Portage la Prairie is a pickup town, and a lot of those pickups wear a bowtie. So when a farmer, a contractor or somebody with a big camper sits down at our desk to talk heavy duty, the Silverado 2500HD is usually already in the conversation. That is fair. It is a good truck, and the honest version of this comparison hands it the rows it wins.

Shopping already? Browse our new Ram 2500 inventory in Portage la Prairie.

We sell the Ram, and you can see what is on the ground right now in our new Ram 2500 inventory. Below is the Ram 2500 vs Silverado 2500 comparison the way we would walk you through it: engines, towing, ride, cab, and where the GM is the better buy. Every figure is a published maximum for one configuration, so read each one as "up to," then confirm it on the exact truck.

Key Takeaways

• Diesel torque goes to the Ram today, horsepower goes to the Chevy. Ram lists its 6.7 litre Cummins High Output at 430 hp and 1,075 lb ft. Chevrolet lists the 2026 Silverado HD Duramax 6.6 at 470 hp and 975 lb ft.
• GM has a bigger diesel coming. Its announced 2027 Duramax 8.3 litre is rated at 555 hp and 1,230 lb ft. On paper that beats the Cummins, and we will not pretend otherwise.
• The ride is the Ram's clearest win. Ram calls its five link coil spring rear, or the auto levelling rear air suspension, segment exclusive on the 2500.
• Towing is close on a conventional hitch. Ram lists the 2027 Ram 2500 Cummins at up to 20,000 lb. GM quotes its HD pickups at up to 20,000 lb conventional. Your cab, box, axle and drive decide your real number.
• The GM gas V8 out torques the HEMI. That row goes to Chevrolet.

Engines: What Each One Is For

Ram 2500 diesel. The 6.7 litre Cummins High Output turbo diesel inline six, rated at 430 hp and 1,075 lb ft, paired with the TorqueFlite HD eight speed automatic. Ram's 2027 release lists the 2500 with this engine at up to 20,000 lb towing and up to 3,990 lb payload, each in its best rated configuration.

Silverado 2500HD diesel. The Duramax 6.6 litre turbo diesel V8, which Chevrolet lists for the 2026 Silverado HD at 470 hp and 975 lb ft, with an Allison 10 speed automatic.

So on the 2026 trucks sitting on lots this fall, the Cummins makes 100 lb ft more torque and the Duramax makes 40 more horsepower. Torque is what you feel pulling a loaded trailer away from a stop sign on a gravel grade. Horsepower is what you feel holding speed up a long hill.

The 2027 twist. GM has announced an all new Duramax 8.3 litre turbo diesel V8 for its 2027 HD pickups at 555 hp and 1,230 lb ft, with an Allison 10 speed, and says the trucks reach US dealers starting late 2026. We have not seen Canadian timing or 2500HD pricing, and the 8.3 has no Manitoba winters on it yet. The Cummins has decades of them, and that reputation is a real part of why repeat heavy duty buyers stay with it. If you want the biggest diesel number on paper, though, the new Duramax is it. That is a GM win.

Gas engines. Ram's 6.4 litre HEMI V8 makes 405 hp and 429 lb ft with an eight speed automatic, and Ram lists the 2027 Ram 2500 HEMI at up to 17,740 lb towing. GM's gas V8 for 2027 is rated at 412 hp and 472 lb ft, and GM calls that the best standard torque among 2027 heavy duty gas engines. On torque, the gas row is Chevrolet's.

Not sure you even need the diesel? Our Ram 2500 diesel vs gas breakdown runs through that decision in plain numbers.

Towing and Payload, by Configuration

Here is the part where dealers get slippery, so here is the rule we use. A maximum tow number belongs to one specific truck: one cab, one box, one axle ratio, one drive. Change any of those and the number moves. So:

• 2027 Ram 2500, 6.7 Cummins High Output: up to 20,000 lb towing and up to 3,990 lb payload, per Ram, in the best rated configuration.
• 2027 Ram 2500, 6.4 HEMI: up to 17,740 lb towing, and up to 4,580 lb payload with Ram's new Payload Upgrade Package, which lifts GVWR to 11,040 lb. That package is from Ram's US announcement, so confirm Canadian availability on the build.
• Silverado HD, conventional hitch: GM quotes up to 20,000 lb conventional for its 2027 HD pickups, properly equipped. GM also quotes much higher gooseneck ratings for 2027, with the very top figure on the 3500HD. For the 2500HD's own fifth wheel and gooseneck ceiling, go to Chevrolet's chart, not a dealer blog.

On a conventional hitch, call it close. Where GM advertises a bigger gooseneck figure, that is its row. If your trailer honestly lives near those numbers, you are shopping a one tonne anyway, and our new Ram 3500 inventory is where that talk starts.

Out here, most heavy duty trailers are a stock trailer to the auction mart, a skid steer on a deck, a fifth wheel camper headed to the lake, or a grain trailer at harvest. A 20,000 lb rating covers nearly all of it. Our Ram 2500 towing capacity guide goes deeper on reading the door sticker.

Ride: Coil Springs Against Leaf Springs

This is the row that surprises people on a test drive. Ram lists a five link coil spring rear suspension on the 2500, with auto levelling rear air suspension available, and calls that combination segment exclusive. The Silverado 2500HD rides on rear leaf springs.

Loaded, both trucks squat and work. Empty, which is how most heavy duty trucks spend most of their kilometres, the coil sprung Ram settles over a washboard section road in a way a leaf sprung truck cannot. Picture a service body truck running empty between jobs, or a farm truck on the grid roads south of town all spring. You feel it on every trip. The air suspension adds self levelling when a gooseneck or a camper sets down on the hitch.

The Cab and the Tech

Ram lists a 14.5 inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen for its heavy duty trucks and calls it the largest in class, along with a 10.25 inch passenger display and a 12.3 inch digital cluster. Screen size depends on trim, so check the truck you are looking at. The RamBox, lockable, drainable storage bins built into the bed rails, is available on the Ram heavy duty and Ram calls it class exclusive. For a tradesperson who keeps chains, straps and a lunch out of the weather, that is a real daily win.

GM's HD cabs are well built too, and plenty of our customers like the Chevrolet layout they already know. What we ask is simple. Sit in both trucks, then picture a full day hauling to Brandon and back with a trailer behind you. Seat comfort and cabin quiet are capability on that drive, not luxury.

The Scorecard

FAQs

Which tows more, the Ram 2500 or the Silverado 2500HD?

On a conventional hitch they are close. Ram lists the 2027 Ram 2500 Cummins at up to 20,000 lb and GM quotes up to 20,000 lb conventional for its 2027 HD pickups. GM advertises larger gooseneck figures. Every number is for one configuration, so confirm it on the exact truck.

Does the Cummins or the Duramax make more torque?

Against the 2026 Duramax 6.6, the Cummins High Output wins, 1,075 lb ft to 975. GM's announced 2027 Duramax 8.3 is rated at 1,230 lb ft, which beats the Cummins on paper.

Does the Silverado 2500HD have coil springs in the rear?

No. It uses rear leaf springs. Ram lists its five link coil spring rear and available air suspension on the 2500 as segment exclusive.

Which gas engine is stronger?

GM's 2027 gas V8 is rated at 412 hp and 472 lb ft. Ram's 6.4 litre HEMI makes 405 hp and 429 lb ft. The Chevrolet takes the torque row.

Should I wait for the 2027 Silverado HD with the new diesel?

If peak diesel output is the deciding number, it is worth watching. If you need a truck this winter, compare the trucks you can drive today, and remember a brand new engine has no Manitoba winters behind it yet.

The Bottom Line

The Silverado 2500HD earns its place. It wins horsepower, the gear count, the gas V8 torque, and with the 2027 Duramax 8.3 it takes the biggest number on the page. The Ram 2500 answers with more diesel torque than the 2026 Duramax, a proven Cummins, the only coil spring or air rear in the segment, and a cab and bed built for the way people here actually use a truck. Most buyers never touch the last few thousand pounds of a rating. They feel the ride and the seat every day.

Drive one over the worst road you know and decide from the driver's seat. Browse our new Ram 2500 inventory, or look through our used trucks if a lightly used Cummins fits the budget better. Trading a Silverado? Get your number first with our instant cash offer tool, and start the finance application so approval is done before you pick the truck. If the Ford is on your list too, our Ram 2500 versus Ford comparison covers that one.

Tyler Dunn, Dunn Ram Trucks, Portage la Prairie