Chevrolet Silverado 1500 HD

Origin

Introduced in 2000, the Chevy Silverado 1500 HD was a sturdier take on Chevy’s light pickup truck.  Its frame was a strengthened version of the 1500’s.  The 1500 HD came exclusively with a 6.0 liter V8 engine.  It shared its wheel hubs, brakes, and suspension with the rugged Silverado 2500, but its interior features and exterior styling with the more passenger-friendly 1500. 

The 1500 HD was only available with a crew cab.  Incidentally, when the 1500 HD was introduced, neither the base 1500 or 2500 was available with a crew cab.

In 2003, Chevy made a four wheel steering system, called Quadrasteer, available for the 1500HD.  General Motors had first introduced Quadrasteer on the Sierra Denali in 2001.  The system would turn the rear wheels in the opposite direction of the front wheels at low speeds to make parking or backing up a trailer easier.  At highway speeds, the rear wheels would turn the same direction as the front wheels to help the truck track straighter when pulling a trailer.  Obviously, Quadrasteer was enticing to drivers who regularly towed trailers, but at over $5,000 the option proved to be just too expensive to become popular.  GM had planned to eventually implement Quadrasteer on all its trucks, but instead scrapped the technology in 2005. 

There was no Silverado 1500 HD in 2004, but a 2500 crew cab was available.  The 1500 HD returned for 2005 and continued into 2007.  In 2007, Chevy introduced the second generation of the Silverado, but continued to sell the first generation as the “Silverado Classic” models for that year.  All 2007 Silverado 1500 HDs were Classic models.  Chevy did away with the 1500 HD designation for the second generation of the Silverado, reserving it for the Silverado 2500 and 3500.