Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 2024 Tow Test

Australia’s obsession with American pick-up trucks has reached new levels over the past 18 months, with more polished offerings from existing manufacturers and a host of fresh rivals looking to capitalise on demand.

Now, General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) is looking to take its heavy-duty offering to the next level with the new Chevrolet Silverado 2500. Heavily facelifted for 2024, the 2500 (or HD) adopts many of the changes already successfully applied to the smaller Silverado 1500. In short, it is one of the best-executed, heavy-duty towing vehicles around...

Unlike the recently-updated 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 – which itself was subject to some considerable price increases – the facelifted 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD lands this month with carryover pricing.

The recommended retail price of $163,000 plus on-road costs mirrors the outgoing Silverado 2500 first introduced to Australia in late 2021.

That positioning means it undercuts its closest rival in Australia, the RAM 2500 (from $172,950 plus ORCs), by about $10,000.

The new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD echoes the enhancements seen on the 1500, including a bolder front bumper design, revised LED headlights and, at least for the Z71 version pictured here, a bow-tie badge instead of CHEVROLET lettering.

There’s a host of new cabin tech and safety equipment which we’ll detail in the following sections, over and above standard equipment comprising LED headlights/tail-lights, LED daytime running lights, keyless entry/start, dual-zone climate control, 10-way power-adjustable driver and front passenger seats, heated seats (front and rear), ventilated seats (front) and heated steering wheel, 20-inch wheels, power-adjustable mirrors, leather-appointed seats and a power sunroof.

Listed in the optional extras catalogue are accessories including a tonneau cover, tow ball and storage solutions.

The Chevrolet Silverado is backed by a three-year/100,000km warranty in Australia, which is off the pace of ‘regular’ dual-cab utes but matches the rivalling RAM 2500.

Service intervals are spaced every 12 months or 12,000km, with three years’ (or 36,000km) worth of servicing said to set buyers back about $2175.

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 takes on added safety equipment for MY24, headed by adaptive cruise control (which can also be switched to regular cruise if you prefer) that adapts to a trailer in tow, trailer side blind zone alert and Gross Combined Mass (GCM) alert.

Handily, the latter warns occupants if the vehicle and trailer weight exceed the Silverado’s official GCM.

Those features are over and above carryover items including six airbags, a 360-degree camera with up to 14 outward views (more on those shortly), head-up display, lane change alert with blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, forward collision warning with low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), front and rear park assist and the usual electronic acronyms (ABS, ESC etc.).

Like all full-size American trucks already doing the rounds in Australia, the Chevrolet Silverado HD hasn’t been crash-tested under the ANCAP regime. However, plans are afoot to offer at least the same safety ratings already applied to commercial vans.

The 2500 HD hasn’t been crash-tested by either the NHTSA or the IIHS in the US, either.

The new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD takes quite a step forward with its technological wares, particularly around streamlining the towing of trailers.

Inside, the dashboard interface is headlined by a new 13.4-inch centre touch-screen display (previously 8.0-inch), matched to a separate 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a new head-up display.

The screens are both clean, legible and easy to navigate on the run, with access to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and driven by the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Plus operating system.

Wireless phone charging and a seven-speaker Bose Premium sound system are also included, as are a host of USB ports across both rows. A digital mirror enables a rearward view of the road even if there’s a sizeable load in the tray – courtesy of a camera mounted to the tailgate.

But arguably the biggest tech story here is the Silverado’s new suite of up to 14 outward-facing cameras, many of them specifically focused on towing.

There are multiple overhead, front- and rear-facing camera options, and even a ‘transparent trailer’ camera, which stitches together four different camera angles (one of them a camera fitted to the rear of your trailer or caravan) to allow you to see what’s happening behind you.

What’s more, unlike most modern cars, the Silverado projects live images as you’re driving along instead of reverting back to another screen.

It means the Silverado truly streamlines the towing experience on test, be it simple acts of hitching or keeping an eye on the road’s edge or turning circle through tight spaces. There’s even a jack-knife alert.

Powering the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD is a familiar 6.6-litre turbo-diesel V8, which hails from the Duramax family first introduced in 2001.

Some minor mapping and “more efficient combustion” enhancements have wrought an additional 28kW and 88Nm compared to the predecessor, to 350kW and 1322Nm overall.

The Silverado HD now channels drive to all four wheels via a 10-speed Allison transmission, which offers revised final drive ratios.

Elsewhere, the Silverado HD offers an exhaust brake function, automatic locking rear differential and electrically-assisted hydraulic steering.

An independent front-end is said to offer more refinement than equivalent solid front axles (as used in the RAM 2500), while revised multi-leaf springs at the rear ensure strong load-carrying ability.

This is one of those questions where, if you need to ask, then perhaps the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD isn’t for you.

Surprisingly, though, the diesel engine is quite efficient – even against the hulking proportions.

Chevrolet is not required to disclose official fuel use or emissions information in Australia.

But we achieved 14.5L/100km in a mix of driving on test, with that figure pushing out to 16.5L/100km during a moderate stint of towing a 2.6-tonne caravan.

Unsurprisingly, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD looks and feels big.

However, it takes little time at all to come to terms with its on-road manners and proportions, such is the tuning of the key controls and the inherent grunt of the diesel V8.

The electrically-assisted hydraulic steering and independent front-end help provide relatively seamless passage on ordinary roads outside of city centres. The steering action is light and is devoid of the crashing that tends to afflict rivalling units over sharper imperfections in the road.

Lane placement on dual carriageway and quieter streets is a breeze. But the caveat is a 15.8-metre turning circle, which effectively dictates forward planning for every parking situation imaginable.

Despite its unapologetic load-carrying focus, the 2500 offers poised and resolved bump compliance on everyday Australian roads, shaking off pitter-patter bumps with minimal cut-through and largely avoiding any sharp deflections alike.

Similarly, the diesel engine offers ridiculous amounts of torque. And despite a typical inconsistent truck-like throttle pedal action, the oiler is surprisingly easy to modulate through around-town passage.

Less intuitive, though, is the 10-speed gearbox, which offers no manual mode or steering wheel mounted shifters. There is an exhaust brake feature, but it would be optimum for users to be able to wrest control of the gearbox to either keep the engine at its sweet spot for ascents, or spare the four-wheel disc pads on descents.

Once at highway speed, the 2500 lopes along effortlessly, with minimal road and wind noise and a planted, nonchalant demeanour – the tacho ticking over at barely idle speed.

These traits, combined with the roomy, luxe interior, set the Silverado HD up as a tantalising prospect for long-distance trips.

This month’s launch also included a section towing a 2.6-tonne caravan, whereupon the Silverado HD revelled despite lumpy rural roads and loads of elevation change.

The diesel was unperturbed by the weight in tow, offering almost comparable performance to being unladen, while stability and poise were simply excellent across a mix of surfaces, with long vertical movements kept in check and challenging conditions streamlined by the surfeit of tech on board.

Recent rain in south-east Queensland ultimately put paid to any serious off-road adventures on the launch of the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD.

A very light section of firetrails shows the engine to be responsive through softer and looser surfaces, and the quick-witted all-wheel drive system works well with the underlying electronics.

We didn’t make use of the two-speed transfer case on this occasion, though we suspect the 2500’s hulking proportions would ultimately impose a ceiling on off-road ability. That much is assured, even by the 19-degree break-over angle.

In Australia, the load-carrying ability of the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 depends on what kind of licence you hold.

For regular car licence holders, or NB1 users, maximum braked towing capacity is rated at 3500kg using the 50mm tow ball, plus a 733kg payload.

Those figures balloon significantly for those who hold a truck licence or NB2 classification, to a 4500kg braked towing capacity using a 70mm tow ball, and a sizeable 1386kg payload.

The limitation on figures stems back to the 2500’s hefty kerb weight of 3762kg. A standard car licence in Australia carries a gross vehicle mass (GVM) – how much the vehicle can weigh when fully loaded – of 4.5 tonnes.

A braked towing capacity approaching 6.0 tonnes is possible for users who utilise a pintle hitch, though Aussie road users are prohibited from towing the full 8.0-tonne rating applied to the 2500 in the US.

In any case, the Chevy Silverado 2500 HD offers a tray area measuring 2089mm long, 1814mm wide, 533mm deep and with 1317mm between the wheel-arches.

Twelve tie-down points are offered standard together with four external load steps and an electrically-controlled tailgate with up and down functionality.

About the only exception to the polish is the comparatively truck-like column-mounted gear shifter. You can reason with the concept for its ability in creating space, but the sheer clumsiness of its action is less redeeming.

In a word, it’s luxurious. Creature comforts aside, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD’s biggest luxury is that of cabin space.

There is acres of room throughout – commensurate with its hulking overall 6387mm length, 2039mm height and 2263mm width.

The 2500 also thinks out the minor details surprisingly well for a workhorse. The aforementioned centre touch-screen is flanked by hard-wired piano keys for shortcuts, plus switchgear which avoids needless touch-screen menus for basic commands.

Elsewhere, clever storage solutions present across both rows of seating, including under or behind the rear bench, plus the angled wireless charger occupying a small cubby at the front of the centre console.

The materials feel lush across both rows, and the entire space is cavernous; certainly big enough to ferry five adults around in comfort.

Kudos is due here to Walkinshaw in completing the right-hand drive conversion in Australia, too. The execution is impressive, with small details like the volume knob and starter button thoughtfully swapped over to the correct side of the cockpit. Even the bonnet latch has been merged across.

The more pertinent question here is whether you really need a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD.

Truth is, the Silverado HD is so unmistakably big and industrial that it reads as overkill for most Aussie users.

But with that said, the 2500 is incredibly good at towing and load carrying alike.

For the small percentage of motorists who require a dedicated tow vehicle at or beyond 3500kg, the new Silverado HD arguably moves to the top of the class.

2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LTZ Premium at a glance:
Price: $163,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 6.6-litre V8 turbo-diesel
Output: 350kW/1322Nm
Transmission: 10-speed manual automatic
Fuel: 14.5L/100km (as tested)
CO2: Not available
Safety rating: Not tested