- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
6.6DT, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
350kW, 1332Nm
- Fuel
NA
- Manufacturer
4X4
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium review
The saying 'big cars for a big country' used to resonate with Australians at a time when large sedans ruled the roads. The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium lifts that theory up more than a few notches, and Trent Nikolic finds out whether Aussies living out of the city can benefit from the significant performance it delivers.
- Effortless V8 diesel engine
- Cabin quality and comfort
- Sensational long-haul highway touring ability
- Capped-price servicing please
- Turning circle is a whopper
- Longer warranty would be a bonus
2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium
City buyers need not apply! Let me reiterate that comment before the usual brigade fire up into the comments section with pitchfork in hand... city buyers need not apply! If you're looking at the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium and you live in, or close to, the city, head back to your GMSV dealer and ask about the Silverado LTZ Premium. That is a much smarter option for you.
If, however, you live on the rural fringe or out in the country, and you need to get to work towing and hauling loads around, you will find it unsurprising just how practical a Silverado HD might be. One of the reasons we bang on about towing as much as we do is reassurance when you're out on the open road.
Having just completed a lap of the mainland for a Drive TV production, the amount of caravans making their way around this amazing continent is truly eye-opening. And I can assure you that if you intend on towing a heavy van on a 15,000km adventure, you don't want the tow vehicle to be bobbing and weaving and getting shunted all over the road. Tow a heavy van with something like the Silverado HD and you won't even know it's there.
The reasons why the Silverado HD is so effective for heavy work are many – the engine, the gearbox, the driveline, the combination of all three, the wheelbase and the chassis, the comfort, visibility, and rugged nature of the platform, they all combine to ensure there is no better way to properly get work done. The HD in the name does, after all, stand for Heavy Duty...
The big three pick-up makers in the States are a fascinating case study. Whether you're talking about 1500 or 2500, the Ford F-Truck seems to be the one that most people associate with the segment, the Silverado is the one most people think is more stylish, and the Ram is the one that people choose to be different. What's interesting in this country where the Silverado HD and Ram 2500 go head-to-head is that if you want a V8, there's only the option we're testing here. And what a thunderous V8 it is. More on that later.
How much is a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD?
A big vehicle often brings a hefty price, and that's certainly the case here with a starting price of $163,000 even, before on-road costs. Add premium paint like our tester and that steps up to $164,250 before on-road costs. Factor in a drive-away price of around the $180,000 mark in various states and territories around Australia – $180,990 nabbed you one in NSW at the time of testing.
Whereas Ram offers spec grades across the 2500 range, the Silverado HD is available as a simple, one-variant option – the LTZ Premium we're testing here. That means you get the Tech Pack as standard, as well as the requisite equipment that comes with the LTZ (top of the range in other words) trim grade.
The 360-degree camera system is standard, along with 20-inch wheels, a 13.4-inch infotainment touchscreen, new seven-speaker audio system, 12.3-inch digital driver's display, head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, 10-way adjustment for the driver, heated rear seats, sunroof, electric rear window, heated leather-trimmed steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, auto-headlights, and LED lighting all round.
Standard also is the thunderous 6.6-litre Duramax V8 turbo diesel that thumps out 350kW and 1322Nm, meaning no matter how difficult the task at hand, you're going to be undertaking it with relative ease.
Key details | 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium |
Price | $163,000 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Slate Grey |
Options | Premium paint – $1250 |
Price as tested | $164,250 plus on-road costs |
Drive-away price | $180,990 (NSW) |
Rivals | Ram 2500 |
How big is a Chevrolet Silverado HD?
The Silverado HD is big – everywhere – 6.4m long to be specific. The cabin is huge, the storage spaces are huge, the towing capability is huge, and the tray space is huge.
Compared to a regular dual-cab, this is the undisputed big dog. The tub section is 500mm longer than a conventional dual-cab, and while it's high and mighty, getting into and out of it is a cinch thanks to the electric tailgate, remote electric tray roller cover, and proper side steps at the front and rear corners.
That 6.4m length is another factor in our reasoning that city buyers need not apply. Try executing a quick three-point turn, or tight U-turn at a roundabout for example, and the whopping 16.1m turning circle quickly rears its ugly head.
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The Silverado HD isn't difficult to drive by any means, it's just that the wheelbase and steering mean it's like moving the Titanic around when you're in tight confines. You need to take that turning circle into account when you're reverse-parking too. Again, that doesn't mean it can't be done, and the cameras are your friend, but you need to be aware of it and take it into account.
Inside the cabin, the word 'big' once again resonates. It's huge, with room to spare across all five seats, no matter how tall the occupants are. The Silverado HD seats five, whereas the Ram 2500 offers seating for six, and that could be one tipping point for you one way or the other.
Leg, head, shoulder and foot room in the second row are bordering on ridiculous. Even with the front two seats all the way back, the seat backs are nowhere near the knees of second-row occupants. Moreover, you can house three adults across that row with ease.
Another feature of US trucks that we love is the way you can flip the seat base up in the second row to provide storage for anything you might want to keep in the cabin, like suitcases for example. Or simply to hide a few items out of sight.
Second-row occupants get charge ports, cupholders, air vents, and large door pockets. If you've got the family in tow on a road trip, the back seat is a pretty good place to be, and another area these larger trucks make the case as long-haul touring vehicles.
Storage and amenity up front is likewise almost comical. Storage for wallets and phones is par for the course, but you've got more room on that front than you'll ever need before you get to the cup/bottle holders that will safely accommodate even larger drink bottles.
The front door pockets are useful too, and the centre console bin, with floating shelf, is also massive. For reference, you could probably sneak a medium-sized handbag or shoulder bag in there out of sight.
As you'd expect, the quality of the right-hand-drive remanufacturing process is most evident inside the cabin. The only tell-tale sign is the column shifter for the automatic transmission, which is over on the right side of the steering wheel rather than the left as we're accustomed to in Australia. That said, you get used to it pretty quickly, and there's a practical reality to it too, in that it cleans up the centre part of the dash/console area where the shifter would normally be.
2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium | |
Seats | Five |
Tray dimensions | 2089mm long 1814mm wide 1317mm between wheel arches 533mm tall 1968L total capacity |
Length | 6387mm |
Width | 2263mm |
Height | 2039mm |
Wheelbase | 4036mm |
Does the Chevrolet Silverado HD have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
One of the updates worth noting for MY24 is the new infotainment system featured in our test model. The 13.4-inch screen is a whopper, but doesn't really look that big inside the cavernous Silverado HD's cabin. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are catered for, with USB-A and USB-C ports in multiple locations to suit the connection and charging of devices.
The screen itself is crisp, clear and responds snappily to touch commands. We didn't have any glitching or other strange issues on test. Likewise the connection to Apple CarPlay, which remained rock solid via the cable at all times. You can, of course, go wireless with your smartphone connection, along with wireless charging, but I prefer a cabled connection to prevent my phone from getting baked while it's charging.
The audio system specifically is a punchy-enough seven-speaker offering, although if you wanted to be picky, you could ask for more bass resonance and outright grunt overall. Sound clarity is good, though, despite my desire for a little more oomph. Get your road-trip playlist going and the Silverado's cabin is a relaxing place to be, that's for sure.
We liked – and appreciated – the detailed image reproduction from the 360-degree camera, which makes manoeuvring such a big vehicle as easy as it could be. Given the high-set nature of the front end especially, the ability to use the cameras to position the Silverado HD is appreciated.
The reality here, too, is this system comes into its own around town in tighter parking confines, where you need to be more aware of the bulk around you than you would in the country on wider roads with less traffic. It's another reason you wouldn't opt for this segment if you spend a lot of your time in the city.
The configurable, digital driver's display is a good one, too, with the ability to change the appearance to suit the information you want to see in the way in which you would like to see it. I fiddled with the display initially to have a look through the options, but settled on the most traditional gauge layout on offer.
Is the Chevrolet Silverado HD a safe car?
The size and weight of the Silverado HD LTZ Premium sits beyond the scope of what the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) covers. Therefore, it's untested and won't be covered under the ANCAP program as it sits presently.
For the same reason this model goes untested by American safety bodies like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium | |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the Chevrolet Silverado HD have?
You'd expect some safety inclusions for the price, and you get them with the new big dog in the Aussie Silverado range. You get blind-spot monitoring, and the system also works when you have a trailer hitched up and you've loaded the trailer details into the system.
In fact, the way the Silverado facilitates trailer towing is as good as it gets. You can also reduce the adaptive cruise-control system back to a traditional-style cruise control, if you prefer a slightly – how shall we say this – less intelligent offering.
The table below lists the features that are standard, and there are some missing compared to, say, large 4WDs with all the fruit, but the Silverado sits on par with the competitive set – namely the Ram 2500. I didn't have any strange AEB occurrences where it wasn't needed during testing, and adaptive cruise worked well too.
Systems like blind-spot detection, lane departure and lane-change alert, worked well on the move, and didn't get in the way of the enjoyment of the driving experience. Those of you who have had the steering wheel almost yanked out of your hand will know what I'm referring to. The Silverado's systems are there and working, but not intrusively.
The tyre pressure monitoring system was decently accurate against a mechanical gauge check, and the sensors worked as they should as well when parking. With a vehicle of this size, a 360-degree camera that works and is clear is a non-negotiable really, and the Silverado's does a good job of helping you position the behemoth.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) | Yes | Low-speed only |
Adaptive Cruise Control | Yes | Can also be used as traditional cruise control |
Blind Spot Alert | Yes | Alert only |
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert | Yes | Alert only |
Lane Assistance | Yes | Lane-departure warning, lane-change alert |
Road Sign Recognition | No | |
Driver Attention Warning | No | |
Cameras & Sensors | Yes | Front and rear sensors, 360-degree camera with trailer integration |
Tyre pressure monitoring | Yes |
How much does the Chevrolet Silverado HD cost to run?
The Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium doesn't currently come with the support of a capped-price servicing program. That means you can either take it back to your GMSV dealer, where servicing costs will be set by them, or to your local mechanic. I suspect many rural buyers will already have a trusted diesel mechanic that might be spending some time keeping the Silverado's service booklet up to date.
Services intervals are 12 months or 12,000km, whichever comes first. Further, the Silverado HD can also alert drivers if it requires a service – sooner than that if it's been working hard in adverse conditions. That could be a factor to consider if you live and work in a more remote, arid part of the country.
A negative for us is the three-year/100,000km warranty, which can't match the five and seven-year standard we expect from the industry these days, and probably isn't reflective of the investment you've outlaid for such an expense vehicle. We'd like to see five years of coverage at least.
If you suspect insurance won't be cheap for a vehicle of this type, you'd be right. Our online quote generator spat out a hefty estimate of $6082, annually. This is a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
At a glance | 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium |
Warranty | Three years, 100,000km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 12,000km |
Servicing costs | At dealer's discretion |
Is the Chevrolet Silverado HD fuel-efficient?
In short, for what it is and what it's capable of, the Silverado is surprisingly fuel-efficient. Across nearly 3000km of driving before we started our test loop, the Silverado had averaged 15.1 litres per 100 kilometres. Our mix of highway and urban running and a total of 508km netted a return of 15.0L/100km. If you're in stop-start traffic for a few hours, it will climb closer to 20L/100km. If you're on the highway for a prolonged run, you'll see the live reading drop down closer to 10L/100km.
Given you're moving a 3.7-tonne truck with the capability that this vehicle has, that real-world return is impressive. Keep in mind too, my earlier recommendation that you would only be looking at this model if you live on the outer fringe or a rural area, and you would be covering more open-country running in any case. The V8 diesel is a belter, but it counters that performance by not being too thirsty while it's working.
Fuel efficiency | 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | Not provided |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 15.0L/100km |
Fuel type | Diesel |
Fuel tank size | 136L |
AdBlue tank size | 26.5L |
What is the Chevrolet Silverado HD like to drive?
You know there's some serious power on offer when you can feel the urge despite the 3762kg behemoth you're coaxing from a standstill. The 6.6-litre Duramax turbo-diesel V8 engine is the stuff of American legend and thunders out a whopping combo of 350kW and 1322Nm. Peak power is available at a low 2800rpm, while that stratospheric torque max comes at just 1600rpm.
While there's no doubt the Silverado is a big unit, it gets cranking with a surprising sense of urgency when you need to. And with peak torque available so low in the rev range, it never feels like it's working too hard, either.
The engine is likewise effortless on the move, too, aided in part by the excellent Allison 10-speed torque converter automatic, which manages to slice through ratios without being annoying. I write that because 10 ratios is a lot, and some automatics can feel like they are hunting, constantly looking for a gear to suit the road speed without ever settling. The Silverado's 10-speed doesn't ever do that, and manages to select the gear that it wants quickly and stays there.
If you're rolling onto the freeway doing, say, 70km/h and you need to crank up to 110km/h, you'll execute that in the blink of an eye. The Silverado makes light work of sustained inclines and freeway speeds as well, which is good news for those of you spending bulk time on the freeway.
Overtaking is as safe as it's ever likely to be, outside of a high-end sports car. As referenced above, this segment really does settle as the ultimate open-road family touring vehicle, if you can afford the premium, and regardless of whether you're towing or not.
Visibility is excellent once you get your seat set up, despite the height of the bonnet, thanks largely to the physical height of the Silverado. You're up high and mighty, which is why this segment works so well out on country roads in the company of large trucks and farming equipment. That initial sense that it's a monster tends to ebb away once you're seated and on the move.
The side mirrors should come in for special mention here – being the two-tiered variety, and huge, visibility through them is excellent. However, their electric party trick, where they move outward at the touch of a button, is a real bonus for anyone towing or needing a wider view to move around.
The suspension system is rugged but surprisingly refined. Independent suspension up front and meaty steering mean there's no sense of floating or wafting at the straight-ahead position on the move, and despite its size, the Silverado goes where you point it. While you might argue against the front end for heavy off-road work, it brings a refinement and accuracy to the steering and ride quality that you otherwise wouldn't have.
The ride is more comfortable unladen than any of the regular dual-cab brigade, no doubt aided by the long wheelbase. It's still firm, firmer than an SUV or large 4WD for example, but we were impressed with the unladen comfort level from what is first and foremost a robust working platform. You'll feel the firmness if you're rolling over repeated corrugations, for example, or a stretch of particularly poor, pockmarked road. Larger hits, the Silverado irons out quite nicely.
It happens to be beneath the bonnet of the Silverado we're testing here, but the ridiculous ease of the Duramax V8 does give testers pause for thought in a general sense. Obviously, as we move to a more environmentally-conscious future, smaller, petrol and hybrid engines have proliferated, but there is something about the ease with which an engine like this 6.6-litre works that makes any driving scenario effortless.
Key details | 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ Premium |
Engine | 6.6-litre turbo-diesel V8 |
Power | 350kW @ 2800rpm |
Torque | 1322Nm @ 1600rpm |
Drive type | Part-time four-wheel drive with automatic function |
Transmission | 10-speed torque converter automatic |
Power-to-weight ratio | 93kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 3762kg |
Spare tyre type | Full-size |
GVM (NB1) | 4495kg |
GVM (NB2) | 5148kg |
Payload | 733kg (NB1) 1386kg (NB2) |
Tow rating (50mm ball) | 3500kg |
Tow rating (70mm ball) | 4500kg |
Turning circle | 16.1m |
How much weight can a Chevrolet Silverado HD tow?
A combination of inclement weather during our week of testing and timing clashes mean't we couldn't tow for this test. However, Sam did spend some time with a trailer hitched up at launch and here's a reminder of what he found:
Firstly, the braked towing capacity of the Silverado can be either 3500kg or 4500kg depending on whether your towing set-up uses a 50mm ball or 70mm ball. However, there are gains to be had for those who have a light-truck or medium-truck licence. Keeping the Silverado HD LTZ Premium car licence-friendly as an NB1 vehicle means the GVM sticks to 4495kg, giving you a 733kg payload.
Tick the NB2 box and you'll need a truck licence, but your GVM blows out to 5148kg and gives you a much healthier 1386kg payload. Even if you only tow 3500kg worth of trailer, consider going up to NB2 level for the additional available payload. This is because you'll need to account for the ball weight from the trailer as part of the vehicle's payload.
However, the jewel in the crown is the gross combination mass, which is as high as 12,474kg. You'll never need to worry about overloading the combination figure in other words, which is a potential problem with other tow vehicles.
Considering 4500kg and 5148kg doesn't come close to maxxing this number out, you'll need to invest in "third-party tow bar hardware, braking system & certification" (according to General Motors Special Vehicles) in order to increase the braked towing capacity of the vehicle. In other words, you're bleeding into Freightliner territory.
Don't forget, a truck licence also means you'll need to adhere to stricter alcohol limitations, more severe speeding fines, and pulling into the odd weigh station on the highway. But if you want the whole enchilada, that's what you'll need to do.
The information above is why this segment is almost peerless when it comes to those buyers who actually need to tow on a regular basis. While numerous vehicles in 2024 – dual-cabs in the main of course – profess to be able to tow up to 3500kg, the way in which they haul that kind of load on the lowball in the real world is the bone of contention. A full-size truck like the Silverado HD does the job with ridiculous ease.
Should I buy a Chevrolet Silverado HD?
Let me first revisit the point I made in the introduction to this review. If you live in or near the city, no, don't buy this Silverado HD. In fact, if you live even on the urban fringe, it's not the smartest choice you could make. However, if you need to lug weight around, specifically that which comes in the form of a trailer, there is little to compare it to aside from Ram's 2500.
The Silverado's cabin is well appointed, comfortable, spacious and user-friendly. The ride is better than it has any right to be at this size and weight class – even unladen. The engine and gearbox are a neat combination that is both effortless and efficient.
There's no surprise as to why rural buyers love these trucks as much as they do. And if you genuinely need to get to work towing especially, you should be considering this segment.
How do I buy a Chevrolet Silverado HD? The next steps.
The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Chevrolet website for stock of your preferred variant. You can also find Chevrolets for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.
We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ and this is a big truck, so you want to make sure it's the right one for you. We’d also recommend test-driving the Ram 2500 as a suitable comparison. In our estimation though, the Silverado edges the RAM as the better option - but only just.
At the time of testing, the end of the financial year was approaching and deals were there to be had for any commercial vehicles. A drive-away price around the $180,000 was on the mark for most states and territories around Australia, and there was stock of Silverado on offer as well.
If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.