2020 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500HD FIRST TEST: BIG TRUCK IN THE LITTLE CITY

Standing there in the MotorTrend garage, I felt like a matador in the ring, sizing up a fighting bull. Its gargantuan proportions and menacing visage struck me with intimidation. Yet like a trained fighter, I knew that with cunning and calculation I could overcome this brute. Returning its glare, I marched forward, stomped my foot on the running board, and climbed into the Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD.

For 2020 the heavy-duty Silverado's capability increased—as did its size. Atop its 158.9-inch wheelbase is a body measuring 250.0 inches long, 81.9 inches wide, and 79.8 inches tall. It makes the Silverado 1500 LT Trail Boss Z71—231.7 inches long, 81.2 inches wide, and 78.4 inches tall on a 147.5-inch wheelbase—seem compact by comparison. Trailer hitch backed within an inch of the garage wall, its grille still jutted out into the aisle. Folding the power-operated side mirrors was necessary to make it narrow enough to fit at all. Even for a tall guy like myself, sitting in such an elevated position was an unusual sensation.

With this size, driving in bustling, unforgiving Los Angeles traffic became a constant mental exercise. Freeway lane markers were constrictive. Wide angles had to be plotted to execute simple corners. Covered parking was scuttled because it exceeded some height limits. Slender neighborhood avenues became testing grounds for nonverbal negotiation with oncoming drivers. Clearly, this brute is not meant for the confines of dense urban areas. Like going up against a bull in combat, I couldn't think in the moment—rather, I always had to be one step ahead.

Thankfully, the Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel V-8 got the truck out of its own way and easily ahead of speed: It churns 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of torque. Even to MotorTrend test staff, who spend their days launching every manner of performance vehicle, its acceleration impressed. "What an amazingly quick truck," road test editor Chris Walton said. "With the driveline set to auto (4WD), this HD leaps off the line like an all-wheel-drive sports car." Its 6.5-second 0-60 is within reach of some hot compacts and speedy against comparable trucks. Our long-term 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty did the sprint in 7.1 seconds, and the 2019 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty hit it in 8.4 seconds. Exciting, considering the 2500HD's 8,353-pound curb weight and accompanying oleaginous symphony of turbodiesel V-8 sounds.

The new 10-speed Allison automatic transmission keeps the engine in its sweet spot, enabling endless torque and supporting the truck's 18,500-pound tow rating. Walton's dragstrip observation that the transmission "clicks off seamless upshifts like a twin-clutch automated manual" proved true on public roads, too. It occasionally got caught between gears at low speeds, a minor gripe considering how well it complements the engine. With so many cogs to move through, the V-8 never feels wrung out.

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