New truck first tow report. Good, Bad, Ugly

[Huntindog]

We have finished our first towing trip with the new truck... So here is the good the bad and the ugly.

We went from Phoenix to the North Rim and back.
Our lashup was in the 25-26K range. Performance was out standing. The hottest the trany got was 182 climbing Sunset point. 155-165 most of the time. 205 for the coolant temp, and the fan never engaged.
The 10 speed tranny is a game changer. I had the CC set at 70 up Sunset Point. It slowly dropped to 65 then climbed bact up to 70. The third time it happened, I noticed it was dropping a gear. With so many gears, the rpm only changed 4-500 rpm. If you are not watching the tach, it is easy to miss it. That small gear change multiplied the TQ enough regain the lost speed.
Down hill was very imppressive as well. With more gears, the EB is able to more closely hold the speed that the CC is set for. No more having to click the set point down below the desired downhill speed.
We take this trip every year, so we now just what the fuel consumption has been previously. This new truck gets noticeabley better mileage. Normally upon arriving home, a refuel is a priority. Not so this year We drove around town for 2 weeks before refueling.

So better performance with a far more capable truck (vs my 2011) and better mileage. A win win. And the more capable platform is not an exageration, this truck is FIRMLY in control of the load.
So the good is VERY good.
On to the bad.
When we picked the truck up, there was a large bag of loose parts in it. We were told the cameras for the invisible trailer system were in there along with some stuff for the upfitter switches .
Upon going thru the bag at home.... No cameras.
After some discussion with the dealer, it was determined that when the High Country trim level was selected, GMs system deleted the cameras... IOW, it is impossible to order a High Country with the cameras... The truck is equipped for them, but they must be purchased seperatly.... Dealer says 500.00.
That is bad. really bad. I checked off nearly every option available, yet I have no cameras for this great camera system.

Now the ugly... Upon looking into the camera system, I found that it is a hard wired system (vs bluetooth) and it has a trailer length limitation of 32'... This won't even work on my present 34' TT, let alone the 44' toyhauler I have on order. This is UGLY real UGLY. GM builds this fantastic truck than can tow anything on the market eaisily, but it's much advertised invisible trailer camera system will only work with baby trailers.

Review/conclusion: If I had known about the camera situation being screwed up, I still would have bought this truck.
It was new truck time, and I did not want another CP4 truck.
But it sure puts a damper on the experience.

So there it is. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Maybe, just maybe, some here will stop with the fanboy inferences now.

[Thermoguy]

I have read in more than 1 place that the invisible trailer does not work with a 5th wheel, only a travel trailer. I was unaware of the length limitation, but I thought I read the 5th wheel part on the GM website. Sorry for your experience, and surprised that is the case, was hoping it was inaccurate. Seems like the bigger the trailer the more of a luxury that feature would become.

However, from your review, the parts that really matter are shattering your expectations. Glad to hear of the engine and transmission performance. I hope to have a 2020 in my future, it might be more like 2021, but still looking forward to an upgrade in the future.

[Lantley]

Good Report dog. Most of your bad and ugly evolve around being the first kid on the block to get that new shiny toy. Being the first also means being the guinea pig.
As much as I drooled at the 2020 models and the 10 speed trannies I did not want to be the first to actually use and test these new features. I settled on a 2019 that I am very happy with. My 2019 lacks the 10 speed tranny but still has more power, better braking,modern electronics and more ability than my prior pre emissions 07 Duramax dually. I'm sure your 2020 takes 2019 to another level but it is a first model year which means things need to e sorted out.
I have learned not only do the trusting consumers not know how it's all designed to work, but the dealerships often don't know what's going on either!
As you learned from your bag of parts it takes times for these new features to be fully understood and actually put to real life use.
I have kind of resolved myself to buying the last run of a vehicle platform vs. the first run of the platform.
The last year all the kinks have been worked out and the platform has been optimized. With first year roll outs the kinks are just being discovered!
Hearing that some of the new camera features will not work with a fifth wheel is disheartening.
Hang in there it seems that you are overall satisfied with your new beast. In time those kinks will get worked out and conveyed to the dealerships. Unfortunately the learning curve just takes time.
In the meantime enjoy that drivetrain and smooth power the gadgets will sort themselves out in time.

[Cummins12V98]

"The hottest the trany got was 282 climbing Sunset point"

I assume you meant 182 ???

[ExxWhy]

Here is the camera a bit less expensive. Your dealer not knowing how to order it actually saved you $150. (It is a $500 option when you order the truck) https://www.shopchevyparts.com/electronics/2020-silverado-2500-transparent-trailer-camera-auxiliary-...

The cable on that is 50 some feet. The only thing you lose with having a trailer too long is the "invisible trailer" feature. You can still view the camera alone without the stitched view. (that also uses the tailgate camera) This is the official GM part and I have one installed on my trailer.

Allegedly, you can lie to the system and get it to calibrate if you are a bit over the max length, so you may still be OK with the 34' trailer. I have only had mine out once for a trip to the scales to get the hitch set up. I totally forgot to try to get it to calibrate the invisible trailer. We are going camping tomorrow, so I will report back on how that works for my 35' trailer. Even if it will not calibrate, you don't lose much functionality. The invisible trailer feature does not work for 5th wheel trailers regardless of length, but of course the camera does still work.

I'm pretty sure once you get your camera installed on your trailer, you will be pleased with the result. Resolution is excellent.

One more tip, always have the truck OFF when you plug in the camera. If it is running, it won't recognize it for some reason.

Did you get your TPMS system working on the trailer? I still need to get the sensors installed on mine.

[NJRVer]

Why do you type in blue?

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Good report Dog. Glad you like your new truck.