To go diesel or not to go diesel. That is the question that is currently plaguing the truck world. It’s also given the three big truck manufacturers (Ford, Dodge, and Chevy) a new battleground upon which they can establish their dominance.

Chevy seems to be putting much of its focus on the 2020 Chevy Silverado as it offers both a gasoline and diesel engine. Having a choice will definitely sway some consumers away from Ford and Dodge, but does the Silverado’s diesel engine hold up to the competition?

MotorTrend has the answers.

The good

We’ll start off by discussing what MotorTrend did like. The 2020 Silverado’s new diesel motor gets up to 277 hp and 460 lb-ft. Even better, Chevy has managed to accomplish this with two fewer cylinders and better displacement. The Silverado also has a 10-speed automatic, courtesy of Chevy and Ford teaming up. 

MotorTrend reports, “Thanks to modern turbocharger technology, 95 percent of that torque is in production at just 1,250 rpm, so the only time you’ll ever experience turbo lag is when you floor it at a stop. Nothing a little brake-torquing can’t fix.”

As far as driving around town and on the highway, MotorTrend had no complaints. The Silverado never felt sluggish during the test drive, which is always a huge plus. 

Something that truck owners are always conscious of is fuel economy, and the Silverado certainly keeps up with the competition in that arena. Its mpg was reportedly 28 mpg while MotorTrend drove it through the countryside of Oregon. 

The ride is also rather smooth given that it’s a diesel, and MotorTrend states that’s it’s even better than the Ram 1500 and the Ford F-150. 

Kelley Blue Book was also impressed with the 2020 model and gave it 4.3 stars out of 5. 

The bad

One of the major complaints MotorTrend had revolved around the braking ability. They felt that in an emergency, you would have to have a very strong leg in order to brake in time. The brake becomes ‘wooden’ and coming to a sudden stop was nearly impossible. 

Something else MotorTrend wasn’t crazy about was the lackluster cabin. For consumers who spend more time in their truck than they do at home, hard seats that leave you sore at the end of the day are not going to win over any Ford and Dodge fans. There is an obvious lack of technology as well. It almost feels as if Chevy is rubbing it in your face that you could have had so much more by spending a few extra dollars on a higher trim level.

The ‘to be determined’

MotorTrend was unable to test the Chevy’s towing ability. It found the F-150’s towing ability to be sorely lacking compared to what Ford claims it’s capable of, so it remains to be seen if the Silverado will hold up or fail the test. 

Motor 1 reports that the Silverado can tow up to “9,300 pounds with a 1,870-pound payload capacity for the bed.” This is based on reports from Chevy and not tests run by Motor 1.

MotorTrend also didn’t get to check out the towing equipment designed specifically for the 2020 Silverado. They’re very excited to test out the Invisible Trailer accessory camera system which should make life easier for many consumers who tow in areas that are built like an obstacle course. According to MotorTrend, “This stitches together images from two cameras to make it look as if you can see through your trailer on the infotainment screen and the ASA InCommand app that lets you control various camper functions through the infotainment screen.”

MotorTrend obviously has a lot that they want to look into further, but for the moment, the Chevy Silverado received a solid rating.