8-cylinder punch, 4-cylinder economy
There was a time when the humble pickup truck represented the everyperson. It was a tool that excelled at getting down and dirty. You used it to get things done. They’re still more than capable in that regard, but let’s not pretend there isn’t a significant demographic that enjoys the idea of a truck, even if they don’t live or work anywhere near its typical stomping ground. Pickup trucks are far more versatile these days. No matter the lifestyle, it’s not uncommon to find the keys to one in the hands of Canadians. Of Canada’s 10 best selling vehicles of 2020, 4 of them were pickup trucks. Furthermore, in that #4 slot lay this – the Chevrolet Silverado.
Pickups of all makes offer a myriad of configurations suited to varying needs. You can keep things simple and spartan for the worksite, or go for something more luxe. Our tester opted for the latter. The most basic Silverado 1500 starts at $32,648. This top-of-the-line High Country trim starts at just over $70,000. Add a plethora of optional goodies and that cost goes even higher to just under $82,000. Not exactly the kind of coin you want to throw at a rough and tumble jobsite truck. Instead, this is the kind of thing you take on a long cruise to your cottage. So that’s exactly where we went.
Humility is in short supply when you step inside. For your money, you get plush leather seats with heating and ventilation, a comfortable heated leather steering wheel, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, onboard WiFi, wireless charger, wood paneling, a bass-heavy Bose sound system, powered rear window, 120v outlets, smart cruise control and lane keeping and more. This is a very well-equipped vehicle – which at least gives you opportunities to save money. But as well equipped as this truck is, the interior is still filled with cheap-feeling plastics. Like the GMC Sierra we previously reviewed, the gear shifter would bounce and jiggle with each light undulation of the road surface. It’s not an awful interior, but for over $80,000, it should feel more premium.
But that aside, the High Country Silverado feels more like glamping than roughing it in a tent. It’s comfortable, quiet, relaxing and an absolute breeze to drive – even in Toronto. Unlike the Ram 2500 Power Wagon we drove earlier, the Silverado, while still quite large, was quite easy to navigate around a tight condo parking lot. Visibility is excellent, making it only the tiniest bit butt clenching around Toronto’s narrower streets. A number of sensors and cameras all around the truck also help a great deal in this regard. If you had a boat or trailer to tow, the Advanced Trailering System would make much easier work out of it. There’s even a nifty feature that lets drivers see what’s behind whatever it is they’re towing, along with a number of hitch views and parking views.
The 3.0L inline-6 under the hood of our tester may only generate 277 horsepower, but it more than makes up for it with an impressive 460 lb-ft of torque – the same amount you get in the available 6.2L V8. Although it doesn’t bring as much towing as the big 8, it’s no slouch, letting you pull up to 4,309 kg. The Duramax diesel can also get some seriously impressive fuel economy numbers. Chevrolet estimate the truck can reach figures as good as 7.1 L/100km – and we can nearly confirm that. A long stretch of highway with free-flowing traffic left the onboard readout hovering between 8 and 9 L/100km for much of the journey. That number went as high as 14 L/100km in stop-and-go and city driving, settling on a respectable average after a week. It took over an hour of highway driving to see the fuel gauge move!
The low-end grunt of the diesel served wonderfully for a weekend cottage trip – and still excelled in real life driving. It’s not the most powerful engine, but the high torque combined with the arsenal of safety tech makes this massive truck feel nimbler than it should be. This is no supercar. It’s not even a hatchback when it comes to handling. You shouldn’t expect it to be, but it won’t lumber around as much a vehicle of this size usually does. While we didn’t have the aforementioned boat to tow, the Silverado 1500 and its trick ‘Multi-Flex’ tailgate made short work of some plywood and lumber, safely containing the cargo without the need for an excess amount of tie-downs. But for more finicky loads, there is a remarkable amount of strapping points available in the bed.
So where does all of this leave buyers? It’s such a cop-out of an answer, but it depends. If you’re a well-to-do cottage dweller and the premium of the diesel is no trouble to absorb, it’s hard not to recommend it. Sure, the initial cost of the V8 options are cheaper – but the fuel savings and capability of the diesel are hard to ignore. It may not always look or act the part, but this is a truly luxurious ride – and for that price tag, it had better be. But if some of those features seem a bit too superfluous, you really can’t go wrong by stepping down on the trim ladder. The downrange LT trim can be had with the Duramax for nearly $30,000 less than our tester. Pickups have become incredibly versatile – and thankfully – so too have their prices.
Comentarios