The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is shown in LTZ trim with the "Midnight Edition" package. (Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy)More Info
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Chevrolet has been building trucks for 100 years.
When the first Chevy "One Ton" was built in 1918, Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States and gasoline was just 25-cents a gallon. It was the same year that Chevrolet merged with General Motors, a union that continues to bear fruit today.
Consequently, the 2018 Silverado 1500, Chevy's bread-and-butter full-size truck, is the beneficiary of 100 years of evolution.
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That first Chevy truck had 36 horsepower and cost $1,325. This week's tester, a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Z71 LTZ 4WD Crew cab, has 355 horsepower and costs $55,335. If things stay on the same trajectory, a century from now a 2118 Chevy full-size truck will have more than 3,000 horsepower and will cost about $2.3 million.
Well, maybe not.
Let's jump out of the time-travel machine and concentrate on the excellent pickup that was in my driveway last week. After a couple of days in the Silverado, our 11-year-old son - probably the only youngster in Chattanooga to ride in about 80 new vehicles last year - pronounced it a keeper.
"It doesn't really even feel like a truck," he said, reflecting on the Silverado's quiet operation and plush (for a truck) ride.
That's what you get when you check nearly all the option boxes on one of America's most popular pickups. After all, for $55,335 you expect both muscles and manners.
Local dealerships have plenty of 2018 Silverados on the ground. Mountain View Chevrolet in downtown Chattanooga and Integrity Chevrolet on Chapman Road together report about 80 Silverados in digital inventory this week.
STYLING AND FEATURES
First, let's have a little lesson in Silverado 101.
There are literally dozens of Silverado 1500 configurations available, everything from a basic work truck to a lathered-in-luxury High Country trim. In all, there are five trim levels, three cabin configurations, two bed sizes and three engine options. To a point, you can mix and match these variables to build a truck that dovetails with your needs and budget. Just be aware, the price can range from under $30,000 to more than $60,000.
Let's break down our tester, a black 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 AWD Crew Cab with a Midnight Edition package. So, LTZ is the penultimate trim package and comes with alloy weeks, LED headlights, heated seats, dual climate controls and extra chrome bits. The Z71 badge means it has off-road chops and options, including a special trail-ready suspension, locking rear differential, skid plates (a.k.a. under armour) and bumper upgrades.
The Midnight Package is largely cosmetic and encompasses black bowtie emblems, 18-inch black wheels and body-colored molding and trim. It's a tough looking truck with a "don't-mess-with-me" stance and attitude. The fact that its a purpose-built 4X4 only makes it more macho. The black paint accentuates the muscled exterior. Prominent chrome and red Z71 side badges provide welcomed accents on huge expanses of black sheet metal.
Inside, things soften up. In fact, sitting inside a Silverado will be the closest some of us will ever get to a padded room. Soft touch materials abound, and the truck bristles with USB and other charging ports and power outlets for your devices. A big, 8-inch diagonal touch screen is standard.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
Our tester, provided for our one-week test drive by the manufacturer, comes with Chevy's 5.3-liter V-8 engine that makes 355 horsepower. It's the middle choice in the Silverado 1500 engine line-up, bracketed by a smaller 4.3-liter V-6 (285 horsepower) and a larger 6.2-liter V-8 (420 horsepower).
The 4.3-liter V-8 delivered plenty of power during a week of mountain-to-valley commuting. The only reason to step up to the 6.2-liter, in our opinion, would be if you needed to tow a large boat or trailer. Meanwhile, the eight-speed automatic transmission goes about its job with quiet efficiency. The government estimates the Silverado will get 20 miles per gallon highway and 15 miles per gallon city.
Parking and maneuvering the big Silverado was a bit of challenge, and we took it extra slow in the car line at my younger son's school. The hood is so high that small children can disappear from view. Thankfully, our tester had a full compliment of safety-tech features including low-speed forward automatic braking, lane-keep assist (armed with seat buzzers), forward collision alert, and front and rear park assist.
BOTTOM LINE
In each of the last four years, Chevy has sold more than a half-million Silverados. That alone is a rousing endorsement. With 100 years to experiment, Chevy has raised truck building to an art form. With that combination of history and innovation, it's hard to go wrong.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.