09 Chevy Silverado Pickup By ALAN GELL www.CarColumns.Net The Chevy Silverado has always been known as a workhorse pickup, dependable, reliable, and designed to haul or pull.  The pickup truck market has become crowded, however, with a lot of competitors.  Many of these competitor pickups are loaded with gimmicks and a lot of premium touches.  The Silverado is a regular, honest-to-gosh, pickup that remains true to its roots.

For 2009, the Chevy engineers have beefed up the Silverado a little bit.  I had a chance to test-drive one of the new Silverado’s and put it to a towing test as well.  There is a new powertrain this year.  It’s not actually new, since it has been used in some other General Motors trucks, but it is new to the Silverado.  It is a 6.2 liter V-8 that produces 403 horsepower matched with a six speed automatic transmission. This new engine is E-85 capable, but only available in the crew cab model.   A smaller V-8 and a V-6 are also available, but if you are using this truck for towing, the bigger engine certainly seems the best way to go.  It sounds good, as well, the way a powerful engine seems to roar to life when you push the pedal down.

The six speed transmission is new.  It is called a Hydra-Matic 6L80.  This new transmission is designed to help achieve better gas mileage on the highway.  It lowers the “cruising rpm”. That means is reduces the fuel used with there is a lower engine speed.  This reduced engine speed also helps reduce the roaring sound inside the cabin.
 
The Silverado is not uncomfortable and handles well, but it is a truck and not a luxury vehicle.  It rides smooth over all but the largest bumps.  It is definitely a truck that is designed for hard work.  Inside, it doesn’t have a lot of fluff, but the interior has been redesigned for this year. There is a lot more feeling of space and open area.  The seating is very comfortable.  The rear seats fold up easily with one hand, making a flat floor for cargo.  In the crew cab model, and available on the extended cab, consumers have a stadium style rear seat, meaning that the seats are slightly elevated over the front seats.   Buttons, switches, knobs, and other controls are easy to reach and use.

The 2009 Chevy Silverado offers a wide array of safety features that are standard equipment, including Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control.  These are two very desirable features that assist the driver in maintaining control of the vehicle under adverse conditions.  There are rear seat head restraints, tire pressure monitors, daytime running lamps, and four wheel ABS.

There are no special storage compartments or cargo bed super designs.  Competitors are offering a lot of extras in their models, but the Silverado is retaining the appearance of a solid, everyday, pickup truck.  It is simple, but strong.  It is capable, yet convenient.  There are a lot of options and configurations available that should suit almost every driver.  Touch-screen navigation, XM radio, dual-zone climate control, powered sunroof, and a lot more are available add-on’s.   Mileage is in the range of 15 city and 20 on the highway.

Check out the 2009 Silverado pickup at your Chevrolet or General Motors dealership.