Chevy ups game in competitive pickup segment

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California -- Bigger, bolder, stronger.

That seems to be the mantra of those who build pickup trucks for the American motoring public these days.

The recently tested 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4WD LTZ Crew Cab was a classic example.  Massive in size ... I felt small just walking up to it.  Cargo bed the approximate size of North Dakota.  An intimidating, sprawling grille that looked capable of smashing through the old Berlin Wall.

But hold the phone.

Chevy reworked the Silverado for the 2019 model year, and some of the changes are downright startling. For example, the engineers utilized a cocktail of lighter materials in the redesigned pickup, with the result being a weight loss of up to 450 pounds.

They enlarged the cargo bed, adding more tie-downs and an optional up/down power liftgate.  There's more passenger room and a longer wheelbase.  The exterior sculpting is, well, more muscular looking. Thoughtfully placed chrome accents catch the eyes. The pickup radiates a "don't mess with me" look rolling on the interstate.

Speaking of that, the 6.2-liter V-8 rated at 420 horsepower is a robust, yet refined freeway cruiser.  The power plant moved the truck so easily that I felt I was handling a much lighter vehicle.  And surprise, the turning radius was likewise impressive, although I wouldn't advise showing off in a tight convenience store parking lot.

For all its mass, the tester had fair fuel mileage numbers of 16 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.  Chevy has done its best to maximize the numbers with myriad cylinder-activation combinations.

My tester being the LTZ version, leather interior surfaces all around were part of the lavishly appointed cabin.  Interior perks are numerous, including an in-dash reminder that you might have left some cargo in the rear seats.

Going up against stiff competition in the full-size pickup segment, the Silverado also has all the bells and whistles for safety, towing and on-the-fly driving enhancements.  Chevy fans can proudly claim that their Silverado stacks up quite nicely against the equivalent vehicles produced by archrival Ford.

I remember the days of basic engine/cabin/cargo bed pickups that could be had for a relative song.  That's why the bottom line of $58,630 on the tested Silverado made me swallow hard.  Then again, that's pretty standard fare among today's fully loaded, magnificently engineered pickups.

And this Silverado is a bona fide player in that game.