Australians have been obsessed with locally-made pick-up trucks for decades, and even after the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon were discontinued, demand for large pick-up trucks from brands such as Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Ford and Mazda continued to grow. Last year, the three best-selling new vehicles in Australia were the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max.
This is a nation obsessed with trucks, and in 2015, American truck manufacturers began to take notice. That year, Ram Trucks struck a deal with a local importer to start selling and converting its pickups to right-hand drive. It proved to be such a masterstroke that Ram is now considering building right-hand drive trucks at its US plant and shipping them directly to Australia.
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Not willing to let Ram have all the fun, General Motors Special Vehicles (GMSV) entered Australia in late 2020, importing and modifying the Silverado 1500 and 2500 as the spiritual successor to the Holden brand. While its full-size pickups aren’t common on local roads yet, I’ve seen them occasionally. However, even seeing them from a distance couldn’t prepare me for living with a Silverado 2500 HD for a week.
Quick Facts
Bold and eye-catching
In the US, vehicles like the Silverado have proliferated, and many other pickups are just as big. Things are different in Australia. Locals aren’t used to seeing or driving pickups bigger than a Hilux or Ranger, which makes a vehicle like the 2500 HD stand out immediately. In fact, I haven’t driven a vehicle that stood out this much in a long time.
All Silverado 2500 HD models sold in Australia come in LTZ Premium guise and are equipped with the Z71 package. Pricing starts at A$163,000 (about $108,900) before on-road costs, which is about A$10,000 (about $6,700) less than an equivalent Ram 2500 HD, but about twice the price of a well-equipped Ford Ranger. That’s a lot of money compared to what Australians are used to paying for pickup trucks. But the 2500 HD is no ordinary pickup truck.
Photo credit: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
I was immediately struck by the sheer size of the car. The Chevy is 6,387 mm (251.4 in) long, 2,263 mm (89 in) wide, 2,039 mm (80.2 in) tall, and has a wheelbase that’s a whopping 4,036 mm (158.9 in). That’s nearly a meter longer than the Hilux, and about 400 mm (15.7 in) wider and 200 mm (7.9 in) taller. It’s also a full meter longer than the average 5.4-meter (17.7-foot) parking space, but more on that later.
“Imposing” doesn’t even begin to describe the 2500 HD. The latest version has huge LED daytime running lights and headlights that stand out, and the huge side mirrors are befitting of a full-size semi truck. All locally sold models ride on 20-inch black wheels with Goodyear Wrangler A/T tires, and come with a set of black side steps and plenty of black badging.
Only one engine is available. It’s a 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8 with 350 kW (469 hp) and 1,322 Nm (975 lb-ft) of torque. Combined with a 10-speed automatic transmission, this behemoth gives the Silverado a 4,500 kg (9,920 lb) towing capacity, far exceeding the 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) common in smaller pickups.
A truck with a premium cab, who would have thought?
Upon first entering the cabin, I was pleasantly surprised at how well everything was done. I had expected the interior to be spartan, made almost entirely of durable black plastic, but I found it to be well-appointed and feel premium.
The cabin is dominated by a large 13.4-inch infotainment display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. With so few Chevrolet cars sold in Australia, this was my first time experiencing the latest Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Plus operating system. thorough Very impressive. The screen resolution is excellent, and inputs are responsive with minimal lag when scrolling through menus and changing settings. The dashboard is similarly nice to use, but could be improved with a little more room for customization.
Photo credit: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
In addition to the two main screens, the Silverado 2500 HD also comes with a digital rearview mirror, a seven-speaker Bose audio system, wireless phone charging, and one of the largest center console storage cubbies I’ve ever seen. Delightful touches like wood trim on the dashboard, soft leather, heated and ventilated seats, and a pleasing piano black finish add to the upscale feel. There’s also an array of systems and cameras to aid traction, as well as a heated steering wheel.
Read: GM is eager to launch Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrids
What makes the truck’s fit and finish even more impressive is that it’s left-hand drive when it leaves the U.S. Australian company Walkinshaw is responsible for converting each Silverado to RHD, and the company does an excellent job of ensuring that the conversion meets GM’s factory standards.
The second row is very spacious. Thanks to the 2500 HD’s 4-meter wheelbase, rear legroom is generous and the truck can easily carry five tall adults comfortably.
Photo credit: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Strong power, smooth road
When I first got the keys to the 2500 HD, I was parked in a tight parking lot and immediately felt overwhelmed, fearing that with every turn I made I’d risk hitting a parked car with the seemingly endless back half of the truck. Once I got on the open road, however, the Chevy began to feel more like a sedan.
Don’t get me wrong, this car is big, but it only took me a few minutes to get used to it. It’s easy to park on a single lane, and the high driving position gives you a good view of all four corners as well as other road users.
The Duramax V8 is the perfect engine for this vehicle. Although it has to tow the 3,762 kg (5,180 lb) Chevy, it has enough power and torque to make it feel relatively lively. Power delivery is linear across the limited rev range, and the big diesel’s sound isn’t harsh.
The 10-speed transmission is a solid companion to the V8, and it’s mostly smooth during upshifts and downshifts. Oddly, the column-mounted shifter doesn’t include a manual mode, nor are there any paddle shifters behind the steering wheel to let you manually change gears. We didn’t get a chance to tow with the Silverado, but imagine how annoying it might be to do so without this feature.
If you desperately want to shift the gears yourself, there’s only one option. That’s to shift the lever to “L,” or low, and then press the little plus (+) and minus (I) switches on the shifter. Well, that’s not the best solution.
We drove the Chevy in 4WD for most of our week, and while that’s a good idea in bad conditions, it does make the Silverado’s engine a bit louder and the ride feel a bit bumpier than with only rear-wheel drive engaged. I don’t know why it feels more refined in 2WD mode, but it does. Regardless, ride comfort is good, and the independent front end is a welcome feature. Multi-leaf springs in the rear give the tail a smooth ride, but when it’s fully loaded, everything becomes smooth.
Fuel efficiency isn’t the Silverado’s strong suit. Chevrolet claims a combined cycle of 15 L/100 km (15 mpg), but we couldn’t get close to that number, and despite a very smooth ride, averaged over 19 L/100 km (12.3 mpg). Our final gripe with the 2500 HD is that when cornering at full speed, the rear wheels would jump and jerk, as if its rear differential was always locked.
Parking is also a problem. The 2500 HD is too big for some parking lots, and no matter how hard you try to squeeze it in, it sticks out.
The Chevy’s cargo bed is quite large, measuring 2,089 mm (82.2 in) long, 1,814 mm (71.4 in) wide, and 533 mm (21 in) deep. There are also 12 fixed tie-down points, a spray-on bed liner, and a maximum payload of 1,386 kg (3,055 lbs). A welcome addition to our test car was the Roll-N-Lock power-retractable cargo cover, which can be operated with a remote control.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to test the Silverado’s off-road capabilities, but we’re sure it would have no problem getting over some massive obstacles. However, the 2500 HD’s sheer size makes it difficult to traverse Australia’s many narrow trails.
in conclusion
The Silverado 2500 HD is the kind of vehicle that will only appeal to a certain type of buyer. Whether it’s someone who wants to tow a large station wagon, a boat, or a couple of jet skis while being able to comfortably transport their family and luggage, the Chevy is an attractive choice. It’s not cheap, and the size has its drawbacks, but the premium feel makes it a comfortable cruiser both in the city and on the highway.
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