2017 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD Diesel: 0-60 MPH, Real-World MPG, and Towing Review [Video]

2017 duramax l4p chevy silverado hd 3500 diesel towing review
2017 Chevy Silverado HD 3500 Dually Duramax V8

Here is the new 2017 Duramax V8-powered Chevy Silverado HD 3500 diesel. The 6.6L Duramax V8 is all new and produces 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of torque. This is a giant leap in power from the turbo-diesel in the 2016 GM trucks. The new diesel trucks from GM are still using the 6-speed Allison transmission. Overall, the rest of the truck is same as before, although you can recognize the 2017 models by the functional hood scoop.

This new-found power is all well and good, but how does the truck perform in the real world? We put it through a series of test to find out how quick it is at 0-60 MPH, how quiet is the cabin at speed, and how well it does at towing a 14,000 lbs gooseneck trailer. This is our first-drive review of the truck. The Ike Gauntlet extreme towing test, highway MPG tests and more are still coming.

The truck you see here is the LT model 4×4 crew cab dually. The as-tested price is $65,930.

The 2017 Duramax V8 surprised with a blistering (for a heavy dually pickup) 8.25 seconds 0-60 MPH run at a mile above sea level. How quick is this? Well, dually trucks from just a year or two ago we running 10 second acceleration times. The 2015 Ford F-350 did the 0-60 MPH in 8.17 seconds. We will test all three 2017 dually trucks to get to the bottom of this.

This truck is also quiet at speed. It registered 62.3 dB at approximately 60 mph. This is about as quiet as gas-powered half-ton truck at the same speed.

Finally, Kent and I delivered his 1994 Dodge Ram to the transmission shop to get worked on. After about 30 miles of mixed highway and city driving (with the 14,000 lbs BigTex 3XGN trailer), the trip computer showed 8.9 MPGs. We will do proper highway MPG loops soon, so you will know exactly how this truck stacks up against the 2017 Ford Super Duty and 2017 Ram HD.