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9/3/2007 | Chevrolet
You want to talk about living large? This truck is definitely rollin' biggie style.
Unlike your average Hummer, Chevrolet's C4500 Kodiak is built for serious
work. We're not talking about carrying a four-wheeler in the bed once in a
while, or towing Jet-Skis; the Kodiak will haul your entire garage. We used it
to rip a small building off of its foundation. And it looks good while doing
it.
Technically, it's a pickup truck, but in reality this big beast is a
conversion of Chevy's Kodiak medium-duty truck chassis (usually seen
underpinning ambulances and moving vans). Chevrolet provides pickup beds from
the dually Silverado 3500HD to Monroe,
and the resulting uber-truck is available through Chevrolet and GMC dealers.
It looks like a rolling substitute for personal or
emotional shortcomings, but the Kodiak (and other monster-trucks like it from
Ford and International) actually serves a purpose. Hobbyists whose toys are
large and heavy--we're talking yachts and horses and race cars--spend a lot of
time on the road pulling big stuff behind. When you routinely have a ten- or
twenty-thousand pound trailer to tow, even the average heavy-duty pickup truck
tends to be quickly overtaxed. The Kodiak can handle these larger loads, takes
up less space than a Kenworth, and doesn't require a special license to drive.
That's right, anyone bold enough to climb up into the cabin can take the wheel of this big boy.
Compact-car drivers, don't worry about being run down by power-crazed soccer
moms; it's a very specialized market. Less than 1500 of these conversions hit
the road each year, and at seventy-five thousand plus a pop, it's not a vehicle
one buys frivolously.
Considering the growing levels of energy-consciousness, we didn't expect to
win any popularity contests with this big red slice of conspicuous consumption.
Boy, were we wrong. The Kodiak made friends everywhere we took it. This wasn't
just because people needed us to haul things, either. It's big, beastly, and
strangely charismatic, like Andre the Giant or Shaq. The look is that of a
pickup truck writ large; the crew cab and dually bed are there, but the Kodiak
stands (literally) head and shoulders above any other pickup truck on the road.
The body rides above the 19.5-inch chrome wheels, donk-style, and the
high-roofed cabin seems like it belongs to an even bigger vehicle thanks to a
foreshortened hood that's cut down for easier in-town visibility. Running
boards are a necessity, considering the two-foot step up to get inside. The bed
sports an integrated gooseneck trailer hitch in the middle of the floor; a
fifth-wheel style attachment is also available. For the true urban-cowboy look,
the Kodiak is available with longhorn dual exhaust stacks.
The cabin is spacious and well-appointed, more like a conversion van than a
tow truck. Monroe outfits the Kodiak with a choice of leather, comfortable
air-ride seats and wood or carbon-fiber dash trim. Our tester was equipped with
a large-screen swiveling DVD entertainment system, a power sliding rear window,
and a rear bench seat that powers down to form a good-sized bed. The navigation
system includes a rear-view camera that greatly simplifies the job of hooking
up to a trailer.
On the road, you won't forget that the Kodiak is a medium-duty truck. The
suspension is concerned primarily with hauling, and makes no effort to absorb
bumps. On uneven city streets, the airbag suspension bounced enough to toss our
feet off of the pedals. Luckily, there are two more sets of air shocks
insulating the cabin from the worst of it--the front seats and the cab itself
both ride on air suspensions as well. On the freeway, loaded up, the Kodiak is
a great deal calmer.
It's surprisingly nimble thanks to a relatively short wheelbase and an
amazing turning circle; the Kodiak can maneuver anywhere that a Suburban will.
It almost fits into a regular parking spot. And if it doesn't quite fit, well,
it's not like someone's gonna tow it.
This big truck needs a big engine; an 8.1 liter
gasoline V8 or 6.6 liter Duramax diesel V8, to be specific. The 8.1 is
standard, producing 325 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. Of course, the best
way to get big towing torque is with a big diesel, and the optional Duramax
cranks out 605 lb-ft. There's not much you can hook the Kodiak up to that will
intimidate it. Electronic throttle control improves fuel efficiency. Two- and
four-wheel drive are available. Boaters will appreciate the available
four-wheel drive, which will come in handy on slippery boat ramps. For
equestrian and recreational-vehicle purposes, the two-wheel drive Kodiak offers
a lower ride height that's compatible with most fifth-wheel trailers. The 4x4
gets a front axle rated at 8000 pounds, so the Kodiak can handle snowplows and other front-heavy applications.
The Kodiak lives to work, and it wasn't happy stomping around town looming
over Hummers. To put that capacity to the test, we rolled up to a local
equipment-rental company and asked them for the largest thing they had, which
turned out to be a 9000-pound Komatsu 25 forklift. With its trailer the combo
weighed about 12,000 pounds. This was enough weight to get the Kodiak's
attention, but the big truck was far from overwhelmed or overworked. We got on
the freeway and pulled the forklift right up to the speed limit. Around town,
heavy trailers are manageable as well, thanks in part to an available big-rig
style exhaust brake. This system re-routes the exhaust to slow the Kodiak down
on long grades, offering better speed control without wearing out the brakes.
Pricing on this bad boy varies, as the cost of the base Kodiak chassis-cab
is wrapped into the Monroe
conversion price. When all is said and done, expect to pay between $75,000 and
$90,000 for a well-equipped "ultimate pickup." Is it practical?
Unless you have a lot of stuff to tow or haul, no. Will it get you noticed?
Absolutely.
The
Fact Box:
All specs are for the 2006 Chevrolet C4500 Kodiak.
Length: 246.0 in.
Width: 95.8 in.
Height: 95.2 in.
Wheelbase: 169.0 in.
GVWR: 19.500 lb.
Base price: $75,000-$90,000
Engine: 6.6 liter OHV four-valve turbodiesel V8
Drivetrain: five-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Horsepower: 300 @ 3100
Torque: 605 @ 1600
Fuel capacity: 32.0 gal.
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