In this recently updated MY24 guise, the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD boasts a new front facia, new active safety technology, and enhancements to its trailering technology features and infotainment systems.

What hasn’t changed is the fact towing remains at the very heart of what the 2500 HD exists to do with its 6.6-litre Duramax turbodiesel V8 punching out a gargantuan 1322Nm of torque.

Along with its enormous dimensions the 2500 HD, perhaps more than any other commercial passenger vehicle on the market, blurs the line between ute and truck.

Much of the 2500 HD’s enhanced towing capacity comes down to the prodigious grunt of its 6.6-litre Duramax turbodiesel V8, which in this MY24 iteration develops a hearty 350kW of peak power and 1322Nm of torque, an increase of 18kW and 88Nm over the MY23 version.

Compare this with the 313kW/624Nm of stablemate the Silverado 1500’s 6.2-litre petrol V8 and it’s clear the 2500 HD is much more of a purpose-built workhorse than its smoother-revving and more passenger-oriented stablemate.

That’s not the only difference, of course, because while the Silverado 1500 is already big by Australian ute standards, the 2500 HD is a monster, tipping the scales at 3,762kg and measuring 6,387mm from tip to tail.

It also boasts more ground clearance, a longer wheelbase and a larger body than its namesake, not to mention enhanced towing capability.

Both Silverados are reengineered from left to right-hand drive in Melbourne by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group, who will also handle Toyota’s Tundra conversion when it is eventually green-lit.

Walkinshaw has been on the front line of Australia’s move to local mass-market reengineering of US pickups, starting with RAM in 2015.

Today, RAM remains the category leader but General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) has been steadily growing its market share.

The Silverado 1500 and 2500 HD have chalked up 1519 sales between them in the five months until May this year, just behind the 1637 sales of the three-variant RAM range.

The single-variant Ford F-150 arrived late to the party in late 2023 and has racked up a respectable 828 sales in the same timeframe, while the Toyota Tundra is still undergoing prototype testing and being sold only to selective customers, so its 179 sales aren’t representative.

The bottom line is that these US-sourced utes are finding a receptive market here as Australians consumers look for something big enough to haul their ever-larger caravans, boats and other recreational accessories.

Despite this, some Aussies still don’t see the point of full-size pickups and barely a week passes without someone posting an image of one spilling over into a second car parking space at the local shops. And while it’s true that the sheer size of these ‘Yank tanks’ means there are places where they aren’t particularly at home in the Australian context, one area where they most certainly are is when towing.

Heavy-duty towing capability is baked into the design of vehicles like the Silverado 2500 HD from the get-go.

So, while it’s true that the in-your-face styling, bodacious V8 soundtrack and extra bulk of vehicles like the RAM and Silverado has made them an easy target for critics, it’s equally the case that they can do some things, such as towing, better than just about anything else on the market.

Viewed in this light, the Silverado 2500 HD might even be described as a handsome beast, sitting up high as it does on gloss-black 20-inch alloy wheels clad with Goodyear Wrangler AT tyres, and a chiselled, no-nonsense appearance.

The enormous front-end features a bluff grille embellished with the distinctive Chevy bow tie and flanked by LED headlights and DRLs.

A post-box sized scoop at the leading edge of the expansive bonnet feeds air into the rumbling turbodiesel V8.

Whether it’s the bonnet, the doors, or the tailgate, it seems that everything about the 2500 HD is super-sized, with wing mirrors that could double as esky lids mounted on arms stout enough to act as stepping point (they’re not, so please don’t try it!). Those mirrors are power-adjustable, too, so can be extended or folded electrically for towing purposes.

Aft of the cabin, the voluminous cargo box with spray-on bedliner is accessed via an electrically operated tailgate and features no less than 12 tie-down points, LED lighting, and handy steps at the leading and trailing edges of the tray to aid access.

Dimensionally, the tray depth is 533mm, the floor length 2,089mm, with a width of 1,814mm or ,1317mm between the wheel arches, for an all-up cargo volume of 1,968 litres.

By way of comparison, the tray of a Ford Ranger Wildtrak 4x4 Double Cab is 1,464mm long, 1,520mm wide, 1,217mm wide between wheel arches, and 526mm high.

Sturdy four-inch tubular side steps and strategically located grab handles aid access to the high-riding cabin, which boasts more floorspace than some one-bedroom apartments.

It’s generously appointed, too, with a landscape-oriented 13.4-inch colour touchscreen offering crisp full-colour image resolution and a range of selectable views.

Ahead of the driver is a 12.3-inch digital instrument pod with configurable views and above that a head-up display.

Other standard features include keyless entry and start, wireless phone charging, wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, Bose seven-speaker audio system, dual-zone climate control, 10-way driver and passenger powered front seats, heated and ventilated front seats, leather-appointed seat trim, heated leather steering wheel, power windows and a sunroof.

Rear-seat occupants are treated to acres of legroom along with seat heating, individual air vents and USB ports, privacy glass, a power sliding rear window, fold-down centre armrest with cupholders and stowage, and three child-seat mounting points.

The seats also offer a 60/40 split-fold function with handy storage underneath when folded.

Press the start button and the big V8 roars into life before settling into a grumbling idle.

Snick the column-mounted shift selector into ‘Drive’ and poke the 2500 HD’s nose out into traffic and it’s immediately apparent just how big this beast is.

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At more than 6m long and with an enormous 16.1m turning circle the 2500 HD’s sheer heft makes it a challenge to navigate car parks and the like.

But once out of the suburbs and onto the Sunshine Motorway it feels much more at home, with the engine’s prodigious grunt, the cabin’s comfortable driving position and the luxurious fit-out making for an alluring highway driving partner.

The V8 diesel sends its drive through a smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic, with closely stacked ratios ensuring smooth shifts that keep the engine comfortably within its torque band.

There’s little need to move the throttle pedal far, with just a flex of the ankle summoning instant, effortless grunt.

One can easily imagine the 2500 HD eating up arrow-straight outback roads with effortless ease, but we’re headed instead for the narrow, winding roads of the Sunshine Coast hinterland, on tarmac made slick by steady rain.

Here, you’re acutely aware of how much road the 2500 HD requires, with the driver needing to be mindful of lane discipline, particularly in tight bends, as there’s simply not a lot of room for error.

Fortunately, the combination of independent front suspension and reasonably weighted and accurate electric variable-assistance power steering means it’s not hard to keep the big rig in its lane.

Ride quality over some of the rougher back roads is firm but more comfortable than one might imagine, given the heavy-duty leaf spring rear suspension.

That’s due in part to the generous wheelbase, which along with a wide track contributes to the 2500 HD feeling immensely sturdy and stable through bends.

That’s an excellent combination for a towing platform, of course, and to reinforce this fact GMSV had us hitch up to a Titanium dual axle off-road caravan with a tare weight of 2800kg, for a stretch of towing over narrow and undulating hinterland roads.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 2500 HD handled the task with aplomb, hauling the caravan up hill and down dale with consummate ease.

The big Chev’s torque-laden powertrain, practical technology inclusions and impressively stable platform taking much of the stress out of the towing experience, as did the truck-like exhaust brake function which earnt its keep during a couple of steep descents.

The large, electrically extendable side mirrors provide excellent rear vision, along with the central touch screen with its selection of screen views designed specifically for towing.

The multi-view camera system and offers up to 14 different views on the high-resolution screen, including a standard rear-view camera with hitch guidance, an over-hitch view, a twin camera view rear view from the base of the wing mirrors, and a 360-degree surround view.

There’s also an in-vehicle trailering app which allows the cameras to be set up for different length and width trailer profiles.

Other towing-specific standard features of the 2500 HD include a trailer theft alert, tow-bar (not including ball and tongue), 12-pin wiring harness, electric trailer brake controller, and an automated trailer lighting test system.

The latter allows the driver to check all trailer lights from the comfort of the cabin using an automated touchscreen display system which cycles through the trailer lights and provides an alert if any aren’t working.

When it comes to the all-important question of how much can the 2500 HD tow or carry, the big pickup is offered in two different configurations that are priced identically but have different payload and gross vehicle mass (GVM) capabilities.

In NB1 configuration, the 2500 HD has a 733kg payload and GVM of 4,495kg and can be driven on a standard car licence; while in NB2 trim it boasts a higher 1,386kg Payload and 5,148kg GVM, requiring a specific heavy-vehicle licence to operate.

Maximum braked towing capacity is 3,500kg using a 50mm tow-ball, or 4,500kg using a 70mm ball, with the latter representing a handy 1,000kg more than mainstream ute rivals like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

On the safety front the big Chev comes equipped with an impressive array of active and passive systems designed to keep its occupants and other road users safe.

Standard equipment includes six airbags, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Change Alert, Vehicle and Trailer Side Blind Spot Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Alert with Low Speed AEB, Front Pedestrian Braking, plus Front and Rear Park Assist.

Other safety-related inclusions are a Following Distance Indicator, Intelligent High Beam Assist, Safety Alert Driver’s Seat, Rear Camera Mirror, Teen Driver Alert, and Tyre Pressure Monitoring.

The 2500 HD is likely also a capable off-roader with the Z71 grade bringing standard off-road suspension including Rancho twin-tube shocks, extra skid plates and an automatic locking rear differential.

A two-speed transfer case is standard, too, with push-button control giving 2WD, Auto, 4WD Hi and 4WD Low. Add to this 251mm of good ground clearance and plenty of axle articulation the 2500 HD looks to have the goods to eat up most off-road obstacles.

That’s pure speculation, however, since inclement weather closed the off-road tracks GMSV had planned for us tackle and we contented ourselves with an easy canter through unsealed forestry trails.

GMSV isn’t required to provide fuel consumption figures for this class of vehicle but with its imposing kerb weight and large capacity V8, the 2500 HD is obviously no fuel miser.

Using the vehicle trip computer, we saw figures of around 12.5L/100km on the highway, and 23.4L/100km when towing, so we’d expect unladen combined cycle consumption to fall somewhere around the 15.0L/100km mark.

Figures from the US suggest combined cycle consumption of 21.0L/100km.

This seems on the high side but even using that figure the 136L fuel tank gives an estimated touring range of 650km.

The 2500 HD requires AdBlue exhaust additive to reduce emissions, with the tank holding 26.5L which should be enough to see most users you through to the 12 month/12,000km service intervals.

In summary, the Silverado 2500 HD story is an undeniably impressive heavy-duty hauler, with iron-fisted grunt delivered in a luxurious and comprehensively equipped package.

Having spent time in its generously proportioned and cabin, with a couple of tonnes of caravan out back and the V8 diesel barely breaking a sweat, it’s easy to see why drivers who’ve struggled along with smaller and less powerful tow vehicles would find the big Chev’s attributes alluring.

Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD MY24 key info

• Price: $163,000 (MRLP)
• Powertrain: 6.6-litre Duramax Turbo Diesel V8 engine (350kW/1322Nm), 10-speed torque converter automatic, part- and full-time four-wheel drive.
• Warranty: 3 years/100,000km (Plus 3 years Roadside Ultra Assistance)
• Towing capacity: 750kg (unbraked)/3500kg braked (using 50mm ball); 4500kg (using 70mm ball)
• Kerb weight: 3762kg
• Gross vehicle mass: 4495kg (NB1); 5148kg (NB2)
• ANCAP crash rating: Not rated
• Fuel consumption (combined cycle): 21.0L/100km estimate (203g/km CO2)
• For: Supremely capable towing performance, powerful V8 turbodiesel, excellent camera and visual aids, great safety systems and towing features, enormous cargo bed, roomy cabin, generously equipped
• Against: Price, size, fuel consumption, people who don’t like full-size US pickups.