The Chevrolet Silverado is the second best selling full-size pickup truck in the United States. I have always been curious to drive one of these things, not only because I find pickup trucks intriguing after mostly driving just cars, but because the Silverado has always struck me as the most “pickup truck-like” pickup truck in this class, if that makes sense. Big V8 engine, steel body and frame, competitive towing capacity and payload, and eye-catching styling. The Silverado that I drove was the 4WD crew cab with the standard box, in the LT trim level. This Silverado had a 5.3 liter V8 engine under the hood, making 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque, paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission. What did I think about driving the Silverado? Below are some of my impressions.
The first thing you really notice when driving the Silverado, as you would expect for a full-size pickup, is just how big it feels out on the road. This truck feels massive, and there’s no getting around that. You have a long, blocky front hood, fairly big A pillars, and you really feel the huge dimensions of this truck as soon as you get it out on the road. You have to keep an eye on those side mirrors on narrower roads just to make sure you aren’t crossing the yellow line or drifting off to the shoulder, as the Silverado pretty much takes up the entire lane. You definitely get a sense of pronounced body lean and high center of gravity as well, even at low speeds. The hefty curb weight becomes apparent too, as you can tell that this truck doesn’t roll very quickly nor does it maneuver itself around turns with the utmost composure. Overall, the Silverado doesn’t shrink at all in its dimensions, nor does it make any apologies for being a large, full-size pickup truck.
In terms of the driving experience, I don’t think the Silverado is the smoothest or the most refined truck in this class. The Silverado feels somewhat crude and it really goes after that old-school feel. If you like the idea of a workhorse truck that feels every bit like a truck, the Silverado fits that bill perfectly. If you want a truck that feels smoother and more nimble in everyday commuting, I think the F-150 or the Ram will satisfy those requirements a little better. The Silverado doesn’t drive badly, but let’s just say those big and blocky exterior styling cues basically match how this truck feels on the road.
One thing that I was a little disappointed on as soon as I began driving the Silverado, was the response out of the 5.3 liter V8 engine. Despite being a big push rod V8, this 5.3 still didn’t seem like enough engine to move this truck out quickly from a stop light. I was definitely expecting more power and better acceleration, as well as a smoother power delivery from this V8. If I’m being completely honest, I thought the acceleration felt sluggish off the line. The engine feels a little slow to rev, and despite hearing that loud V8 rumble every time you step on it, you just don’t feel you’re really going anywhere all that fast. First gear feels pretty tall under initial acceleration, and even though the engine would easily roar past 3,000 RPM from a green light, there would still be a Nissan Sentra or a Ford Focus keeping up pace in my rearview mirror. It’s not until you’re already moving at some speed and the transmission is in its higher set of gears until you start to feel some satisfying torque and power from this engine. The 5.3 is just fine for everyday use, and the Silverado gets out of its own way when you really put your foot down, but for the most part you won’t feel like you’re in anything with exhilarating amounts of power or performance. I got the sense that I was pushing the engine a little too much just to keep my momentum. This is a pickup truck, not a BMW M5, so I can’t really knock it too much for feeling a bit lackluster. It’s just that when you know there’s a V8 under the hood, you’re expecting to feel some power and brute force when you put your foot down, and the 5.3 just didn’t really do that for me. I would get the available 6.2 liter V8 if you want some satisfying power from your Silverado, but for most people in the market for a utilitarian pickup truck, the 5.3 will perform just fine. It is a little bit shocking that they offered a V6 in the lower trims, but I imagine the lower trims are much lighter and the V6 isn’t really much of an issue.
I also found that the power band of this engine felt a little coarse and disconnected. It doesn’t put the power down in the most refined or predictable manner, and the engine can get somewhat loud and raspy in the cabin. Again, this isn’t a luxury sedan, but it is something to note. Personally I didn’t find the loud engine note to be an issue, but I was looking for a smoother and more evenly distributed power delivery. This engine feels primarily designed for utilitarian use, not so much for driver engagement.
The accelerator response in the Silverado was not my favorite. It feels pretty stiff, springy, and lackluster. The accelerator does have some response at the top of the pedal, but it’s simply not enough to get this truck moving. There’s a long travel before the accelerator hits the floor, and you need to go pretty deep into the throttle to get some power. Once you’re up to speed, it becomes a little harder to maintain that speed, as the accelerator response seems to drop off significantly once the transmission hits overdrive. You really need to play with the accelerator and finesse it a little to achieve a smooth and adequate acceleration off the line. Generally the accelerator in this truck is decent, but it doesn’t seem to be very linear in its response. I believe the throttle mapping plays a huge factor in what makes this V8 feel sluggish, and I would have liked a more predictable and streamlined throttle application in this truck.
The 6-speed automatic feels like a strong, heavy duty truck transmission. The shifts aren’t what I would call jerky, but the shifts feel very apparent and noticeable. The upshifts feel slow, and while the shift quality doesn’t really disturb you, this transmission overall felt on the rougher and more sluggish side of things. They do offer an 8-speed automatic in the higher trims of the Silverado, but the 6-speed automatic is the volume transmission offering. The 1-2 and 2-3 shift points feel laggy and awkward in my opinion, and generally the shift logic didn’t seem to be very intuitive. Sometimes it would stay in gear and wait too long before upshifting, and other times it would upshift too early and cut off engine power. As I mentioned previously, first gear is tall and drawn out, and it takes a while for this transmission to work through its full set of gears when you’re accelerating. This transmission can also get a little confused if you aren’t smooth on the throttle. Downshifts respond decently, but you need to bury your foot deep into the throttle and wait some time before getting that passing gear. I found myself losing a good deal momentum any time I encountered a slight incline, and having to repeatedly slam on the gas and wait for a downshift to keep me moving at a consistent pace. Overall, just not the most comfortable or intuitive shift logic from this transmission. It doesn’t really sense to what your foot telling it to do all that well. The transmission also whines occasionally when its preparing to upshift, just like in the Chevrolet Tahoe that I drove. The transmission does its job fine, and I could live with it, but I would still be tempted to go for that 8-speed automatic in the higher trims.
After doing some research, other Silverado owners have noted that the 5.3 feels a little sluggish off the line, and the transmission feels a bit awkward when shifting. After driving the Silverado, I definitely agree, however many owners have said installing an aftermarket tune made their Silverado feel more lively. Other Silverado owners have said that the engine starts to feel more peppy as the mileage on the truck goes up. Either way, the Silverado’s engine and transmission both feel very strong and and capable, but some aftermarket tuning could work wonders.
As for handling, again, the Silverado doesn’t try to hide the fact that it’s a big truck at all. It feels big, heavy, and the Silverado obviously doesn’t give you the type of handling that encourages you to whip it around on backroads. Even when you move the steering wheel side to side at jogging speeds, the body aggressively leans from one side to another, and the overall sensation of body lean becomes really apparent as soon as you start driving. I think the Silverado feels fairly sure-footed and stable on regular roads and highways when you’re driving in a straight line, but corners are not something that this truck does well. When you’re taking hard right turns, the back wheels seem to fight a little bit, even when you’re going slow and taking it easy. I also found that the suspension gets really bouncy and clumsy feeling on rougher roads. The body jostles around a good amount, and taking sharper corners over 25 mph can feel risky. I can’t knock the Silverado for handling poorly, because it simply wasn’t built for that. However, I think the general handling could stand to feel more settled and not quite as bouncy or full of aggressive body lean.
While the handling isn’t going to win any awards, the steering in the Silverado is surprisingly direct for a pickup. It feels pretty loose in corners, but I think the steering matches what the front tires are doing pretty well for a vehicle of this size. On center, the steering has a good amount of weight to it, and when you’re driving on the freeway, the Silverado takes curves and bends with a good level with precision. The steering matches the general coarseness of the Silverado to a certain extent, in that it feels heavy-duty and has a pronounced level of communication from the body-on-frame chassis, however it has a good blend of smoothness, refinement, and car-like precision at the same time. It is still a slower steering ratio and there isn’t much road feel, but I like the fact that the required steering input around corners is fairly minimal. I’ve definitely driven regular unibody structured cars with less precise steering than the Silverado.
As for general response, the accelerator is a bit too soft for my taste, as I mentioned above. However, the brake pedal is very stiff and gives you a good solid bite. You feel confident that this truck is going to stop quickly, as the brakes feel meaty and powerful. The stopping power is smooth and doesn’t disturb you, however nose dive under braking is prominent.
The visibility in the Silverado is about average for this segment. What I really don’t like about this truck from a visibility and ergonomics perspective is the fact that the manual seat in the LT trim has no height adjustment. The seat sits really low and it feels as if there isn’t adequate visibility to the sides our out the front windshield. The headroom goes on for days in this truck, so a seat height adjustment wouldn’t have been an issue at all. The blocky hood is already prominent in your frontward vision, and the low seating position just exasperates the visibility issues associated with that. Other Silverado owners have complained about this issue on GM truck forums, and it seems like the only solution is to install a kit that raises the seat. Even for taller drivers, the seat still feels too low. Shorter drivers would definitely have to opt for the higher trims with power seats, because I do not think you could drive this truck safely if you are a shorter individual. Seat adjustment issues aside, the visibility out of the rear is completely unobstructed, and the side mirrors are pretty large and give you great sight lines. Checking your blindspot and backing up in this truck is easy as well.
And that about covers it. The Silverado is a pickup truck, and it unsurprisingly drives like one. I think that there are definitely other pickups in this segment that have more balanced handling and smoother acceleration. I’ve driven the Ram, and I felt that the Ram felt a little more settled and controlled in its handling and suspension, along with smoother acceleration and more predictable 8-speed automatic. The redesigned 2019 Silverado supposedly drives better, but if you’re looking for a 2014-2018 model year Silverado, you might find that this truck can feel a little sluggish and unwieldy. Definitely test drive one and do your research if you are thinking about buying one of these trucks, as you might decide that the 6.2 liter V8 paired with the 8-speed automatic feels better compared to the standard powertrain.