Heavy-Duty Trucks Battle For Dominance

Pickups continue to be the most hotly contested sector in the U.S. and the big rigs are ready to fight it out for sales.

Upgraded contenders enter the ring led by the Ford Super Duty majoring in comfort and luxury with its new range-topping Platinum Plus Package.

Platinum Plus elevates the range to executive-level specifications with premium features including a satin finish grille with bright chrome inserts, Smoked Truffle interior, perforated Venetian leather seating surfaces with French stitching and Max Recline seats. Class-exclusive 2-kW Pro Power Onboard provides mobile electric power for work tools or recreational equipment.

It also brings new working packages with advanced technology upgrades to improve convenience, productivity, and towing capabilities.

These include a new trailer technology bundle that features options for auxiliary cameras, individual trailer tire pressure monitoring system , and blind spot information system with trailer coverage, to help improve visibility while towing.

The Pro Vehicle Integration System 2.0 helps mesh the model with third-party equipment and upgrades. This makes it easier to access vehicle signals, create custom safety interlocks and integrate user controls into the center display or overhead toggle switches.

Ford F-350 Super Duty Platinum Plus interior.

Additional available technology includes Co-Pilot360 Technology with 360-degree cameras, customizable digital information cluster, heads-up display and SYNC 4.

Powertrain choices see the company’s 6.8L V-8 gasoline engine standard on XL, XLT and Lariat trims. Walking up the range, the King Ranch and Platinum models get the 7.3L V-8 gasoline power with 500 hp and 1,200 lb.-ft. (1,627 Nm) of torque.

The 6.7L Power Stroke diesel engine remains an option across all trims. All engines come standard with a version of the heavy-duty 10-speed automatic transmission.

Ram locks horns with the Ford with the first official renderings of its 2025 Ram Rebel Heavy Duty crew cab, ramping up the hardcore butch styling an extra notch or two.

A standout styling tweak is the cab roof orange running lights as standard, a visibility aid that many truck owners add as an aftermarket improvement. These are augmented by more orange running lights on the leading edges of the large door mirrors and in the outside top edges of the headlamps.

A huge front grille, offered in two different versions, is not there just for the image and is designed to channel as much cooling air to an engine that will be working hard, often at relatively operating low speeds.

Meanwhile, in the light-duty segment, Chevrolet says its 2025 Silverado 1500 is the “most affordable factory-lifted, full-size, light-duty pickup in the industry” for buyers of its Trail Boss trim.

Chevy says its 420-hp, 460-lb.-ft. (624-Nm) 6.2L V-8 is the segment’s largest, most powerful naturally aspirated powerplant. Alternatively, its 3.0L Duramax inline 6-cyl. turbodiesel engine claims an EPA-estimated range of 624 miles (1,004 km) with a highway fuel consumption for rear-drive models estimated at 29 mpg (8.1 L/100 km). Other gas powertrains include a 2.7L turbo I-4 and a 5.3L V-8.

Starting prices range from $38,995 for the base Work Truck to $71,995 for the ZR2 (both including $1,995 destination charge).

2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Z71 Trail Boss.