GMSV will sell you a decidedly unapologetic truck

Friday, 27 August 2021

General Motors Specialty Vehicles has launched with the new Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

GMSV has confirmed another Chevrolet Silverado will be coming to New Zealand, the latest Heavy-Duty LTZ Premium model.

It’s a big one, with the tray alone measuring 2104mm long and 1814mm wide, accommodating as much as 1968 litres of volume. Under the bonnet is something equally over-the-top, a 6.6-litre turbocharged diesel V8 with 332kW/1234Nm. Overkill? Probably.

To further differentiate the model from other GMSV trucks, the Silverado HD will get a standard ‘Appearance Pack’ with additional customisation available.

Those 20-inch wheels look like castor wheels. That's how big the Heavy Duty is.

Aesthetic enhancements include body colour front and rear bumpers, black hood vents and lower skid plate, black belt moulding, body colour door handles, black exterior badges, black bow tie on horn pad, high gloss black wheels with black centre caps, a spray-on bed liner and black tubular side steps.

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The tray alone measures 2104mm long and 1814mm wide.

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Inside is lots of leather and creature comforts.

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A Z71 off-road package helps handling, which adds Rancho twin-tube shocks, hill-descent control and skid plates with Z71 badging.

Inside is a heated steering wheel, a 15-inch head-up display, eight-inch digital display behind the wheel paired with traditional analogue gauges, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control and a sunroof.

The HD will come standard with the ‘Technology and Safety Pack 2’, consisting of a suite of active safety features including front and rear park assist, lane change alert with side blind zone alert and rear cross traffic alert and low speed forward automatic braking.

You also get front pedestrian braking, IntelliBeam automatic headlamp control, a following distance indicator, and a safety alert seat. This is an optional extra for the normal Silverado.

“We’ve enjoyed a huge response to the new Chevrolet Silverado product and, with the impending arrival of the new HD, will have three very different truck propositions to satisfy a huge variety of customer needs and wants,” said the director of GMSV, Joanne Stogiannis.

“We anticipate the key to the success of the new Silverado HD is a commitment to maintain a truck-worthy, torque-rich diesel engine, as it’s a powertrain which has widespread appeal.”

The recommended retail price of the MY21 Silverado HD LTZ Premium is $159,990. This includes GST but is exclusive of statutory charges and on-road costs such as dealer-delivery fees. It will also likely be subject to a fee starting next year under the Clean Car Standard.

Full technical specifications will be confirmed after final certification is completed, which is anticipated to be early in Q4.