Autoblog

Silverado HD, Touareg V10 TDI face off in diesel tug-of-war

Jeffrey N. Ross — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Etc., Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Humor, Diesel

A couple weeks ago, we watched a Chevrolet Silverado get dominated by a Dodge Ram Heavy Duty in a fullsize pickup tug-of-war, but in that truck's defense, Chevy's Vortec gas engine was no match for the torquey Cummins turbo diesel. For our next round of vehicular tug-of-war, a Duramax-powered Silverado HD takes on Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI.

Now, on paper, putting the Duramax V8's 365 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque up against the V10's 310 hp and 553 lb-ft looks like an easy win for the Bowtie, but unfortunately, this battle has a similar result as the Dodge versus Chevy video, with the Silverado smoking its tires trying to move forward as it gets pulled backwards. Put another way: YouTube 2, Chevy Silverado 0.

It just goes to show, though, that big tires, bolt-on fender flares and goofy smoke stacks don't improve your towing abilities. Besides, what did the Silverado driver expect when the Touareg V10 TDI has towed a Boeing 747 in the past?

Scroll down to watch the cargo-hauler tie up with the family-hauler.

Continue reading Silverado HD, Touareg V10 TDI face off in diesel tug-of-war

Silverado HD, Touareg V10 TDI face off in diesel tug-of-war originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM, Ford continue to squabble over pickup towing standards

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Work, Ford, GM

We've seen this sort of thing before - a group agrees to adhere to a common standard at some determined date, then when the date arrives, one or more parties in the group figures out how to 'adhere' in a completely new way. When the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) laid out its J2807 tow-rating guidelines a few years ago with input from domestic and Japanese truck makers and tow suppliers, the standardized testing regime was applauded as a way to provide reliable comparisons between manufacturers. Even though it would mean lowering their tow ratings, all of the truck makers agreed to use the J2807 protocol as of 2013.

Toyota moved to the new ratings two years ago, resulting in tow ratings for its Tundra dropping anywhere from 400 to 1,000 pounds. When it came time for General Motors to announcing its 2013 trucks, it released towing specs based on the new standards, sending some ratings up and other down by hundreds of pounds. Ford, however, has decided that it will move to the J2807 standard when it's "all-new models come to market," which means The Blue Oval gets at least another year, probably more, to use its current figures. Predictably, GM not only cried foul, it took back the SAE numbers - even though they've been revealed - and has reverted to the pre-SAE ratings. A GM statement read, in part, "For example, key competitors are continuing to use their existing ratings for 2013 model year pickups. Retaining our existing rating system will reduce confusion for dealers and customers."

Ram hasn't disclosed its plans yet, but information on its 2013 models is expected at the end of this month and we'll know where it stands. Concerning GM, the truth is out there, you'll just have to go looking for it. Concerning the clarity everyone was hoping to find this year, well, that's still a ways off.

GM, Ford continue to squabble over pickup towing standards originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota lowers tow-rating of Tundra, but it's a good thing

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Toyota

Automakers have been on the honor system when stating the tow ratings of their pickups, and that has led to lofty numbers that could only be achieved under a very particular set of ideal conditions. Claiming the biggest number for any truck spec is a big deal, but maximum towing capacity is the crown spec. So it was only natural that these automakers - mainly Ford, General Motors, Dodge (Ram), Toyota, Honda and Nissan - would feel the pressure to keep coming up with better and better tow ratings.

Enter the Society of Automotive Engineers and détente: Five of the six truck manufacturers mentioned above have agreed to assess their trucks' tow rating based on SAE standard J2807. The new standard lays out several benchmark tests for pickups, so automakers won't be allowed to simply find the right conditions and produce the highest tow rating possible anymore. For the J2807 test, a standardized trailer is hooked up and the truck is put through acceleration tests on level ground and an incline, and its response to effects like understeer, trailer-sway and braking are measured. Only Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Honda and Chrysler will be employing J2807 now, but by 2013 all pickup truck makers will be obliged to adhere to it.

Someone had to go first, and today we learn that Toyota has adjusted its pickup's tow rating to the new standard, and so the Tundra can tow less on paper today despite not a single change being made to the vehicle. Its towing capacities were lowered anywhere from 400 pounds on the 2WD regular cab (10,800 to 10,400) all the way up to 1,100 pounds on the 4WD CrewMax (10,100 to 9,000).

This shouldn't be viewed as a knock against the Tundra, because we won't know where it really falls until we get revised ratings from each of the other five manufacturers, and we expect them all to shift downwards.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Toyota lowers tow-rating of Tundra, but it's a good thing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Heavy Duty trucks set new HD standard

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Work, Chevrolet, GMC, First Drives

2011 GM HD Trucks - Click above for high-res image gallery

Usually whenever we head out to a new vehicle press launch, we have to sit through exhaustive technical and marketing presentations before we get a chance to climb behind the wheel. However, General Motors put us straight into a dual-rear wheel GMC Sierra 3500 crew-cab diesel upon our arrival in Baltimore. On the docket? A 130-mile trek from Baltimore airport to Rocky Gap Lodge in the Allegheny mountains of western Maryland with Vehicle Line Executive Rick Spina sitting shotgun.

We actually appreciated this 'backwards' approach, because it gave us the opportunity to develop some 'gut' impressions of these new trucks even before we got the attendant sales pitch. For a two-hour, mostly highway jaunt, the duallie SLT proved to be a surprisingly amiable companion, but it was just the first of seven different trucks we would drive over the next couple of days. Read on past the jump find out what GM's new heavy duty trucks are like when sampled in a range of real-world conditions.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 GM HD Trucks

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Heavy Duty trucks set new HD standard

First Drive: 2011 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Heavy Duty trucks set new HD standard originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM announces best-in-class towing, payload figures for heavy-duty Silverado, Sierra

Zach Bowman — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:37:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Work, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD - Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors has just announced the hauling capacities for the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD pickups. The new trucks can now pull up to 21,700 pounds in fifth-wheel configuration and lug around 6,635 pounds worth of payload, thereby making them the new best-in class champions. The traditional tow rating sits at 17,000 pounds. What did GM change to give the trucks their new credentials? The company says that it extensively tested the trucks' systems, including the engine, transmission and brakes at the new gross combined vehicle weight and found that the thing could handle the abuse.

Both the Silverado HD and the Sierra HD now come with tougher bed rails, though. GM specified a new high-strength steel that can take more of a beating compared to last year's pieces. The new tow ratings best the next closest competitor, the 2011 Ford F-350, by 1,000 pounds on the conventional towing front and a more modest 100 pounds under fifth-wheel conditions.

How did we ever live in a world where pickup trucks couldn't tow three Bentley Continental GT coupes and a gooseneck car trailer? Hit the jump for the press release.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD at Chicago Auto Show

[Source: GM]

Continue reading GM announces best-in-class towing, payload figures for heavy-duty Silverado, Sierra

GM announces best-in-class towing, payload figures for heavy-duty Silverado, Sierra originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 11:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5.7-liter V8 in Toyota Tundra will produce 381 horsepower

John Neff — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 13:51:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Toyota

Through the digital grape vine we came across an article on MSNBC that rehashes the impending battle between Ford, Chevy and Toyota on the full-size pickup front. We've heard this story before, hell, we've told this story before, but what caught our eye was close to the end of the article when MSNSB Business Editor Roland Jones tells us that the 2007 Toyota Tundra's top engine, the i-Force 5.7-liter V8, will produce 381 horsepower. Wow! We've been trying to get that info out of Toyota since the Chicago auto show back in February, and Roland just lets it roll of the tongue like he were quoting rear-seat leg room. Unfortunately no torque numbers were mentioned, though we're far from sure this number is accurate anyway.

If it is, the Tundra will have a significantly more powerful large V8 to offer customers than will Ford, Dodge or Chevy. The F-150 offers the 5.4-liter Triton V8 that produces 300 hp and 365 ft-lbs. of torque, while the Dodge RAM can be had with a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 producing 345 hp and 375 ft-lbs. of torque. Toyota, however, would clearly be aiming at Chevy if this number is accurate, as the Silverado's Vortec MAX 6.0-liter V8 produces 367 hp and 375 ft-lbs. of torque. Toyota promised us back in February that the Tundra would be able to tow 10,000 lbs. with this engine, though since then both Ford and Chevy have increased the maximum towing capacities of their half-ton pickups to 10,500 lbs. With such a powerful V8, the Tundra should have no trouble meeting and/or exceeding the new towing limits of the domestics. Of course, that's assuming the Tundra's frame can take it.

[Source: MSNBC via GMInsideNews]

5.7-liter V8 in Toyota Tundra will produce 381 horsepower originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Oct 2006 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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