2001 Chevy Silverado 2500/3500HD - Bigger is Better!
Intimidating. Whether it's pulling up behind you with its massive grille encompassing your entire rear view, quaking the earth beside you with its optional 6.6-litre Duramax diesel, or leaving you in its tire spewing dust, the all-new Chevy Silverado HD is one beast of a truck. With 520 lb-ft of torque on tap, you can pull a house let alone a trailer. At over 21 feet in length, only a medium-duty rig comes longer. You think that it's intimidating to pull up beside? Try parking it between city meters!
It's not only long, it's tall! The HD trucks stand 51 mm (2 in) higher, have a more pronounced hoodline, wear wider fender flares, and a more imposing grille incorporating a thicker chrome bar and modified headlight cluster, than the regular Silverado. Standard on the 3500HD (optional on 2500HD) are dual rear wheels inside rust-free composite fenders. A stronger frame and a choice of more powerful engines complete the package.
GM fits a robust 6.0-litre V8 as standard equipment. An all-new 8.1-litre V8 and a new Isuzu built 6.6-litre Duramax diesel (in my test vehicle) are optional. GM now has the most powerful engines in the over-8,500 lb GVW pick-up class.
With a trailer-towing capacity of 5,443 kg (12,000 lbs), 5th wheel towing at 7,212 kg and a maximum payload of 1,790 kg (3500HD) the diesel powered Silverado won't back down from heavy labor. In case you're concerned that such extreme weights will over-burden the hefty 6-speed manual transmission, think again. The ZF S6-650 is capable of handling GVW's of up to 26,000 pounds. Effectively, you get the same transmission GM will use in its upcoming medium-duty trucks.