2007 Chevy Silverado 2500HD LTZ Duramax - Dyno Drags And Mud

Exterior
Better-fitting parts are also evident on the outside of the trucks. The sheetmetal panels fit together much cleaner than the GMT800 trucks, and the bed is 50 percent closer to the cab. For the first time in many years, the Chevy and GMC trucks have unique sheetmetal behind the front clip. Both trucks have strong body lines that look tough yet modern, but the rear fender flares on the Chevy extend back to the tailgate and almost up to the bedrails, while the GMC uses more traditional lines.

Except for Work Truck models, the Chevys come with giant chrome front bumper corners that were not popular with most Bow Tie fans we ran across during testing. The Chevys also have plastic vents of questionable functionality on the hood near the windshield. The GMC doesn't have these vents and uses a more traditional-looking bumper along with a giant front grille with four horizontal slots (compared with three slots in the 1/2-tons).

Is It Worth $50,739?
Is anything that doesn't come with a mailbox and a front yard really worth that much? That's a debate for another day. When it comes to buying a 3/4- or 1-ton truck in 2007, you'll have to pay a premium price, no matter which brand you prefer. If you're a fan of previous Duramax trucks, you won't be disappointed with this one. In addition to the much better body and interior, it can run the quarter-mile in about 15 seconds flat, can tow 13,000 pounds with the factory hitch, and gets more than 19 mpg of diesel on the highway before the engine is even broken in.

The Silverado was put to work...        read full caption The Silverado was put to work hauling a 4L80E transmission and all the contents of a storage unit.

The 170-degree opening rear...        read full caption The 170-degree opening rear doors and easy flip-up back seats made loading junk into the interior a breeze.

The new integrated trailer-brake...        read full caption The new integrated trailer-brake controller is mounted below the steering wheel, but its readout is easy to find in the driver information center. The HD trucks use the same hard-to-read 4x4 engagement knobs as the 1/2-tons that use tiny orange indicator lights.

Specifications
'07 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LTZ, Extended Cab, shortbed, 4WD, Duramax LMMPrice as tested: $50,739

Engine: Duramax LMM, 6.6L, turbodiesel, V-8
Displacement (in./cc): 403/6,599Bore x stroke (in.): 4.06 x 3.90Block material: Cast ironCylinder head material: Cast aluminumValvetrain: OHV four valves per cylinderFueling: High-pressure common-rail with CP3 injection pumpCompression ratio: 16.8:1Horsepower: 365 at 3,200 rpmTorque: 660 lb-ft at 1,600 rpmMaximum engine speed: 3,450 rpm

Brakes
Type: Four-wheel disc with ABSFront (in.): 12.8 x 1.5Rear (in.): 12.8 x 1.2

Wheels/Tires
Wheels: 16-inch steel (standard), 16-inch aluminum, 17-inch aluminum (optional)Tires: LT245/75R16 (standard), LT265/70R17 (optional)

Suspension
Front: Long- and short-arm independent front with torsion barsRear: Solid axle with leaf springs

Dimensions (Extended Cab, Shortbed)
Wheelbase (in.): 143.5Overall length (in.): 230.3Height (in.): 76.8Front track (in.): 68.6Rear track (in.): 66.0Ground clearance (in.): 9.5

Capacities (Extended Cab, Shortbed, 4WD)
GVWR (lbs.): 9,200Payload (lbs.): 2,591Trailer max (lbs.): 13,000Weight as tested (lbs.): 6,830

Manufacturing Locations
Pontiac, MichiganFlint, Michigan

Driver information is accessed...        read full caption Driver information is accessed through cryptic buttons that use international symbols instead of actual words. Icons may work well on a McDonald's cash register, but it's frustrating to see them in an American pickup. In case you were wondering what the symbols mean (top to bottom): The road leading into the mountains is for Trip/Fuel; the picture of a car next to a lowercase "i" is for Vehicle Information; the voting ballot is for Customization; and the check mark is Set/Reset. Good thing text labels weren't used-that would be confusing.

On the dragstrip at LACR,...        read full caption On the dragstrip at LACR, the Chevy Silverado 2500HD extended cab, 4WD with all the power options ran the quarter-mile at an average of 15.288 seconds at 85.342 mph with a best run of 15.197 seconds at 85.568 mph (corrected for altitude). By putting the truck in 4WD High, we were able to power-brake the truck until enough boost was built to chirp a front tire during launches. It seemed like the Duramax was programmed to defuel when the timing of the staging lights caused us to stay on the throttle and brake for more than a few seconds.

MPG Testing
City Traffic130.30 miles/11.61 gallons = 11.22 mpg

Off-Road and City Traffic with Transmission Payload56.00 miles/4.99 gallons = 11.22 mpg

City/Highway Mix588.30 miles/41.06 gallons = 14.33 mpg

Highway Cruise Control at 65 mph50.10 miles/2.62 gallons = 19.12 mpg

Total
824.70 miles/60.28 = 13.68 mpg

Dyno Testing
'07 Chevrolet 2500HD285 hp at 3,100 rpm517 lb-ft of torque at 2,525 rpm

Dragstrip Testing
Race 1: 15.480 seconds at 84.561 mphRace 2: 15.687 seconds at 83.625 mphRace 3: 15.491 seconds at 83.834 mphRace 4: 15.429 seconds at 84.304 mphAverage: 15.522 seconds at 84.081 mph

*Los Angeles County Raceway is at an elevation of 2,710 feet above sea level, so these dragstrip times can be corrected for altitude by multiplying the e.t.'s by 0.985 and multiplying the mpg by 1.015 to reveal how fast the truck would theoretically run at sea level.

Noise Testing
Interior at idle: 69 dB40-mph cruise: 82 dB65-mph cruise: 85 dBWide-open throttle: 85 dBOpen hood at idle: 84 dB