Lately, Chevrolet has been losing ground to its competition. Ford enjoys a commanding sales lead over Chevy thanks to its relatively new F-150, and the positively geriatric Ram 1500 has been closing on the Silverado in recent years.
Obviously, this situation is unacceptable to General Motors. So the company has been diligently crafting the redesigned 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, which is all new from the ground up.
When the new 2019 Chevy Silverado goes on sale in late 2018, it will be available in regular cab, extended cab (Double Cab), and crew cab styles with short and long bed lengths.
Eight trims at a variety of price points help Silverado buyers find the right truck for their needs. They include Work Truck, Custom, Custom Trailboss, LT, LT Trailboss, RST, LTZ, and High Country.
To succinctly summarize them, Custom is a base truck with 20-inch wheels. Trailboss adds off-road equipment. LT adds chrome and more standard and available stuff. RST has a street truck appearance with up to 22-inch wheels. LTZ adds more chrome and leather. High Country adds upscale appearance and equipment.
Chevrolet will build them in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
In order to improve efficiency and quiet the cabin, Chevrolet penned a more aerodynamic Silverado. It has a short front overhang, a short hood, and a long cab. The wheelbase increases 3.9 inches for a roomier interior, but overall length stretches just 1.6 more inches. Functional air curtains, a cab roof spoiler, and a tailgate spoiler help to reduce aerodynamic drag by 7 percent over the outgoing Silverado.
The truck is also lighter, up to 450 pounds trimmer over the old Silverado. The body alone accounts for 88 of those pounds, thanks to an aluminum hood, doors, and tailgate. Steel is used for the new Silverado’s fixed panels and for the cargo bed floor, which uses a higher grade of steel for better bed impact strength without adding weight.
As GM executive vice president Mark Reuss quipped during the 2019 Silverado’s debut in Detroit, in a direct jab at the Ford F-150: “I don’t think you’d get much work done with an aluminum hammer.”
Chevrolet also claims that the Silverado will offer the “most functional” cargo bed of any full-size truck, as well as best-in-class cargo room. But, there is a disclaimer on this, as the company did not know any details about the all-new 2019 Ram 1500 at the time the Silverado debuted.
In any case, the Silverado’s short bed supplies 63 cubic feet of cargo space, and maximum bed width between the wheel wells is almost 7 inches greater than before. Chevrolet is also offering storage bins over each wheel well, supplying 7 cu.-ft. of locking space in the bed.
A total of 21 cargo tie downs helps a Silverado owner to secure a load. The 12 fixed tie-downs are rated for 500 pounds each, and there are 9 movable tie-downs. The CornerStep rear bumper returns, with larger corner steps in order to accommodate steel-toed boots. Available as options, a 120-volt power outlet and LED task lighting make the cargo bed more useful.
An available power-operated tailgate is new for 2019. It is standard with High Country trim, powering down and powering up using your hand at the tailgate, or a switch inside the cab, or the remote key fob.
Chevrolet says that Silverado owners didn’t want the company to change the interior much, other than to improve refinement and the quality of the materials. So that’s what Chevy aims to do in the new Silverado.
The truck’s stretched wheelbase translates into more passenger room this year, as well as easier entry and exit. The driver sits an inch higher than before, rear occupants enjoy up to 3 inches of added legroom, and everyone benefits from more headroom.
Enhanced storage solutions are also present and accounted for, including bins integrated into the rear seat backs and a storage tray underneath the rear seat cushion.
The 2019 Chevy Silverado is built on a new boxed steel frame comprised of 80-percent high-strength steel. The result is a loss of 88 pounds and a 10-percent increase in torsional rigidity.
Typically, weight loss combined with structural improvements translates into better performance, ride, and handling characteristics. During the new Silverado’s debut, Reuss promised that the truck would be more fun to drive.
Chevrolet says it will offer six powertrain combinations for the new Silverado, but the company offered scant details beyond that.
A reworked 5.3-liter V8 will be available, equipped with new Dynamic Fuel Management technology. This system variably shuts down between one and seven engine cylinders, depending on the driving situation and power requirements, in order to conserve fuel.
A similarly improved 6.2-liter V8 with DFM is also on the menu, and is paired with a new 10-speed automatic transmission. This engine gets automatic stop/start technology to eke out extra miles per gallon.
Chevrolet also announced a new 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline 6-cylinder engine, the company saying it will be the best-performing diesel in the segment.
As for ride and handling improvements, the new Silverado sits on a redesigned suspension employing mixed component materials including aluminum and carbon-composite. Up front, the truck uses a short/long arm front suspension while a live rear axle underpins the Silverado’s much-lauded cargo bed.
Trailboss equipment adds a Z71 Off-Road Package with a 2-inch suspension lift, a locking rear differential, skid plates, Rancho shocks, and 18-inch wheels wearing 33-inch Goodyear Duratec off-road tires.
Chevrolet had very little to say about the 2019 Silverado’s driver assistance, collision avoidance, and infotainment systems when the truck debuts in advance of the 2018 North American International Auto Show. All the company divulged was that it would install an upgraded infotainment system that will continue to offer Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and 4G LTE Wi-Fi connection through OnStar services.
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