Friday, 13 October 2023 09:55

Big tick for a big truck

Written by  Mark Daniel
The 2023 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Premium sports a 6.2-litre EcoTech 3, V8 engine that delivers 313kw (420hp) with 624Nm torque giving power and thrust in abundance. The 2023 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Premium sports a 6.2-litre EcoTech 3, V8 engine that delivers 313kw (420hp) with 624Nm torque giving power and thrust in abundance.

Electric cars and big American trucks can both bring a little anxiety, but for different reasons.

The former centres around the amount of kilometres to your destination on a single charge and the latter about how many litres of fossil fuel are needed to cover 100km.

Having recently spent a week with a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Premium, I’m happy to report that fuel consumption is a particularly overrated anxiety that’s not worth worrying about.

Obviously in a different league to those pesky one tonne utes, with its wide chrome enhanced front end with daytime running lights and long flanks, its higher seating position gives a panoramic view and the assistance of multiple camera views means oversize doesn’t mean overawed in the tight spots.

Sporting a 6.2-litre EcoTech 3, V8 lump that delivers 313kw (420hp) with 624Nm torque means power and thrust in abundance. This combination means the 100km/h speed limit comes up at a leisurely 1240rpm. Complemented by a silky smooth 10-speed transmission, out on the open road, it’s really a case of selecting D and then letting the big Yank do its thang!

Looking at the transmission in a little more detail, a strange foible is certain to irritate many users. After starting, the seat belt must be engaged before forward or reverse is activated. This becomes a nuisance in the yard when you want to hitch up to a trailer at low speed. Strangely, after that first movement, the seat belt engagement isn’t then required, so one can predict a trip to the breakers yard to get a spare seat belt buckle.

Weighing in at 2500kg, with a wheelbase of 3745mm, means the cabin is spacious. It has wide, deep fronts seats – equipped with heating and cooling – and the rear occupants are treated to comfort and importantly plenty of legroom.

A wide central 13.4- inch colour touchscreen offers an expansive array of settings, audio and visual links. Meanwhile, ahead of the driver is a 12.3-inch instrument cluster that offers comprehensive vehicle info – including that allimportant fuel consumption data. Particularly useful is the heads-up display that helps confirm speed and cruise control settings on the open road. This will hopefully reduce the chance of an impromptu interview with the boys in blue.

Talking about driver aids, the LTZ features an expansive safety suite. These include the cameras, the likes of Rear Cross Traffic Alerts, Electronic Stability with Traction Control and Front Collision Alert with Low Speed Autonomous Braking.

For those looking to tow a heavy load, the Silverado trumps the best ute with a solid one tonne extra, with a rating of 4500kg, the push-button, two speed transfer case means venturing off the tarseal is also anxiety- free.

Back to those fuel consumption figures, a swift 600km round trip across the Waikato and the King Country to National Park certainly wasn’t too bad on the wallet. This returned an average for the trip of a rather sensible 11.4 l/100km, using the set and forget cruise control. A trip to Jaffa Land dropped that figure to only 10.2 l/100km, meaning those with a good understanding on how to deliver a light touch to the two-pedal layout, should arrive at their destination without a furrowed brow.

More like this

Simple, practical hay rakes

Grassland specialists Kuhn has extended its Gyrorake offering with the addition of the GA 8731+ and GA 9531+ models.

CNH buys GNSS

CNH Industrial has completed its purchase of the global satellite navigation technology leader Hemisphere GNSS (Hemisphere) for a total price of US$175 million, following on from the initial intention signalled earlier in the year.

Shorter chop version of loader

German manufacturer Strautmann is launching a shorter chop version of its Magnon 10 loader wagon that was launched in 2019.

Front-end loader with better reach

Front end loaders have become the mainstay of on-farm material handling, probably since Quicke released the first drive-in/detachable machines in the early 1960s.

Featured

Hole-in-one a lucky shot overseas

A calf born at a Waikato Holstein Friesian stud has stunned her owner with her incredibly high credentials – surpassing his hope that she was going to be one out of the box.

McClay to visit India

Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay plans to visit India in the next fortnight, his first trade mission since the formation of the Government.

Norco bounces back from flood

Australia's largest dairy co-operative Norco is back making ice cream, 18 months after a catastrophic flood destroyed its manufacturing plant.

Political turmoil hits Dutch farm buy-out scheme

While New Zealand seems to be treading water on the subject of pricing emissions and the future of He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN), pending a new government, the Netherlands has been clearer on its proposed farm buy-out scheme, as part of its effort to reduce nitrogen emissions by at least 55% by 2030.

National

Hoggard 'really excited'

Incoming Minister for Food Safety and Biosecurity Andrew Hoggard says he’s “really excited” to get those roles.

Prevention better than cure

The New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) is calling on animal owners to work with their veterinarian to…

Machinery & Products

Simple, practical hay rakes

Grassland specialists Kuhn has extended its Gyrorake offering with the addition of the GA 8731+ and GA 9531+ models.

Bucket grab gets it done!

Swedish implement manufacturer Quicke is expanding its Powergrab series with two new models – designed for silage handling with front-end,…

» The RNG Weather Report

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Sheepish

OPINION: This old mutt understands that a number of high profile sheep studs are unhappy with Beef+ Lamb Genetics’ recent…

Still bludging!

OPINION: Your canine crusader is astounded at the sheer cojones of webbased media company Newsroom and its wont to cadge…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter