High marks for High Country
The Silverado is one of General Motors’ bestselling vehicles in North America. Truck impresses with a comfortable and well-equipped interior
As much as North Americans may love their SUVs and crossovers, the upper reaches of the sales charts are well represented by light-duty pickups.
The Ford F-150 was number 1 in Canada and the U.S. in 2019, and its primary rivals — Ram 1500, GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado — were firmly in the top 10, a zone they’ve occupied for years. In fact, Ford, Ram and Chevy swept the top three, in that order, in the U.S. last year.
The focus here, the Chevrolet Silverado, ranked eighth overall in Canada in 2019 (45,837 sold) and offers a number of trims, engines, cabs and box lengths in two-wheel and four-wheel drive to meet the needs of every truck consumer.
On a macro level, the Silverado was all-new as an eighthgeneration model for the 2019 model year, which introduced new styling, engines and technologies. Eight trims are available featuring six engines and three automatic transmissions.
For the purposes of this review, General Motors Canada loaned me a range-topping Silverado High Country tester finished in Northsky Blue Metallic with a black leather interior.
Powering my tester is a 3.0litre Duramax turbo diesel inline six that produces 277 horsepower at 3,750 r.p.m. and 460 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,500 r.p.m. The engine is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels.
The main advantages a diesel engine offers are improved fuel economy for towing, plus the lower cost of diesel fuel versus gasoline. While I didn’t tow anything during my time with the Silverado, the 3.0-litre does have an impressive 9,300 lb. tow rating. The one thing intenders should bear in mind, however, is the Duramax will add $3,245 to the price.
In terms of performance, I was struck by how smooth the 3.0-litre engine is, both off the line and at speed. While some diesel ‘clatter’ can be heard, it’s much quieter than in other diesel trucks I’ve driven. Acceleration is decent for a full-size pickup and I found its handling to be reasonably responsive.
As mentioned, my tester is a 4WD model that offers several settings via two-speed transfer case. There are six driving modes: tour, sport, off-road, terrain, tow/haul and snow/ice. The Silverado handled an offroad, undulating trail that has a mix of gravel, packed dirt and mud with ease.
I’ll say this for the Silverado’s interior: It has all of the stuff you’d expect to find in a vehicle with a near-$80,000 price tag. Leather seating, check. Heated steering wheel and seats, check. Cellphone charge pad, check. Infotainment display with navigation, check.
It’s pretty much all there, but the important caveat is my experience is drawn from a press vehicle that’s loaded with more than $12,000 worth of optional equipment. A lot of stuff shown here quickly balloons the High Country’s $66,398 base price. Items such as head-up display, rear camera mirror and sunroof are all available through various option packages.
In terms of design, comfort and space, the Silverado earns high marks overall, despite an esthetic that is more functional than cutting-edge. I like functional, personally, but given the gauntlet Ram threw down with its interior and with an all-new Ford F-150 due out later this year, dull but functional might hurt GM pickups. And as much as I like GM infotainment systems, the eight-inch touchscreen looks tiny. It must be addressed in future updates.
The Silverado is much more on the mark regarding comfort, space and storage. I’m really impressed with this truck’s seating position, seats, visibility and general comfort. The High Country is the top-level trim, so all these things should be well executed, and they are in this case. Console storage space is vast, the cellphone charge pad is an open bin you just drop your phone into, and there are plenty of USB/12-volt ports to charge up various devices. Front and back seat areas offer a cavernous amount of space for passengers and/or cargo.
On the safety front, the High Country comes with some advanced kit (rear cross-traffic alert, lane change alert with blind zone alert, etc.), but a lot of items, like forward collision alert and front pedestrian braking are part of the High Country Deluxe Package, which costs $7,020. Honestly, I’m surprised more of this stuff isn’t standard considering the trim.
In sum, the Silverado High Country impresses overall as a luxury truck. The interior is exceedingly well-equipped, even if the esthetic isn’t the shiniest, and it offers a lot of space, storage and a high degree of comfort. And with the 3.0-litre Duramax diesel, it offers good everyday performance that can really haul. If the truck is going to be used as a towing workhorse, the Duramax is worth the extra cost, but if not, the standard 5.3-litre V-8 is a fine alternative.
Personally, I’d save some money and opt for the LT Trail Boss, but to each their own.