We have tested separately both the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Z71 and the Toyota Tundra 1794 TRD, getting the hang of both trucks well. Now it’s time to put them side by side and see how they stack up on and off-road.
Our Toyota Tundra was a full boat 1794 Edition. But with the TRD Off-Road Package, it comes with 18-inch wheels and taller 65 series tires instead of the 20-inch wheels and 55 series tires that would normally come on the 1794 Edition.
But if you like chrome you won’t be disappointed as it comes with heavy doses of the shiny stuff on the front bumper and grille.
Though the 1794 Edition is based on the same trim level as the Tundra Platinum, it differs on the exterior in that the Platinum has a body color front bumper and fascia. The 1794 also has a grille similar to the SR5, and different from the Platinum.
The TRD Off-Road package comes with not only those wheels, but specially tuned Bilstein shocks at all four corners, extra skid-plates, and the all-important graphic on the bed side. Of note though, the Double Cab Tundra is only available with a 5.5′ bed. Toyota has yet to offer their full size cab with anything longer like the Chevrolet does.
For 2016, the Chevrolet Silverado got new grille designs across the board as well as a reshaped bumper fascia with new trims. Our LTZ Z71 here has a body color grille and LED headlights with the latest Las Vegas style accents.
The hood design is new too with a nice sculpted look and some insets that look perfect for heat extractor vents some day down the road if Chevrolet ever offers a high-performance package. Our tester here was also upgraded with 20-inch chrome wheels that while big, still don’t look like it in their huge square openings.
At the rear, the LTZ gets LED tail lamps to go along with its body colored bumper which still sports Chevrolet’s now trademark steps. Also optioned on our tester was a sturdy set of chrome step rails with heavy rubber grips. The power sliding rear window is a nice touch too.
Under the hood, the Toyota Tundra has its proven 5.7 liter DOHC V8 that’s rated at 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque, it comes only with a six-speed automatic transmission. The EPA rates it at 13 mpg city, 17 mpg highway and 15 mpg combined. We achieved 16 mpg combined.
The engine though it has been around for a while still thrums and gets on when you put the hammer down, offering up a rewarding payback for your fuel spent. This is to say it sounds good and kicks you in the back nicely.
And unlike the 60-year old small-blocks in some competitors, its dual-overhead cab refinement comes through in a smoothness and high revving spirit often associated with luxury sedans such as the Lexus LS, to which this engine is closely shared.
The Chevrolet Silverado has a 5.3-liter V8, this year is now available in the LTZ with the 8-speed automatic transmission as we had here. Though an old school pushrod engine, it has variable valve timing, direct injection and variable displacement to give it 355 horsepower.
EPA rates it at 15 mpg city, 21 mpg highway and 17 mpg combined. I was able to achieve 20 mpg combined.
Asking for maximum power gets you a rapid response, as the new 8-speed transmission drops gears pretty quick when you ask for it. The transmission behaves well most of the time, but can seem to hunt around a bit in city driving but not too badly.
Power is well more than adequate here, the engine note muffled, the exhaust tone non existent. If you like V8 rumble you’ll want an aftermarket system.
It drive testing it, the desert washboard road is our go to spot when it’s time to see how well sorted the chassis and how well bolted together the structure actually is. The ribbed and vibrating surface did little to create drama here, the suspension and body, its interior fittings, all remaining calm.
The steering and suspension was remarkably solid in feel here with a level of isolation from that rough and tumble that I haven’t felt in a pickup really ever. Even taken into a more deeply rutted and challenging trail, the Tundra takes it all in stride and rarely snaps back you for pushing it.
And on the highway where most will spend their time here, the Tundra remains one of the most refined driving pickups we have tested. It has that feeling being carved from a solid piece of steel along with a level of steering precision that is lost on some domestic brands.
Moving on to handling of the Chevrolet Silverado, the Z71 package on our tester here gets you a number of upgrades. Among them are heavier duty Rancho off-road shocks, an auto-locking rear differential, a skid plate for the transfer case and the all important Z71 graphics.
On the highway, the truck rides the glass with a solid and smooth ride, a quiet existence in the cabin. Pushed off onto our desert washboard roads the Z71’s chassis tuning proved to be stiffer than expected which sent jitters and shudders through the cabin.
Taken further into our off-road trail test course, that stiffly damped ride erupted into a pretty rough buckboard experience that is decidedly different from that of Toyota, RAM and Ford with their off-road suspension tuning.
The prices of our two test trucks were close, $52,585 for the Silverado and $50,375 for the Tundra. Both were very close in package spec, though each offered something the other didn’t. Horsepower is clearly a strength of the Tundra where fuel economy was the Silverado’s best trait when it came to powertrains.
Handling prowess off the pavement was best felt in the Tundra with its taller tire side walls. Had the Silverado had similar wheels and tires, they might have been closer in character. Overall we come away from this comparison with the tact that these two trucks are pretty closely matched with perhaps a small nod to the Tundra for its finer driving characteristics.
2016 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 Test Drive
2016 Toyota Tundra TRD Test Drive
