General Motors has taken the wraps off its upcoming Heavy Duty pickups, which are due at dealers this Spring. There will be two available engines; the standard Vortec 6.0-liter V-8 gasoline engine that’s rated at 360 horsepower in the 2500HD and 322 hp in the 3500HD, and 380 lb-ft of torque in both applications. Users can run it on straight gasoline, E85 FlexFuel, or even compressed natural gas (CNG). For maximum towing and mileage the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8 is B-20-capable and is rated 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque.
Maximum tow rating is 23,200 pounds with a fifth-wheel trailer, and conventional trailer tow rating is 19,600 pounds. Duramax engines come with a six-speed Allison automatic transmission and gas engines have a six-speed Hydra-Matic. No manual transmissions are available.
Cruise control, auto-grade braking, and on diesel models an exhaust brake, all work together to maintain a driver-preset speed up or down grades, even when towing heavy trailers.
Auto-grade braking is activated by pressing and holding the tow/haul button in the shifter for three seconds. The trans will automatically downshift when needed to enable engine braking to help slow things down. Duramax diesel models use the turbo’s variable vanes to increase backpressure and reduce speeds on descents. StabiliTrak with Trailer Sway Control will be standard on all Silverado HDs.
Choose from three cab styles, two cargo bed lengths, several trim levels and single- or dual-rear wheels on 3500s. Styling on the new HD trucks will be similar to 1500 models, except they have larger grilles for more cooling airflow and a HD DRW models have a one-piece bed with fender extensions.
Options include forward-collision alert, lane-departure warning, parking assist, and optional in-bed LED lighting.
