The Sierra 2500HD/3500HD Is the Perfect Working Man’s Truck

There are plenty of reasons to own a Sierra 1500. You may have weekend projects, tow a boat, enjoy camping, and so on. It isn’t just a lifestyle vehicle, either, as plenty of Sierra 1500s are on the job right now. Ewing GMC-Buick wants to assure you that the Sierra 1500 can work hard. But when you need your truck to work really, really hard, you move up to a 2500HD or 3500HD model.   

The difference between the Sierra 1500 and the HD models is that the Sierra 1500 is like a guy who works out regularly, while the 2500HD has made the gym its second home. Everything is strengthened, starting with the frame and moving on to suspension components and, of course, the drivetrain.   

The Sierra 1500 has several engine choices, starting with a 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four and adding one 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-six and both 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V-8s.  Both 2500HD and 3500HD models, on the other hand, strictly go big with 6.6-liter V-8s in both gas or diesel form. The gas V-8 delivers 401 horsepower and 464 lb-ft of torque.  The 6.6-liter Duramax turbo-diesel V-8 produces 470 horsepower and 975 peak lb-ft of torque at a low 1,600 rpm. Both engines have power managed by an Allison 10-speed automatic transmission.  

The primary reason to upgrade to a Sierra HD is the need for a higher level of towing. With the gas V-8, most Sierra 2500HD configurations can tow about 16,000 pounds with a ball hitch and between 18,000 and 18,700 pounds with a 5th-wheel or gooseneck trailer.  

With its incredible 975 lb-ft of torque, a 2500HD with the Duramax turbodiesel raises the towing capacity to approximately 18,500 pounds with a ball hitch for most configurations and up to 20,000 pounds on some. The figure goes as high as 22,390 pounds with a 5th-wheel or gooseneck trailer.   

And if the 2500HD is the guy that lives at the gym, the 3500HD is the guy pictured on all the gym equipment marketing material. With the Duramax turbodiesel, just about all 3500HD configurations will tow 20,000 pounds through a ball hitch, and with a 5th-wheel or gooseneck, the figure can go as high as 36,000 pounds. Think of a heavy flatbed loaded with a major piece of construction equipment. The bottom line is that with trucks like these, you never have to second guess their capability. They just do it.   

Once the capability is taken care of, it is just a matter of how nice you want the cabin to be. If it is strictly for work, the Pro trim has all the basics plus niceties, such as the hitch guidance camera view, LED headlights, and a 7.0-inch center touchscreen with wired smartphone compatibility. If this truck doubles as your daily driver, you can make it as nice as your budget allows, to the point that utilitarianism disappears entirely—but utility remains.  

If you have some tough work in mind for your next truck, go the no-worry route with a Sierra HD. Ewing GMC-Buick has one of the largest inventories of Sierra HDs, where it is not unusual for us to have over 50 HD models in stock.