Is it worth your money to purchase a turbo-diesel version of a heavy duty pickup truck? This was the main question on the mind of the TFLtruck team as we took on the extreme Ike Gauntlet HD towing test in the 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD with the 6.0L Vortec V8 motor.
The test truck is a 2500 HD Crew Cab 4×4 LT with the Z71 off-road package. The workhorse gasoline engine remains the 6.0 liter V8 that make 360 hp @ 5,400 rpm and 380 lb-ft of torque @ 4,200 rpm. We are towing a Logan Coach trailer loaded with water totes for a total trailer weight of 12,000 lbs. There is an additional water container in the bed to fine tune the total Gross Combined weight of 20,360 lbs. This is within a hair of the total maximum rating for this truck, which is 20,500 lbs as listed by Chevrolet. The bottom line is – this truck is loaded to the max!
For the sake of comparison versus the Duramax GMC 3500 that we tested earlier this summer, we wanted to add another 2,000 lbs of water to the load. However, we could not exceed the total weight rating of the truck in the name of safety. We will use the 20,500 lbs as the target Gross Combined weight for all the 2500 series trucks that we test.
The 6.6L Duramax diesel motor and 6-speed Allison transmission combination add over $8,100 to the price of the Silverado HD. So, is getting the turbocharged diesel worth the extra price of admission, the extra cost of the fuel and maintenance? That is the question. The Duramax can be more fuel efficient, but it will take between 100,000 to 200,000 miles in efficiency savings to make up the initial $8,100 cost. (See the table and video below for the results).
| 2015 Chevy Silverado HD | |||
| Model | 2500 Crew Cab 4×4 | ||
| As Tested $ | $49,545 | ||
| Engine | 6.0-liter V8 | ||
| Transmission | 6-speed | ||
| Power (hp / lb-ft) | 360 / 380 | ||
| Payload (lbs) | 3,152 | ||
| Tow Rating (lbs) | 13,000 (4.10 axle) | ||
| Test Load (trailer + cargo + ppl) | 13,000 lbs | ||
| Suspension Sag | 1 in | ||
| Ambient Temp F | 74F | ||
| Relative Humidity | Low (25%) | ||
| Barometric Pressure (at top) | 19.76 inHg | ||
| Calculated Power Loss | N / A | ||
| Down: Brake Temp (Front / Rear / Trailer) F | 323 / 283 / 150 | ||
| Down: Transmission Temp | normal | ||
| Up: Time | 10:38.82 | ||
| Up: MPG | 2.5 | ||
| Up: Interior dB | n/a | ||
| Up: Transmission Temp | normal | ||
For comparison, read and watch how the 2015 GMC 3500 HD SRW with the 6.6L Duramax turbo-diesel did under a similar load. Albeit, the Duramax GMC 3500 had a higher payload rating and was carrying 2,600 lbs of extra Gross Combined weight.
Watch this fun and informative Ike Gauntlet HD video here:
