2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD

At the base of the range, the Regular Cab Silverado is only available in one trim, namely the WT Long Box, and is priced at $38,100. Moving up to the Double Cab variants, the Standard Box can be had in WT trim at $40,300 or LT trim for $45,700. Choosing the Long Box edition adds $200 to the overall price.

The Crew Cab models can be optioned in either SB or LB, as well as with any one of the three powertrain options, as well as either rear-wheel-drive or 4WD. Entry-level trims on the Standard Box Crew Cab have an MSRP of $38,400 with the base engine; LT trims cost $43,700, while LTZ and High Country models have a starting price of $49,500 and $55,900 respectively. Opting for the diesel engine will set you back more or less $10k additionally while upgrading to four-wheel-drive adds a further few thousand dollars to the overall price. Opting for the Long Box on any of the above will only up the price by $200, although the High Country trim cannot be had with the bigger bed.

All prices exclude taxes, licensing, registration, and delivery and handling fees of $1,495.

The monstrous Silverado 2500HD has a few tricks up its sleeve, with a surprising ability to handle quite well for its size. It certainly wasn't designed for city dwellers though (in which case its smaller sibling, the Silverado 1500, would make a better option unless you specifically want the maximum towing capacities). With weighted steering feel that remains on point at speed, only hitting curves or bends will leave you wondering what the tires are up to. Surprisingly, there isn't all that much body roll in corners, provided you drive in a sedate manner - but this conversely means the ride can be harsh over anything other than the best surfaces, an area where the Silverado is beaten by numerous rivals. Additionally, the brakes aren't that great. Emergency braking needs you to smash the pedal all the way down to bring the behemoth to a stop.

With its hulking size, the Silverado 2500HD can tackle off-road adventures too, as long as you have wide-open spaces around you. Narrow tracks and trails will be problematic, even with the optional off-roading packages and good ground clearance offered. Still, daily driving isn't particularly pleasant, with stiff suspension and only mediocre levels of comfort.

The Silverado 2500HD's charm lies in its practicality and it's sheer ability to haul stuff around. Although it doesn't have the presence of the likes of the Ford F-250 or the ability to tow as much, it manages to drag 15,400 pounds in its strongest iteration. It is fitted with good basic infotainment, a comfortable - albeit outdated - interior, and has ample space inside that really lend itself to being an excellent workhorse. Additionally, with so much customization at your discretion, there is a Silverado 2500HD for every occasion. Making ample power and torque from any of its engine options, this truck serves its purpose - to labor hard and make life easy for the owner. If you are going to spend more time driving this beast in town than actually making it work for you, you may be better off looking at its baby brother just in terms of size and convenience. But, while competitors may offer a bit more on-board tech, the Silverado 2500HD ticks all the boxes that a heavy-duty hauler needs to. We'd only suggest waiting for the redesigned version in 2020 for added modernization.

The question of which Silverado to buy largely depends on your reason for buying one - as this is a vehicle designed to work, and work hard, it makes sense to choose the variant that can meet those needs. Still, the mid-range LTZ Crew Cab variant does have most of the boxes ticked for comfort, convenience, available features, and the ability to add the longer bed on the back for a minimal amount. If maximum towing capacity is most important, stick to the rear-wheel-drivetrain and add the fifth-wheel towing option to get over 15,000 lbs hitched to your Chevy. The excessive cost of equipping the high-powered diesel engine needs to be carefully considered, though, as it can push the price close to $60,000 quite easily, but the immense amount of torque will be a boon for frequent towers.

Top of the line comparisons between the Silverado and the Ram yield interesting results. While the spacious cabin of the Silverado remains near the top of its class, the Ram solidly soldiers ahead with a brilliant, beautiful cabin that seems to be more attuned to an SUV. Seating can be heated and ventilated even in the rear seats on the Dodge, and there are fewer hard plastic surfaces and cheap materials in the cabin overall. Giving off a much more luxurious vibe, the Dodge Ram steals ahead even more with its smoother, more comfortable ride. Swallowing up road imperfections and absorbing even mid-size bumps seems to be second-nature to the Ram, and even with a trailer hitched, proves to be just that much more controlled, pulling 12,750 lbs without any strain. With priorities equally balanced between luxury and function, the Ram is the winner in this comparison by a long-shot, based on its stunning interior and effortless towing capabilities. However, if you need more towing ability, the Silverado is the one to pick, although the Ram 2500 will be more than a match in that case.

A clear price difference between these two siblings is the most obvious difference, with the 1500 coming in at over $5,000 cheaper. Both share the same general layout in models and trims, with regular, double and crew cabs - but the 1500 gets a short bed or a standard bed only. Clearly more geared to light-duty work, the Silverado 1500 is much more daily-driver oriented, and its size is less ponderous than its heavy-duty-oriented sibling. Despite coming in at 17-inches shorter in length, with a wheelbase 11-inches shorter too, the 1500 isn't short on interior space. Comparing Double Cab iterations on both models, the 1500 actually comes out on top in terms of headroom for both front and back seats, as well as offering better shoulder room and legroom in the rear. It also weighs in with a significantly lower curb weight, at 4,693 lbs for most models to the 2500HD's 6,199 lbs. Despite all of these seemingly major differences, the 1500 still manages a maximum towing capacity of 12,200 pounds, which pales in comparison to the 2500's huge capacity thanks to a nearly 1,000 lb-ft torque figure from the available diesel engine. It also stands to reason that the 1500 would have a marginally better gas mileage estimates, managing around 17 mpg to the 15 mpg the 2500HD manages at best. While these vehicles have very different characters, the DNA remains the same. Both are excellent workhorses, with the smaller model better suiting city living, and the bigger format living a happier life on the ranch ow towing huge loads cross-country.