test drive

Driving GM's New HD Pickups

Tom Berg • Senior Equipment Editor

General Motors is proud of its latest light-duty pickups, which are nice-riding and feature-rich. Many writers at enthusiast magazines have proclaimed the new 1500-series Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierras as the best half-ton trucks now available. Customers evidently agree, as they're buying enough of them to seriously challenge Ford's traditional domination of this market with its F-150 pickups.

Now GM has released the heavy-duty variants, the 2500HD and 3500HD, which use the same noses and cabs mounted on stronger frames and suspensions. Does the charm of the lighter-duty models migrate upward? Yes and no, I found during a recent GM all-brands event in Charlotte, N.C. While luxury cars and SUVs were being grabbed for joy rides by dealer people and fleet customers, I kept my journalistic nose to the grindstone by sticking with commercial trucks, including the red pickup you see here.

Tougher underpinnings change the character of a truck almost as soon as its wheels begin turning. Within a few blocks it was clear that the exceptionally smooth, controlled ride that's one of the 1500-series' finest features was not duplicated in the HD models. Over even asphalt the ride was firm, as one might expect from a stronger chassis and suspensions, and over rough concrete the ride bordered on harsh. This was true whether the trucks had single rear wheels or duals, long or short wheelbases, and simple or posh trim levels.

The firm ride seemed appropriate for a work truck, though, and that's what this base-trimmed GMC Sierra 2500HD Regular Cab is. Inside it had a split bench seat with a fold-down armrest and seat bolsters for driver and passenger. The raised upholstery kept my butt and legs in place through corners, but I had to plant my broad beam squarely between the two bolsters to keep my thighs from being pinched. A handsome, tweedy cloth fabric in black-and-gray looked nice, felt good, stayed cool and will probably wear well.

The dashboard was the "pure truck" design (a "luxury" style is optional), and the truck had cruise control (which I used whenever traffic allowed), air conditioning, plus a nice-sounding stereo radio with CD player. But its equipment was otherwise no-nonsense, with rubber floor mats, roll-up windows, and non-motorized mirrors.

The two-piece mirror on the right side was an annoyance, as I had to stretch across the wide cab and roll down the window to grab and adjust the glass, and I couldn't seem to get the convex portion aimed to where I could see enough. Power mirrors are a better idea, especially if a truck will regularly have more than one driver. And as on the 1500s, which I reported on last fall, there is no assist handle for the driver, which made climbing into high-floored 4x4s a chore, as there's only the steering wheel to grab.

Now, would the 2500HD's firm ride settle down while toting a load? I had asked GM Fleet & Commercial's press relations manager, Rob Minton, to arrange for one, and he did – a pallet of bottled water weighing about 1,300 pounds. A crew forklifted it aboard, and as it settled into the bed, the truck's stout, two-stage leaf springs hardly deflected. The ride remained firm but less choppy, and the truck seemed more than able to handle much more weight.

This truck had some optional bed hardware that helped secure the load. The pallet's forward edge rested against a tube-and-mesh divider that locks into aluminum rails on either side. Various sizes and shapes of toolboxes are also among the aluminum accessories available as part of this handy system. Although there's no factory spray-in liner on the options list, your dealer would be happy to arrange one.

The only gasoline engine offered in HD pickups is the Vortec 6000 V-8. Smaller engines are confined to half-ton pickups, and the big-block Vortec 8100 can now be had only in GM's medium-duty trucks. Most guys who tow heavy trailers with pickups will choose the Duramax diesel anyway.

The 6-liter (364-cubic-inch) Vortec makes up to 353 horsepower and 373 pounds-feet of torque. When used in 1500-series pickups, this engine comes with Active Fuel Management, which cuts out four cylinders when loads are light to save gasoline. This feature is not used on Vortec 6000s in HD pickups. Engineers figure the engine will work harder and be less likely to revert to V-4 configuration.

The Vortec 6000 comes only with a new six-speed Hydra-matic (you can't get a manual transmission, but probably wouldn't want one anyway). The smooth automatic had a ratio for every situation, so the engine neither lugged nor overreved. Just below Drive is a Manual position; while there you can thumb a sliding switch on the shifter lever to down- or upshift the tranny.

I soon learned that leaving it in D and using the Tow-Haul mode worked better. When engaged by a push-button on the end of the shifter, T-H caused the tranny to stay in each gear longer during acceleration and downshifted right to 2nd during braking to add some engine-compression retarding.

Both the Manual and Tow-Haul modes originated several years ago in the six-speed Allison 1000 automatic that comes with the Duramax V-8 diesel. While the two Allisons I drove in Charlotte shifted smoothly enough, they thumped roughly into gear from Park or Neutral. I couldn't tell if this is a new characteristic of the latest Allisons, or if these two examples simply need an adjustment. I drove a couple of DuraMaxes only briefly, but enough to note they had plenty of power and, thanks to '07 emissions equipment, spewed no smoke or odor.

Urban sprawl along interstates, state highways and county roads north and west of Charlotte provided plenty of opportunities to slow, stop and accelerate, giving the Vortec/Hydra-matic powertrain a brisk workout. Weather-wise it was sunny with temps in the low 70s, so I ran with windows partly down and enjoyed the day. It got warmer as the afternoon progressed, so I cranked up the windows and turned on the strong A/C and enjoyed the peace and quiet. The HVAC controls on this work truck were easily understood rotary knobs, while upscale trim levels use sometimes puzzling pushbuttons.

After about 90 miles in this very able but plain-vanilla pickup, I was ready to relax my fixation with trucks and climb into something more comfortable – maybe a fancy Buick Lucerne or Cadillac DTS – and ease myself into the evening. Alas, the event's driving time had concluded, and all I could do was ride the bus back to the hotel and pamper myself with food and drink. These events are tough duty.