It’s Finally Here! Truck Trend’s 2019 Pickup Truck of the Year Starts Today

With this year being so special, we decided to alter our annual Pickup Truck of the Year contest a bit, allowing each of the Big Three to send two pickups our way. We requested only four-wheel-drive trucks in two different versions—an off-road special and a luxury-oriented model. In alphabetical order, here they are.

Chevrolet has broken lots of new ground with the 2019 Silverado 1500. Its modern design is bold and daring in a way that hasn’t been seen from Chevrolet in decades, doing away with the square wheelwells that have defined the light-duty Chevy since 1973, as well as incorporating extensive aero work. The company sent two pickups our way: an LT Trail Boss powered by a 5.3L V-8 with Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) and an eight-speed automatic and an LTZ powered by a 6.2L V-8 with DFM and a 10-speed automatic.

F-150 Limited, which for 2019 gets the Raptor’s high-output EcoBoost 3.5L V-6. Both engines come mated to a 10-speed auto that shares much with those found in GM’s products. The F-150 Raptor would have done well in the off-road portions of this test, but the updated Fox suspension layout wasn’t available in time for our test. We’ll revisit that truck (as well as the 2019 Ranger—also unavailable this year) for the 2020 test.

GMC sent two versions of the 2019 Sierra 1500: the rough-and-ready AT4 and the luxurious Denali. We requested the AT4 with GM’s new Dynamic Fuel Management 5.3L V-8 and eight-speed auto, but one wasn’t available, so both of our “Professional Grade” pickups come with the 6.2L V-8 and 10-speed transmission. We’ll find a way to cope, probably by roasting the trucks’ tires at every opportunity. Like the Ford F-150, a previous version of the Denali comes to us as a returning Pickup Truck of the Year champion—we’re eager to see how these machines stand up to their predecessors and fare against the competition.

since 1973, as well as incorporating extensive aero work. The company sent two pickups our way: an LT Trail Boss powered by a 5.3L V-8 with Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) and an eight-speed automatic and an LTZ powered by a 6.2L V-8 with DFM and a 10-speed automatic.F-150 Limited, which for 2019 gets the Raptor’s high-output EcoBoost 3.5L V-6. Both engines come mated to a 10-speed auto that shares much with those found in GM’s products. The F-150 Raptor would have done well in the off-road portions of this test, but the updated Fox suspension layout wasn’t available in time for our test. We’ll revisit that truck (as well as the 2019 Ranger—also unavailable this year) for the 2020 test.

Finally, Ram sent the 2019 1500 in cowboy-chic Laramie Longhorn and aggressive Rebel trims. Both get motive force from the 5.7L Hemi V-8 with eTorque, which features a 48V electrical system to provide ultra-responsive engine auto stop/start and a small amount of electric boost from a dead stop and during transmission shifts. Like the Trail Boss and AT4, the Rebel features a slight suspension lift compared to other Rams, as well as more aggressive tires and other off-road bits. The Laramie Longhorn gets extensive leather and wood trim, as well as a unique hand-branded logo burned into the dash wood.

As always, our test will take us first to the racetrack, where we’ll evaluate acceleration and braking, with and without a payload. Then we’ll run the dragstrip hitched to a 7,500-pound trailer. Day Two will see us evaluating towing on one of California’s most wicked highway grades, the Cajon Pass. On the third day, we’ll head up to Pismo Beach, taking advantage of the Central Coast’s lighter traffic to test steady-state fuel economy. Days Four and Five will be this author’s favorite: off-roading at a top-secret location. Then, we’ll spend a few hours scoring and deliberating, using Truck Trend’s proprietary numerological machinations to come to a winner using raw data and hard facts, rather than favoritism or blind ballots.