Heavy duty pickup trucks are an American phenomenon and none more so than the venerated Chevrolet. The first Chevy truck came out as World War I was drawing to a close, before the grandfathers of most Americans alive today were born. From the time they had wooden cabs and wooden wheel spokes, they've always been some of the hardest working, best looking pickup trucks on the road, and the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4WD is no exception. Even better, its only competition comes from America: the Ford F-250 Super Duty, the Dodge Ram 2500 and the Silverado's first cousin, GMC Sierra 2500HD.

The 2500HD 4WD comes in three cab sizes. Regular Cab has two doors and holds two adults comfortably. Extended Cab has two regular sized front doors with small back doors. It claims more, but still only holds two adults in comfort. The extra room works best for children or gear. Crew Cab has two full sized doors and can hold five normal sized adults in comfort.

The bed on the Regular Cab is eight foot long. On the other two models you can get either the eight foot bed or a shorter six and a half foot bed that will fit in your garage - maybe.

The power plant in the 2500HD 4WD has an emphasis on power. There is a choice of gasoline or diesel. Gasoline is a 340 horsepower 6.0 liter variable valve timing V8. The diesel is a 365 horsepower 6.6 liter V8. Either gets a six-speed heavy duty automatic transmission with overdrive and tow/haul mode.

This type vehicle is not required to show fuel efficiency numbers, but it is a work truck (although it can be a very nice work truck) and work means fuel. Don't expect anything over ten miles per gallon, anywhere. Likewise, the 2500 HD is not required to test with NHTSA, but accident safety should not be a critical concern. These trucks are much more likely to damage than be damaged. Safety features include locking pickup tailgate, antilock brakes with electronic braking assistance, airbags, tire pressure monitor and electronic parking aid.

In the farming and ranching country out west, where pickup trucks have always been popular, back in the 1960's, as they became plusher, people started calling them "Cowboy Cadillacs." That term applies today more than ever. Just a few of the many available features on the 2500HD include adjustable foot pedals, leather wrapped steering wheel, six-disc CD changer, DVD player; premium sound system, navigation system, OnStar and a hands free cell phone system.

Again, these trucks are for work and they're not cheap. Base price on the 2500HD 4WD is $29,570. But these trucks play as hard as they work, and to many of us they look as good as any sports car.