As the war between all things truck heats up in
dire competition during late summer, the brand-new 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD
is going to be sporting many new changes, and the Edmunds.com blog provided an in-depth
feature about it this past week. All of us on staff here at Jim Butler Chevy of St.
Louis agree that the most exciting order of business is the very
first one listed: Last year's base 6.0-liter Gasoline V8 sees its replacement
of a 6.6-liter V8 that cranks out 401 horsepower and a whopping 464 lb-ft of
torque. There is also the option of a 6.6-liter V8 Duramax diesel: the
six-speed automatic has now been replaced with a 10-speed, and the results are
a hefty 445 horsepower and 910 lb-ft of torque for specs.
Extra power results in better hauling and towing
ability, but there's much more to the 2020 Silverado 2500HD than the shiny new
powertrains: all of the frames have seen greater lengthening and straightening,
and it's most noticeable in the crew cab's back seat as the rear legroom has
grown by 2.5 inches. The bed is much wider than that of the competition inside,
and you can get plenty of use out of the 12-standard tie-downs. All four
corners of the bed provide easy access to them, and extended towing mirrors are
standard across the board on all 2500 HD trucks.
The Advanced Trailering System offers up to 15
views through 8 cameras, including “Transparent Trailer”: this is one that
appears as if you are looking back at traffic through a trailer composed of
crystal-clear glass. The hauling and towing features are what Chevy has gone after
the most aggressively with the incoming 2020, and the extra space in the crew
cab will come in handy when you are conducting weekend rec duty instead of
weekday work.
The testing team on duty at Edmunds
claimed that the way in which the front end stays composed when put to the test
of driving over bumps and challenging washboard dirt roads was a key ingredient
in this winning and burly engineering formula! The competition in the forms of
Ram and Ford incorporate solid-axle front ends, and the Chevy 2500HD now rides
on front independent suspension, featuring very long low-mounted torsion
springs.
These improvements in suspension also are
noticeable in the steering element: the Silverado 2500HD uses recirculating ball steering to handle the
craziest of loads, and the LTZ and High Country trim levels us Active Hydraulic
Assist, which provides a much more natural buildup, and a very centered feel
that is more like rack-and-pinion. One other standout element of this
amazingly-built truck is the transmission: the way in which it downshifts to
hold speed on downgrades is class-leading, and you really do feel the
difference during every inch of the drive!