2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD vs 2021 Toyota Tacoma

The last decade has been pretty wild for the auto industry. Technologies that were previously rarities reserved for high-end luxury options, such as touchscreen infotainment systems, navigation, and driver-assistance systems, have all become commonplace. For some brands, these features are included even in base trims. The past 10 years have seen incredible advancements in electric cars, and we are inching ever closer to actual self-driving, autonomous cars.

The last 10 years have also been the decade of do-it-all vehicles. The car-based crossover is a shining example of this, bridging capability and comfort. Family sedans like the Toyota Camry are now sporty sedans, and the Ford Explorer is as effective a family hauler as it is a police vehicle.

The expectation that vehicles will do a little bit of everything extends to the pickup-truck market, but that’s only part of what fueled the pickup-truck arms race of the previous decade. No other vehicle segment enjoyed more gains in the past 10 years than light-duty and heavy-duty pickups. From power and towing capabilities to cabin quality, the latest crop of trucks is better than ever. Today's truck plays the roles of worksite workhorse and family commuter vehicle.

The 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD is an inevitable conclusion to this arms race. It has pushed every truck attribute to its max and can handle countless different roles, even if the “affordability” aspect has left the station. Read on to learn if the Silverado 2500HD is worth its potentially steep price, and learn which trim of the Silverado 2500HD CarGurus recommends.

Last redesigned for the 2016 model year, The Tacoma once dominated midsize-truck sales. In recent years, though, it’s faced stronger competition from the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon twins, the Ford Ranger, and the Jeep Gladiator. A redesigned Nissan Frontier and heavily-updated Honda Ridgeline are also on the way.

Meanwhile, the Tacoma enters the 2021 model year largely unchanged. The only updates are two new special editions—the Nightshade Edition and Trail Special Edition—and standard dual-zone automatic climate control on all V6 models.

Pickup truck buyers tend to want choices, and Toyota delivers. The Tacoma is available with four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines, Access Cab and four-door Double Cab body styles, rear-wheel drive (RWD) or four-wheel drive (4WD), and six trim levels— SR, SR5, TRD Off Road, TRD Sport, Limited, and TRD Pro—plus the two special editions.

Our test vehicle was a Tacoma TRD Pro Double Cab. The TRD Pro is the most off-road focused of the Tacoma models, so naturally, it gets standard 4WD drive. While Toyota does offer a more comfort-oriented Tacoma Limited model, the TRD Pro is also positioned at the top of the lineup.

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