2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Crew Cab LT 4×4 Review: Casual muscle

So often when we get a new car or truck to test, it’s the latest and greatest, with every option in the book. We aren’t really complaining, but sometimes it makes it hard to credibly judge what the average consumer is likely to buy. Somehow, this 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Crew Cab LT 4WD snuck in through the cracks. Make no mistake, it’s hardly a stripper model—it has plenty of options, nearly $20,000 worth, but the list price, $73,935, is less than some half-ton trucks we’ve tested.

So what’s missing? Running boards, for one thing: You don’t want running boards if you’re doing serious ranch work of off-roading. But the 28-inch floor height does require a heavy jerk on the grab handle, or if you are my wife, her portable kitchen step stool.

That said, there are some luxury options like leather upholstery ($995, plus $620 for front bucket seats), heated driver and front passenger seats ($400), remote start ($525, and oddly includes a rear-window defroster) and a 10-way power driver’s seat.

But most of the options are work-related, such as the gooseneck trailer fifth-wheel package ($545), evidenced by five covered holes in the sprayed-on bed liner; the liner comes as part of the $1165 Z71 package that also included twin-tube, off-road shocks, hill descent control and skid plates.

Standard are safety features that include rear park assist, rear cross traffic alert, plus a trailer-side blind zone assist and provisions for trailer cameras, should you tow a lot, and you probably will if you’re in the market for this pickup, considering its generous 20,000-lb. capacity. There’s “hitch guidance with hitch view,” cheap at $425, and for some reason that also includes a power sliding rear window. Big heated trailering, auto-dimming outside mirrors are $530, and worth it, but beware of smacking restaurant drive-through windows.

The interior of the 2500 HD was redesigned for 2024, but stylists went moderately retro with easily-mastered controls, and a knob for turning on the radio and adjusting the sound, meaning they got it half right since there’s no knob for tuning. Instruments are easy to read. Front seats are supportive and properly contoured, good for all day in the saddle. Rear seats have room for three basketball centers. Fortunately there are grab handles back there if you aren’t seven feet tall.

Specs: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Crew Cab LT 4WD

Price: $54,000/$ 73,935 base/as tested
Powertrain: 6.6-liter turbocharged diesel V-8, 10-speed automatic
Horsepower: 470
Torque: 975 lb-ft
Layout: Four-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger pickup
EPA-rated fuel economy: Not rated. Our overall fuel economy was 15.7 mpg.
Competitors: Ford Super Duty, Ram 2500, Nissan Titan XD

Outside, the 2500 HD has a purposeful look, with the seemingly truck-standardized Big Grille with fog lights and heavy tow hooks. The hood lists its means-business credentials – the 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine and the 10-speed Allison transmission, and the Z71 badge on the fender has, for decades, suggested off-road prowess.

On the road, that 470-horsepower Duramax (torque is a stump-pulling 975 ft.-lbs. at just 1600 rpm) works well with the busy 10-speed Allison to keep things moving off the line and beyond, but weighing in at nearly four tons, the 2500 HD accelerates leisurely and loudly from a standing start. (Standard, by the way, is a 6.6-liter gas V-8 with 401 horsepower, which saves you $9499 and 700 pounds.) The diesel engine is quiet at cruise and idle, and fortunately for the McDonald’s employees operating the drive-through speaker, the exhaust exits on the passenger side through a massive, coffee can-sized chromed outlet.

On the highway, the 2500 HD is a surprisingly docile companion. The ride is remarkably good, unless you encounter ruts or a series of bumps, and then the solid rear axle makes itself known with the live-axle shudder. Steering is spot-on, but the turning circle is pretty wide.

The big disc brakes are excellent, making the truck seem much lighter than it is. Tires are the largest available from the factory on the Z71, all-terrain LT275/65R20 Goodyears ($200) that are nearly silent, and happier on the street than in the mud. We did some moderate off-roading – the truck is simply too large and heavy for it to be much fun – and we were wishing for a more aggressive tread. The 10-spoke spoke aluminum wheels are handsome but cost $1100, one place we’d save a little money.

In all, the 2024 Chevrolet 2500 Crew Cab LT 4WD is a very comfortable workhorse, designed for tough duty and likely to last a long time, at a price that’s expensive but certainly on par with the competition. Add a dual rope ladder to help get in and out, and we’re sold.

2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Crew Cab LT 4WD

Highs: Excellent, appropriate powertrain, stiff chassis, very good highway ride.

Lows: Heavy as a boxcar, could use better off-road tires, high step-in.

Takeaway: A legitimate, talented workhorse but with all the creature comforts you really need.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.