DRIVE: CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 LTZ

HSV ADDS THE CHEVROLET LIGHT DUTY SILVERADO 1500 LTZ GROWING RANGE OF AMERICAN PICK-UP CONVERSIONS.

IF BIGGER is better, then the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ is both good and bad. Let me explain. In terms of the Silverado family tree, the 1500 sits below the heavy duty 2500 and 3500 models, yet, line it up next to an Amarok, and the Us-sourced pick-up is endowed with notably larger dimensions. Either way, the popularity of the American trucks is growing quickly, meaning the conversion companies such as HSV and Walkinshaw are pouncing on the opportunity.

On the back of the success of the RAM and Chevy pick-ups, the newest imported player is, of course, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ. And while it’s the ‘little’ bro to its heavy duty Silverado siblings, at 5885mm long and 2063mm wide, it’s hardly what you’d call ‘small’.

It looks tough, but the fact it’s plastered with chrome bling might be too much for some. The Silverado 1500 tested here has a host of HSV optional kit like the 20-inch Gloss Black wheels ($1103.30), black nameplate badges ($325.80), black ‘Chevrolet’ tailgate badging ($324.50) and a black sports bar ($2466.20) to cover off most of the design additions. In fact, the bits bolted on to this particular 1500 add up to more than $18,500 – ouch!

The 1500 packs a 6.2-litre V8 under the hood and HSV is currently only offering the highly specified LTZ variant that’s expected to come in at around $110,000 – which isn’t exactly spare change. However, your money buys you a lot of

metal and strong mechanical hardware.

Charged with 313kw and 624Nm the Ecotec V8 is no slouch, even though the 1500 tips the scales at 2588kg. Despite using GM’S Dynamic Fuel Management system (code for cylinder deactivation), the 1500 still slurps 12.3L/100km – and that’s without towing and using a heavy right foot. The $5062.20 optional HSV exhaust not only sounds angrier, it adds 9kw/10nm.

Given most will buy the Silverado to tow and carry things, the key figures you need to know are that it has a 712kg payload and a maximum braked towing capacity of 3500kg using a 50mm ball or 4500kg using a 70mm ball. We found that towing a 2.5-tonne caravan up steep hills isn’t an issue, thanks to plentiful torque, and the automatic even resisted the urge to hunt through its 10 ratios. There is also a handy adjustment in the cabin for the trailer braking, and dedicated apps and cameras specific to towing.

The 1500 sheds 205kg on the previous model, thanks to GM’S all-new T1XX platform, and dynamically the Silverado impresses with the Proactive Roll Avoidance tech working well. However, unladen, there is some scuttle shake, while the suspension can tend to skip over bumps when cornering. Our car was fitted with

Hsv-tuned suspension, which offered a little more control, but it is yet to be signed off for market. Adding a 325kg ballast to the tub helped settle things down. The optional Brembo brake upgrade also offers stronger performance and better feel through the pedal.

Venture off-road and the Silverado 1500 delivers 235mm of ground clearance, a 21-degree approach angle, 23-degree departure angle and a rampover angle of 20 degrees. The transfer case is a two-speed electronic Autotrac unit, while there’s a heavy-duty locking rear differential as part of the all-wheel drive system.you can select between four-wheel drive high and low, and two-wheel drive mode. While the dirt section was limited on test and hardly enough to trouble the 1500, constant rain made the track muddy, however the Goodyear Wranglers (275/60R20 all ’round) coped well.

HSV has done the hard yards in its testing which started in late-2018. A team of engineers (a total of 45 worked on the entire project) even took three Silverado 1500s and a caravan to the outback, covering 12,774km over a few weeks. The route even included the revered Gibb River Road, and apart from punctures, all three Silverados stood up to the tough test.