Lavish, Luxe, Lax, Lacks
Like a rock. Marble perhaps. The kind that looks right at home in a home, such as those in the neighbourhoods of the upper crust of society. Which is also where you’d find this truck – the 2nd most expensive Chevrolet Silverado – but certainly the most luxurious. Like ripped jeans and country boy aesthetics, many pickup owners love the illusion of roughing it without the pitfalls of that life. It’s not an insult. It’s just a habit of life, and indeed, pickup trucks. The High Country trim sheds the shackles of utility – but not the capability. Is this a case of having the best of both worlds? Or a politician wearing a hard hat for a photo op?
High Country means high life. Step inside, and this may not feel like a truck for the masses - rather, those who love work boots, but not the work. But then again, the Silverado is among the best-selling vehicles in the country. This interior is bathed in luxury and technology. Leather appointed surfaces, beautiful and vibrant displays, an easy to use and navigate menu, and seats far more comfortable than one might expect in a pickup truck. You’ll also find modern conveniences like a wireless phone charger, and wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto. The interior feels high quality. Thankfully, gone is the floppy column-mounted shifter of years past that would gently bounce with any undulation of the road. Instead, you get a fixed shifter in the centre console location.
Riding as high as it does, visibility is largely fantastic, save for any people, vehicles or other objects in the immediate vicinity of the truck. This thing is both long and tall. But thankfully there are adequate cameras and sensors to help shed some light on what is obscured. But always use your eyes, first and foremost. As handy as those sensors are, they do end up lacking in certain regards. For instance, given how high up the High Country is on the model chain, it’s curious, odd, and admittedly, a bit annoying, that there is no adaptive cruise control or automatic braking. This is not a luxury feature, nor a new one. On a truck this large and this heavy, this is, in our opinion, a safety issue. It’s an equally curious omission – given the truck also features tech like lane keeping assist and blind spot monitoring.
This High Country gets its power from a 5.3L V8 mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. But you can also opt for a punchier 5.3L V8, or a turbocharged 3.0L diesel. Our little V8 is punchy, smooth and powerful enough to lug this hefty pickup about. It’s not exactly efficient, but even with a diesel, if you’re buying a pickup truck of this size, you cannot expect anything close to Maverick-like economy. But hey, instead you get a respectable 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. In conjunction with the lavish interior and adapting dampers, this truck is as luxurious as it is rugged.
What was once exclusive to the GMC Sierra is now also available on its Chevrolet sibling. We refer of course to the trick split tailgate. It’s a very reasonably priced option too. You will literally pay more to get your truck painted in red or white. Speaking of cash – be prepared to shell out just under $74,000 for the HC, in this spec at least. Given the level of luxury in the cabin, and the capability on tap, there’s not much to dislike about the Silverado in this trim. But omissions like a lack of radar cruise control mean top brass like the F-150 still have the edge in our opinion.
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