There are battles, shouting matches, bragging rights and heated rivalries everywhere. One place in particular is inside the automotive world and occurs between three similar but different camps. The Big Three may be a grouping of the American car makers, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t animosity between them. Due to this, a schism was created and for the most part, there is no real sign that the rip will be fixed anytime soon. Here’s a truth: there are Ford F-Series owners, Dodge Ram owners and Chevrolet Silverado owners. The recipe that created these three American workhorses is the same but to their respective fans, they couldn’t be anything but different. In order to find out why one group in particular sticks up for their love, we jumped behind the wheel of a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 to experience one of General Motor’s most shinning stars.
Riding on the half ton variation of GM’s GMT900 platform, the current generation Silverado has been on the road since 2007. Since then, not much of its fully boxed, hyrdoformed frame has changed and it shares all its underpinning parts with its brother, the GMC Sierra 1500. In crew cab version, like our tester, the GM trucks roll on a 143.5 inch wheelbase and squeeze through parking spaces with a 80 inch width. Not tidy by any means, the Silverado is actually right on par with its other rivals in size. These are full size pickups and are used accordingly. In the hauling department, the Chevy beats the other Big Three in cargo bed length but loses slightly in width and depth. Despite that, it still holds the highest payload capacity rating. It may be five years old, but the current Silverado is by no means a slouch when it comes to getting things done. It is surely more than capable of handling working duty until the next generation trucks are released in 2013.
To sample a piece of General Motor’s bread-and-butter, we did so behind the wheel of a 2012 1500 LT 2WD. Equipped as the third highest tier trim level, the rear wheel drive LT Crew Cab starts out with an MSRP of $31,850. Standard features include remote keyless entry, a leather wrapped steering wheel, XM radio, OnStar, daytime running lights, StabiliTrak and a tire pressure monitor system. What makes the LT special can be found mostly on the outside where there is enough chrome cladding and special body trim to impress anyone at the Saturday night drive-in. To accompany our tester’s standard street “cred”, the truck came equipped with $10,154 worth of added options. The $860 Convenience Package (adjustable pedals, remote vehicle starter), $2,750 Navigation Package (touchscreen display, Bose premium stereo) and $3,695 Regional Value Package (5.3 liter V8, HD trailering equipment, locking rear differential, fog lights, 20 inch wheels, dual zone climate control and bluetooth) were added. Also featured were $1,795 worth of leather seats, $689 six inch chrome side steps and a $365 skid resistant bed liner. Final asking price: $42,999 with destination charge.
Currently, there are five available engines for the half ton GM trucks: four of which are V8s. Finding work first in 1999, the 5300 series Vortec has been the Silverado’s go-to block for more than a decade. It had massive shoes to fill as it took over duty for the tried and true 5.7 liter small block and its placement in the Silverado’s engine line up means it is the truck’s most common power plant. Featuring an aluminum block, Active Fuel Management with cylinder deactivation and good-old-fashion pushrods, the 5300 is essentially a stroked version of the standard 4.8 liter V8. A few revisions took place for the 2007 generation change and thus, our 2012 tester put 315 horsepower and 338 lb-ft of torque to the ground. Matched to GM’s truck variant of the six speed HydraMatic automatic transmission with the 3.08 gear set, our Silverado never felt underwhelmed. Weighing in at just over 5,000 lbs, the 5.3 liter did a surprisingly good job at hauling the light-for-its segment Chevy up freeway on ramps. The six speed’s shifts, like all GM autos we’ve recently tested, were butter smooth and the trans is more than willing to drop down a few gears for passing. The powertrain works well enough for a mid seven second 0-60 mph sprint, but there is still something missing: juvenile excitement. Perhaps a good thing as our tester felt much more mature than the Dodge Ram we tested in the summer and helped us return better fuel mileage: about 17 mpg mixed compared to the Mopar’s 14. Even still, a bit more punch and noise might be nice which is why GM offers a 403 horsepower 6.2 liter V8. But for everyday driving, hauling and across town highway trips, the 5.3 liter is the smart choice for the Silverado.
It may be a full size pickup, but the Chevy is by no means dynamically dumb. If anything, our LT tester with the added 20 inch wheels was quite the handler compared to its competition. Of the three American trucks, the Chevy is the lightest and widest which can be felt behind the driver’s seat. The steering feel is great and offers more weight than the oddly light Dodge’s, giving the Silverado a better feeling of connection. Turn-in is quick for a truck and there were even times when confidence was high enough that the thought of apex-to-apex drifts crept into our minds. This is aided by a well placed driver’s seat and steering wheel for easy inputs and comfortable hands. When not sliding sideways, the Silverado does an excellent job of simply driving. The hydraformed frame returns a smooth ride that could almost be described as ‘car-like’ and the truck’s highway tracking instills confidence. Just like the heavy-duty version we drove earlier, the half ton GMT900 platform does a fantastic job of telling a driver exactly what is happening and what would happen.
Trucks come in many different forms from simple workhorses, off road crawlers, street ripping hotrods and cool cruisers. With its chrome galore, 20 inch wheels and even more chrome, our LT tester could easily fit in the cruiser category. The bold bow tie grille, color matched body trim, flared fenders and heavy-looking rear bumper gives the Chevy a solid intimidation factor. It isn’t “in-your-face” like the Dodge but not so subtle that its boring. Little details like the slightly raised hood and jeweled headlamps give the truck enough aggression that it looks powerful but smart. This isn’t the fighter that jumps in swinging but instead, the Silverado plans its attack first. Things could be a little better matched on the inside however as there are a few bits and pieces that fall short. The navigation system may be easy to use and crystal clear, but some trim and moldings could feel higher quality, especially in any vehicle costing $40 grand. And even though the seats were upgraded, they lacked the level of comfort found in the Dodge and Ford and even other GM trucks. If there was someway to put GMC Denali level seating in all the Silverados, Chevrolet would have a winner.
With so many different engines, drive trains, cab layouts and bed sizes, no Silverado is created equal. There truly can be a Chevrolet pickup built for all types of work or play. The truck is a jack of all trades but sadly, a master of none. It is never offensive and gets things done, but it lacks a special something found in other offerings. Between the Big Three, this is easily the middle ground. It’s cool, confident, strong and useful all while being competitively priced. On paper, this is excellent but the Silverado lacks the lunacy of the Dodge and efficiency of the Ford. For that reason, a true winner between the all-American pickups will never really be settled. After all, there are Ram people, F-Series people and Silverado people. Each truck has it highs and lows but in the end, it boils down to their personalities. Chevrolet has done an excellent job of keeping a five year old chassis up to date and there is no logical reason to pick a F-Series over a Silverado or vice-versa. Each truck will get the job done so it all depends on how you want it accomplished. If working with confidence, style, comfort, maturity and reliability sounds good to you, then the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is a solid choice.
Photos: © Copyright 2012 Ossamah Shabbir
