Chevrolet Silverado 1500 History
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The Chevrolet Silverado is General Motors' workhorse full-size pickup truck. Available in a variety of body styles, bed lengths, powertrains and with upscale luxury trim in some versions, the Silverado competes with the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan, but even more closely with the Dodge Ram, the Ford F-150, and the similar GMC Sierra.
The Silverado has been on sale since 1999, when GM gave the name to its C/K pickup trucks developed under the code name GMT800. In that first generation, the Silverado carried on with the rugged look and capability that GM's trucks used to battle the Ford F-150, their sales arch rival. From the 1999 to the 2006 model year, the Silverado was sold in hundreds of configurations--nearly all of them powered by a V-8 engine, teamed to a four-speed automatic transmission. A five-speed automatic came late in life, as did GM's first hybrid--which in this case, was a very "mild" hybrid which simply stored some recouped energy to charge electrical systems, including a power point in its pickup bed.
In 2007, GM introduced the first of the "GMT900" trucks were put into production--accelerated as GM hoped strong sales would lift it back into profitability. While that didn't quite pan out, the GMT900s were an instant success, and were well-reviewed for their more upscale styling, rich interiors and improved drivetrains. This second-generation Silverado 1500 is still on sale today, with minor changes over its product life thus far.
It remains one of the best full-size trucks for its seemingly endless variety of configurations: three body styles offer seating up to six, in front of a bed that comes in short or long variants. The Silverado also offers a plainer and a quite nice interior design; a choice of four gas engines, or a Hybrid model; and rear- or four-wheel drive. The most powerful 403-hp V-8 Silverado drinks fuel at the rate of 12/19 mpg, but the Hybrid edition earns an estimated EPA rating of 20/23 mpg. Towing tops out at more than 10,700 pounds, and while the Silverado's rear seats can seem a little too vertical, the interior's as comfortable as the competitors, save for TheCarConnection's favorite full-size pickup truck, the Dodge Ram. Features range from a trailer-sway mode in the stability control system, to dealer-installed wireless internet access.
The Silverado shares its running gear with many vehicles across the GM brands. The Silverado, Avalanche, Suburban, and Tahoe all are related, as are the heavy-duty versions of the Silverado and Suburban. GMC's Sierra, Suburban, and Yukon are almost identical; the Cadillac Escalade lineup borrows its mechanicals from the same architecture. There's also the HUMMER H2, a more distant cousin of the "GMT900" trucks and sport-utility vehicles, now defunct, along with the HUMMER brand itself.
A new Silverado is expected for the 2014 model year.
