2023 MotorTrend Truck of the Year: Pickup Revolution?

Pickup trucks, like everything else in the world of automobiles, are changing. Last year, during the 2022 MotorTrend Truck of the Year contest, we spent some time discussing what a truck even is—and we awarded an electric pickup the big prize. This year, the field of full-size contenders runs the gamut from traditional internal combustion trucks to cutting-edge hybrid and fully electric pickups. But no matter what's under the hood or between the axles, we evaluate each truck according to our standard OTY criteria.

The winner must do well in six categories: advancement in design, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, value, and performance of intended function. We evaluate each truck on a punishing off-road dirt course, on the open road during extended street loops, and loaded up for payload and towing tests up Davis Dam's notorious grade. It all adds up to a lot of testing and a lot of driving.

This year, the smallish field was full of full-size trucks, including a couple all-new models tested in this competition for the very first time. The all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning—a truck both boldly different and welcomingly familiar to legions of F-Series fans—arrived in two guises: a workaday Pro with the standard battery and a Platinum trim with the extended-range battery. The all-new Toyota Tundra, with its twin-turbo V-6, appeared in both regular and TRD Pro i-Force Max hybrid forms—the latter enhanced with a 48-hp electric motor sandwiched between its V-6 and its 10-speed transmission, providing 104 more lb-ft than its non-hybrid sibling.

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The other competitors are notable new versions of existing trucks. After years of the midsize Colorado getting all the ZR2 attention, Chevrolet finally gives its big Silverado the ZR2 treatment, and we had to invite it along. Its brilliant Multimatic spool-valve dampers are the highlight, giving it surprising competence on- and off-road despite trailing such monsters as the Ram TRX and Ford Raptor in overall travel.

Ram likewise takes its existing Rebel formula and applies it to the 2500 HD, creating a truck with much (but not all) of the Power Wagon's equipment and most of its capabilities—and a Cummins 6.7-liter turbodiesel I-6 you can't get in the Power Wagon.

Finally, the GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate came along to show us the brand is serious about making the Denali line a true luxury pickup player again. While the Ultimate comes with a standard 3.0-liter turbodiesel I-6 producing an adequate 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, our TOTY competitor packed the more popular 6.2-liter V-8 making a healthy 420 hp and 460 lb-ft. More important given its luxe-truck mission, the interior is swathed in relatively opulent materials, making it stand out from the rest of the 2023 TOTY crowd.

When the least expensive truck in the competition costs $45,284—and it's the do-work, stripped-down version of the all-electric Lightning, at that—it's apparent no manufacturer sent us something you might call "inexpensive" with a straight face. More important, nothing else was even close; the next truck in the pricing pecking order was the Tundra Platinum, more than $20,000 north of the Lightning Pro. Interestingly, the Lightnings bookended the pricing bracket, with the Platinum and its extended-range battery ringing up at a staggering $93,509. Even the burly Ram HD Rebel stickered for north of $85,000. Let's just say that with great price comes great capability.

And great power. Nothing here matches the awe-inspiring output of last year's winner, the Rivian R1T, but neither is anything a slouch in the pony department—or in the torque department. The fewest horsepower belongs to the non-hybrid Tundra, which at a completely adequate 389 hp acquits itself well despite its middling curb weight. The most horsepower (580) comes from the F-150 Lightning Platinum, which ties its less powerful Pro kin as the test's torque champion (775 lb-ft). All the others swim in the 400-hp/400-lb-ft range.

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Considering these are all full-size pickups, isn't it a remarkable spread of trucks? Cutting-edge EVs and hybrids duking it out with the most truckish of traditional pickups, which goes to show that even this narrow slice of the overall truck market is rich with variety. And it'll certainly get richer as new all-electric pickups emerge to pose a challenge … but that's a story for another Truck of the Year competition. For now, this strong lineup of new pickups made for an epic battle both on the evaluation courses and during our deliberations. As always, only one could emerge victorious, and it more than deserves our coveted TOTY Golden Calipers.