Is the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD as Amazing as People Say?

For more than 25 years, the Chevy Silverado series has been one of the most impressive truck lineups on the road, delivering robust performance and incredible engineering. While the standard Silverado 1500 is a great choice for many drivers, if you’re looking for exceptional power and capability beyond what our favorite light-duty truck can do, then you owe it to yourself to check out a Chevy Silverado 3500 for sale. The Silverado 3500 HD is in a league of its own when it comes to the Silverado series of trucks, delivering incredible towing and payload thanks to its remarkable engineering and options like an available dual rear-wheel (DRW) configuration. Even when you look at it next to other impressive trucks, it still holds its own, so let’s take a look at the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD to see what it can do, and we’ll even note some ways it beats out other pickups like the Ram 3500.

An Incredible Standard Engine

The available diesel engine for the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD gets a lot of attention (don’t worry, we’ll look at it in a moment), but we think the standard engine for this truck gets too often overlooked. We know that all of that diesel power is impressive, but the standard gas engine for this truck is remarkable, reliable, and a testament to Chevy’s legendary reputation for impressive power and engineering. You get a 6.6L V8 engine as the standard option for this truck, which delivers 401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque, giving you robust power and impressive capability right off the bat. This ensures every Silverado 3500 HD feels terrific to drive and has plenty of muscle for daily driving and getting your job done.

All of that power lets the standard gas engine handle up to 19,080 lbs of maximum towing capacity or up to 7,234 lbs of maximum payload. By comparison, the 2024 Ram 3500, with its standard 6.4L V8 engine, gets just 429 lb-ft of torque and has a maximum towing capacity of up to 18,210 lbs. This falls behind what the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD’s standard engine can do. Just as impressive, you get a 10-speed automatic transmission with Chevy’s truck, ensuring you have a smooth and responsive driving experience. On the other hand, the Ram 3500 has an eight-speed automatic with its standard gas engine and a six-speed automatic with its diesel offerings, which we find a bit underwhelming by comparison.

Serious Diesel Power for Massive Towing

Of course, we can’t talk about the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD and not discuss the incredible diesel engine that’s available for it. This is a 6.6L Duramax turbo-diesel V8 engine that delivers 470 hp and a remarkable 975 lb-ft of torque, ensuring you have all the muscle you need to tackle pretty much anything. This is everything we want in a diesel engine, with robust power and tremendous performance that you can count on day after day for a long time. With this engine, the Silverado 3500 HD can haul up to 36,000 lbs behind it with a fifth wheel or gooseneck towing setup, making it an amazing choice.

One thing we appreciate is that you still get the 10-speed automatic transmission with this beast, ensuring a responsive drive that’s perfect when hauling a lot of weight along with your truck. Duramax diesel engines across the GM lineup have proven themselves for many years now, ensuring you get a terrific experience no matter what you throw at it. Considering most folks interested in the Silverado 3500 HD will want it for a serious work truck, having this kind of option available is perfect day after day. Other brands like Ram also make good diesel engines, but looking at the first diesel option for the Ram 3500, it comes up short with just 370 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque. With the ability to tow only up to 22,660 pounds, the comparable diesel engine on the Ram showcases how impressive the Duramax turbo-diesel truly is.

Two Bed Lengths and Tremendous Cargo Capacity

Although there’s a lot we like about the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD, one of our favorite things is just how well you can customize it to meet your needs. The perfect example of this is how many different configuration options you can choose from when picking a new truck. For 2024, the Chevy truck has three different cab sizes, for starters, including a single-row Regular Cab, a larger Double Cab, and a spacious Crew Cab that’s perfect if you need to bring other workers along with you. If you go with the Crew Cab, you also get two different bed lengths you can choose from to get exactly the sort of space you need for your truck.

The Standard Bed, available with the Crew Cab, measures a little over 82 inches in length, while the Long Bed that comes with the Regular and Double Cab or is available with the Crew Cab is just over 98 inches long. If you go with the Standard Bed, then you get nearly 70 cu.ft. of cargo capacity with the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD, while the Long Bed provides you with more than 83 cu.ft. of total cargo space. By comparison, while the Ram 3500 also has two bed lengths available, the smaller option has about 57 cu.ft. of cargo space, and the longer bed offers just over 74 cu.ft. of cargo capacity. That’s a big difference that showcases how well Chevy understands that you need plenty of room in your truck and its bed to get the most from it, whereas Ram again falls short in this department.

Remarkable Interior Features and Tech

Interior features and tech might not be the most important thing to you when looking for a new heavy-duty truck, but they’re things you should keep in mind. They can transform your driving experience each day and make it easier to get your job done, particularly when it comes to getting to a worksite you’ve never been to or staying connected with coworkers and the rest of your team. What you find inside the Ram 3500 HD depends on the trim level you look at, of course, but even the standard WT features a seven-inch Infotainment system with voice commands, a six-speaker sound system, and a 3.5-inch monochromatic Driver Information Center as part of a six-gauge instrument cluster.

Looking at the 2024 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD LT model, you get a number of impressive upgrades, including a 13.4-inch Infotainment 3 Premium system with Google built-in, which is great for integration with your smartphone and other apps. This is paired with a 12.3-inch color Driver Information Center with HD imagery and personalized vehicle features you can set to perfectly fit your preferences. By comparison, the 2024 Ram 3500 starts with a tiny five-inch Infotainment display, with a larger eight-inch screen available, though the highest trims offer a 12-inch screen instead; these all come in quite a bit smaller than what Chevy provides. And if you go up to something like Chevy’s High Country model, then you get a seven-speaker Bose Premium sound system, perforated leather seating with 10-way power front seats, heated and ventilated front seats, wireless charging for compatible devices, and much more.

Ready to Be Amazed by the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD?

As you can see, the Chevy Silverado 3500 HD delivers across the board, giving you impressive performance that’s designed to meet your needs. Whether you’re interested in a gas or diesel engine, you’re going to get a terrific truck with plenty of muscle, though a diesel model with a DRW setup takes towing and payload to another level entirely. You can customize the Silverado 3500 HD to perfectly meet your needs, with different configuration options available; plus, you have four trim levels to choose from, letting you get the kinds of tech features and options you’re looking for in your next truck. There are a lot of full-size trucks out there for you to choose from, even some impressive heavy-duty models from other brands, but you can see that pickups like the Ram 3500 just can’t compare to the Silverado 3500 HD in key ways. No matter what you’re looking for in your next truck, Chevy is ready to amaze and deliver everything you need. Contact us at Ruge’s Chevrolet today to schedule a test drive!