2018 Ram 2500 HD Cummins or GMC Sierra 2500 HD Duramax? Which diesel truck will handle the world’s toughest towing test better? We are about to find out.
The test CM Trailers Cargo Mate trailer is loaded up to 12,500 lbs. We are towing it up and down a 7% grade of an 8-mile stretch of the highest elevation interstate highway in the country – the Ike Gauntlet? The top elevation of the toughest towing test in the World is 11,158 feet above sea level. If a truck does well in this environment and under heavy load, it will do great in your day-to-day operation.
This is our fourth year of testing, comparing, and awarding pickup trucks and truck-based SUVs. We show all of our testing setup and procedures on video. We let you know as much as possible about our scoring system, and we make our final votes for the winning trucks on video. We will announce the winners of the 2018 competition in early April, 2018. In the meantime, we will be testing every midsize, half-ton, and heavy duty truck we can get our hands on.
There are no closed door voting or decisions here. We use the real-world data and truck’s performance to select the winners.
This time it’s Ram’s newest heavy duty truck – the 2018 Ram 2500 HD 4×4 with an Off-Road, Lone Star, and a Harvest Edition packages. This truck combines a lot of features and a relatively simple interior together with a 6.7L Cummins I6 engine that is still rated at 370 hp and 800 lb-ft of torque in this 3/4 ton application.
GM is represented by arguably the most off-road worthy diesel-powered HD truck on the market – the GMC Sierra 2500 HD All Terrain X with the 6.6L Duramax V8 turbo-diesel. This engine is rated at a much higher 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of torque.
Check out the video to see exactly how they performed.
