Silverado 2500 can tow 18,100 pounds and do it with finesse

Silverado 2500 can tow 18,100 pounds

Unlike most people in developed countries, Americans often use pickups like cars. The vehicles that Europeans and Japanese choose for commuting, shuttling their children and grabbing groceries could park in the bed of the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD. Then again, this Chevy is more of a leviathan than most pickups. This grown-up Tonka toy and its General Motors twin, the GMC Sierra 2500 HD, are the closest many drivers will get to operating heavy machinery.

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For those not overly familiar with pickups, the Ford F150s, Chevy Silverados and Rams we see most often are 1500s. These are solid trucks that carry wallboard and tow motorbikes when they aren’t doing family duty. Hauling the clan in a 2500 series is like cutting butter with a chain saw. Excess is fun — until you need finesse. Spoiler alert: This Silverado actually has some.

Ford and Ram also make 2500s (3500s, too, but let’s not go there today). Pickups are all about numbers and bragging rights. The 2500s are serious work rigs that, in the Silverado’s case, can tow up to 18,100 pounds. Its maximum payload is 3,534 pounds. That’s about 500 pounds more than the weight of a Toyota Prius.

Did you know that trucks in this class are not rated by the Environmental Protection Agency? The 2500 HD I drove was equipped with the revised 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V-8. I saw 17 miles per gallon, a stellar number considering Silverado’s 7,300-pound weight.

That engine, rated at 445 horsepower and a jaw-dropping 910 pound-feet of torque, is paired exclusively with a six-speed Allison transmission. The column-mounted shift lever often slides straight into “low” rather than “drive,” so pay attention. The small manual shift buttons on the arm are a bit awkward to use. Steering wheel paddles could be useful here.

Like many diesel engines, the Chevy’s uses urea fluid to keep the engine emissions in check. The tank requires an occasional refill of the urea, though that’s as easy as topping off windshield wiper fluid. But the tank does impinge on the front passenger’s work boots a bit. (A Seattle law firm specializing in automotive class action lawsuits has accused GM of programming an emissions cheat, a case similar to one against Volkswagen. GM denies the accusation. The government has not stepped in at this time.)

You can choose between rear- and four-wheel drive. There’s a towing mode, including a trailer-sway control that pulses the Silverado’s brakes to help stabilize the load. Adjustments can be made to the trailer brakes, and an engine brake setting helps save the physical brakes when lugging heavy cargo down steep mountain roads. Just like the big rigs.

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