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Heavy-Duty Trucks Reign at 2019 Chicago Auto Show
Although you wouldn't know it from the media coverage, the 2019 Chicago Auto Show will go down in history as the auto show where all four heavy-duty pickup truck makers (we're not counting the Nissan Titan XD here) revealed their latest pickups to the public. Chevrolet, Ford, GMC and Ram are showcasing all-new heavy-duty models although in the case of Ram, the HDs were of the chassis-cab variety. Still, journalists came to the media preview expecting see new cars and SUVs, and an HD truck show broke out.
Chevrolet used the Chicago show to unveil its all-new 2020 2500 and 3500 pickups, showing off the LTZ and High Country trims from the trucks' five-trim lineup. The Silverado HDs are bigger and distinctly different looking from the 2019 Silverado 1500. The interior of the HDs, however, hew close to the lighter-duty Silverado. Bed changes also follow the 1500. Our favorite upgrades are the new 10-speed Allison transmission and all-new 6.6-liter V-8 with 401 horsepower and 464 pounds-feet of torque.
Ford had quite a few 2020 Super Duty trucks on the floor and nobody could tell the difference from the previous-generation 2019 models — at least that's what we heard over and over. We'll admit the grille and headlight changes aren't easy to spot, but we're pretty sure Ford has never done a Super Duty F-450 with black fender flares in front and white fender flares in back.
Although we saw the 2020 GMC Sierra 2500s/3500s in San Diego a few weeks ago, this was our first chance to see the new HD pickups alongside other brands and GMC products. GMC had an off-roading Denali 3500 AT4 crew-cab dually with a Duramax engine on the show floor to communicate how much breadth the brand offers in its lineup. How come Chevy doesn't offer a Trail Boss HD?
Ram's booth was dominated by work-oriented, commercial-grade chassis cabs in various stages of customization: dump beds, flat bed, wreckers, ambulances, etc. The new 2019 chassis cabs serve niche markets, so they didn't get a lot of traffic on media days. But the new Ram 5500 Limited MegaCab should appeal to the tow-loving equestrian market — and it might be the first HD truck to break the $100,000 ceiling. Ram also unveiled its Multifunction Tailgate for the 2019 Ram 1500, which made it impossible for anyone to walk past it without trying out the 60/40-split swingout doors and heavy-duty bracing.
The 2019 Chicago Auto opens to the public Saturday and runs through Feb. 18 at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday through Feb. 17 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 18. Admission is $13 for adults, $7 for senior citizens 62 or older and children ages 7-12, and free for kids 6 or younger with a parent or guardian. For more information, go to the show's website.
