2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD: A Seismic Entry Into The Fray
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We were lucky enough to see the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD in person. It dwarfs what we have so far conceived to be an HD truck. It’s so massive, that it made the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 – which has the same hood height as the outgoing Silverado HD – appear as it if were just a Colorado midsize truck. It’s a whole segment, maybe two segments bigger than it was before.
The 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD so massive, that it makes the outgoing Silverado HD look like a dime-a-dozen half-ton. It’s so big that now there’s an assist step (branded “BedStep”) so as to actually be able to physically access things in the box from the side of the truck. It’s so massive that Chevrolet could not physically raise the bed any higher because it then wouldn’t properly accommodate a gooseneck trailer.
Gargantuan. Titanic. Colossal.
What will power the elephantic 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD hood is a choice of two new engines: an all-new gasoline engine with direct injection mated to a six-speed transmission, which we were first to report on last month. While Chevrolet hasn’t made things official on this gasoline V8 engine just yet, it will likely come in at 6.6L in displacement. We’ve reported that the engine has been validated by Navistar as well as GM, since it will likely find itself as the heart of the Class 4,5, and 6 commercial duty 2019 Silverado 4500, 5500 and 6500HD trucks that were co-developed with Navistar.
The second engine will be a new Duramax Turbo-Diesel V8, delivering 910 pound-feet of torque through an all-new, Allison 10-speed transmission. Sounds robust.
While no interior shots were provided just yet, expect the interior of the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD to mimic that of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 half-ton. We saw that much in spy photos. This means an additional 3 inches of legroom on crew cab models, and a taller seating position for the retired NFL linemen that will drive them. Pictured is a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab in LT trim, for reference.
Like the 2019 Silverado 1500, the 2020 Silverado HD also will offer new trailering technology, along with significant (yet unspecified) increases in towing and payload capabilities. Chevrolet also talks of “a host” of new technologies and features designed “specifically for heavy-duty truck customers.”
The 2020 Silverado HD will be built at the GM Flint Assembly plant in Flint, Michigan and be available in North American markets, including the United States, Canada and Mexico.
We hope to have more 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD news to share as we get closer to the 2019 Chicago Auto Show in February, where it will likely be on a rotating display next to a mid-engine Corvette.
[toggle title=”2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD Photos”]
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Man that’s almost as ugly as the Ford Super Duty.
It would appear you have to look as ugly as your competition or almost.
My goodness that is one ugly truck! Let’s hope the Sierra HD looks better.
It’s not so bad if you don’t look at the front end.
It’s got plenty of clearance, looks demented, and has plenty of power. They didn’t hang the DEF tank too low – either that or it’s on the passenger side.
There are positives here. Just don’t look at the front end.
The Front-End isn’t too bad, it clearly makes a statement that it’s not trying to be on the “Pretty Boy” team, and that’s something that I can go for in a truck of this caliber, I’d love to see this thing in Black paint.
I like it!
I like from the grille back.
WTH??? Can GM not design a handsome truck anymore? That headlights and markers are awful looking! Look’s like a Dodge from the 50’s (I’m sorry Dodge to compare this ugly thing to your classics but you know….)
Grille is fine, front bumper finally looks nice but come on! Who at GM thought that was a good idea? Oh wait….never mind.
It’s ugly ,but I just want to know if it will out hustle,out muscle,out tow and out haul the Competition? If not unless you are a die hard Chevy fan it will not be your first choice. If you are not going to be the best looking you should at least be the best at everything else. It seems that GM have a hard time understanding this.
We’ll know soon enough once those numbers come in for the refined 6.6 Liter Diesel and the new 6.6 Gas. When this truck is just 90 shy of producing 1,000 lbs of torque, that’s fairly impressive, for the most part, the design will grow on me overtime and even at this point, I can sustain a Higher Prospective based on judgement of this truck holding up pretty well in the market once it arrives, especially with Fleet Sales.
You say refined 6.6 diesel. Did the upgrade the Duramax? According to the article the rateing are the same as the present Duramax. Also according to the article the new gas engine comes with a six speed. If this is correct I wonder why they didn’t put their new ten speed with the new engine. True about seeing it in person it might grow on me.
After retiring 30 years at GM as a toolmaker/machinist and working at an assembly plant in the drivetrains department I constant had many conversations with Engineers. I believe in my seventy-one years I’ve learned a lot about GM trucks (my dad sold new Chevrolet for twenty-five years). As far as the Duramax diesel goes you have to remember diesels make mountain of torque and don’t rev. very high RPM’s. I believe the ten speed transmission will not hold up behind 910 ft. Pounds of torque. The six speed is a Allison design used behind Diesel engines and much more beefier than the GM standard six speed automatic. Maybe I’m all wrong but that’s my take.
That so-called Allison 10-speed is actually a GM transmission. I work at Allison and we’re just licensing the Allison name—unlike the Allison 6-speed 1000/2000 series being manufactured in Indianapolis for GM’s class 4/5/6 Silverado medium duty trucks to launch in January. If GM’s 10 speed can’t handle the torque Allison’s reputation for superior quality will take a hit—risky move.
I was referring to the new 6.6 gasoline Engine when I asked about the 10 speed that they offer in the 2019 6.2 Silverado. They also offer it in the Camaro ZL1 that has a lot mor Horsepower and torque than the New 6.6 gas truck engine has. They also mention a 10 speed Allison to be used with the Duramax. I was wondering about that. This is the first I have heard about a 10 speed Allison.
Have a little from first gen Colorado. I like it.
Exactly what I was thinking Rosado!
Not that bad, but the current gen HD looks better. Evolutionary is better than revolutionary when it comes to design changes, and the K2 is still distinctly a GM truck, this less so. Jeep does this well with the Wrangler, tasteful updates make it modern, but they don’t mess with the proven durable appearance everyone recognizes.
And I still think the GMC wheel wells suit these new trucks better than the Chevy ones, more angular, the half ton Silverado bed with those wheel wells look lifted from a Tundra. Lead, don’t follow.
The first Toyota truck, the G1, 1938-42 was was based on Ford and GM trucks.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/10/cb/4d/10cb4de64f0feb704ec7a1dfb057273e.jpg
Love them Toyota wheel wells!
This has been a long time coming. I would rather see a gold Bow Tie vs. Chevrolet on the grill. GM has needed to make a significantly different HD version the way Ford has been doing for so long with their HD options.
I’m not sure about the exterior styling upfront but the side shot doesn’t look that bad. I just hope the power matches or beats out the competition since we all know Ram will coming out swinging with their new HD version.
There may be different grille combinations available too.
I’m guessing the GMC front will be easier on the eyes like the 1500. But lets remember looks are in the eye of the beholder. The rest of the truck looks great to me. However the interior is still the interior, O well, GM could shock us with a different interior. Wouldn’t that be great. But when is the last time GM shocked anyone with a new products interior.
I actually laughed out loud when I saw its face for the first time. My god it’s unattractive! I might be able to tolerate it with a paper bag over its head…
I said this some time back.
Class leading is having something that everyone can find something they like about it. Polarizing is not how you grow market share. I’m sure as far as performance this will be a stellar truck, GM trucks are, but style attracts new buyers, quality keeps them. I’m not sure this look will do it, in fact, right now, the new generation GM design seems to be pushing loyalist away.
I always hated the 03-07 ‘angry china man’ front end. After seeing this, it makes that look like an old classic. This is hands down the Ugliest front end I’ve ever seen on a truck manufactured by anyone. And honestly I think the square wheel wells look wrong on this. If they’re going to pick a wheel well shape they need to stick with it. Dodge does and so does Ford. The entire body here is the 1500 body and it just looks wrong with squares. It’s like they’re taking the modern truck with curves and trying to make it a Square body AGAIN. Chevy nailed the wheel well shape on the 1500’s, why change it back? It makes the truck look old and dated right out of the gate.
Being a heavy duty aside, the 2 positives I see compared to the 1500 are this has a full front bumper without the mutton chops front fenders (which could have easily been fixed on the 1500). There are plenty of photo shop fixes to this on gm-trucks and elsewhere.. The other being that this has the plastic wheel opening protection (which could also easily be offered on the 1500).
I’m sorry, this truck is just all wrong. I’m baffled as to how Chevy continues to drop the ball on these new trucks.
Agreed on the 03 – 07 front end. They exchanged the clean and sleek 99-02 headlights, hood, fenders for a horrendous grimace, something that clashed with the rest of the truck. Unimaginable that someone with eyes would approve such a thing.
GM has a history of ruining front ends at the mid cycle update:
93-96 Camaro – cool
97-02 Camaro – fugly
14-16 Silverado – cool
17-19 Silverado – not so much
Sierra notably is spared from the uglification each time no matter the generation, and gets to keep the face it was meant to have.
How can you forget:
15-19 Camaro: Great!
19′ Camaro: Dog Sh!t.
It seems to me like all of the design talent is going straight into Cadillac/GMC. Chevy is stuck with designers straight from school who are clearly not wearing a strong enough prescription.
If only Edward Welburn and Bob Lutz stuck around for another decade or two. But just like the polarizing look of the Ford Super Duty, this truck will hold up well for the most part once it comes into the market.
Are people expecting a HD truck to look good? It really ain’t a car that we’re talking about guys
Yes but, did you know that ford sells heck of a lot more super duties then f150’s? I’m sure that looks have a lot to do with that. and SEMA proves that.
The people who design these vehicles are all artists in their own way. Artists also see things differently from other people. artists also make things some people don’t like all the time, but it takes time to grow on some as well.
Personally, I think the 3/4 view of the vehicle makes the vehicle look tall, elegant, and intimidating. I think they are on to something. The vehicles don’t look nowhere near as good as they do in person, so personally I wouldn’t go as far to judge the vehicle quite yet. So yes, I like the vehicle.
Also, It looks like the Z71 model doesn’t have the lights seen in some of the recent spy shots. So there is still more to come. Don’t be too judgmental so quickly.
Good comment!
If this was a drawn picture that will find that one owner who loves it, I’d agree with you. Even though the designers are like artists, but this is meant for other people to like, and to be sold in large quantities. and if majority don’t then that artists didn’t succeed.
10-Speed Allison!!!!!
I actually really like it. For all of you that are jumping on the bandwagon that it’s hideous, just wait until we see some real world photos. Aside from styling, let’s talk about the 10 speed Allison. The 10 speed transmission is a class exclusive feature, and having the Allison name on it is going to really ease the minds of people who might be worried about the reliability of a brand new transmission with 10 speeds. And then there’s the bed steps, which will be very appreciated by the fleet customers that are constantly reaching into the bed. And finally, the new gas engine should be a huge improvement. The old 6.0 vortec is probably one of the most reliable and durable gas engines in any vehicle on the market currently, but it’s thirsty and just doesn’t have the power of Ford’s 6.2 or the 6.4 hemi. It would be cool if GM kept the 6.0 around as a base engine, mostly for fleet customers and then the new engine could be optional, like what Ram does with the 5.7 and 6.4.
Everyone here is going to hate it, whatever it looks like, this site and the other GM”news” crap site are the same thing, wailing walls for crybabies that buy nothing and complain about everything………..
Mr,
You know NOTHING about the average “GM news site” contributor. EVERYONE is entitled to write WHATEVER there opinion is. And how do you know we buy nothing. I own a 2017 Denali HD Duramax, 2015 Canyon All Terrain, and a 2014 Cadillac ATS 2.0T. All fairly new vehicles. If I don’t like the Grill of this particular truck I will say it. Like you said there are surely more options to come. But it is MY opinion. It is also MY opinion that if GM would READ MORE of the ” GM news site comments” and frankly ALL ” vehicle news site comments” they could figure out truly what MOST AVERAGE people want in a vehicle. Look at the 1500 Silverado, it was outsold by RAM. Sure not total GM trucks but Silverado was. AND, AND, AND MOST, MOST, MOST, average comments on ” vehicle news sites” told us that BEFORE it happened. Just because YOU don’t want to understand the POWER of average conversation doesn’t mean it is not right from time to time. LOOK at Cadillac, MOST, MOST, MOST average comments told us what was going to happen WELL before it did.
I WILL BUY A 2020 GMC HD Duramax as soon as it is made available as I’m sure you will join me with your purchase. Because if there is anything you don’t like its people commenting on things they don’t buy.
MrR you are right ! All the guys here making those hate remarks come from trolls from the pickcuptrucks.com site and the tfltruck.com site
The bed step looks fine in a dark color and actually pretty cool in the close up. Not sure that it won’t stick out or that I would want a truck with them in a lighter color, though, at least when taking looks into consideration.
They just need to give it a rest on increasing the frontal area and overall mass of these trucks.
Based on the photos, I think it’s an improvement with the exception of the front, but I might change my feelings on that given some time.
The front end on this model reminds me of a cheese grater. There will probably be several variations of styling.
A face only its mother could love…
Guess you find inside? The same 1500 awful interior. It´s looks like design nightmare monster.