The Silverado HD is Chevrolet’s rendition of the heavy-duty pickup truck. While it’s not uncommon for vehicle owners to find faults with their rig, one of the biggest complaints among Chevy Silverado HD owners is a little confusing. Here’s a look at the Chevy Silverado HD and the one weird complaint the majority of Silverado HD owners seem to share. 

A look at the 2024 Chevy Silverado HD 

Chevrolet offers the Silverado HD in a wide variety of trims and configurations. The 2024 Silverado HD is offered in seven various trim levels, including the Work Truck, Custom, LT, LTZ, ZR2, High Country, and ZR2 Bison trims. Consumers can build these heavy-duty pickups as either a three-quarter ton or a one-ton pickup truck. 

The baseline three-quarter ton, or Silverado 2500 HD pickup truck, is available in multiple cab and box configurations. The most affordable option is the regular cab with a long bed. Chevy offers the baseline Silverado 2500 HD pickup truck in the Work Truck trim with a starting MSRP of $45,295.

Keep in mind, this starting MSRP is for a Work Truck trim that only comes standard with 2WD and a 6.6L V8 gas-powered engine. Selecting 4WD capabilities will add another $3K to the build price. In addition, upgrading to a diesel engine will also add at least another $10K to the MSRP.  

How do Chevy Silverado HD owners view their trucks? 

It seems that Chevy Silverado HD owners have a lot to say about their pickup trucks. However, this is probably fair, given that the majority are spending $50K to $100K, sometimes even more, for their heavy-duty pickup trucks.

The J.D. Power Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout study, or APEAL study, looks at the typical buyer profile of a vehicle along with the average buyer’s likes and dislikes about their chosen vehicle. 

According to J.D. Power, the J.D. Power 2022 APEAL study showed that 90% of Chevy Silverado HD buyers were male and that the median age of all Silverado HD buyers was 56 years old. The data collected from the APEAL study found that the five elements that Silverado HD owners found most favorable about their pickup trucks included powertrain, exterior styling, driving feel, setting up/starting, and the feeling of safety that their truck provides. 

A weird criticism Chevy Silverado HD owners have about their truck 

In contrast to what Silverado HD owners find most favorable about their trucks, the five elements owners find least favorable about their pickup trucks include the interior design, driving comfort, getting in/out, the infotainment system, and fuel economy.

By far, the largest criticism among Chevy Silverado HD owners was the overall fuel economy that their pickup truck gets. While this is a fair criticism, it is also quite weird coming from Silverado HD owners, given the fact that heavy-duty trucks have never been associated with great fuel economy. 

Using 2023 heavy-duty models, Car and Driver conducted a field test on the fuel economy of these pickup trucks. According to Car and Driver, the 2023 Silverado 2500 HD with the gasoline 6.6L V8 engine averaged 14 mpg on the highway.

This was quite comparable to the 15 mpg that the 2023 F-250 gas-powered heavy-duty truck averaged. In addition, Car and Driver also found that the diesel-powered Silverado 2500 HD averaged 19 mpg on the highway. Once again, the fuel economy of the diesel-powered Silverado HD was quite comparable to the diesel-powered Ram 2500, which also averaged 19 mpg on the highway. 

So, while it’s fair that Chevy Silverado HD owners want better fuel economy for their trucks, the fuel economy that the Silverado HD provides is very much on par with industry standards.