Heavy- duty swagger key to Chevrolet Silverado
There are situations in which your garden variety 420- horsepower 6.2- literV8 can lack the grunt required for the task at hand. In those instances, you’ll want something with a bit more verve in its swagger.
It is for these circumstances Chevrolet hooked its Silverado HD platform up to a 445- horsepower, 6.6- liter turbodiesel delivering 910 lb.- ft. of torque at the crank. Reworked for the 2017 model year, these output figures represent an increase of 48 horsepower and 145 lb.- ft. of torque over the turbodiesel fitted to the 2016 Silverado HD models.
This newfound power comes courtesy of a new crankshaft, cylinder heads, pistons, wrist pins, turbocharger, oil cooler, fuel system – okay, pretty much the whole thing was reworked to be more powerful, cleaner burning and quieter.
Engineering highlights include castaluminum pistons with better thermal fatigue properties, double layer water jackets for enhanced cooling and microprocessor-controlled glow plugs for faster, more reliable starting in cold climates. The 6- speed automatic transmission was redone as well, gaining a revised lockup torque converter among other improvements. As a result, the 2017 Chevy Silverado HD boasts a maximum towing capacity of 18,100 pounds for the regular cab with a fifth- wheel and rear- wheel drive. You’ll see a 14,500- pound max in the standard configuration.
Other elements bolstering the Silverado 2500HD’s towing prowess include StabiliTrak with Trailer Sway to keep things on the straight and narrow as you glide down the highway.
This is Chevy’s flagship pickup, so of course, it can be outfitted to be the next best thing to a Cadillac with a cargo box. Like its standard duty sibling, the Silverado HD is offered with three cab configurations and two box sizes, along with four trim levels: WT, LT, LTZ and High Country.
Cab choices include the two- door regular cab, four- door double cab and four- door crew cab. The difference between double cab and crew cab is primarily larger rear doors and more legroom in the second row. Regular cabs get a choice of 6.6- or 8- foot boxes, while the double cab mates exclusively to the 6.6- foot box. The crew cab can be ordered with the 6.6foot cargo bed or a smaller 5.8- foot bed.
Exemplifying its job- site intentions, the base WT ( yes, for Work Truck) runs vinyl upholstery and floor coverings. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, Silverado High Country offers a heated leather steering wheel, along with heated and ventilated leather bucket seats. For our money, the LTZ ‘ s leather upholstery, dual- zone automatic climate control and power folding mirrors- along with LED headlights, foglights and taillights are just right. Apple Car Play and Android Auto are teamed with an 8- inch touchscreen infotainment system and you’ll find more USB ports and power outlets than you’re ever likely to need. Options include many of the deluxe features from the High Country trim package. A power sunroof and a rear- seat DVD- based entertainment system is offered too. Silverado’s Enhanced Driver Alert package fits lane departure warning and prevention systems, automatic high- beam control, forward collision alert with low- speed emergency braking, a safety alert seat, and front and rear parking sensors. Interior comfort is good, even over long drives. There’s storage for days and an abundance of cupholders. The touchscreen interface is logical, intuitive and delivers reasonably quick responses. Bluetooth pairing is easy and the smartphone interface functions with very little thought at all. All in all, the 2017 Chevrolet Silverado HD is competent and well equipped, with a host of modern tech including electronic driver assistance and 4G LTE WiFi capabilities. If you’re shopping in this category, Silverado HD absolutely deserves a spot on your test drive list. My LTZ tester had a final price of $ 49,820.