Truck Comparison

Texas truly is “Truck Country,” a place where trucks rule the road and are tested to their limits. With Toyota setting up its plant in San Antonio, Texas and its upcoming introduction of the new Tundra, I decided to see how it compares to the Chevy Silverado.

First, let’s look at the steering. Chevy has 20-inch wheels and comes with Goodyear Eagle street tires. Toyota steers well, with 18-inch comes with trail tires and has a smaller turning diameter than Chevy despite having the same-length wheelbase.

When the power of these two trucks was tested, the Tundra did better in straight-line running with 381-horsepower motor, shorter axle gears, 55-percent more transmission gears, and more torque over a wider powerband. On everything other than straight-line blasts, the Silverado won the slalom and figure-eight contests with its 315-horsepower motor.

While the Silverado has higher EPA ratings with the high-tech Active Fuel Management system, it doesn’t offer the all-around benefits. Instead, Tundra transmission’s extra gears gave it the fuel-economy edge against the Silverado.

For those more interested in the interior, the Tundra tends to feel bigger inside than the Silverado and the massive dash looks more like that of a heavy-duty. Chevy tends to go for the more luxury sedan look with the extended cab using dual-hinged rear swinging doors that now open nearly 170 degrees. For a night on the town Silverado seems to be the choice, while Tundra takes a more work-oriented approach.

So after all the comparisons, who is the real king of the Texas roads? Consumers will probably have to let the truck industry know when Tundra is officially released for sale in a few weeks.