Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The Silverado 1500 is available with a variety of engines. In fact, Chevrolet offers a total of four different engines, the base powertrain is a 2.7L 4-cylinder turbocharged with 420 lb-ft of torque, next is the 5.3L V8, followed by a revised 3.0L I-6 turbodiesel engine producing 305 hp and 495 pounds-feet of torque, up from last year's 277 and 460, all the way to a 6.2L V8 that makes 420 horsepower. Transmission options include both 8-speed that is only available with the base engine and 10-speed automatic for all other engine options. Buyers can choose the diesel in the Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ and High Country trims. Like most trucks in this class, power is generally sent to the rear wheels, though 4-wheel drive also is available. It has three box sizes a 5.75', a 6.6', and an 8'. The half-ton truck has superior towing capacity compared to its competitors, at a max 13,300 pounds.
The base Chevrolet Silverado trim is known simply as "Work Truck". The Work Truck trim is aimed at people who rely on their trucks as a tool and who care more about its function than how many speakers the stereo has. The Work Truck comes appropriately equipped with cloth seats, push start-button, keyless entry, tire specific pressure monitors with tire fill assistant, rear camera, 17-inch steel wheels, and black exterior trims. The Silverado Work Truck has a 7-inch touchscreen to keep you connected to the new technologies such as smartphone integration and USB ports. Some of the standard safety equipment is predictive brake assist, hill hold control, auto high-beam headlamp, lane departure mitigation, forward collision breaking with pedestrian detection, and following distance alert.
The Custom trim is one step up and adds a little visual pizzazz to the truck. 20-inch aluminum wheels come standard and for those who want to sound as good as they look, an integrated dual exhaust system is an option as well. The list doesn't stop there, it also gets power heated mirrors, body-color bumpers, power driver seat, satellite radio, steering wheel cruise controls, mobile hotspot, power locking tailgate, remote engine start, and trailering equipment with backup assist.
The Custom Trail Boss takes the Custom trim and adds various off-roading goodies. The Trail Boss gets a 2-inch lift, rancho shocks, 18-inch black aluminum wheels, rear locking differential, hill descent control, part and full-time four-wheel drive, rear locking differential, skid plates, and off-road tires.
The LT trim offers chrome accents along the bumpers and front grille, full LED headlamps, daytime running lamps, heated leather steering wheel, heated front seats, proximity keyless entry with push button start, voice activated automatic dual zone air conditioning, bigger 13.4-inch touchscreen and 12.3 digital gauge cluster. The RST is one step up from the LT, adding LED fog and tail lamps, black mirrors, and body-color bumpers.
Like the Custom, the LT is available in Trail Boss form, combining the features of the LT with the off-road suspension, skid plates, part and full-time four-wheel drive, and blacked out trims.
The ZR2 tops the Trail Boss with more equipment such as paddle shifters, transmission oil coolers, driver selectable front and rear locking differential, Trick DSSV shocks, spray-in bed liner, reverse tilt down mirrors, leather seats, 8-way power front bucket seats with cooling and heat, 2 driver seat and exterior mirror memory, heated rear seats, power folding mirrors, rear seat armrest, off-road/low-speed control, 6 USB ports, rain detecting wipers, power rear sliding window, and aerial view cameras. This trim also gets more tech to enhance safety, rear parking sensors, blind spot warning, and rear collision automatic breaking.
The Silverado 1500 Special-Edition ZR2 Bison trim with a 6.2-liter V8 is the ultimate off-roader. American Expedition Vehicles is the supplier for this ultimate off-road machine. Powder-coated AEV steel front and rear bumpers improved approach and departure angles of 32.5 degrees and 23.4 degrees without changing the ground clearance of 11.2 inches. Upgrades include boron steel skid plates, steel panels to protect the rocker panels, and gloss black 18-inch AEV wheels wrapped in 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires. The body-colored grille divider is unique to the Bison, as is the matte black upper element of the standard Multi-Flex tailgate. There are also AEV-branded decals and badges throughout the cabin and exterior.
The LTZ trim moves fully into luxury vehicle territory with many of the features listed on the ZR2 minus the off-road equipment, additional exterior chrome accents, power tailgate, front and rear parking sensors, power tilting and telescoping steering wheel, and 20-inch aluminum wheels.
The top-of-the-line High Country trim offers very similar features as the LTZ and it adds 20-inch machined finished aluminum wheels, chrome assist steps and a very cool two-tone grille design with chrome and bronze finishing.