Test Drive of the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado

[GMTruckGuy74]

Vehicle: 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Crew Cab Standard Box 4WD (Z71 package)

Black exterior with Jet Black leather interior

MSRP: $48,xxx

Late last night I decided to drive by a local Chevrolet dealership to see if they had received any 2014 Silverado models in stock yet. Much to my surprise they had two models parked up front for the whole passing-by world to see - a white LT CC short box 4WD (Z71) and the black LTZ standard box described above. The dealership was still open so I decided to stop to see if they'd let me sit in it.

My 7 year-old son and I walked around the truck, admiring its 'newness'. A young sales professional quickly came out to greet us. He told me that the black one arrived today and the white one arrived Saturday; there was another black one in the back. He asked if I had any questions and I pretty much said I'd like to sit in it. A few moments passed while he gathered the keys and I was inside before you know it. Pictures on the Internet do not do the new Silverado (and by extension, GMC Sierra) justice. Once I climbed into the driver's seat I felt the interior was leaps and bounds better than the GMT-900 offerings. Everything was close to reach, controls felt of quality design, and what plastics needed to be soft were soft and what should be hard was hard. The days of "Designed by Fisher Price Plastics Division" have finally ended! Now this was a well-equipped LTZ model, with preforated leather heated & cooled bucket seats, sunroof, MyLink navigation system, plus many more features. Needless to say within minutes I made myself very comfortable in this new rig.

Sales professional could tell I wanted to take it out, and I guess he was bored (or was hoping to be the first to snag a '14 Silvy customer ). So off for a quick test drive. The dealership is located within a city setting, so I had the pleasure of piloting this rig down some narrow, tight turn and bumpy roads and also to get it out on the highway (Route 130, for those of you familiar with Burlington City, NJ). The truck rode like a dream over the pot hole-filled streets, handling the bumps with grace and still giving the passengers a solid but comfortable experience. One finger was all that was needed to turn the steering wheel, with its electric power assisted steering system. Lighty tap the accelerator and the new 5.3L Ecotec V8 blasts off! Smooth shifting 6-speed automatic transmission worked flawlessly. This long truck - remember, it is the crew cab model with the 6.6 bed - was easy to maneuver around like it was a much smaller vehicle.

All in all, I will say my first impression of GM's new K2xxx full-size pickup trucks is a very positive one. Of course the salesman is waiting for me to come back to buy,,, not quite yet. I'm heading to my GMC dealership tonight for a spin in Sierra, which will definitely make me want one of these new pickups even more

[ocnblu]

Cool man!

[Blake Noble]

I checked out the two '14 Silverados my local Chevy dealer has in stock only to be left in complete aghast at the sticker price. A four-wheel drive LS model crew cab with the 4.3L Ecotec V6, lower-end alloy rims, cloth seats, and typical power options rang up at $37k. What. The. Bloody hell? A comparable brand-new Ram 1500 Express four-wheel drive crew cab equipped with the 5.7L Hemi typically costs $2,000 cheaper. Hell, I've even seen a few brand-new Laramie model 4x4 Ram crew cabs ring up for $35k on Auto Trader after incentives. What gives, GM?

Edited June 19, 2013 by black-knight

[ocnblu]

Maybe it's a test to see how far they can push MSRPs. Plus, maybe it's a deterrent because of oppressive CAFE laws upcoming. You can bet Ford and Dodge will follow suit.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Vehicle: 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT Crew Cab Short Box 4WD (Z71 package)

Summit White exterior with Jet Black leather interior

MSRP: $47,xxx

Last night I had to drop my wife's '08 Pontiac G6 off at the dealership for warranty work. After getting my rental, I met with my salesman for a walk-around of their first new 2014 GMC Sierra and a test drive.

The truck was a well-loaded SLT 4x4 model with the Z71 package. No sunroof, which is my preference, but this one benefitted from the 20" chromed aluminum wheels which really made the truck pop (compared to the 18" polished aluminum on the Silverado Z71 CC). I will admit that the ride, performance and handling were very similar to the Chevy I drove the night before. My salesman isn't a yapper (aka talker) like the Chevy salesman was, so I did get to enjoy the sound system and the quietness when the radio was turned off. You cannot hear the outside world! It was raining and even the wipers were quieter than any other vehicle I've driven. Push down on the pedal and the 5.3L V8 takes off without hesitation. The transmission shifts smoothly and effortlessly. The little indicator light on the dash told me when I was in V8 mode and when I was in V4 - cruising down the rural highway was returning 19.5 MPG, according to the driver information center. This truck had 13 miles on it at the start (put on by my salesman the previous Friday) and I added another 10 during my ride. The seating position was great, though I did take notice that the steering wheel is off-center of the driver's seat (not sure why this was designed this way).

All in all, I can confidently say that I will be going after my own model this time next year (just the way the finances work out). So whether I end up with a year's end '14 or order an early build '15 model will be up in the air. Needless to say, I will be dreaming of this truck for the next 12 months!

*Some pictures to come soon.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Sorry for the crappy pictures, I used my Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD cell and it was raining outside, so these were the best I could get inside the service drop-off area:

[G. David Felt]

Nice looking ride.

[Drew Dowdell]

=/ I'd rather the Ram.

[ocnblu]

[regfootball]

Maybe it's a test to see how far they can push MSRPs. Plus, maybe it's a deterrent because of oppressive CAFE laws upcoming. You can bet Ford and Dodge will follow suit.

if you want anything besides a 4 pop crapbox, yup you'll pay......

GM's will try to hold MSRP for awhile too.........

Fords and Rams are up to 10k off right now.

[Blake Noble]

The Ram Express MSRP I quoted didn't have incentives. Only the Laramie model I mentioned.

[G. David Felt]

I wish over all they would drop this crazyness of 10K off and just drop the price down to a real price and let them sell.

[GMTruckGuy74]

=/ I'd rather the Ram.

Not me. However, I do like the RAM 1500 and think it's come a long way for the brand. While I'm tempted by it at times I could never leave my first love for one

[ponchoman49]

Nice truck but overpriced by about 3k!

[ocnblu]

I do not like that air suspension under the Dodge... too prone to failure in every vehicle it's been used in... from the '58 GMs, up through the Lincolns in recent decades, and everywhere in between.

[Blake Noble]

Well, there's some good news. If you don't want an air bag suspension on your Ram, you don't have to have it.

Nice truck but overpriced by about 3k!

The red crew cab model I mentioned is overpriced by way more than that, in my opinion. Try overpriced by $7,000 to $8,000 dollars.