2019 Ram 2500 Limited VS 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD High Country:

This whole last week we have been showing you pictures of various trim levels of the all-new 2019 Ram Heavy Duty lineup. During the week, General Motors (GM) pulled the wraps off their new Silverado HD for the 2020 model year which will debut a month after the new 2019 Ram Heavy Duty. The internet blew up with MEMEs, hate letters and anti-Silverado comments when GM showed off their Silverado 2500HD in its LT trim level. It didn’t take long for GM to post another trim level, the luxurious High Country model to try to put the not so positive comments to rest.

Lucky for us, one of our spy photographers caught the 2019 Ram 2500 Laramie Crew Cab out on the streets. So we thought we would compare the design of each truck and two different paths that the Chevrolet and Ram brands have taken to impress the Heavy Duty truck buyer.

First, lets talk about the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD High Country.  Completely new for the 2020 model year, the Chevrolet Silverado HD’s body look like a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. But in fact, only the roof is shared with its half-ton brother. 

Up front, headlights have gotten narrow and grew taller. Headlights are LEDs with LED daytime running lights. The High Country has the less aggressive grille and has the conventional Chevrolet bowtie with crossbar running the length of the front end with the High Country name stamped into it on the driver’s side. Additional chrome crossbars fill out the rest of the grille.

In the front of the hood marks an air intake. The “High Country” badging is fixed on the front-quarter panel near the A-pillar, and “2500 HD” is on towards the front wheel and half down on the front door. The new towing mirrors for the Silverado, follow a similar trait to the 1500 model and are fixed to the body instead of up by the A-pillar. Chrome door handles and lower window surrounds also adone the luxury Silverado HD.

The interior benefits from similar architectural changes made to the 2019 Silverado 1500, including an additional 3-inches of legroom on crew cab models and a taller, more comfortable seating position. However, one of the biggest faults of the 2019 Silverado 1500 is its interior. The 2020 Silverado HD will carryover that interior design from the 1500.

One of the strangest features, is a molded plastic step in the side of the box behind the cab. GM has yet to release any stats about the step or the weight it hold, but it does sit higher than the optional running boards. We noticed these on the LT Z-71 model, that the company released pictures earlier in the week and we aren’t sure if they will be optional or standard.

In the rear, the Silverado HD shares tail lights with the Silverado 1500. This mean the blind-spot monitoring system will be located in the rear bumper. Rear bumper also features GM’s patiented bumper step which have been made bigger for those with bigger feet.

GM has released a bit of information about the powertrain of the all-new High Country. Under the 2020 Silverado HD’s hood is a choice of two new powertrains: an all-new gasoline engine with direct injection mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, or the Duramax Turbo-Diesel V-8, which delivers 910 lb-ft of torque through an all-new, Allison 10-speed automatic transmission.

Ram has gone a totally different path for the next model year. Instead of building a new truck from the ground up, they heavily revised the 4th generation Ram Heavy Duty. This was because the truck will continue to be built-in Saltillo, Mexico until 4th generation Ram 1500 Classic production ends at Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Warren, Michigan. At that time, a new 5th generation Ram Heavy Duty will be built and should be produced in Warren for the 2022 model year.

While much of the body work is the same, the Ram 2500 Limited gets all new sheet metal from the A-pillar forward. Ram continues its “big-rig” styling with characteristic taken from the all-new 2019 Ram 1500.  LED headlamps are now standard on Limited models. These new headlamps, push into the Ram’s semi-truck like grille. These headlamps, are different from the LED headlamps found on the new Heavy Duty Big Horn and Laramie models. We believe that like the Ram 1500 Limited they will feature the full or at least partial LED Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS).

The Ram 2500 Limited features a grille texture that mimics the Ram 1500 Limited. Front bumper styling also looks familiar, since it uses the same LED fog lights housing which house the front parking sensors as its 1500 brother. This eliminate those round circles that across the front bumpers of many luxury trucks and gives the front bumper a much cleaner hook. Along with chrome tow hook, the front of the Ram 2500 Limited is now covered in chrome more than ever. The surround under the headlights and surround the bottom of the grille and features an air-intake in the bottom of the grille itself. The “ram horn” bar that runs long the top of the headlights and over the grille is a design carried over from the 1500. For those who don’t like chrome, Ram 1500 Limited released a body-colored bumpers option. We have no doubt that Ram will offer it on the Ram Heavy Duty as well.

Badging has moved from the doors on to the hood in front of the A-pillars, in a similar spot as the Silverado. Foldable towing mirrors have chrome caps and are fixed to the window sill behind the A-pillar. A thin chrome trim runs along the bottom of the doors and onto the box, which has Limited stamped into it. Chrome window trim is fixed to the bottom of the window of the cab, while door handles are painted body-color with a thin piece of chrome trim runs through the middle of them.

This particular Ram 2500 Limited is equipped with the patiented “Ram Box” in box storage. It still remains the same design as the 2018 Ram Heavy Duty, but we will have to wait to see if Ram has updated the interior of the Ram Box to be more aligned with the all-new Ram 1500. 

In the rear of the Ram 2500 Limited, the truck features an all-new tailgate that looks very similar to the 1500’s design. While the full LED tail lights look similar to the Ram 1500, they are unique for the Ram Heavy Duty. However, just like the Ram 1500 these tail lights will feature the Ram’s blind-spot monitoring system. This is better than having the system in the bumper, since if the bumper is damaged by a rear-end collision the blind-spot system shouldn’t be affected as long as there is no damage to the tail lights.

One thing this Ram 2500 Limited does have that the Silverado 2500HD High Country doesn’t have is power folding running boards. This feature should be standard on the Limited and optional on models like the Laramie and Laramie Longhorn. It is just one small “step” to show that the 2019 Ram Limited adds more luxury content to its appeal over the Chevrolet.

The rear bumper has been completely redesigned, to one that is similar to the Ram 1500. Lower pad on top of the bumper allow for access over tailgate. But if you can’t reach the top of the bumper, Ram will have a foot accessible step under the corner of the driver side bumper to allow you to get into the box even easier.  Limited models will also be equipped with the LED third brake light which features an in-box camera, so you can watch your load while the truck is in motion from the Uconnect touch screen in the cab.

While the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty retains the 4th generation body, that means the return of three body styles. Regular Cab (only available on Tradesman and Big Horn), Crew Cab and Mega Cab. Mega Cab features the most room of any cab in its class and also features reclining rear seats.

We do know that the Ram will have at least two engines available for the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty. The 6.4-liter HEMI V8 or BGE (Big Gas Engine) will return. We aren’t sure as of it yet, if the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 will make the lineup this time. An all-new 6.7-liter CUMMINS inline-6 turbo diesel with a Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) engine block is rumored to be coming. Our sources say that the Cummins will put out somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 horsepower and 930 lb-ft. of torque for the 2500 models and 430 horsepower and 980 lb-ft. of torque for the 3500 models. A new line of 8-speed Heavy Duty TorqueFlite automatic transmissions are also said to debut in the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty. 

While GM announced that the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD lineup would include five different trim levels (Work Truck, Custom, LT, LTZ and High Country), Ram will have at least six trim packages with models like Tradesman, Big Horn, Laramie, Power Wagon, Laramie Longhorn and Limited.

While we are totally biased, we will stick with the revised Ram 2500 Limited. With CUMMINS power, new transmissions and that awesome interior layout. It will be hands down the best luxury Heavy Duty truck on the market this next year.

2019 Ram 2500 Limited Crew Cab Image Gallery:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.