If you’re in the market for a new heavy-duty pickup truck at a dealership like Sandpoint Chevrolet, a number of vehicles come to mind alongside the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD. One of them is the 2019 Ram 2500. This year we have an all-new version of the Ram to look over, so let's see how it stacks up against the established 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD in a head-to-head comparison.

While many truck brands look very similar to each other, there's a clear dividing line between the styling of these two pickups. Both models are big, imposing and rugged-looking, but this new generation of the Ram is certainly a little toned-down compared with its predecessor. Some buyers may like that, but it appears to have stripped the Ram 2500 of a little of what used to make it stand out from the crowd.

According to Chevrolet Sandpoint, the Silverado 2500HD remains a classic, blocky, macho and straight-faced model, which is just how a big truck like this is supposed to look. The Ram comes with a different grille for each trim level, but none of them have the same imposing presence as their Chevrolet equivalents.

Like most heavy-duty pickup trucks, both the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and the 2019 Ram 2500 are available with a standard gas powerplant or an optional turbodiesel. The Ram's turbodiesel has a headline-grabbing torque rating, but all is not what it seems. Putting anywhere near that amount of twist down in the first two gears would harm the transmission. It's therefore only available when the Ram is well underway, which isn't usually when the truck needs maximum torque the most. The most horsepower the Ram 2500 diesel can offer is 400, whereas the Duramax diesel in the Chevy boasts an impressive 445 hp. 

Both models offer a choice of bed lengths, but which ones are available depends on the cab chosen by the buyer. The Silverado 2500HD Double Cab and Crew Cab models can both be had with either a 6-foot-six-inch or an 8-foot bed, but the choice is a little more restricted with the 2019 Ram 2500. The Ram is offered in 6-foot-4-inch and 8-foot beds, but while the Ram Crew Cab can have either bed length, the Mega Cabs only get the smaller of the two options.

Inside the cabs of the new Ram 2500, the space is almost identical to the model it replaces, and that means it's not as spacious as the Chevy in the most popular configurations. Although the Ram does have the option of the larger Mega Cab, three-quarters of buyers will opt for the Crew Cab, which isn’t as spacious as the Silverado 2500HD in its Crew Cab format. Both vehicles seat up to six people, but those in both the front and the back seats have more legroom in the Chevy than in the Ram.

In a number of ways ,the new 2019 Ram 2500 is a notable improvement on the model it replaces, but the problem is it started out from a position that was way behind the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD. Ram has somewhat softened the look of the 2500 in the same way it did with the latest 1500, and it remains to be seen how well that goes down with buyers. The Chevy is the choice we can really rely on right now, and at the higher trim levels, the Silverado costs a lot less and is a better value than its rival.