2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Classic - Review

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The whole notion of what a pickup truck is, and what it is supposed to do, hasn’t changed all that radically since 1918, when Chevrolet created its first pickup. Those first pickups came from car chasses and — wouldn’t you know it? — today’s GM trucks are circling back to cars for inspiration in their interiors, in their smooth and effortless power, and even in their fuel-saving technology.

Chevrolet’s new Silverado takes the trend of truck refinement and carries it eons beyond the last rendition, which stuck around too long while GM dithered over its future. But while it’s easily one of the most sophisticated trucks now on the market — and that includes the current version of the Toyota Tundra, the Ford F-150, the Dodge Ram and the Nissan Titan — the new Silverado is also one of the most capable when it comes to truck duty. New from the ground up for the first time since 1998, GM says the Silverado tops the full-size truck segment for fuel economy (20 mpg or more on the highway, they promise), interior room, horsepower (367), and towing capability (10,500 pounds).

Now, getting a grip on the broad Silverado spectrum is like trying to describe all Americans with one set of adjectives. GM offers a baffling array of drivetrains, beds, and models in the new truck. There are eight powertrains, two transmissions (both four-speed automatics), three cab sizes (Regular, Extended, and Crew Cabs), three bed lengths, three trim levels — and that’s just the Silverado, not even including the similar GMC Sierra and Denali pickups, which we’ll review separately.