It all started not long ago when the Ram 1500 took down the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 as America's No. 2 best-selling pickup truck brand. Ford remains No. 1 and that's unlikely to change. Therefore, achieving second place is vital and Chevy is in no mood to let Ram have the spot for long. The semi-friendly war of words continues between these two Detroit truck brands with this latest report courtesy of Car and Driver.

It all started when the 2020 Chevy Silverado's chief engineer, Tim Herrick, told gathered media at a recent event that the new Silverado 3500 dually accelerates faster than the Ram's 3500 dual-rear-wheel pickup. Of course, these results came from Chevy's own testing. Comparing apples to apples, both trucks were crew-cab four-by-four models. The Ram was powered by the optional 400 hp, 1,000 lb-ft of torque Cummins inline-six while the Chevy had a turbo diesel Duramax V8 with 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of twist. The extra 45 ponies matters.

Chevy claims its truck achieved a 2.6-second advantage to 60 mph over its competitor when towing an 18,000-pound trailer. Even when not pulling that heavy load, the Silverado still outgunned the Ram by two seconds. However, Car and Driver's own previous testing resulted in the even heavier Ram Mega Cab 3500 being a full second faster than what GM claims. In other words, C&D plans to test a new Silverado 3500 in the near future.

Herrick also reminded media that Chevy does not limit torque in any circumstances, meaning the RWD Silverado 3500 has 14,129 lb-ft to the rear wheels in first gear. Impressive. An all-wheel-drive transfer case, coupled with the new Allison 10-speed automatic gearbox, enables the truck to distribute some of that torque to the front axle.

As for Ram, a company spokesperson confirmed that at least 1,000 lb-ft is routed into the transmission's input shaft when maximum torque is needed. Furthermore, they said the 18,000-pound trailer Chevy used represents only half of their truck's capabilities. The same is true for the Chevy, by the way.

"We're not worried about zero-to-60 times. We're concerned about overall capability and the ability to maintain speed on a grade," FCA said. And you know what, FCA has a point. A majority of these truck buyers also likely care more about overall capability than 0-60 acceleration. In any case, the Detroit truck war has no end in sight.