![\"Chevy](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2018\/08\/28\/PDTN\/41ab7da1-fff4-47d7-8e31-baba91c6a5af-chevy_ltz-fr3-4.JPG?width=534&height=401&fit=bounds&auto=webp\")
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I love the pickup wars for the same reason I love muscle car bouts. Both are uniquely American segments boasting big engines, big capability, and Big Three automakers clawing at each other to be King of the Hill.<\/p>\n
The Battle of Muscle has been white hot in recent years as General Motors, Ford\u00a0and Fiat-Chrysler introduced their latest weapons \u2014\u00a0Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang\u00a0and Dodge Challenger \u2014\u00a0boasting state-of-the-art performance. The three brands bring unique talents and flag-waving partisans scream themselves hoarse urging them on. Crossing sides is a traitorous act \u2014\u00a0the partisan divide makes D.C. politics look like tiddlywinks.<\/p>\n
Camaro partisans cheer their warrior\u2019s handling, Mustang fans adore their gorgeous-styling, and Challenger faithful recite Herculean horsepower figures. When the armies clash and the V-8s roar, you can hear them for miles. They are light infantry compared to pickup battles.<\/p>\n
The Truck Wars are far more consequential because, with millions of sales at stake, they are the core moneymakers of Detroit\u2019s Three. Tens of thousands of standard pickups are sold every year to company fleets, flooding the landscape with worker ants doing the daily essentials of American commerce: building, landscaping, towing.<\/p>\n
With this summer\u2019s introduction of the long-awaited\u00a02019 Chevy Silverado pickup, the truckmakers \u2014 like their muscle car cousins \u2014\u00a0have finally lined up their state-of-the-art steeds.<\/p>\n
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While Detroit pickups are loaded with power, tech\u00a0and 4WD capability, they have distinct signatures. The Ford F-150 struts high-tech with an aluminum body, turbocharged engines\u00a0and semi-autonomous trailering. Ram (independent of Dodge since 2009) wows with knockout looks, sculpted logos\u00a0and a Tesla-like, iPad console. GMC\u2019s Sierra wows with style and 6-way bed (tune in for next week\u2019s review).<\/p>\n
Chevy? It\u2019s the meat and potatoes brand.<\/p>\n
Eschewing the exotic tech and jewelry of its cross-town rivals, Silverado is an all-around star \u2014 a fundamentally sound, reliable utility player that does everything well. So good are its fundamentals, in fact, that you wish it would borrow a little flash from its Chevy Camaro and Bolt EV siblings.<\/p>\n
Take Silverado\u2019s rock-solid chassis.<\/p>\n
When Ford introduced its tin F-150 four years ago, all the smart people declared it was a game-changer. Aluminum was the future. Chevy and Ram had to follow. And like with so many things these days, the smart set was wrong. Silverado\u2019s exterior plating consists of aluminum doors, hood\u00a0and tailgate to be sure \u2014 but the core body is virtually all high-strength steel.<\/p>\n
Using innovative welding to bind the bits together, Chevy makes the lightest, most athletic bod in town. The extraordinary engineering reminds of cousin Camaro \u2014 hands down the best-handling pony car ever \u2014 as I tossed the big brute around the Teton mountains outside of Jackson, Wyoming.<\/p>\n
Utilizing hydraulic engine mounts and softened leaf springs, my Silverado LT Trail Boss felt small under my whip, the behemoth rotating through hairpin turns, then downshifting smoothly to stay in the meat of the V-8\u2019s torque band.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a Camaro with a bed.<\/p>\n
I pined for more. Imagine if Chevy exploited the Silverado\u2019s gym-toned physique as it does the Camaro. Rather than limiting the Trail Boss performance model to a 5.3-liter V-8, what if Chevy gave it a supercharged, 6.2-liter engine like the Camaro ZL1? Or a battery pack like Volt for low-end torque?<\/p>\n
Silverado is content in the meat of the market. Starting with the segment\u2019s meatiest bed.<\/p>\n
In a true test of Ford customer loyalty, Chevy bounced a tool kit off Ford\u2019s box \u2014 puncturing holes in the tin. Ford customers yawned and snapped up the F-series in record numbers. But the demonstration left no doubt of the Silverado\u2019s toughness with beds made out of rolled steel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe working end of every pickup is the bed. It\u2019s like the head of a good hammer,\u201d said GM product boss Mark Reuss, when introducing Silverado last January. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019d get much work done with an aluminum hammer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh, these war generals are tough. Reuss & Co. backs up the steely talk with truckdom\u2019s biggest bed and most versatile tailgates. Silverado scalloped out fistfuls of room, adding seven inches of width and a whopping 12 tie-downs.<\/p>\n
Where Ford wows with optional side-rail cleat tech and Ram packs the rails with toolboxes, Silverado just goes yuge. The standard Chevy bed is bigger than competitors\u2019 long boxes. Meat and potatoes stuff.<\/p>\n
Beyond the bed, Chevy is content to upgrade its cameras and sensors (auto check of your trailer\u2019s tire pressures!) for better tow management, but doesn\u2019t bother to counter Ford\u2019s semi-autonomous trailer backup innovation.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Silverado doesn\u2019t shy from tech, and its automatic liftgate is a first, complete with remote operation. Other firsts include an available, 2.7-liter turbo-4 engine (old nail V-6 is the base) and head-up display.<\/p>\n
Premium-trim interiors pale in comparison to the exquisite suites found in competitors like F-150 (cowboy-chic stitching) and Ram (12-inch tablet screen). The Silverado High Countrys I tested weren\u2019t obviously different inside than the 10-grand cheaper, black LT \u2014 its seats and console devoid of fancy embroidery.<\/p>\n
Chevy would rather talk to you about its cavernous rear seat (expanded 3 inches courtesy of that clever chassis) where you can spread out while on the work site, working on your laptop via 4G Wi-Fi connectivity and scanning documents on the scanner you stored in the clever storage bins integrated into the seatbacks.<\/p>\n
The exterior is more aesthetically pleasing, if still not up to the standards of GMC\u2019s Sistine Chapel grille. The old, blocky fenders have been smoothed out with some beautiful stampings, while narrow LED lights \u2014 more Camaro inspiration here \u2013 lend the grille a touch of grace and menace.<\/p>\n
The LEDs come in with the mid-level, LT option. The trim packaging is part of a major expansion that groups Silverado\u2019s diverse, 585,000-strong customer base into three groups: Work truck (corporate fleet customers), LT (small biz owners, off-roaders), and high trim (LTZ and High Country society).<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a truck for every taste as long as you like meat and potatoes. Eclectic tastes looking for Raptor speed or King Ranch cream can go elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Put on your jersey, bring your beverage cooler, and get a seat at the pickup wars. It\u2019s gonna be good.<\/p>\n
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch \u201cCar Radio with Henry Payne\u201d from noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on 910 AM Superstation.<\/em><\/p>\n 2019 Chevrolet Silverado<\/strong><\/p>\n Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear and four-wheel drive, five-passenger pickup<\/p>\n Price: $36,095 base ($54,095 LT Crew Cab 5.3-liter V-8 and $62,290 High Country Crew 6.2-liter V-8 as tested)<\/p>\n Powerplant: 4.3-liter V-6; 2.7-liter Turbo-4; 5.3-liter V-8; 6.2-liter V-8<\/p>\n Power: 285 horsepower, 305 pound-feet torque (4.3-liter V-6);\u00a0310 horsepower, 328\u00a0pound-feet torque (2.7-liter Turbo-4); 355 horsepower, 385 pound-feet torque (5.3-liter V-8);\u00a0420 horsepower, 460 pound-feet torque (6.2-liter V-8)<\/p>\n Transmission: 6-speed automatic (V-6, 5.3L V-8); 8-speed automatic (Turbo-4, 5.3L V-8); 10-speed automatic (6.2L V-8)<\/p>\n Performance: 0-60 mph, est. 5.7 seconds; Towing: 12,200 lbs. (4WD 5.3-liter V-8 Crew Bac, mnftr); Payload: 2,180 lbs. (2WD 5.3-liter V-8 Crew Bac, mnftr)<\/p>\n Weight: 5,008 pounds (4WD, 5.3-liter V-8 Crew as tested)<\/p>\n Fuel economy: EPA fuel economy: 15 city\/21\u00a0highway\/17\u00a0combined (4WD 5.3L V-8);\u00a016\u00a0city\/20\u00a0highway\/17\u00a0combined (4WD 6.2L V-8)<\/p>\n Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n Highs: Big bed, big interior; fun to drive<\/p>\n Lows: Homely grille designs; supercharged\u00a0Raptor fighter, please?<\/p>\n Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I love the pickup wars for the same reason I love muscle car bouts. Both are uniquely American segments boasting big engines, big capability, and Big Three automakers clawing at each other to be King of the Hill. The Battle of Muscle has been white hot in recent years as General Motors, Ford\u00a0and Fiat-Chrysler introduced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22815,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22809\/revisions\/22815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}