2026 Silverado 1500 vs. 2026 Ford F-150 in McAlester: Why More Truck Buyers Are Choosing Chevy

It’s the oldest argument in Oklahoma truck country: Silverado or F-150? Freedom Ford across the street will make Ford’s case. Here’s ours — the real 2026 numbers, and why the Silverado comes out ahead for the way McAlester actually drives, tows and works.

Engines

Silverado 1500 offers four engines, and every one of them earns its place:

• 2.7L TurboMax four-cylinder: 310 hp, 430 lb-ft — more torque than Ford’s base V6
• 5.3L V8: 355 hp, 383 lb-ft
• 6.2L V8: 420 hp, 460 lb-ft
• 3.0L Duramax diesel: 305 hp, 495 lb-ft — the only diesel in the class

F-150 lists six engines, but look closer: two are Raptor specialty motors, and its volume lineup is a 2.7L EcoBoost V6 (325 hp, 400 lb-ft), a 3.5L EcoBoost (400 hp, 500 lb-ft), a 5.0L V8 (400 hp, 410 lb-ft) and the PowerBoost hybrid (430 hp, 570 lb-ft). Ford’s standard engine makes less torque than Chevy’s standard engine, Ford charges V8 money for V6s, and if you want the fuel economy and pulling manners of a diesel, Ford simply doesn’t sell one.

About that hybrid: the PowerBoost’s 570 lb-ft sounds strong until you check the rest of its row — 4WD only, towing capped at 11,600 lbs, payload around 1,750 lbs, and 23 mpg combined. The Silverado’s Duramax beats it on every one of those working numbers, as you’ll see below.

Towing and payload

Ford’s brochure maximums come from narrowly specific builds — the 13,500-lb tow rating lives in one EcoBoost configuration with the Max Tow axle, and the payload crown sits in a different build again. The Silverado tows its 13,300 lbs with the Duramax — the same engine that delivers the best fuel economy in this entire comparison. One truck, no compromises picked off a menu: Ford makes you choose between its hardest-working truck and its most efficient one. Chevy’s diesel is both.

Fuel economy

• Silverado Duramax diesel: 25 mpg combined (23 city / 28 highway) — the best of either lineup
• F-150 PowerBoost hybrid: 23 mpg combined
• F-150’s best gas highway number: 25 mpg (2.7L EcoBoost 2WD)
• Silverado TurboMax: up to 20 mpg combined — from the standard engine

Ford had to build a hybrid to get within 2 mpg of the Duramax — and the hybrid still tows less, hauls less, and carries a battery and motor the diesel doesn’t need. (Ford does offer a 7.2 kW generator option on that hybrid; if running a job site off your truck is your top priority, it’s a nice extra — for everyone else, the diesel’s range and efficiency win the year, not the weekend.)

Technology and trailering

• Hands-free driving: Chevy’s available Super Cruise works while you’re trailering — long hauls on US-69 with a trailer behind you are exactly what it’s for.
• Cameras: up to 8 cameras with 14 views, an in-vehicle trailering app with custom trailer profiles and pre-departure checklists, and Trailer Side Blind Zone Alert.
• Tailgate: the six-function Multi-Flex tailgate — a step, a work surface, a load stop — standard on LTZ and High Country.
• Safety: Chevy Safety Assist is standard on every Silverado, not reserved for upper trims.
• Bed: Durabed with 12 tie-downs rated at 500 lbs each and an available 120-volt outlet for tools and gear.

Pricing

The Silverado WT starts at $36,900 (before destination) — and the F-150 XL starts at $39,330 before destination, so Chevy undercuts Ford by $2,430 right at the entry point. [PUBLISHER NOTE: Ford’s $39,330 is the XL base MSRP in Ford’s published 2026 pricing (reported by Pickup Truck Talk, Autoblog, Edmunds and Ford Authority; $42,125 including the $2,795 destination charge). A few dealer pages list $37,290 for one specific build — XL Regular Cab, 8-ft bed, 2.7L EcoBoost. Either way, the “lower starting price” claim holds.]

But a starting price isn’t a deal. What matters is the out-the-door price on the truck you actually want — which is why we publish our $589 documentation fee and run Compare Your Deal: bring us a written quote on an F-150, from Freedom Ford or anyone, and we’ll send back a written out-the-door comparison against a comparable Silverado.

The verdict

The F-150 is a good truck with a few big brochure numbers. The Silverado is the better buy: the only diesel in the class — which also tows 13,300 lbs and returns 28 mpg on the highway — a standard engine with more torque than Ford’s, hands-free driving that works with a trailer, and a lower starting price. Drive both, then compare the deals in writing.