2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Gets Fancy Towing Features

Will offer theft alert and parking brake assist feature

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When Chevrolet revealed its fourth-generation Silverado earlier this year, we learned the truck would grow wider and longer, sit on a new platform, and shed a good amount of weight. Now, the automaker is getting into the nitty gritty details, revealing new features that will make towing easier.

An Advanced Trailering System, standard on the LTZ and High Country, bundles together a host of important technologies. It offers a feature for drivers to monitor the pressure and temperature of the tires on the trailer through a display on the infotainment screen. When equipped with the trailering system, the rearview camera display includes a backing guideline that helps drivers line up their truck's hitch with a trailer. A new auto parking brake assist feature helps avoid unintended movement after the truck is lined up with the trailer and then shifted to park.

The trailering system is also available as an option on LT, RST, and Trail Boss trim levels. It comes with an app for tracking key data points, including your truck's fuel economy and mileage while towing. Up to five profiles can be stored. Drivers can use either the phone app or the infotainment screen to conduct a trailer light test and make sure their trailer is connected correctly.

The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 also receives Trailer Theft Alert. As the name suggests, the truck will activate its lights and horn if someone tries to steal the trailer. Drivers who are enrolled in the OnStar Safety & Security Plan will also receive a call, text, or email to alert them of the incident.

When equipped with a new Trailer Camera package, the truck gets two side view cameras mounted in the side mirrors for improved vision while trailering. A standard rearview camera is also included. On top of these cameras, buyers can opt for a fourth camera that mounts to the trailer.

To help drivers figure out just how much they can tow, each truck will feature what Chevy calls an industry-first trailering label. Attached to the driver's-side door jamb of every new Silverado, this label provides VIN-specific towing information, including gross vehicle weight rating, gross combined weight rating, gross axle weight rating for the rear, maximum payload, curb weight, and maximum tongue weight. That's more info than you'd find on a typical federally mandated GVWR label, and everything you need to calculate towing capacity for your exact truck. Curiously, despite listing model-specific max tongue weight and payload capacity, the label doesn't include the manufacturer-rated towing capacity.

Arriving in dealerships this fall, the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 will offer a wide variety of engines. Returning with key updates are the 4.3-liter V-6, 5.3-liter V-8, and 6.2-liter V-8, while a2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four and 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-six will be all-new to the lineup. Prices will start at $29,795 and rise to more than $54,000 on the loaded High Country trim.

Source: Chevrolet

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