We’re not sure how many people in Australia realise that you can now walk into a dealership and order a supersized American pick-up truck with a 6.6L Turbo-Diesel V8 engine that produces 350kW of power and 1322 NM of torque. Yeah, it’s downright hilarious (and somewhat worrying when you see how bad some Sydney drivers are) but this behemoth called the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Heavy Duty LTZ can tow 4.5 tonnes with ease and carry around 1,386kg in the back if you have the right truck license.
These trucks are ready for a lap of Australia on Sunday and the daily commute to the job site on Monday. Seriously, they’re some of the best dual-purpose vehicles money can buy. Just don’t plan on taking it into a Westfield shopping centre anytime soon.
Then there’s the price, which remains very competitive by today’s new vehicle standards. The recommended retail price for the MY24 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD we’re testing here in Australia is AUD$163,000 plus on-road costs.
That undercuts the RAM 2500 Laramie 6.7L Diesel Dual Cab Ute 4XD by a significant margin (AUD$172,950) and puts it within striking distance of the smaller RAM 1500 Limited RamBox 5.7L Crew Cab Ute SWB 4XD (AUD$156,950) and Ford F-150 Lariat LWB (AUD$140,945).
Look internally and the brand’s own Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is priced from AUD$133,000 plus on-roads.
RELATED: Like big trucks and you cannot lie? Check out our Ram 1500 TRX review.
The first thing you notice when you climb into the driver’s seat is the space inside the cabin. It feels like your passenger is sitting in a different zip code. The second thing you notice is how well Walkinshaw has converted this vehicle. Even things like the starter button and volume have been swapped.
That attention to detail continues, and there are plenty of smaller features that add up. Wireless phone charging, a column-mounted gear shift mechanism, power windows, a power sunroof and a power sliding rear window to name just a few. It feels every bit of it’s price-tag on the inside.
The large horizontally mounted 13.4-inch diagonal colour touch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is the largest infotainment screen in the segment and is paired with a 12.3-inch multicolour configurable driver’s display. This is backed by a configurable heads-up display.
Sound is played through a Bose Premium seven-speaker sound system with Richbass which sounded great during our limited use. It’s worth noting, however, that the Ford F-150 Lariat offers a B&O “Unleashed” system with 18 speakers.
Seats are very lounge-like which makes them perfect for long-distance hauling, but they’re also comfortable and supportive for everyday driving with 10-way power adjustment, heating, and ventilation up front.
Of course, if you’re shopping for the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Heavy Duty LTZ what you care about is how this thing drives, tows, and hauls. During our test day with the vehicle, we had the chance to put some weight on the hitch and test a small portion of the available 4.5-tonne capped towing capacity.
We say “capped” because there are versions of this truck in the USA that can tow 18,500 pounds. However, in Australia, there’s a big step up in rules, and licenses, once your trailer ATM goes over 4.5 tonnes (including modifications to brakes) so GMSV has capped the max tow rating. During our tow test, we barely towed half of what this vehicle is engineered to pull overseas so it never had an issue with this weight.
Our tight regulations somewhat minimise the need for these supersized trucks for pure towing duties, but with a Gross Combined Mass (GCM) of 12,474kg, there’s plenty of headroom built-in for maximising the GVM, payload, and 4.5-tonne towing for taking your whole family around the country.
The Durabed-lined cargo box measures 2089mm x 1814mm x 533mm and offers a payload of 1,386kg (with NB2 license). Those with regular car licenses get 733kg to play with, but we highly recommend getting your NB2 licence before ordering your Silverado 2500 to make the most of this payload capacity. It also opens up a world of possibilities for canopies, accessories, and more in the aftermarket.
Finally, to make towing duties as simple as possible there’s a myriad of safety and camera features built into the vehicle. These are made possible by the 360-degree HD camera and include:
Four Hitch Views:
- Hitch View
- HD Surround View
- Rear Top-Down View
- Bed View
Six Driving Views:
- Front Camera View
- Rear Camera Mirror
- Transparent Trailer View
- Rear Trailer View
- Pic-In-Pic Side View
- Inside Trailer View
Four Parking Views:
- Rear Camera View
- Rear Side View
- Front Side View
- Front Top-Down View
Our favourite towing feature is the ‘transparent trailer’ function which morphs multiple images together to visually hide the trailer behind you on screen. This allows you to see what’s happening behind the trailer.
Driving the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Heavy Duty LTZ on Australian roads is like piloting a submarine, but you get used to it after a few kilometres. It’s not like the steering or the suspension is disconnected from the experience. No, it’s the fact this thing is nearly 6.4 metres long, 2.26 metres wide, and weighs nearly 4 tonnes with fuel and passengers in it.
There’s no hiding the immense size and weight, but that doesn’t stop the 6.6L Turbo-Diesel V8 engine with 350kW of power and 1322 NM of torque from trying.
It offers effortless power everywhere and is mated to a 10-speed gearbox. We’ll note the lack of ‘manual mode’ here makes keeping the engine in its sweet spot a bit of a hassle, but the exhaust brake takes care of things when you’re heading downhill with 4.5 tonnes on the back.
Of course, don’t expect to get anything better than 14-15 litres / per 100km on the freeway unladen. Strap your whole family and the kitchen sink to this thing and you’ll be into the 20s.
So that begs the question: Should you buy the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LTZ Premium? The simple answer is YES for those NB2 license holders who need maximum load ratings, payloads, GVMs, GCMs, and all those other acronyms for pulling big stuff around.
On the other hand, those with a regular NB1 vehicle license would be perfectly fine with a slightly smaller Silverado 1500.
Still, there will be a group of people who want ‘the big one’ and we can’t blame them. Driving this vehicle is an experience, but you can’t knock its credentials as one of the best ways to see this great continent of ours with 4.5 tonnes on the back and a full family on the inside.
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