Improving To Keep The Faithful, Faithful
The world of full-size pickup trucks has always been a highly competitive one, but never more so than now. Not only are the big-3 trying to outdo one another, but Toyota and Nissan have upped their games in order to carve out a bigger slice of the segment for themselves. All that to say, after 3-years on the market, the 4th generation Chevrolet Silverado is arriving with some timely updates to keep the bowtie ridin’ high!
When it comes to pickup truck lifecycles, 3-years is certainly not a long time. But, with the full-size truck segment as competitive as it is, it’s the perfect amount of time to spice things up; keeping your brand at top of mind when your faithful feel it’s time for a new truck.
Indeed all 1500 Silverados add a new front fascia that drops the headlights a little lower towards the ground, while also updating the daytime running lights.
As before, regular, double, and crew cabs are available, plus long, standard, or short bed lengths. The bed is still made of high-strength steel with 12-tie downs, and available power operating tailgate or trick multiflex tailgate.
But it’s inside where the biggest changes take place. The interior is essentially all-new, and that includes a 13.4-inch touchscreen for LT trim and above; plus, new colors to choose from and upgraded materials.
The dash itself replaces the chunky segmented vibe with a more flowing horizontal design, and the center console takes on a more functional role, including housing a new electronic shifter for the transmission.
All the changes not only look better but provide a more spacious feel; and there are more thoughtful storage spaces up front, including behind the infotainment screen, as well as in the rear seat area too.
Crew cab means plenty of room for rear seat passengers to stretch out, as well as lots of cargo flexibility.
High Country trim adds open pore wood trim, custom-stitched and perforated leather seating, and stainless steel accents. You can go further with an add-on premium package for a sunroof, all weather floor liners, and 22-aluminum wheels; and technology package which adds a head-up display, rear camera mirror, and adaptive cruise control.
Silverado buyers can now even add GM’s well-regarded Super Cruise semi-autonomous hands-free driving assistance.
4-wheel-drive is available of course, as are a wide range of drive modes, and integrated trailer brake controls.
Engine choices are unchanged but updated. A 2.7-liter turbo I4, a 3.0-liter I6 Duramax Diesel with 460 lb-ft. of torque, and two V8’s, the 355-horsepower 5.3-liter and 420-horsepower 6.2-liter.
The 2.7-liter got the most attention with a 20% boost in torque to 430 lb-ft. But, our High Country was sporting the 6.2-liter V8 and its 460 lb-ft. of torque. Its 10-speed automatic is shared by all except for the 4-cylinder which works with an 8-speed.
At our test track, there wasn’t much of a hole shot coming off the line, but once this 4X4 got rolling, you could really feel the power pour on, hitting 60 in 6.5-seconds.
That power delivery stayed smooth and consistent from there until the end of the ¼-mile; with a nice V8 rumble and smooth shifts from the transmission. Our best time was 14.8-seconds at 96 miles-per-hour.
In panic braking runs, there was a lot of pedal travel, but impressive results for a heavyweight, with stops from 60 taking just 112-feet.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings for a 4-wheel-drive 6.2-liter are 15-City, 20-Highway, and 17-Combined. We averaged a good 18.2 miles-per-gallon of Premium.
That’s a below average Energy Impact Score; consuming 17.5-barrels of oil annually, with CO2 emissions of 8.7-tons.
While you can get in a Silverado for as little as just over $40,000, most truck buyers are spending a lot more than that these days. Our High Country tester starts at $65,095, cruising over $70,000 with options.
Now, even with these updates, it is unlikely that Silverado will pose much of a threat to the F-150 in sales numbers. Those days are gone. However, they are striving to put Ram in their rearview mirror. So, keeping current fans happy, while swaying new prospects, is clearly the priority here. With a vastly upgraded interior, better tech, and improved style, this 2022 Chevrolet Silverado certainly should do that and more.
Vital Statistics
Engine: 6.2L V8
Horsepower: 420
Torque: 460 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 6.5 seconds
1/4 Mile: 14.8 seconds at 96 mph
60-0 Braking: 112 feet (avg)
EPA: 15 City / 20 Highway / 17 Combined
MW Fuel Economy: 18.2 mpg (Premium)
Keyword: 2022 Chevrolet Silverado