First Drive Review
Never mind that one in six full-size pickups calls the Lone Star state home. Forget that the Dallas–Fort Worth area alone buys more trucks than do most entire states. And ignore for a moment that the Chevrolet you’re reading about is actually available in Texas Edition trim. It’s not the love for pickups in the land of God, guns, and trucks that makes San Antonio the perfect place to launch the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. No, it’s the plain-talkin’, no-bull attitude that makes Texas so apt. Here, as with the latest iteration of Chevy’s breadwinner, what you see is what you get.
The bulkier Silverado won’t upset the eight-cylinder, leaf-sprung balance of the truck world with a fancy forced-induction powertrain or fancy chassis features. Chevy doesn’t have a turbocharged V-6 to wean buyers off the V-8 as Ford does, and, unlike the Ram 1500, a Silverado can’t be equipped with bedside cargo boxes or air springs. In a changing large-truck market, the Silverado has evolved like a rock; it’s a geological commodity meticulously polished by time. In focusing on the fundamentals, Chevrolet passed on the latest trends but delivered a pragmatic truck that gets the core attributes right.
It Seems to Me You Lived Your Life Like a Fist in the Wind
A full-size pickup is nothing if not big, tough, and assertive. The new Silverado takes that theme to the extreme with blockier styling cues, straighter lines, and sharper edges compared to last year’s truck. Along with squared-off wheel wells, a taller hood, and an engorged grille, it all amounts to what design director Tom Peters calls a “fist in the wind.” The LTZ trim adds finger jewelry—chrome door handles, mirror caps, and body moldings—that makes the visual assault even more intense. In fact, the design team’s best work has more to do with function than form. Notches cut into the rear bumper and the bed rail serve as step and handhold, respectively, to make climbing into the bed easier.
New packaging configurations also had a hand in shaping the new Silverado. The extended cab is now known as the double cab, with short, front-hinged doors replacing the rear-hinged pieces. While the cabin length is unchanged and interior dimensions are roughly the same, the addition of a B-pillar improves body stiffness and cabin quietness. It also makes the truck more practical, as you no longer need to open the front doors to open the rears. A newly optional 6’6” bed for the crew cab model complements the standard 5’8” bed and stretches the Silverado’s length to within 0.4 inch of 20 feet. (The 6’6” bed is the only choice for double cabs, while regular-cab models can be fitted with 6’6” or 8’0” beds.)
Compared to recent Chevrolet releases like the 2014 Impala, the Silverado’s interior is an exercise in restraint. The LTZ models we sampled were lined with a tasteful and upscale mix of materials with impressive fit and finish. A wide center console and pocket-riddled door panels offer a place for everything from pens and maps to phones and sunglasses. MyLink, Chevy’s infotainment system, is easy to navigate via the optional 8.0-inch touch screen, and there are substantial knobs for volume, radio tuning, temperature, and fan speed. There’s also a port to plug in almost anything: In a loaded LTZ model, we counted five USB ports, four 12-volt power points, an SD card slot, an auxiliary audio input, and a 110-volt household outlet.
Unimpeachable Performance
The Silverado can be had with one of three significantly updated engines now known as the Ecotec3 family, all spun from the latest GenV small-block architecture. Ecotec3 is a marketer’s synonym for direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and variable valve timing, although it’s unlikely to gain the public recognition of Ford’s EcoBoost tag. GM has given itself an advantage, however, by crafting its V-6 specifically for hard-working trucks. While the F-150 and Ram six-cylinder engines are also used in cars and crossovers, the Silverado’s 285-hp V-6 is tailor-made for this application. Its large, 4.3-liter displacement produces substantially more twist than the naturally aspirated V-6 competitors, at 305 lb-ft. The engine revs leisurely but with an authoritative torque curve that made easy work of pulling a 5000-ish-pound camper up long grades.
