The Chevrolet Silverado is America’s second biggest-selling pickup truck after the Ford F-150 and is the biggest-selling truck in states including Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Maine, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. In 2022, the Chevy sold over 523,000 units, some 130,000 behind the Ford, holding its iconic status in the local truck market.
For decades, Chevy’s most popular full-sized truck has been working hard on farms and construction sites, while hauling trailers and boats all over the country. To enable it to handle these tasks with ease, the current production model Silverado 1500 comes with either a regular cab, an extended cab, or a crew cab and employs a choice of powertrains, including two V8s, a 4-cylinder turbo, and a diesel.
Able to tow up to 13,300 lbs, the recently updated truck can be equipped with 310-hp 2.7-liter turbo, a 355-hp 5.3-liter V8, a 420-hp 6.2-liter V8, and a 305-hp 3.0-liter Duramax turbo-diesel V6.
Starting at $36,300 for the base trim Work Truck “WT” rear-wheel-drive model, the Silverado’s price can stretch through trims such as Custom, Custom Train Boss, High Country, LT and RST to the fully optioned $84,405 flagship all-wheel-drive ZR2 model.
Though not immediately obvious, there are a few minor updates for the Silverado 1500 for 2024. Two new metallic paint options have been added—Lakeshore Blue and Slate Gray. Silverados powered by the 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 now boasts an active exhaust, making the truck sound meaner when switched into sport mode. In addition, the Blackout appearance package can now be added on Custom, Custom Trail Boss, RST, and LT Trail Boss models while OnStar and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now fitted to all Silverados, even the base-level Work Truck.
While the WT and Custom versions are perfectly specced out for tradespeople and special purpose drivers, it is the LT that employs the better-designed, higher-quality interior. This is the version we’d lean toward with the crew cab and standard-length bed for maximum cargo and passenger space. Although the diesel delivers far better economy, we’d opt for the 5.3-liter V-8 engine as it’s cheaper at around $48,000, faster (6.0 seconds vs 7.0 seconds) and more fun to drive. The truck’s handling is surprisingly agile, ride quality is good and the brake pedal feel is firm and confidence-building.
From the basic, spartan Work Truck to the fully specced High Country, the Silverado can be fitted out in over a dozen ways. Choose the LT trim we mentioned above, and your cabin is at once higher quality with a sharper-looking dashboard boasting a huge 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 10.2-inch center touchscreen, and an 8-speaker Bose sound system. If you want something even prettier, go for the High Country trim whose interior looks snazzier with its leather seats and open-pore wood trim.
OUR THOUGHTS
The Chevrolet Silverado is a clever choice for those who need a powerful, capable, and comfortable truck that handles surprisingly well. It offers a variety of engine options, cab configurations, and bed lengths to choose from and boasts strong towing capability. When driving a big truck like this with its visibility challenges it’s always good to have a rearview camera, a front-view camera, blind spot monitoring system, lane departure warning system, and a rear cross-traffic alert system.