A change of attitude with the Chevy Silverado

Click to Enlarge Browse Aspen Times Photos The 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LTZ Extended Cab - it's big. Special to the Daily

BY ANDY STONEHOUSE
special to the daily
Summit County, CO Colorado
August 3, 2007

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Every once in a while, my upbringing as a Southern Albertan redneck (part of the great North American redneck tradition that stretches from the Northern Rockies to the plains of Texas) comes out in odd ways.

And that seems to be most evident in the nearly DNA-level reaction I have to gigantic pickup trucks. As a pedestrian (or even as a driver of vehicles that are non-truck sized), I normally abhor gigantic trucks, what with their beds full of welding equipment, their "Charlton Heston is My President" stickers and their ability to block out all traffic visibility to anyone traveling behind them.

But, gall dang-it, get me behind the wheel of a big ol' brute such as the Chevy Silverado 2500 and everything changes. Especially if this particular Silverado is tricked out with the Z71 off-road package and some jacked-up suspension, plus a race car-red paint job and the new ultra-macho hood which, oddly enough, looks like the rear engine cover of an exotic sports car, mounted backward.

Suddenly, I was the guy playing country music at an ear-splitting volume, wishing I was wearing the dirtiest baseball cap in my collection and doing my best to menace every other vehicle on the road - everyone else suddenly looks pretty puny when you're up in the cab of the three-quarter ton Silverado.

It's curious how a 353 horsepower 6.0 liter V-8 engine, set inside 230 inches off real estate, parked nearly six and a half feet off the ground ... well, the combination is a little overwhelming.

Able to consume a parking lot's worth of space, outrageously loud and powerful, and just a little thirsty on gasoline (I got about 12 mpg), the 5,847-pound Silverado 4x4 will do proud duty at the worksite, haul oodles of recreation equipment or do some very capable off-road exploring, complete with skid plates and a locking rear differential.

Just don't get into a situation where you're on a one-way path up a mountain and you need to back up and turn it around - with a 47-foot turning circle, the Silverado needs quite a bit of space to navigate. Simply parking the big machine is a science of its own, even with rear parking sensors and extended side mirrors, and you're constantly reminded of the vehicle's largess.

On the road, the big engine does not lack for cruising power or an impressive 373 lb-ft of stump-pulling torque. Start it up - or to be even more obnoxious, use the remote starter to help cool off the spacious cab while you stand around outside and contemplate all of that truck - and the throaty exhaust, run through diesel engine-sized pipes, will rattle the neighbors out of their beds.

Off-the-line power is pretty impressive but as I've found with all of these huge machines, you'll rather suddenly find yourself hauling along at 80 miles an hour. The six-speed automatic transmission can also be set into a manual mode, which, along with the electronic trailer brake switches, will be helpful when hauling as much as 13,000 pounds of trailer.

The high-sprung ride is good in most highway situations but serious ruts will rattle your teeth out, reminding you at all times that you are in a very large pickup truck.

Seventeen-inch aluminum wheels and wheel wells with what looks like a foot and a half of travel allow the Silverado some excellent clearance; the long, exposed run of a frame underneath that looks like a steel girder also adds to the truck's industrial-strength nature.

Overall looks are equally squarish and brawny, with overstated shoulders over the wheel wells, a blocky chrome bumper and an imposing wall of grille. Way in the back, the easy-opening tailgate reveals rails for a cargo management system.

Indoors, the décor is mostly plastic but also rugged and stylish. A pull-away, screen-styled cover acts as an opaque shield to the sunroof but still lets a lot of light and heat through.

I liked the large and functional navigation and entertainment screen, running XM satellite radio and offering easy direction advice; the HVAC system put out excellent mid-summer cooling power and was also blissfully easy to operate.

The comfortable cabin features heavy-duty rubber floormats and supportive, cloth-covered seating; in the extended cab model, suicide doors open to allow easy access to a reasonably sized rear seat.

It helped calm my weeklong burst of "guy in truck" syndrome to trade into a Mini Cooper convertible, but while working the wheel of the Silverado, things were pretty intense. Should that be your stated objective, it could be your ride of choice.