When talking about heavy-duty trucks, people care about one thing: towing. Well, maybe that and a heaping spoonful of luxury. Because of this, automakers—particularly Detroit’s Big Three—blast their pickups’ max capacities everywhere in hopes to gain a chunk of that sweet, sweet American market share. But what about zero-to-60 times? You don’t see Ford, GM, or Ram bragging about those.
Maybe that should change.
The Fast Lane Truck team decided in a recent video review that it’d be best to pit the 2020 Ford F-350 dually against its GMC Sierra counterpart in a friendly drag race. To ensure an even fight, the trucks boast similar features and equipment—the Ford is a loaded King Ranch model, while the GMC is dressed up in top-spec Denali trim. They’re both packing turbodiesel V8s under their hoods with 10-speed automatic transmissions and four-wheel-drive, meaning they’re cream of the crop as far as pickups go.
On paper, the Ford holds a major advantage over its rival. Its tweaked-for-2020 6.7-liter Power Stroke engine touts 475 horsepower and a massive 1,050 pound-feet torque figure. Compare that to the GMC’s 6.6-liter Duramax, which makes 445 hp and 910 pound-feet, and you’ll soon find out the favorite for this one-on-one.
As everyone guessed, the Ford Super Duty pulled away with an undoubtedly respectable zero to 60 time of just 7.75 seconds. This can largely be credited to the Power Stroke engine, of course, but also Ford’s exceptional 10-speed automatic, perhaps the truck’s most significant upgrade for the 2020 model year.
The GMC, meanwhile, posted a still-noteworthy time of 8.66 seconds. It might be nine-tenths off the F-350’s best, but it’s still faster than, say, a Chevy Corvette C3 from back in the day. Apples to oranges? Sure, but the Sierra 3500 dually is no slouch.
Keep in mind this test was performed just outside Denver, Colorado at IMI Motorsports Complex. The elevation there is around one mile above sea level, meaning these trucks would run even quicker where most of us live.
Not too bad for a couple of 7,500-pound behemoths.
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