Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD reviews

2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Driving Impressions

The Chevrolet Silverado remains one of the best-driving full-size pickups, even when measured against its newer competition. It feels tight and quiet, with little road noise or wind noise.

Those are benefits of its stiff frame, which minimizes noise and vibration from the running gear. The rigid chassis allows the suspension to soak up and manage bumps and ruts and tar strips. The cab is stiffened by a magnesium beam behind the instrument panel and a lateral steel beam between the magnesium beam and the right side of the dash. This additional stiffening is designed to eliminate squeaks and rattles, and we haven't heard any.

The Chevy Silverado rides more smoothly than the Dodge Ram. We drove a Silverado 1500 2WD LS Extended Cab that rode very smoothly. Its long, 143-inch wheelbase contributed to the ride (and enhanced high-speed stability). Models with Quadrasteer have a rougher ride, however. We drove a Silverado with Quadrasteer that tended to bounce annoyingly over a succession of dips. We suspect that the heavier rear axle that comes with Quadrasteer causes the rougher ride.

The Silverado handles well on dry pavement, loose dirt, deep dirt, and off road. It tracks straight at speed on dry pavement and it's stable on wet pavement. It holds its line when the rear wheels spin under acceleration, even when coming out of a low-speed turn on wet pavement. Steering is responsive and offers the right amount of feedback; there is a dead spot in the center when cruising, however, which Chevrolet says is designed to minimize steering corrections on the highway. Rack-and-pinion steering is used on Silverado 1500 4x2s. Four-wheel-drive and heavy-duty models use recirculating-ball steering.

Quadrasteer is no gimmick. It enhances low-speed maneuverability, and is a must-have for owners who tow, though it's available (for $1,995) only on selected models. (For 2005, that would be the 1500 Extended Cab short-box 4WD, 1500HD Crew Cab with 2WD or 4WD, and all 2500HD Crew Cabs). The Silverado is a full-size truck in a compact world, and Quadrasteer helps address that. Four-wheel steering helps when maneuvering through crowded parking lots and public garages. With Quadrasteer, you can make a U-turn in places that previously required backing up. A Silverado that requires 47.3 feet to turn around in with standard front-wheel steering needs just 37.4 feet with Quadrasteer. That's 10 feet, a huge difference. Where turning around on a narrow street takes five steps in a standard pickup, it's only three steps with Quadrasteer. Changing direction is quicker, less annoying.

While Quadrasteer helps around town, it is truly a superb feature when towing trailers. Quadrasteer can make you look like a trailering pro. First, it greatly improves control when backing up, eliminating much of that trial and error that occurs when you don't tow trailers on a regular basis. Second, Quadrasteer allows you to back a trailer into spots that would be literally impossible without it.

The optional Ride Control Suspension is designed to enhance control when pulling a trailer. Press the Ride Control button when the truck is empty and the system firms up the shock damping, which reduces bouncing somewhat, although at the expense of increased harshness. When towing, Ride Control helps reduce the tendency of the truck to pogo as the trailer goes over bumps. It can also be used for better suspension control when driving off-road.

Four different engines are available for Chevy's light-duty pickups, so it's helpful to study power ratings, payload ratings, tow ratings, fuel-economy, pricing, and other data to choose the best engine for your needs. People talk about horsepower, but torque ratings better reflect how the truck will perform.

The V6 model is best for light-duty work when price and fuel economy are paramount; it also meets Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle, or ULEV, standards. But the two most popular engines are smal