2011 Chevy Silverado HD Harrisburg

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The 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD wins bragging rights in diesel pickup power and load/towing capacities. It can be a simple work truck or heated leather deluxe, tow across the country or just cart hay across the farm, and run on gasoline, diesel or B20 biodiesel. If you need a truck that can do heavy duty work, the Chevy truck will get the job done every time. The '11 Silverado HD can be configured to carry more than 6,500 pounds in dual-rear wheel configuration or 4,600 pounds in single-rear. The Silverado HD gets some major revisions and updates for 2011. The standard gas engine and transmission have been mildly revised while the diesel gets a serious upgrade to 397 hp and more than twice the torque of the 6-liter gas V8, giving GM the strongest diesel and the least-powerful gasoline engines in the segment. Apart from two very small front suspension pieces everything in the suspension, steering, brakes, frame and ancillary systems have been redone. There are three trim levels of WT, LT and LTZ, but some configurations and trims can't be combined; LTZ is limited to Extended and Crew Cab models.

Powering the '11 Silverado HD

Standard Silverado HD power is a 6-liter gasoline V8 rated 360 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque in 2500 pickups and 322 hp, 380 lb-ft in all 3500 and box-delete 2500. It comes solely with a six-speed automatic transmission and 3.73:1 or 4.10:1 axle ratio. A 6.6-liter diesel (LML) is optional  for all but regular cab 3500 2WD and rated at 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque, with a required Allison six-speed automatic transmission and 3.73:1 axles only. A 6.6-liter (LGH) is rated at 335 hp and 685 lb-ft and offered only on box-delete trucks. Both diesels are B20-biodiesel approved. An HD Silverado drives heavy, as in a solid feel and deliberate control inputs. It is confident empty or with a maximum load on board, the added frame stiffness making suspension tuning easier for GM engineers.

2011 Chevy Silverado HD Design

The 2011 Silverado HD offers five wheelbases in 2500 (3/4-ton) trim. It comes as a Regular Cab long bed (8 feet), an Extended Cab with standard bed (6-foot, 7-inch) or long bed, or Crew Cab with standard bed or long bed. The 3500-series (1-ton) is all long-bed except for a Crew Cab standard bed without dual-rear wheels.  With the big chrome crossbar and bow-tie logo the Silverado HD heavy-duty pickup is immediately recognized as a Chevrolet and maintains visual relationships to the Silverado 1500 light-duty pickup. The Silverado HD matches up against other heavy-duty pickups in most dimensions as they all carry the proverbial 4x8 sheet of plywood flat in long-box models. However, the Silverado tends to have a slightly lower roofline and higher load deck, especially on 4WD models, worth noting if you visit commercial garages.

Inside the new Chevy Silverado HD

The Silverado HD cabin offers two distinct styles. One is a standard work truck cabin, with a rubberized floor covering, urethane steering wheel, lever-shifted four-wheel drive, simple gauge graphics and a dash laid out for work with dual gloveboxes. At the other extreme, an LTZ cabin has a dash similar to the Tahoe and Suburban with a single glovebox, configurable center console and woodgrain trim.  Seats are supportive and are easily adjusted. A tilt wheel is standard, closer to the seat centerline than previous-generation models, and adjustable pedals are available. If you plan on accessorizing or adding switchgear for auxiliary lights, remote winch control, a CB radio or similar, the lower-level cabin makes a better blank; the LTZ looks like one of those cabins you just don't want to mess up. The navigation system is offered on a wider array of models, and you can get a rearview camera without navigation. Turn-by-turn navigation instruction is included with the standard OnStar, but once past the introductory time frame OnStar has a monthly service charge.

Chevy Silverado HD Lineup '11

Silverado HD WT models are work and fleet trucks. They come with gray vinyl upholstery, rubberized floor covering, black door handles and mirrors, steel wheels and floor-shift for 4WD. They also include air conditioning, AM/FM stereo, driver info center (trip computer, etc.), 40/20/40 manual-recline front seats, rear bench seat (60/40-split Crew Cab), tilt wheel, chrome grille and bumpers, tow hooks, intermittent wipers, and dual dash power outlets.

Silverado HD LT versions improve on WT with cloth upholstery, carpeting (the WT floor is available), 40/20/40 front seat with locking console storage, split-fold rear seat, AM/FM/XM/CD/MP3 RDS stereo, OnStar with six months' service, cruise control, aluminum wheels, power heated mirrors, power windows, power door locks, visor vanity mirror/lights, side moldings and electric-shift for 4WD.

Silverado HD LTZ upgrades to leather upholstery, 10-way power heated front seats and two-person driver memory, dual-zone climate control, Bose DVD audio system, Bluetooth, console, auto-dimming mirrors, steering wheel controls, fog lamps, paint-matched trim, power folding mirrors w/signals, 18-inch polished forged aluminum wheels, locking differential, trailer equipment and integrated trailer brake controller.

Conclusions

Safety equipment includes frontal airbags, front seat belt pretensioners, and StabiliTrak on single-rear wheel models. Optional equipment includes front-side airbags and front side-curtain airbags, OnStar, backup cameras and integrated trailer brake controller. For more on this heavy duty pickup truck, visit the official Chevy Silverado HD website.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com