Chevrolet Silverado
If you've got stuff to haul or tow, you'll definitely want to take a look at our choices for the best full-size pickup trucks and best mid-size pickup trucks of 2016.
2. Chevrolet Silverado
Modern pickups are amenity-packed multitasking machines—and the Silverado is no exception. The ride is smooth, the cabin quiet; handling and braking are only average. A 4.3-liter V-6 with 305 lb-ft and a six-speed automatic is standard; optional V-8s are a 5.3-liter with 383 lb-ft and a 6.2-liter with 460 lb-ft, an eight-speed automatic (optional with the 5.3), and 12,000 pounds of towing capacity. One size doesn’t fit all; there are regular, double, and crew cabs with 5’ 8”, 6.5', or 8’ beds.
The pickup truck is an all-American invention with roots in the old buckboard wagons of the Wild West—big work ethic, not much concern with comfort. That cowboy-boots image lingers, but rigs like this Chevrolet Silverado make clear that the utilitarian pickup of yesteryear has little in common with its contemporary descendants. Even the basic Silverado WT (for Work Truck) has its share of amenities, and the LTZ tested here—one step below the top-of-the-line High Country model—is just this side of hedonistic. Maybe even on the other side, now that Chevy has added refinement to the truck by installing its latest eight-speed automatic transmission.
The work ethic remains, though. As tested, this crew-cab four-by-four truck has a payload rating of 2130 pounds and is capable of towing up to 10,800 pounds. These are stout numbers, which can be amplified slightly by opting for the 6.2-liter V-8. But the compelling thing about this Silverado is its level of civilization; the L word—luxury—is not inappropriate.
Like other full-size crew-cab pickups, the Silverado LTZ has plenty of room for five. The seats are leather clad, and the center dash embraces an 8.0-inch touchscreen (lesser trim levels get a 7.0-inch screen). It’s home for Chevy’s MyLink, one of the better infotainment and connectivity systems, as well as navigation, with oversize icons that make for easy operation even when the truck is trundling over washboard dirt trails.
