New Chevy Silverado 3500 Road Trip

"BahamaTodd" (bahamatodd)
07/06/2020 at 18:35 • Filed to: silverado, silverado hd, Duramax

Last week my brother purchased a new Silverado 3500 Duramax, and over the weekend we went on a trip to get it.

This is the plan for it once the grill is wrapped or painted:

But for now it looks like this. He actually prefers the Silverado over the Sierra.

It will be used for his !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to tow large boats ranging from 10k-20k lbs, and up to 40 feet. It is replacing his Ford Transit which worked great for the mobile part of his job, but he has been spending too much on towing services and rental equipment to move and transport the boats (Over $3000 last month alone).

The reasoning for the trip? There is very little inventory nationwide and he was looking for specific options. We live in south Florida and went to Illinois for it. $60 plane ticket vs $1300 for shipping. The dealer had what he was looking for and he got a pretty good deal. $4250 GM rebate, close to GM supplier pricing and only $125 fees from the dealer, $1000 Costco rebate, and a $1000 business rebate towards accessories (went towards steps, rear fender liners and floor liners).

This is a 3500 crew cab, work truck, short bed, 4x4, diesel, with the convenience package (power locks/windows, power mirrors, cruise control), safety package (parking, blind spot sensors), alloy wheels, and the rear camera mirror. There were only three trucks in the country with this combination.

This thing is so ridiculously large, but the camera mirror and parking sensors are very helpful. Its nice that GM offers those features on the WT trim. Its pretty easy to drive down the road and the Duramax is very quiet, but the ride is pretty stiff which is expected for a 1 ton. The low load floor and maneuverability of his Transit will certainly be missed. He will install a bed cap to gain back some of the cargo volume he had with the van.

Over the 1200 mile trip we averaged 18 mpg going mostly 80 mph. With its 36 gallon diesel tank that allows for over 600 miles of range. Not bad for a 4 ton behemoth with 445hp and 910 lb-ft tq. It also picks up and goes pretty well. But seriously, the curb weight is 8074 lbs. Kudos to GM for included these detailed capacity labels now:

The interior works well enough and has all the basics. Although he really wanted vinyl but there were no trucks in the country with that combination. The Silverado comes standard with a 7 inch infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto which was a major selling point. Most Ford and Ram base models come with a tiny 4 inch or so screen with no Apple or Android.

Gotta love those roof clearance lights:

We were passing nearby Bowling Green along the way so we made a short stop at the Corvette Museum. Our parents have a red 2020 C8 on order since November so I jokingly said we would check if its done and bring it back.

Surprise!

Main hall and customer delivery staging area:

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! :

DISCUSSION (6)

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > BahamaTodd
07/06/2020 at 18:58

Crikey, that is one cliff of a grille. And it’s not a pretty cliff...

Curious how these compare price wise compared to the Hino 155 cab over trucks over your way. Primarily because we get them here too whilst we only get the premium versions of the Silverado (because they are the only ones that make sense with the extra cost of a RHD conversion).

BahamaTodd > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
07/06/2020 at 19:23

Here’s the Hino 155 specs.

Kinja'd!!!

Silverado 3500:

445 hp

910 tq

GVWR: 12,100 lbs

GCWR: 29,700 lbs

So the Hino has a higher GVWR of 14,500 lbs for more payload. But the Silverado has more than twice the power and torque and a much higher GCWR compared to 20,500 lbs for the Hino for a higher tow rating.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BahamaTodd
07/06/2020 at 19:47

I suppose the road trip and plane tickets were cheaper than the lost discounts if he special ordered it. The grille is still a bit much but I think I’ve had time to adjust to seeing something of such massive proportions.

They should have at least dusted off the sinkhole Corvettes. They are still covered in mud and dust and dirt!

BahamaTodd > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/06/2020 at 21:07

He considered ordering but he would have to wait at least another four months. By that time he could get the end of year discounts. The main issue was his monthly costs continuing without the truck.

This lift costs $10/foot for every use and this is a 40 foot boat. $400 take it out, put on stands, then put back in the water. Now he can use his truck and trailer to accomplish the same thing.

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SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > BahamaTodd
07/06/2020 at 21:55

Yeah that gross combination figure is a pretty big deal for the Silverado...

handrews3 > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
07/07/2020 at 13:41

I don’t know what GM was thinking with the front end of this thing . The square grill with the angled headlights just does not work. Actually though the top trim “High Country” has a slightly different grill that extends all the way to both headlights and that looks WAAAAYYY better. Like actually good looking imo.