This week we are reviewing the 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 in the High-Country trim. Our vehicle was assembled at the Fort Wayne, Indiana plant and has an MSRP of $79948.00 CAD.
Fun Factor: 7
Can it Family: 7
Fuel-Friendly: 7
HWY-warrior: 9
Karaoke-Friendly: 5
Baby-Friendly: 5
City Cruising: 3
We are reviewing the Chevy Silverado; it is essentially the brother of the GMC Sierra we wrote about a couple of weeks ago. Typically, the Sierra is known for being the more luxurious one and the Silverado as the more economical. In our case, it was exactly the opposite as the Sierra we tested was meant to be more of an entry-level variant. At the same time, the Silverado we drove provides a lot of additional bells and whistles, making the already good package better. Under the hood of the Silverado is the same fuel-efficient 3.0L inline 6-cylinder Duramax Diesel producing 277hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Most of the engine's development was done in Italy, which may be why this engine feels so responsive. The infused Italian DNA results in that 95% of its peak torque is already available at just 1250 rpm. The 10-Speed transmission shifts between gears smoothly during acceleration; in certain instances, the downshift is slightly hesitant before all the power is put down. This does not take away the fact that the Silverado is quite fun to drive, on the road and off-road. The 22-inch Pirelli Scorpion gave us lots of assurance driving it on twisty roads while remarkably keeping the ride comfortable. They contributed to improving the acceleration to 100km/h in our real-life test by 0.1 seconds compared to the Sierra that had all winter tires—resulting in a time of 9.8 seconds to reach 100km/h. We felt the negative aspect of these tires on muddy terrain, where we almost got stuck with them.
The interior is quite spacious; it can easily seat 5 adults and give them lots of knee room and visibility around the cabin. It is a truck made for work; everything is thought out with functionality and robust materials; it can definitely do the work/family balance. You have generous storage all-around; center storage between the driver and co-pilot, double glove compartment, large the cup holders and large pockets in all four doors. You can carry snacks for everyone.
Regarding the comfort of the seats, we found that the perforated leather seats were quite comfortable. The front seats are both ventilated and heated. The outward-facing seats in the back also had the heated option; the buttons are in the middle console, they will be harder to reach for children, and adults will not have trouble with them. Similarly to the Sierra, my spouse, who is 5ft tall, had a hard time finding a suitable and comfortable position to have adequate visibility as the height adjustment of the driver seat does not move high enough for small drivers. Our Silverado was equipped with the optional power sunroof that helped the dark interior feel airier, always enjoyable on road trips. Chevy has a one-stop-shop button that opens all the windows at once for those that do not like air conditioning. Strangely if you do wish to close all these, they'll need to be closed individually. The rear seats can fold upwards; we found this quite practical to store a stroller when we walked away without it as we did not have cover to hide items in the bed. Additionally, we were able to hide small items in the backrest of the rear seats, ideal for storing a first aid kit or a compact tablet.
The average fuel economy was 10.2L/100km over a 500km distance. During our HWY run, we observed a fuel economy of 8.7L/100km, and in the city, we saw an average fuel economy of 11.7L/100km. GM announces the following fuel economy 9.4L/100km combined, 8.0L/100km on the HWY and 10.4L/100km in the city. While both the Sierra and the Silverado have similar drivetrains, their fuel economy diverges a little, and this is also noticeable in the CO2 emissions, which are slightly lower on the Silverado. The C02 emissions are at 252 g/km as per the 2020 Natural Resources Canada fuel consumption guide. The C02 emissions of the RAM and the F150 with the 4X4 option are both higher than the Silverado with the I-6 Duramax.
The ride on the HWY felt quite sporty, and if we had to choose a pickup for long-distance driving, the Silverado would sure be our top pick. The massive 22-inch sport tires did remove some of the smoothness of the ride we had seen in the Sierra; however, they significantly improved the stability on the HWY.
The Chevy Silverado came equipped with a premium 7-speaker Bose sound system; it was satisfying for our needs. The only negative point we found is that different base levels all sounded the same and emitted the same vibration even if they were completely different styles. The infotainment included in the Sierra was GM's 8-inch touch screen and is so simple to operate that our kids quickly found their way to use it without any difficulty. It naturally offers you the option to either use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Both these still require to be physically connected via USB cable. Wireless Apple CarPlay may become available as this is something several new models in GM's 2021 line up will have. As for USB ports, you will find 2 below the instrument cluster and 2 in the second row. In addition, you also get a full-power outlet in front and in the back to charge you large electronics such as your laptop or tablet, or if you need a portable fridge. Wireless charging is also available in the front.
Getting car seats inside the cabin is quite simple as the doors open wide. Once the car seat is in place, the LATCH ports are hidden underneath both outer seats; there are none on the middle seat. We had to fiddle around a little to attach the car seat, and then to remove it. The placement of the rear anchor latch was placed so low in our test vehicle that we were unable to use it. As for young children opening the door by themselves, contrary to the Sierra, the Silverado had a step making it extremely easy for them to open the door and jump inside the cabin. Once inside, the bench height makes it easy for kids to slide in their seat and get comfortable. The seatbelts are accessible, and the buckles clip in effortlessly. We have to give extra credit for the generous legroom, and overhead space, kids or any other passengers are not tight together.
We enjoyed driving high in the city, and we didn't need to fear the many potholes. The truck has great handling, and with the 360 cameras, parking or making our way in narrows streets or underground parking made it easy to navigate. We found it practical to have a camera pointed inside the bed to see if items have moved over bumps.
Why would we buy the 2020 Chevy Silverado, or what we liked about it? Low fuel consumption, plenty of space for the family, lots of storage. The quiet electric tailgate opening.
Why we would not buy the 2020 Chevy Silverado, or what we did not like about it? No hybrid system available at this time, additional options can quickly increase the price; the exterior front facia may not be to everyone's taste.
Chevrolet has lent us this vehicle one week as a press vehicle.
We have no affiliation with GM Canada. The above is a recollection of our personal opinion of the car referred above.
