Putting the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Duramax to The Test

The key to maximizing your pickup truck experience is to utilize its available torque. That torque number is not just a measurement of what you can tow or put in the box. It is about delivering that power to get the task done.

Car and Driver tested a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss and a ZR2, each equipped with the 3.0-liter Duramax turbocharged in-line six-cylinder diesel engine. Both off-road-ready pickup trucks were developed to take low-end torque and utilize it to manage muddy trails, ford water, and climb steeper hills.

The current Duramax engine puts down 305 horsepower and 495 pound-feet of torque. The latter number is what got the C/D team pretty excited. They found that the revised Duramax was quicker than their previous experience a few years back. They turned a 0-60 MPH sprint in 6.8 seconds and a quarter-mile run in 15.3 seconds at 89 MPH.

It used to be that diesels were slow and lumbering. Based on those numbers, perhaps we should rethink the power and thrust of a diesel.

While it is quick, it also sips fuel. The Environmental Protection Agency rated the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the Duramax diesel engine between 20 and 26 MPG. The ZR2 averages a combined rating of 21-22 MPG. Compared to other off-road-ready pickup trucks, it is indeed more efficient with the Duramax engine.

As far as towing and payload are concerned, the Silverado 1500 with the Duramax diesel can haul up to 1,780 pounds in either the Trail Boss or ZR2 models. Maximum tow ratings can go up to 13,000 pounds in either configuration. These figures reflect better utilization of the 495 pound-feet of torque when you put a load onto it.

In other words, it seems Car and Driver loved what that torque number can do when they put the Silverado 1500 with the Duramax to the test. They got out of plenty of off-road conditions that could bog down mere pickup trucks. The Silverado 1500 does this quite easily, even with the brute force of the Duramax working hard to get the task done.

If you’re trying to find another diesel-powered half-ton full-size pickup truck to compare it with, they no longer exist except as a Chevrolet. Maybe that’s a good thing.

To get all of the power available in a Silverado 1500, try one with the Duramax turbocharged diesel. To do so, contact us at Twin Falls Chevrolet, and we can show you how to utilize all of the low-end power from a Duramax diesel.