`VERY GOOD TRUCK' OFFERS SMOOTH DRIVING EXPERIENCE
Everyone will know when you roll up the block in the 2020 Silverado
I had to deliver an item to someone, socially distanced of course, and because I'm always in a different vehicle, she asked how to spot my arrival. “Believe me,” I said, “you'll know.”
It is hard to miss a truck this big, clad in what GM calls “Red Hot” paint and with some oddball tailgate graphics I'd leave in the showroom, but which certainly make a statement nevertheless.
The Silverado was remade into an all-new truck for 2019, along with its mechanical twin, the GMC Sierra. Changes on the 2020 version are minimal, involving mostly some tweaking of which features go on which trim.
You can get the Silverado in Regular Cab and base engine for just over $31,000, but my Crew Cab 4x4 RST started at $50,798, and with its long list of options, climbed to $68,673 before freight and taxes.
Part of that was my engine upgrade: My truck's base engine would have been a 2.7-litre turbocharged four cylinder, but I got a 6.2-L V-8. It's newly available on the RST for 2020, and it added $3,135 to my truck's price.
I also got the Rally Edition package ($10,465), which added a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated steering wheel, automatic dual-zone climate control, rear-seat storage (which are bins cleverly hidden in the seatbacks), spray-in bedliner, towing package, and auto-locking rear differential, as well as the over-the-top rally stripes, 22-inch black wheels, and black side steps.
That wasn't all. My tester also had add-on extras that included an advanced trailering package with numerous camera views, premium stereo, sunroof, blindspot monitoring, and park assist.
All three of the Detroit pickup-builders are offering numerous engine choices, and with a careful eye on fuel economy — which becomes especially important as they drop their more-fuel-efficient small-car offerings but must still meet corporate fuel averages. In GM'S trucks, you have a wide choice: a turbocharged four-cylinder, my ride's 6.2-L V-8, as well as a 4.3-L V-6, 5.3-L V-8, or 3.0-L in-line six turbodiesel.
The gasoline engines use cylinder deactivation, which shuts off the gas to certain cylinders under light load for extra fuel savings. On some engines, it shuts off the same ones each time — dubbed Active Fuel Management, or AFM — while others use Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM), a more sophisticated system that shuts off various cylinders, right down to leaving just a couple of them powered if that's all that's needed.
That DFM is on the 6.2-L engine, and it's seamless. Even though I knew it was there, I never noticed it working its magic. There's also auto-stop, which shuts off the engine completely when you idle, such as when sitting at a light, which also helps to reduce emissions. If you prefer to stay running, you can tap a button to temporarily disable the system.
My big V-8 makes 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, and it's mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It's officially rated at 13.7 L/100 km in combined driving, while I averaged 14.4 L/100 km in my week with it. Depending on the configuration and model, the Silverado's towing capacity ranges from 6,600 to 13,400 pounds. My truck was rated at 12,000 pounds for towing, plus 2,285 payload capacity.
The Silverado is a big truck — needlessly oversized, as all trucks are these days. It's far more agile than the Toyota Tundra, but not as sharp as Ford's redesigned F-150. The Chevy's ride is smooth and it feels well planted.
My truck's 4x4 system includes an Auto setting that allows it to be driven in four-wheel drive on hard pavement, which you shouldn't do if you only have 4Low and 4High, because it can bind and damage the system. I live in a rural area, where it's common for the wind to blow over the fields and leave deep, snowy patches with dry asphalt between them, and that automatic setting is very good for that.
The cabin is handsome, if not quite up to the standard of design and materials set first by Ram, and now by Ford's all-new truck. But Chevy has added comfortable seats and lots of space.
I like the simplicity of the controls, with dials for the stereo and temperature, and large icons on the touch screen.
There's also a lot of small-item storage, with a deep console box, two gloveboxes, and a big centre cubby.
At the GM store, I'd probably go for the GMC Sierra over the Silverado, just because I think it's the better-looking truck of the two. And my wallet would probably steer me to something smaller than the 6.2-L, which is more than I need. But that's the point: This is a very good truck with lots of choice, and it definitely merits a look.