Short Take Road Test
Check these numbers: GM's full-size pickup, combining Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra models, is the top-selling vehicle in the U.S., within rounding distance of a million units in a good year (which 2006 was not). And after an eight-year run of the previous version, this truck is all-new for 2007. Sixteen thousand salespeople are being trained to tell this story; billions of bucks are at stake here.
What's GM bragging about? The same talking points you hear on new cars: stiffer frames and bodies, better safety that includes curtain airbags, plusher interiors, slicker aerodynamics, smoother rides, and higher fuel economy.
Manual transmissions are history, stability control is standard on four-door models and available on extended cabs.
The Silverado menu offers six different small-block V-8s slotted above the 4.3-liter V-6 that's standard in regular and extended cabs. We grabbed a top-of-the-line 6.0-liter four-wheel-drive four-door crew cab for this drive. "VortecMAX" proclaims the logo on the door. Rated at 367 horsepower at 5500 rpm, the L76 V-8 has an iron block and aluminum heads, variable valve timing, and cylinder deactivation, allowing it to run on four cylinders in lightly loaded circumstances. You can't feel the switch, but watching the info display tells you V-4 or V-8 whenever that screen is selected. Mostly, V-4 appears down hills and when coasting to slower speeds. The heavy-duty 4L70 four-speed automatic is the only transmission.
MAX sprints to 60 in 7.5 seconds, accompanied by a ferocious sucking sound from the tuned intake (two resonators bulge from the intake pipe). The brakes — four-wheel discs with ABS — stopped everything in 186 feet from 70 mph. Although most truckers aren't venturesome in the twisties, our test truck carved around the skidpad at 0.74 g, enough to tip any untethered Frigidaire into the ditch.
The tester's top-level LTZ trim includes the handsome dashboard from the Yukon SUV. Less-plush versions have a more utilitarian panel with upper and lower glove boxes and a center seat with below-cushion storage.
On the road, the Silverado is a greatly improved truck. The front suspension is new, with a front track wider by 3.1 inches and coil-over shocks instead of the traditional GM torsion bars. Finally, there's rack-and-pinion steering, too, with the gear bolted directly to the cross member. Directional stability is excellent for a big pickup. The ride is first-rate, too, with better control of body shake and wheel bounce than in the Silverado's competitors.
MAX, when equipped with the Enhanced Towing package, is rated for 10,500 pounds. A smoothie but not a softie, this new Silverado.
