New six tonne rated Silverado 2500 ups towing safety

Owners of big heavyweight caravans can look forward to another heavy-duty tow vehicle contender arriving soon, with General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) recently announced pricing for the new Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty LTZ Premium; local right-hand drive conversion of which begins in November.

No longer bearing the 2500 name in line with GM’s new naming convention in North America, the big new MY21 Silverado HD LTZ Premium will join the existing Silverado (1500) LTZ Premium and LT Trail Boss.

Pricing for the biggest Silverado ever offered by GMSV, which took control of official Chevrolet distribution from HSV with a 54-dealer network in Australia and New Zealand in November 2020, has been set at $144,990 plus on-road costs.

That makes it $30,000 more expensive than the Silverado LTZ Premium with Tech Pack ($114,990 plus ORCs), which donates all of its equipment, while the new entry-level LT Trail Boss continues to open the full-size pick-up range at $106,990 plus ORCs.

It also means the new GMSV Silverado HD is significantly pricier than the Silverado 2500HD range previously offered by HSV ($114,990-$139,990).

GMSV’s direct competitor RAM Trucks Australia, whose rival utes are ‘remanufactured’ at the same Walkinshaw Automotive Group facility in Melbourne, will release its new DT-series RAM 2500 later this year.

GMSV is yet to confirm full technical specs of the new Silverado HD but says it will do so once final certification is completed around October and is inviting registrations of interest via its website or dealerships in the meantime.

However, unlike the existing 6.2-litre petrol V8-powered Silverado 1500 models, the big HD will again come exclusively with GM’s 6.6-litre Duramax V8 turbo-diesel, outputting about 332kW of power and a mega 1234Nm of torque.

As in the standard Silverado, the HD’s oil-burning big-bore V8 is matched to GM’s 10-speed automatic transmission (the old HSV 2500HD came with a six-speed auto).

Available exclusively in dual-cab 4x4 form, the Silverado HD – which shares only its roof panel with the regular Silverado – will bring much higher payload and towing capacities than the standard Silverado 1500 (760kg and 4500kg respectively), with figures that should be closer to one tonne and six tonnes.

The GMSV Silverado HD will come standard with Chevrolet’s ‘Appearance Pack’, as well as body-coloured bumpers and door handles, and black tubular side steps, 20-inch wheels, exterior badges, bonnet vent, lower skid plate and belt moulding.

Also standard is the Z71 Off-Road Package comprising off-road suspension with Rancho twin-tube shocks, skid plates, Hill Descent Control and a Z71 badge and grille emblem.

Also read:

Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Tow Test

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vs Ram 1500 Tow Test comparison

Inside, there’s a 15-inch colour head-up display, 8.0-inch driver information centre, heated leather steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, leather trim, dual-zone automatic climate control and a power sunroof.

The HD’s standard ‘Technology & Safety Pack 2’ includes Low Speed Forward Automatic Emergency Braking (8-80km/h), Front Pedestrian Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Front and Rear Park Assist, IntelliBeam automatic high-beam, Following Distance Indicator, Safety Alert Seat and Electronic Stability Control with Traction Control.

In addition, an Advanced Towing Package features a reversing camera with Hitch Guidance, Hitch View, Integrated Trailer Brake Controller and power-extendable external mirrors.

The Silverado HD’s roll-formed high-strength steel Durabed tray measures 2104mm long and 1814mm wide, has a volume of 1968 litres and includes a spray-on bed-liner, 12 tie-down points rated at 127kg per corner and a Power Up and Down tailgate operated via the handle, key fob or a switch on the dash.

How much does the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado cost?
LT Trail Boss – $106,990
LTZ Premium with Tech Pack – $114,990
HD LTZ Premium with Tech and Safety Pack – $144,990
* Prices exclude on-road costs