NEW SILVERADO 2500 HD

 A Gross Vehicle Mass of 5148kg. A payload approaching 1400kg. A 16m turning circle. A wheelbase exceeding 4m. More than 250mm of ground clearance. Overall length of 6.5m if you include the tow ball. These are some of the headline figures for the biggest vehicle to reach KiwiGARAGE HQ and possibly the one with the longest name. That CHEVHD plate is short for Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Premium 2500 HD. Big name, big potential, big space, big comfort. Oh, and a big $175k price.

From the sumptuous driver’s seat, many things strike you as laugh-out-loud large. The padded central cubby lid is the size of a coffee table. A regular coffee cup would get lost in the drink holders. The stiff column shifter could be repurposed as a grab handle. The actual grab handles would accept a baseball mit. The aerial ahead of the driver’s A-pillar reaches for the stars. You could dry a beach towel on top of the dash. And rear-seat passengers enjoy the legroom and cabin width associated with limousines.

Also massive, the split-view wing mirrors are works of art, giving a driver excellent visibility along each flank and proving invaluable when parking kerbside. They work in conjunction with 14 superb cameras to inspire close-quarters confidence. When towing, the giant mirrors slide outwards at a push of a button to extend your view. We extended and retracted them for fun. Magic.

The 6.6-litre V8 diesel might also be considered a work of art. Of course it is suitably enormous but actually looks sensibly-sized when you lift the bonnet. There’s just as much visual drama in the vast front grille and bonnet venting. Likewise, the 20-inch wheels and high-profile tyres look modest beneath their angular arches. There’s so much clear space under those arches that you can pop your head in for a good look at the (independent) front and rear suspension.

Time taken to adapt to the HD was surprisingly brief. We soon felt comfortable in traffic, tackling typical urban routes but carefully considering our parking options. Other drivers respect your superior mass; you don’t get bullied in the biggest Silverado. So we just got on with enjoying the vast torque, the generally smooth running, the grandstand view and surprising ease of use. It quickly became apparent through the steering feel and accuracy, and very good brake pedal modulation, that the GM Special Vehicles guys had engineered a gold-star right-hand-drive conversion. That’s no mean feat when there’s so little room to work with in the packed engine bay and surroundings.

Depleting the 136L fuel tank for no good reason seemed poor form so we did our standard week’s running and left 350km of remaining range for the next driver. An official economy figure eluded us but we averaged 15L/100km with not much in the way of leisurely motorway runs. What went in and out of the enormous tray with its fabulous electronic tailgate weighed less than two average adult males. Well-placed steps proved very helpful when loading and unloading due to the tray height. There are 12 tie-down points to contain the load.

Yes, every drive in the 2500 HD proved an event and we enjoyed the overall experience despite it being oversized for our purposes. But there will be contractors and serious haulers out there for which the big Chevy will be just the thing, especially if a Silverado 1500 can’t quite cut the mustard.