BIG POWER MEANS BIG PRICE TAG
In the world of truck advertising, torque and towing are kings. There are some pretty impressive numbers out there, but there’s more to a truck than just pound-feet and how much it can pull.
The biggest numbers belong to the heavy-duty trucks and I had the Chevrolet Silver a do 2500. The heavy-duty Silverado models, and their mechanical ly identical G MC Sierra siblings, start with a 6.0- litre V 8 gasoline engine making 360 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque.
My chariot carried the optional Duramax 6.6-L V8 turbodiesel engine, which ups the ante to 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of torque. It’s not a cheap upgrade; the engine costs an additional $10,430, and it hooks exclusively to an Allison six-speed automatic transmission, priced separately at $1,445. The Silver a do 2500 start sat $42,070 for the Regular Cab4x 2 in Work Truck trim, while my Crew Cab4x4LTZ tester began at $63,065 with gas engine.
Adding the optional diesel engine and transmission, along with such options as a Midnight Editionblacked-outaccent package, power sunroofandZ71 off-road package, brought it to $80,005 before freight and taxes. Trucks ain’t cheap anymore.
The Silverado’s 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of torque slots in between archrivals Ford F-250 and the Ram 2500. That’s about it for your choices in this segment.
As for towing, it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Buy the truck that best matches your trailer. I recently towed and hauled with all of the Detroit Three heavy-duty trucks in back-to-back testing. All of them get the job done, but I give the nod ahead to the Chevy. That Duramax-Allison combination is a match made in heaven; acceleration is smooth and linear with a heavy load, and bra king is confidence inspiring.
All of these big trucks are meant to look intimidating, and the Silver a do plays the part with its huge do med hood and squared-off styling( beauty is in the eye of the beholder,but I think the G MC Sierra is better looking).
At the back, GM uses a simple step into the bumper ends that’s absolutely brilliant: Put your foot in, grab the handhold in the box side, and pull yourself up( and you need it, because trucks these days are needlessly oversized).
The interior is a nice place to be. The Silver a do features supportive seats, a roomy second row with fold-up seats for extra storage, large centre storage console, and controls that are easy to use.
And while it sounds like a need less luxury, heated steering wheels are the new gotta-have-it feature, especially on a truck where the idea, at least in theory, involves some work outdoors in the cold.
Heavy-duty diesels are seldom an impulse buy, but if it’ s your first one, remember that in addition to the engine’s initial stiff cost, it’s also more expensive to service. So ignore the big numbers in the ads and instead consider your needs, and buy appropriately.