We've seen enough prototypes of the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado to know it's right around the corner, but these are some of the first shots of the heavy-duty version of Chevrolet's best-selling truck. From the looks of it, Chevrolet is going to stick with its current strategy of making only minor cosmetic changes to its heavy haulers. Ford's upcoming Super Duty , on the other hand, is getting even further away from the styling of the standard F-150s. Although Chevrolet's Silverado HD is guaranteed to be an excellent truck, I think Ford has a better strategy.
ateixeira says:
11:11 AM, 05/18/06
Look how long that is....wow. I guess they're not often in urban areas, 'cause I sure would not want to parallel park that bad boy!
rsholland says:
11:23 AM, 05/18/06
That's always been an issue with crew cabs with 8' beds.
ahightower says:
11:28 AM, 05/18/06
I agree. If I was going to buy a "heavy duty" pickup, I would want it to look different from the "light duty" version, to justify the price tag (because I'm gussing that most of these guys don't really need the extra capability). So I'd go Ford rather than Chevy or Dodge.
jerrywimer says:
04:31 AM, 05/19/06
Some of us don't care whether it looks different, just that it does what we need it to and that it looks good. Who cares if it's styled like its lower capacity brethren? I really could care less that the rest of the world might mistake my HD truck for an LD. That would just imply that I bought it to impress THEM. ;o)
rsholland says:
06:12 AM, 05/19/06
Unfortunately Jerry, a lot of folks "do" buy to impress. I'm sure that's a big reason why Ford sells so many Super Duties. It just looks a whole lot tougher than the F-150.
I too thought for a long time that Ford was really dumb to restyle their HD lineup differently from the F-150. However, it's been a huge success, and I gotta think the different and more macho styling played a large part in that success.
ateixeira says:
08:02 AM, 05/19/06
Especially with the last F-150, which was a bit softer styled. The new one looks tougher.
bowtieman says:
11:17 PM, 06/ 8/06
Edmunds made a video comparing the 2006 silverado 3500 duramax against the ford powerstroke and the dodge cummins. They said that the chevy was able to pull the 9,000 lb trailer the easiest, had the best 0-60 time, 8.6 seconds I think, and had the best fuel economy. Now, I looked at the maximum towing capacity for the silverado 3500 DRW and it said 16,700 lbs. But, is that actual 5th wheel towing, or is that just what the hitch can pull, and not the truck? I mean, the Ford says that its maximum 5th wheel towing rate is 19,200 lbs.