Buying a new truck presents so many possibilities, especially when you consider how many different automakers are entertaining the full-size truck market. Fortunately, you can always depend on the automakers that have been building trucks for a long time to give you a solid model. This is especially important when you consider how you are going to spend your hard-earned money. Buying from one of the bigger brands pretty much guarantees that you are going to get a reliable truck, like when you get to choose between the 2022 Ram 1500 vs 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500. Both of these brands have been making trucks for longer than most of us have been alive, even if the Ram trucks were once called Dodge Ram until the company decided to set up Ram as its own brand focused primarily on pickup trucks.
Both the Ram 1500 and Chevy Silverado 1500 have built quite a legacy over the years. The Ram 1500 made its debut in 1981 under the Dodge Ram name, then the two brands split in 2009, leaving Ram to lead the charge as the truck brand and Dodge to pursue other vehicle types. The current model represents the fifth generation of the Ram 1500, having entered this stage in 2019. As for the Chevy Silverado 1500, this truck made its premiere in 1999, while the world got ready for a new millennium. The 2022 Chevy Silverado is an all-new model of this truck, also representing the start of the fifth generation. So, it seems that Chevy has decided to make major revisions to the Silverado 1500 this year, while Ram is content to implement a few incremental changes on its full-size pickup truck.
Trims and Special Editions to Give You More Choices
If you are like most drivers, you are going to want to be able to choose which interior and exterior features you will have on your truck. Some people want a truck with leather seats on the inside and plenty of chrome on the exterior, while others could care less about such things and just want a pickup that will give them maximum performance. Fortunately, both Chevy and Ram offer a number of different options to choose from for us truck enthusiasts.
Chevy offers the 2022 Silverado 1500 in eight different trims: WT, Custom, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, ZR2, and the top trim High Country. The ZR2 is an all-new off-road trim that comes with a standard 4×4. At this point, Chevy has yet to announce if there will be any special editions for the 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 model, but we are sure there will be a few.
You get a choice of six different trims on the 2022 Ram 1500: Tradesman, Big Horn, Laramie, Rebel, Limited Longhorn, and the Limited, which is the top trim. The Rebel is a purpose-built off-road model, which comes standard with 4×4 like the Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2. In addition, Ram offers the 2022 model with four special editions: Limited 10th Anniversary Edition, Laramie G/T Edition, Rebel G/T Edition, and the Big Horn Backcountry Edition. As a result, you will actually have ten different 2022 Ram 1500 models to choose from.
Powerful Powertrain Options
If you had to choose one part of a vehicle that is the most important, you’d probably pick the powertrain. This combination of the engine, transmission, and fuel injection system will determine the performance of your vehicle, including such crucial factors as fuel economy. The powertrain will also play a major role in determining your trailering capability and your payload capacity. Both Ram and Chevrolet have decided to offer four different powertrain combinations on their respective full-size trucks.
The 2022 Ram 1500 comes with four different engine options. The standard engine on the Tradesman, Big Horn, and Rebel models is a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 gas engine with eTorque. This uses a 43 kWh lithium-ion battery to provide hybrid assistance, allowing the engine to produce 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. The Laramie, Limited Longhorn, and Limited trims of the 2022 Ram 1500 come with a 5.7-liter HEMI “Eagle” V8 gas engine that provides 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque.
Ram also offers two optional engines available on all trim levels of the 2022 Ram 1500. The first is a version of the 5.7-liter HEMI “Eagle” V8 with the hybrid eTorque system, also with a 43 kWh lithium-ion battery like the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. This engine produces 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft. The second is a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 that can provide up to 260 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. All of the engines on the 2022 Ram 1500 are paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. However, if you find yourself looking for a performance version of this truck (something Chevy doesn’t offer), then you can get the Ram 1500 TRX that offers an engine capable of 702 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque.
Chevy also offers four different engines on the 2022 Silverado 1500. However, none of them feature any type of hybrid system like the eTorque on the 2022 Ram 1500. The base engine on the WT, Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST double cab, and LT Trail Boss is a 2.7-liter High Output Turbo I-4 gas engine with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This can produce 310 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. The other standard engine is a 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8 that is standard on the RST crew cab, LTZ, and High Country trims of the Silverado 1500. This engine is capable of 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque.
There are also two optional engines on the 2022 Silverado 1500. The first is a 6.2-liter EcoTec3 V8 that is standard on the new ZR2 trim. This provides 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. The other is a 3.0-liter Duramax Turbo-Diesel I-6 with 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. The Turbo-Diesel and two V8 engines on the 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 come equipped with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
As you can see, the standard engines on the 2022 Ram 1500 provide more horsepower and torque than the ones on the 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500. If you want to get more horsepower and torque on the 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500, you will have to pay extra for either of the two optional engines. Moreover, the diesel engine option on the Ram 1500 provides more torque than the one on the Silverado 1500 while producing a comparable amount of horsepower.
Towing Capabilities
One thing that drives many people to buy a full-size pickup truck is the ability to tow heavy trailers. This applies regardless of whether you plan to use your truck for business or pleasure. The trailering capability allows you to tow work equipment, trailers, and boats. With the 2022 Ram 1500 and 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500, you will get the ability to perform this key function. The Silverado 1500 with the 2.7-liter Turbo I-4 can provide more towing capability than the Ram 1500 with the 3.6-liter V6, a full 9,500 pounds compared to 7,730 pounds. However, if you choose a Ram 1500 with the 5.7-liter HEMI V8, you can tow up to 11,610 pounds compared to 11,200 on the Chevy Silverado 1500, which tops out at 11,200 pounds. As for the optional engines, the Chevy has slightly more power, towing up to 13,300 pounds compared to 12,750 pounds on the Ram.
Fuel Economy
With gas prices spiking all over the United States, fuel economy is becoming a bigger issue for drivers in general and truckers in particular. Unfortunately, many truck brands are not known for energy efficiency. Still, Ram has taken steps to address this that gives it an advantage over Chevy. If you choose a 2022 Ram 1500 with the 3.6-liter V6, you will see that its eTorque system will give you about 23 miles per gallon combined when you choose a rear-wheel drive model. The comparable 2022 Chevy Silverado with the 2.7-liter Turbo I-4 and rear-wheel drive will only give a combined fuel economy of 20 miles per gallon.
You see a similar result if you choose a 2022 Ram 1500 with the available 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with eTorque. Again, the use of a hybrid system will give you a combined fuel economy of 20 miles per gallon, easily beating the 18 miles per gallon combined on the 2022 Silverado 1500 with the 5.3-liter V8 and the 17 miles per gallon combined from the 6.2-liter V8. As for the diesel engine options, the fuel economy numbers are fairly comparable, although choosing a Ram 1500 with the EcoDiesel V6 will give you 33 miles per gallon in highway driving, slightly better than the 31 miles per gallon highway for the Silverado 1500 with the Duramax Turbo-Diesel I-6.
The Ram 1500 Rams Another Competitor Aside
Chevy has decided to come out with a new generation of Silverado 1500 and appears to have done a good job improving upon an already solid pickup truck. However, the 2022 Ram 1500 provides more model choices, better powertrain options, and overall more fuel economy than the 2022 Silverado 1500. In the battle of these two trucks, the Ram pushes another competitor aside, remaining king of the full-size pickup hill.
