Full-size pickups, including the Chevrole Silverado 1500, have outsold conventional cars in the U.S. for decades. And this year, the highly successful half-ton Silverado carries over into 2018 with only minor changes.
The Silverado 1500 has eight trim levels, three cab styles, three box sizes, and nine special editions. With most of those combinations, you also can choose among four powertrains and whether you want two-wheel or four-wheel drive.
But instead of getting into the weeds on all that, let’s just talk about the truck I got to test drive around town.
The Chevrolet Silverado Centennial Edition, available only on Silverado LTZ Z71 crew cab models, celebrates 100 years of Chevy trucks.
The Silverado Centennial Edition includes front and rear heritage bowtie emblems, a 100-year door badge, spray-in bed liner with heritage bowtie emblem, accessory floor liners with heritage bowtie emblems, Centennial Blue exterior paint, 22-inch painted wheels with chrome inserts, 22-inch all-terrain tires, chrome tow hooks, and a chrome bowtie on the steering wheel.
Also for 2018, Silverado 1500 trims now have standard rearview cameras, teen driver mode, active aero shutters, and the tire air pressure monitoring system now includes tire fill alert.
Teen driver mode allows parents to program a selected key fob to restrict certain activities and report others. For example, the fob can be set to mute the radio unless all occupied seat belts are buckled. When the car returns home, parents can view reports detailing distance and speed traveled, and so forth.
Active aero shutters in the Silverado grilles automatically close when the vehicle speed exceeds 55 mph, which is pretty cool. The purpose of the shutters is to reduce air resistance and aid in fuel economy.
Tire fill alert, which acts as a supplement to tire monitoring, kicks in only when you are actively filling one of the four mounted tires with air. When you begin to fill a tire with air, tire fill alert pays attention and signals when you reach the proper pressure.
Price-wise, as you move up from the LT ($34,310 starting) through the LTZ ($46,630 starting) to the High Country ($51,800), the comfort, convenience, and luxury features keep piling up.
For many consumers, the LTZ is laden with all they want or need in a luxury truck. The LTZ comes standard with the 5.3-liter V8, a trailering package, and 18-inch bright machined aluminum wheels. The LTZ also has full LED projector headlights, LED fog lamps, and more chrome trim.
If absolute maximum towing capacity is a must, this 6.2-liter V8 produces 460 pound-feet at 4,100 RPM and can pull the Silverado 1500’s maximum of 12,500 pounds. The EPA mileage is 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway, but do not expect that mileage when pulling heavy loads.
Inside the LTZ are dual-zone automatic air conditioning, 10-way power front seats, driver memory settings, a 110-volt outlet, theft deterrent system, remote vehicle starter, universal home remote, and a rear sliding power window with defogger.
All Silverados now have MyLink radio systems with at least a seven-inch diagonal color touchscreen with AM/FM stereo with seek-and-scan, a digital clock, and support for Bluetooth streaming audio for music and smartphones.
If you want both fancy and rugged, the LTZ is for you.
Grant Miller is the publisher of Miami’s Community Newspapers. He may be contacted by calling 305-662-2277 or via email at Grant@CommunityNewspapers.com.
