2021 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Double Cab

DAN EDMUNDS: For some months, we've known that the new Chevrolet Silverado HD lineup was going to include some great new engines and some pretty substantially increased tow ratings. But what does that really mean? Does this truck have the features and amenities to take on the class leaders? We're about to find out. But before we get into that, remember to click subscribe and visit Edmunds for all your truck shopping needs. Throughout the day, we're going to be in a couple of different trucks. Gasoline and diesel versions of the 2500, and maybe a 3500 diesel dually. Along the way, we're going to check out the interior, tow some trailers, and see what it's like to use the bed. Right now, I'm in the 6.6 liter gasoline V8. And I just went up a hill, and it's got a lot of beans. It feels really strong. The Silverado HD is unique in this segment because it has independent front suspension with really big torsion bars as springs. That really helps because you have much less unsprung mass, so we just drove on a washboard dirt road a little while ago, and it really helps filter out that kind of impact. The rear springs are still stiff because this truck has to carry payload and tongue load, but still. Overall, it's a nice riding package for a heavy duty truck. Another thing that's interesting about the use of independent suspension is it really helps out the steering. It still has your circulating ball, which is what you need for extra toughness for a heavy duty truck. But because of this layout, it's a lot more precise. It doesn't feel nearly as distant and disconnected as some of the other trucks can feel. The 6.6 liter V8 feels real strong, but it is worth pointing out that it comes with a six speed automatic transmission. We'll see if that means anything when we start towing trailers later on. But right now, with no trailer-- no problem. So we're underway. We've got about 12,000 pounds worth of trailer behind us. This is the 6.6 liter gas engine, and it feels totally at home doing this. There's no lack of power. We just came up a little hill there. I didn't really have to dig into the throttle very much. It's not the max tow rating, but it's still a pretty substantial amount of weight, and this thing is totally capable. Compared to last year, this new 6.6 liter V8 makes substantially more torque, and you can really feel it. I mean, this feels a lot more effortless than it has in the past. One of the things I really look for in a truck, when I'm towing, is a transmission that plays along. And this six speed and the gasoline V8-- it does the job. On downgrades, if you put your foot on the brake-- even if you're in drive, tow haul mode will automatically downshift to keep your speed in check. I really like that. One of the great things about the new Silverado HD lineup-- they all come with trailer tow mirrors that are extendable. Some are manually extendable, some are power extendable, but you always have trailer tow mirrors. You don't have to check an option to get those. So now I'm in the 6.6 liter Duramax diesel V8, and we've got a box trailer latched on the back that's even heavier than the little piece of building equipment we had behind the gas V8. And we're on the same road, climbing the same hill, and this is a cake walk. I mean, the other one did great. This one is doing a lot better. We've got a lot more torque to work with, and we've got 10 speeds in the transmission. This truck has also got some options the other truck didn't have. It's got the system with up to 15 camera views, and I'm loving that. I have a camera inside the trailer so I can see what's going on inside. There's another one on the back of the trailer so I can see what's behind me. The one that's behind me can be displayed continuously, so I can use it like a rear view mirror. And then there's a transparent trailer display that will overlay that with the side view cameras, so it kind of looks like the trailer isn't there at all. It's hard not to notice the really imposing hood that this truck has. I mean, there's a lot of radiators up there to cool a diesel engine that can tow as much as this can tow, so it's understandable. But what that means is it's kind of hard to see the corners. But this camera system is amazing, because there's a forward camera and you can pull right up to something. I mean, within inches. Something you can't actually see over the hood, you can see in the camera no problem. And the same thing works when you're backing up, if you have a camera on the back of your trailer. You can back up within inches of a loading dock, or a campsite, or anything like that. Totally easy. A little while back, we went down a sinuous downhill. And this is a bigger trailer that's pushing a little bit more from the back, and yet the 10 speed automatic down shifted right when I needed it to, to control speed. I didn't have to rely on the brakes all that much, just a little bit to kind of encourage the transmission downshift. Once it did that, I just maintained speed downhill. No need to use manual shifting or the exhaust brake, which this does have. So now we're on the steepest part of the hill, at the highest altitude. The gasoline engine-- you could feel it here. The diesel is not working nearly as hard. I mean, it's going as fast as I care to go through these curves. And it just up shifted there, so yeah. It feels long legged; it doesn't feel like it's struggling at all. The thing about this diesel engine and 10 speed automatic transmission-- if it was in the Silverado 3500 dually, the tow rating would be at least 30,000 pounds. And if it was a regular cab version of the dually, over 35,000 pounds. That's way up there. Sitting in the cab of a Chevrolet Silverado HD, but you couldn't really tell unless I said that because the 1500, the 2500, and the 3500 look pretty similar here. It's the same layout of the switches, the knobs, and the screen. The same driving position. But there are a few differences, the most prominent being that this switch is for the diesel exhaust brake for the 6.6 Duramax diesel engine. Other than that, you're not going to see a lot of differences. Good and bad. This interior didn't, like, bowl us over, but it is very logical and easy to use. And it's definitely got comfort. There's a lot of head room, a lot of leg room. The driving position is good. The seats are comfortable. You know, it's attractive but it's not up to the standard of the RAM 1500, which really kind of reset the bar and-- I think-- put everyone on their back foot, really. One of the things I'm not really fond of is there's just one USB and one USB C here. There's another pair in here, though, if you get a center console. If you have a fold up jump seat like the other truck we drove had, that's all you have. I've spent all day in these seats, and they're really comfortable. They're very easy to adjust. The steering wheel reaches nice, and I can adjust it here. And the shifter moves with it; it's really actually very pleasant to be behind the wheel of this truck. All the camera controls are in the touch screen, though. You won't see any additional buttons added here for those. The four wheel drive controls are over here on the left. There is-- of course-- two wheel drive, four high, four low. And there's an auto setting that will put it in four wheel drive when you need it. Above that is a mode knob where you can rotate it to engage tow haul mode, and that changes the shift points and the throttle response. So, the back seat of the Silverado HD is really big. You know, the RAM-- we've talked about that before-- the 1500 has a great back seat, but they didn't do that to the 2500 and 3500 RAMs that compete with this truck. So actually, here we've got a lot more leg room, which is a huge advantage I think. We've got a couple of AC vents, a USB, and a USB C back here. Seat heater controls and a power outlet. These cup holders are reachable here, and there's a couple more in here. So yeah, this is really comfortable. Lots of spread out room for those long road trips. We're standing here at the back of the new Chevrolet Silverado HD, and this truck has a standard bed, but it's anything but standard. It's a couple of inches longer than it was last year, it's wider inside under the bed rails, and there are 12 tie downs-- three in each corner at different levels, so no matter how full you've got your truck, you'll be able to reach one. There are nine rubber sockets where you can put in additional tie down cleats if you need them. There are sockets in the bed floor for a gooseneck hitch or a fifth wheel hitch. There's a 110 outlet in one corner, lighting in another, and a place to plug in your 7 pin connector for your gooseneck hitch right below that. Of course, there's a 7 pin connector for your trailer here on the bumper, but there's also two additional pins. One is for a camera you can put inside the trailer, and the other is for a camera you can put on the back of your trailer. And then there are these corner bed steps that have been on it before, but they're bigger this year. You can wear big work boots and easily use them. And they've added another one in front of the rear tire so you can get into the front corner of the bed really easily, and reach in and tighten a tie down strap or get something out of there. And then this tailgate-- it's a power up, power down. There's just a lot going on here, and I think this is the best bed out there right now. So it comes down to this. The Silverado HD has great engines, transmissions. The chassis is great. All of those cameras. It's got everything it needs to make towing easy. As for the bed, there's multiple tie downs. It's a good size. There's all kinds of clever features. You couldn't ask for more. Inside-- well, it's not the most beautiful interior we've ever seen. What really matters is it's logical; it's easy to use. And that back seat-- it's humongous. All in all, what it all comes down to is the Silverado HD is a really strong truck. We haven't done a comparison test yet, but that will come soon enough. When it does, we expect the Silverado to give the other trucks in the segment a real run for their money. For more information, visit edmunds.com. And for more videos like this, click subscribe.