Overview:
This week we’re looking at the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 4WD LTZ Crew Cab with a 6 foot 6 inch bed. A longer 8 foot bed is available.
I’m critical about a lot of things including the cars that are being produced for our consumption. I like testing them and trying to keep up with the technology trends is especially interesting to me. Perhaps the most exciting thing on the horizon is the technology I reported on about 4 years ago when GM introduced the Fuel Cell car that was named the High Wire.
That gave me the opportunity to learn from other automotive journalists who specialize in evolving technologies like hydrogen powered cars. It is exciting to me because I have a not so private opinion that our car manufacturers are NOT stupid as my good friend Merkel thinks they are. At a very minimum I understand him to say they can do much better with the cars they produce. I believe he and others who think GM is in the tank are not looking at the entire picture and they get stuck in the trees and can’t see the forest.
From afar you can see more clearly and my belief is, from all the data and trends the emerging hydrogen technology is about to pop. Ok, so maybe it will be another five years but the energy world will be rocked by that change and it really isn’t very far away.
The LA Auto show was replete with announcements about their Fuel Cell cars and that gives hope to people concerned about world energy problems. It is estimated that China will eclipse the USA in energy demand in just two years. Wow. What do you think that will do to oil prices? Well, American ingenuity, and GM leading the charge, means we can leave fossil fuel energy to China and other third world countries while America moves on to cutting edge high tech alternate power sources as it continues to lead the world.
So what’s that got to do with the Chevrolet Silverado for 2008? A lot, because it is a GM car and until the world leader in hydrogen technology gives us the fuel cell cars, they continue to give us state of the art trucks like this Silverado. They deserve our support on three fronts: They are American as Midwest apple pie, they are developing the technology and thirdly they produce arguably the best cars and trucks for the money on planet earth.
General Info:
Parts –
Assembly – Flint, MI, USA
Class: – Special Purpose – Truck
Cars: – Avalanche, Aveo, Cobalt, Colorado, Corvette, Equinox, Express, HHR, Impala, Malibu, Monte Carlo, Silverado 15,25 &3500, Silverado Hybrid, Suburban, Tahoe, TrailBlazer & Uplander.
I had the opportunity to put a lot of miles on this truck and it is truly impressive. It has to be one of the smoothest crew cab trucks ever – not only because of the ride but the Allison auto trans is wonderfully smooth shifting.
The ride was a little bumpy without a load but with only a few golfers, their luggage and golf club bags it smoothed right out. The powerful 6.6 liter Duramax Diesel engine with an Allison 6-speed automatic transmission (optional) is awesome and impressed the two construction contractors sharing the ride to Scottsdale, Arizona. From Acton, California to Scottsdale is nearly 400 miles. With travel in and around Scottsdale we put on 900 miles and burned 50 gallons of diesel fuel at $3.45 a gallon. Doing the math we got about 18 miles per gallon. Consumer reports says 13 mpg overall but my travel was nearly all freeway driving. Not good, but for a truck of this capability doing what it’s made to do that mileage isn’t bad. A golf trip 400 miles away is not its highest and best use. But if you want to haul a house you have 660 foot pounds of torque to do it with. Argh, argh, argh! I can just hear Tim Allen grunting his approval.
Styling:
Tough and rugged looking. Very nice.
Fit and Finish:
Very good.
Cost:
In class it is competitive at $39,590 which buys you a standard equipment package, and options added on my test vehicle amounted to $10,200 of which about $8,400 was for the Duramax Diesel and Allison Transmission.
Conveniences and comfort:
Extra smooth ride and about the quietest diesel engine on the road. In fact I’ll bet you wouldn’t even know it was a diesel if you took a ride and weren’t told.
One of the options is a Cargo management system that is worth the $95 cost. It makes tying down cargo really easy. I liked that a lot.
Consumer Recommendation:
You can select from 20 base trim levels. The standard equipment is great and unless you must have the highly valued Diesel package, I suspect you’ll be very happy with the gas V8 version. And if you look at the price of diesel fuel these days you’ll choke on over $4.00 per gallon in some places.
Recognized Competition:
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 $24-40,000, GMC Sierra 2500 HD $24-40,000, Dodge Ram 2500 $26-43,000, Ford F-250 Super Duty $22-38,000.
Good News:
Great work horse with ultimate diesel power plant and 660 ft. lbs of torque, comfortable ride, LTZ well equipped package, Consumer Reports says, “First year reliability of the diesel has been above average”.
Bad News:
Poor fuel economy and diesel version uses highest priced fuel.
Standard Equipment:
6.0 liter 353 hp V8 gas engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, torsion bar front suspension, multi leaf rear spring suspension, 4-wheel ABS with dynamic rear proportioning brakes, dual air bags, theft deterrent system, auto headlights, OnStar system (1 year included and Turn-by-turn navigation available), tire pressure monitor system, chrome rear bumper, 17” aluminum wheels, front tow hooks, cargo box illumination, tinted glass, fog lights, dual zone air conditioning, rear window defogger, 60/40 split rear seating, stereo with CD/MP3 format, XM satellite radio (3 months included), driver information center, intermittent wipers, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, carpeted floor and mats, battery run down protection, 24 hour roadside assistance. LTZ trim option includes 10 way power heated bucket seats with driver memory, leather seating, power fold and heated mirrors with turn signal and driver side auto dimming, Bose premium speaker system, heated washer fluid system, remote vehicle start, HD trailering equipment, locking rear differential, steering wheel radio controls, power windows and locks, auto dimming mirror with compass and temp display, rear audio controls, leather wrapped steering wheel , remote keyless entry, illuminated vanity mirrors, electronic shift transfer case.
Options:
Adjustable pedals $365, Easy lift tailgate package $95, 6.6 liter Duramax Diesel engine $7,195, Allison 6-speed auto transmission $1,200, Power sliding sunroof $795, Power sliding rear window $200, brake controller $200, Cargo management system $95, Radiator cover $55.
Gas Stats:
$3.45/ Gal (Diesel) avg. November 25, ‘07
for more information.
Not rated by EPA but my experience was
City and 18 Highway MPG
Pricing:
MSRP $39,590 and $50,715 as equipped.
