than 300 pounds which place its maximum hauling capacity up to nearly 3,000 pounds. This truck is one of the most capable in its class for towing and hauling and can tow over 12,000 pounds!
Unfortunately, towing and hauling stats suffer a bit when we move our research over to the 2019 Toyota Tundra. A properly equipped Tundra can only tow up to 10,200 pounds, which is a solid 2,000 pounds less than the Silverado and some other competitors. Its maximum payload capacity is also a good deal lower, 1,730 pounds lower to be exact. This truck can still tow your stuff around, but it’s definitely something to consider, especially because you aren’t going to be saving money on the Tundra just because it can’t tow/haul as much.
Engines and Efficiency
Much of a truck’s ability to tow and haul cargo comes from its engine, which means that having options is a great asset. Hypothetically you can customize your new truck to suit your individual purposes. If you don’t need quite so much power, go with the standard engine option. In the 2019 Chevy Silverado, you’ll have five powertrain options. These include a 285-horsepower V6 base engine, a 310-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder, 355-horsepower and 420-horsepower V8s, and a turbodiesel that’s set to debut later this year. The 2019 Chevy Silverado’s fuel efficiency is good for industry standards. You can expect to get between 15 – 16 MPG when driving in the city and 20 – 22 MPG on the highway.
For the 2019 Toyota Tundra, you get two engines to choose from; a standard 4.6-liter V8 engine with a 310-horsepower rating and a 5.7-liter V8 that provides 381-horsepower. Both of these engines have a 6-speed automatic transmission. These engines have a hard time keeping up with the competition in terms of pure power. The Tundra’s fuel efficiency is also fairly low compared with the Silverado, despite being less powerful overall. The Tundra gets between 13 – 15 MPG in the city and 17 – 19 MPG on the highway depending on the drivetrain equipped, either RWD or 4WD.
Safety
Safety is another area that it would be reasonable to expect both of these truck to excel, unfortunately, this isn’t true for the Tundra. Overall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the 2019 Toyota Tundra 4-stars for overall safety while the 2019 Chevy Silverado was awarded 5-stars overall. The Tundra also earned mixed crash test scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Neither of these truck lacks safety features, however. You can expect a rearview camera and Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P) to come standard in every new Tundra. This is a suite of safety features that includes a pre-collision system with forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, brake assist, and automatic braking. Other available safety features include lane departure warning, a sway warning system, automatic high-beam headlights, and adaptive cruise control. There are also front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert features available.
The 2019 Chevy Silverado also has many of these standard safety features including Teen Driver and a rearview camera. Teen Driver is a feature which lets parents monitor the driving practices of their teens and encourage them to build good lifelong habits from a young age. Parents can control top speeds, audio volumes, and get reports on mileage, etc.
Some of the Silverado’s available driver assistance features include a head-up display, rearview camera mirror, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, lane change alert, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, forward collision alert, low-speed forward automatic braking, front pedestrian braking, a surround-view parking camera, and front and rear parking sensors. That’s a lot of features!
Trim and Features
You can choose from a whole bunch of different trim levels for each of these trucks, which might make a difference in your final decision as well. Other customizable options include cab styles, bed sizes, and powertrains. With the Silverado you can opt for trims ranging from Work Truck, Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, to High Country. For the Tundra, you can opt for trims such as the SR, SR5, Limited, TRD Pro, Platinum, or 1794 Edition.
With the 2019 Chevy Silverado, you’ll now get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other standard features include Chevy’s Infotainment 3 system that comes with a 7-inch touch screen, Bluetooth, a USB port, and a six-speaker audio system to keep you entertained on the road. For available features, you can get a sunroof, a seven-speaker Bose audio system, satellite radio, a Wi-Fi hot spot, three additional USB ports, wireless device charging, and an upgraded Infotainment 3 system with an 8-inch HD touch screen and navigation.
Many trucks don’t come with a whole lot of bells and whistles, but that’s not so with the 2019 Toyota Tundra. It actually comes standard with a good variety of technology. Every new Tundra comes with an Entune infotainment system with a touchscreen display and advanced voice commands. Unfortunately, the 2019 Tundra doesn’t come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but the upgraded system does offer limited smartphone integration if you’re willing to dish out a little more dough.
The Winner
Depending on whether you’re a die-hard Toyota or Chevy lover will probably dictate which of these trucks you think it better. But from a performance and safety standpoint, the Chevy Silverado will win every time. The Tundra struggles on fuel efficiency, safety ratings, towing and hauling capabilities, engine options, and even price. If you want to be able to get more done, go with the Chevy. If you’re going just for beauty and some nice tech features, the Toyota might be what you’re looking for. However, you should definitely shop around before you commit to buying your next new truck to make sure it will be able to do everything you need it to.
