2021 Chevy Silverado HD will tow 36,000 pounds, is still king of the uggos – Roadshow [CNET]

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Sure, it’ll tow the moon out of orbit, but that face hasn’t gotten any better with time.

Even as the world around us gets crazier, the truck wars show no sign of stopping — or even slowing down. Case in point: Chevrolet announced on Wednesday that its Silverado HD would be getting a whole host of upgrades for the 2021 model year, in addition to a towing capacity bump up to 36,000 pounds.

Now, it would seem as though the bulk of these upgrades will affect the suspension and wheels, and that’s how GM was able to find the additional 500 (unnecessary) pounds of towing capacity. The General isn’t overly specific about what these changes were, exactly, but it is unambiguous on which model will be able to hit that new max towing figure.

Specifically, if you want to tow the equivalent of 15.65 ND-generation Mazda Miatas, you’ll need to spec up to the Silverado 3500 HD Work Truck with a regular cab, dual-rear-wheels and two-wheel-drive, and equip it with the 6.6L Duramax diesel, 10-speed Allison transmission and Max Tow Package.

Speaking of towing, Chevrolet wants to make it as easy as possible, so it’s got a towing-assistance system with eight cameras, providing 15 views. It’s also got the same trailering tech that we saw (and appreciated) in the Silverado 1500, which means that it’s got things like jack-knife alert, trailer-length indication and more.

Finally, the Silverado HD will be released in at least four special versions for 2021. These include the Midnight Edition, Z71 Sport and Z71 Chrome Sport editions as well as a Carhartt Special Edition that adds a bunch of Carhartt logos and a two-tone interior.

It’s unfortunate that, even with all these changes and special editions, Chevrolet didn’t fix the biggest problem with the Silverado HD, and by that, I, of course, mean that truly hideous face it’s sporting. It is not only the king of towing, for the time being, it’s also still the king of the ugly trucks.