Heavy-duty pickups are always at risk, inherently, to move through your ability to small mountains. But this is 2017, and, as their light-duty brethren, these mega Trucks have covered-wagon roots to embody, impressive refinement and surprising straight—line acceleration, when it is pressed down by a load.
Our first test drive of the Chevrolet updated 2017 Silverado 2500HD shows that General Motors was ready with a counter-punch to the great shock of the Ford ended up in the last year with an all-new, aluminum-bodied F-series Super Duty.
A Big Boy with Moves
We have tried mechanically identical to the 2017 GMC Sierra HD. And after I experienced how self-aware of GM’s new HD trucks 10,000 pounds can draw on top of a mountain in Colorado, as well as the increased engine braking from a diesel-mill built-in motor brake can effectively manage the load comes back to a degree, we spent unloading much of this test with the big Silverado.
In four-wheel-drive, double-cab form, the smaller of the two available four-door configurations, our Siren Red Tintcoat Silverado 2500HD test truck tested carried a sticker of $64,473 and weighed on our scales with 7780 pounds, or around 200 less than a similar crew-cab model.
Responsible for all of them, the weight along with the 14,400 pounds can tow and 3093 of the truck is designed to haul you in your 6.5-foot cargo bed, although the payload of this particular truck would overload the total weight of 1373 pounds—was GM’s new optional L5P Duramax 6.6 liter diesel engine (360 HP gas with a 6.0-liter V-8 is the default). Its cast-iron V-8 block and the valve train layout carryover from the previous Duramax LML, but the aluminum cylinder heads, the “variable geometry” BorgWarner turbocharger, and pretty much everything else is all new. The diesel only comes with an upgraded Allison six-speed automatic transmission, with the pair commanding $9340 surcharge on our test truck. The new Duramax is the immense torque rating of 910 lb-ft comes in just shy of the Ford Power Stroke – 925, but it is at the top of the Super Duty out of five ponies for a class-leading total of 445 HP. What’s more, our not-quite-so-massive Chevy weighed in at 520 pounds less than the last crew-cab 2017 F-250 diesel 4×4 we tested, in spite of the Silverado-steel body.
In contrast to the Ford Super Duty, the tug up to a total of 16 T in its current form, GM took a more approach, the improvement in the calculated of its new HD rigs, if they are empty and under the moderate use that most of the owners are saddled at the end with (tow-between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds, for example). To this end, the Chevy a Ping to our sound meter with a modest 45 decibels at idle and only 67 decibels at 70 mph cruise, so that it is as quieter on the highway than 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 4MATIC. A 6.2-second dash to 60 mph and quarter-mile pass of 14.8 up to 93 mph is tame stuff, in the larger automotive universe, but those numbers are downright remarkable for a truck weighing nearly four tons. And the power of our test truck, by far, the fastest Z-rig we ever had on the track, hit the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4×4 diesel crew cab—produced ft 397 horses and 765 lb—1.2 seconds to 60 mph, and 1.0 seconds and for 7 h in the quarter-mile.
This was also 0.7 seconds and 0.5 seconds faster than not to mention the new crew-cab F-250 with the Power Stroke, faster than the above Mercedes luxury sedan. (Our Silverado HD is 3.73:1 final drive ratio, may have helped the acceleration a little.) While the heavy-duty stay pickup trucks fuel economy ratings, the greater the 2017 Ford Super Duty eked out 1 mpg more than the Silverado HD has made in our hands (15 mpg vs. 14), only 17 mpg on our 75-mph highway test this Chevy is 19 mpg.exempt from EPA
Easy Rider
The mighty Silverado is largely carryover chassis is surprisingly wieldy and courteous, as a daily commuter. For beginners it is much easier to climb aboard than the Ford, with our Chevy seat height of 38.4 centimeters, about four centimeters closer to the ground than a comparable F-250. And GM’s independent front suspension—still unique among the four-wheel-drive heavy-duty-truck—brings not only a pleasant tactile and precise steering for a truck, if a bit on the strong side, but also contributes to a composed ride, which is almost sorted as the 1500-series Silverado. In comparison with the latest Ford F-250, Silverado HD almost feels plush, showing little of the hard bucking and Bouncing, we associate with extra-strength pickups, especially when unladen.
The six-speed Allison transmission is another blessing for the Silverado HD to ride, with quick, firm shifts and rarely stumbles in the search for the optimum ratio. Combined with the meaty torque of the Duramax, which produces and serves its full bandwidth at only 1600 rpm, the setup is a relentless push on the back and on be able-50-to-70-mph passing maneuvers, 1.3 seconds faster than before. Although our test truck was responsive as we might expect of something so large and heavy, so much mass is difficult: in Our example needed to reach 208 feet, to a standstill from 70 km / h and with awkwardly long brake-pedal travel.
Our truck also had GM’s new offering, the dealer-installed cameras, which can be added to all of its new mid – and full-size pickups. The primary system ($999) includes a pair of rear-facing units, each of the exterior mirrors and a remote camera that can be mounted on the back of the trailer ($999). A high-mounted unit, through the center of the brake light, which looks back down into the bed ($499), which would join a trailer to our truck’s optional Swan-neck receiver ($370) a children’s game. Similar to how Honda’s lane watch system, the view from the side-mounted cameras, which automatically displays, on the Silverado’s 8.0-inch Central touch-screen when the turn signals are activated. Press and hold the “Back” button for the infotainment system brings a rudimentary menu that allows the driver to switch between the different angles for maximum visibility when reversing, although we notice that some of the delay in their response to the inputs.
A lot of truck
Small changes within the Silverado HD for 2017. Our test truck’s double-cab arrangement 123 cubic feet of interior space offers compared to the larger crew cab s 135, with the 9.5-inch difference in the length going to be very similar to add a more spacious back seat (intensification of the crew would be about $1600 to our truck’s base price of $49,045 with the diesel). Whereas, a set of six-can stretch footers, in the big four-door double cab is pretty tight for adults in stature, and the backrest feels too upright. We were also not fans of the chrome overload on the Chevy, the nose and the functional hood scoop for the new Duramax that looks more cohesion with the upscale atmosphere of its GMC cousin.
Both models, however, share the ugly black plastic tank for the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), which sits on the outside of the truck frame rail below the passenger door. GM stresses that its location is safe and out of the danger zone, and that the capacity of these emissions-control-grown component, by about two liters, 7.0, 2017. But it is an annoying design misstep, and requires to fill the opening of the bonnet, while the other pickups, like the Super Duty and our long-term 2016 Nissan Titan XD, mounting their DEF tanks from the eyes and hide the filler behind the fuel doors.
The heavy-duty trucks, the grace of our garage are generally pretty hedonistic, with many topping $70,000 and is so large and heavily optioned as possible, and our Silverado HD was still fairly expensive in the vicinity of $65K. Along with the Duramax/Allison combo, gooseneck hitch, trailer cameras, and the $495 paint, our mid-level LT truck also features the $signed 1425 LT convenience package (dual-zone automatic climate control, remote start, a tilt and telescopic steering column and more).
Various other extras padded our example, the bottom row, highlighted by the $1295 for chrome-18-inch aluminum wheels, $980 for powered and heated front cloth bucket seats, the $815 LT Plus package (park assist, rear, and electrically-operated sliding rear window and pedal setting), $750 for the chrome pipes, the $575 towing package and $495 for Chevy MyLink infotainment system with navigation.
So, this is exactly the truck we expect to see a construction foreman for the everyday life and the occasional holiday with a load of toys in tow. This diesel truck are expensive but important tools, which for some customers. And while GM is the new HD focuses on power and running rigs give some of the maximum capability of its fiercest competitors, it is also the Silverado 2500HD (and its GMC sibling), the most satisfactory for operation in 2017 heavy-duty class. And definitely the fastest.