2020 Silverado HD takes top towing title
It may be by just a sliver, but the bow-tie brand now boasts biggest trailering, at 35,500 pounds
Chevrolet just beat the new 2019 Ram Heavy Duty and the 2019 Ford Super Duty for best-in-class towing with its brand-new 2020 Silverado HD.
Thanks to its Duramax 6.6litre turbodiesel V8, the truck can tow 52 per cent more than the previous version, which works out to 35,500 pounds (16,100 kilograms).
The 2019 Ram Heavy Duty previously held the title, though only for a short time, at 35,100 pounds.
Some 445 horsepower and 910 pound-feet of torque make it easy for the truck to tow just about anything, and helped increase the payload to 7,466 pounds (3,385 kg).
Almost everything in the new truck has been upgraded to accommodate that tow rating, including increasing the diameter of the driveshaft by 30 per cent, toughening the ladder box frame, and adding larger axles.
The standard engine in the Silverado HD will be a new 6.6-L gasoline V8, which makes 401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque. The engine provides an 18 per cent gain in towing capacity over the previous model.
Other enhancements to the truck include a larger step size for big feet and an overall larger bed, made possible by lengthening and widening the wheelbase. Five trim levels will be offered: Work Truck, Custom, LT, LTZ and High Country.
Pricing will be announced closer to the release date this summer.