If you've got a big job to do, you need a big truck. At Chevrolet, the Silverado 3500 HD is as big as you can go without venturing into the brand's commercial vehicle range.
Positioned above the 2500 HD, the 3500 HD is completely redesigned for the 2020 model year. Its bold styling is appropriately over the top to help it stand out next to its key competitors, the Ford F-350 and Ram 3500.
But Chevrolet's mechanical updates are just as important. The major changes include a new 6.6L gas V8 that boasts bonuses of 41 hp and 84 lb-ft of torque compared to last year's gasser, for new totals of 401 hp and 464 lb-ft. That improvement comes thanks in part to a new direct fuel injection system.
A 6.6L Duramax turbodiesel is carried over from last year with 445 hp and 910 lb-ft, but it comes with a new 10-speed transmission.
Chevrolet says it also beefed up the rest of the driveline to contribute to a 52-percent increase in towing capacity, which goes up to 16,102 kg.
Chevrolet gives up diesel torque to both Ford F-350 and Ram 3500, the latter having coaxed 1,000 lb-ft from its latest Cummins diesel.
The new Silverado 3500HD rides on a new frame with a longer wheelbase. Despite the new truck's larger dimensions, Chevrolet says it lowered the cargo bed by about an inch relative to the old model to make it easier to load cargo and hitch up fifth-wheel trailers.
Diesel trucks also get a larger hood scoop than before to improve engine cooling in high-load situations.
Chevrolet also talks up the Silverado 3500 HD's new box, which has tie-down rings rated for 227 kg and steps in the corners of the rear bumper and ahead of the rear wheels.
Buyers can also option the new 3500 with an exterior camera system with 15 views, including a "transparent" trailer setting to improve rearward visibility when towing. Chevy also claims a class-exclusive available head-up display, though the mechanically identical GMC Sierra 3500 offers the same high-tech options.
Other tricks include a trailer brake controller that remembers the driver's settings for a given trailer, and a transmission tow/haul mode that automatically re-engages when the truck is restarted within four hours of being turned off. The Silverado 3500's brakes pitch in to help with trailering, too: the electric parking brake holds the truck still to ease hitching up, and a hill hold system uses the brakes at all four wheels instead of just two.
We know we alluded above to the fact that the Silverado 3500 is not technically a commercial truck, but Natural Resources Canada considers it a commercial vehicle. As such, it doesn't require Chevrolet to publish fuel consumption estimates for the Silverado 3500.
This vehicle has not yet been reviewed
