√2023 Toyota Tundra v Ford F-150 v Chevrolet Silverado 1500 v Ram 1500 spec comparison

The booming US pick-up market in Australia is about to have two new contenders, bringing the North American battle among four iconic brands to local showrooms.

After a long drought of North American pick-ups in Australia, local customers are set to be spoilt for choice in the coming years.

Toyota Australia last week announced it is partnering with Walkinshaw Automotive Group to assess and develop its Tundra pick-up for Australia – looking to take a slice of the market share away from Ram and Chevrolet which have been here with their pick-ups for five years, and Ford which is due to join the competition Down Under from next year.

If the Toyota Tundra makes it to Australian showrooms, it will join the Ram 1500/2500/3500, Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 as the sixth pick-up on local roads from the four biggest brands in the US.

The Ford F-150 is due to arrive mid-next year, with Thai firm RMA responsible for the re-manufacturing from left- to right-hand drive – a task it has never done before.

The Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 are already available to Australian customers. Walkinshaw undertakes factory-backed right-hand-drive conversions for the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram model range.

The Chevrolet Silverado is sold through General Motors’ Australian outpost – General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) – while Ram’s models are imported and sold by Ateco through its network of Ram Trucks Australia dealers.

Both the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra are expected to become a part of the existing Australian showrooms for each car company.

Engines

Ford is yet to confirm the outputs of its Australian-delivered F-150 – which will be powered by a 3.5-litre turbocharged V6 petrol engine – however, in the US the engine produces 294kW and 678Nm.

As reported by Drive, two variants of the Toyota Tundra are expected to arrive in Australia, each powered by a 3.5-litre turbocharged V6 petrol hybrid engine which develops 290kW and 650Nm in the US.

A majority of the Australian-delivered Ram 1500 line-up is powered by a 5.7-litre V8 petrol engine, slotting between the Ford and Toyota in power outputs although it produces the less torque than its competitors, with 291kW and 556Nm.

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is fitted with the biggest and most powerful engine of the four vehicles, with its 6.2-litre V8 petrol engine’s torque outputs falling shy of the turbocharged V6s, developing 313kW and 624Nm.

Four-wheel-drive is standard across the four pick-ups, as is an automatic transmission – 10-speed for the Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet while the Ram sticks with an eight-speed.

Payload and towing capacity

Payload capacity across the pick-ups ranges from 701kg (Australian-spec Ram 1500 Express) to 880kg (US-spec Tundra), as Ford is yet to confirm how much the local F-150 can carry.

However, Ford’s marketing materials claim the F-150 will be sold with a towing capacity of up to 4500kg.

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 also feature identical towing capacities of 4500kg with a 70mm ball, while fitting a 50mm ball decreases the capacity to 3500kg for both pick-ups.

In the US, the Toyota Tundra’s 3600kg to 5400kg towing capacity would place it as the strongest pick-up in Australia – if Walkinshaw imports and converts its highest-spec variants.

Pricing

Ford is yet to confirm how much the F-150 will cost in Australia.

However, two variants of the Ford F-150 are due to be sold in Australia – XLT and Lariat – both using the largest ‘SuperCrew’ body style.

In the US, the XLT is priced from $US44,765 ($AU64,850) before taxes while the better-equipped Lariat starts at $US51,465 ($AU74,550).

Toyota is yet to confirm its plans to sell the Tundra in Australia, with seven variants offered in the US, each with different body combinations.

The Toyota Tundra SR – fitted with a ‘CrewMax’ body and 5.5-foot (1.68m) bed – is priced from $US41,000 ($AU58,900) before taxes, ranging all the way up to $US74,230 ($AU107,500) for the range-topping Capestone variant.

In Australia, the Ram 1500’s six variants were recently hit by a price increase, now starting from $85,950 plus on-road costs in DS Express Quad Cab guise and topping out with the flagship Ram 1500 TRX off-roader, starting from $219,950 plus on-road costs.

From mid-2023, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500’s local line-up will be reduced to the LTZ Premium, priced from $121,000 plus on-road costs, and the Silverado ZR2 – replacing the LT Trail Boss with a starting price of $124,000 plus on-road costs.

Drive will compare Australian prices and specs as more information becomes available.

	Toyota Tundra	Ford F-150 XLT/Lariat Crew Cab	Chevrolet Silverado 1500	RAM 1500 DS and DT
Engine	3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 hybrid	3.5-litre twin-turbo V6	6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8	5.7-litre naturally-aspirated V8
Power	290kW @ 5200rpm (US spec)	294kW @ 6000rpm (US spec)	313kW @ 5600rpm	291kW @ 5600rpm
Torque	650Nm @ 2400rpm(US spec)	678Nm @ 3100rpm (US spec)	624Nm @ 4100rpm	556Nm @ 3950rpm
Transmission	10-speed automatic, 4×4	10-speed automatic, 4×4	10-speed automatic, 4×4	Eight-speed automatic, 4×4
Fuel economy	10.7L/100km (claimed in the US)	11.6L/100km (claimed in the US)	13.2L/100km	12.2L/100km
Kerb weight	2726kg	2200kg	2540kg	2620kg to 2749kg
Payload capacity	880kg (US spec)	800kg (US spec)	760kg	701kg to 845kg
Towing capacity	3600-5400kg (US spec)	4500kg	4260kg	3500kg (50mm ball) to 4500kg (70mm ball)
Starting price plus on-road costs	$US41,000 ($AU58,900, SR 4×4) to $US74,230 ($AU107,500, Capstone)	$US44,765 ($AU64,850, XLT) to $US51,465 ($AU74,550, Lariat)	$121,000 (LTZ Premium) to $126,000 (ZR2)	$85,950 (Express SWB) to $219,950 (TRX)
Dimensions (length/width/height/wheelbase)	5933/2037/1981/3701mm (CrewMax body)	5885/2030/1961/3683mm (SuperCrew body)	5885/2063/1915/3744mm (LTZ Premium)	5833/2097/1990/3571mm (Express SWB) 5929/2235/2055/3686mm (TRX)