Long-term durability and gobs of torque are chief requirements for anyone considering a tow vehicle. In this regard, the new and improved Chevy Silverado 2500HD LT with the 6.6L turbo diesel and Allison six-speed transmission is impressive.
RV magazine spent a week behind the wheel of the 2011 Chevy Silverado 2500 four-wheel-drive crew cab and discovered that it's much more than an occasional tow rig; it is a wildly sophisticated truck that can take you to dinner at the finest restaurant, then to the horse stable to hitch up the trailer. It has all the poise and styling of a high-brow SUV and the rock-steady footing of a ranch truck.
The Silverado as tested came...
The Silverado as tested came equipped with the formidable Allison 1000 transmission, perhaps the best and most reliable transmission for towing.
The new Silverado 2500HD one upped the competition with a bunch of new features that improves towing, like a fully boxed frame and new formidable suspension that helps to boost its towing capacity to 12,000 pounds at the bumper, or 18,500 if you're using a fifth-wheel hitch. Only the new Ford Super Duty comes close in this category. In the durability department, the Allison transmission is unbeatable. With a long history as a workhorse transmission, the Allison six-speed for the Silverado is equipped with an improved torque converter, a larger diameter output shaft, and more robust clutches-all equating to better responsiveness when you need it most. And if you love the transmission as much as we did, the engine is even more remarkable.
The 6.6L Duramax turbo diesel (optional) spits out a jaw-dropping 397 horsepower at 3,000 rpm with 765 lb-ft of torque at 1,600, so get ready for whiplash if you punch it. According to GM, the new Silverado sees an 11-percent increase in fuel economy over the prior year, and our seat-of-the-pants evaluation seemed to verify that fuel consumption is on par with most rigs in its class, and that the standard 36-gallon fuel tank will get you more than 600 miles.
The Silverado 2500HD's bumper-to-bumper warranty is also on par with the top selling rigs in class (3 years/36,000 miles) as is the powertrain coverage (5 years/100,00 miles). Pricing starts at $27,965 (Vortec 6.0L) and rockets up to $55,145 as tested with the 6.6L diesel and Allison 1000 transmission.