Watch The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Towing Tech In Action: Video

Technology (and stuff!) makes driving cars easier and safer than ever. One area technology has improved the driving experience is towing, and the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado packs a plethora of features that make towing effortless. The Jalopnik video above highlights several of the truck’s new towing technologies designed to assist a novice or first-time towing trucker.

One of the truck’s neatest features is the trailer checklist available in the Silverado’s infotainment system. This provides a step-by-step guide on how to properly hook up several different types of trailers such as a horse trailer, gooseneck, fifth wheel, or conventional trailer. Ensuring a trailer is attached correctly is key to safety. 

To help with hooking the trailer to the truck, there’s a hitch mode for the rear-view camera that overlays a guideline on the screen, making it easier to line up the hitch to the trailer. When the truck is aligned with the trailer, putting the Silverado in Park automatically engages the parking brake to avoid the small roll often associated with automatic gearboxes.  

Once the trailer is correctly hooked up, the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado can perform a light recognition test. This will ensure the lights on the trailer are working correctly, which helps if you’re trying to attach a trailer by yourself. The system will check all the lights. In the video, the trailer attached to the Silverado lacks reverse lights. The Silverado’s light recognition test noticed the lack of reverse lights and prompted the driver to check them. 

The last feature the video touches on is the Silverado’s electro-hydraulic brakes. This not only allows brake pressure to build up at the wheels for better performance during emergencies that engage the anti-lock brakes or GM’s StabiliTrak systems but also allows the hill hold assist system to hold indefinitely. The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado hill hold assist would only hold the truck for about three seconds before releasing. But the improved system in the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado holds until the accelerator is depressed, slowly releasing brake pressure.