Listen to Review ^[2]
If “they” say fifty is the new thirty, then I’m saying three quarter ton and one ton trucks are the new Cadillac’s. When was the last time you rode in your friend’s big truck? I remember a Chevrolet ¾ ton truck from the seventies. It’s not hard to remember. There was practically nothing in the cab except a steering wheel, an AM radio, tuned to KTBB of course and the handles that operated the little triangular windows for air flow. That’s it, no leather, no A/C, no power anything. And the guys who drove them beat them to death. They would constantly overload them. You could see them going through town, grills pointed toward the sky, trailer hitches dragging the ground, spit stains down the side.

Wow, what a difference a few decades can make. Hell, I even saw one of these slicked out rides trying to fit through the drive thru at Starbucks. Really, Starbucks? But, hey, that’s o.k. with me. I’m a modern man. I understand complex grooming issues not even considered by nineteen seventies guy. So, why can’t I drive a truck that rides as easy as a Caddy and has more flair than Randy “The Macho Man” Savage. I can and I would.

The 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 4WD LTZ Crew Cab…even the name is large, is absolutely cozy to drive. With everything from remote start to illuminated vanity mirrors to steering wheel controls the Silverado is as nice to drive as it is to look at.

But, the star of the show is the Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo Diesel mated to the Allison 6-speed Automatic – transmission. This set up provided 15MPG in the city and around twenty one the highway. Considering it weighs about the same as a small dump truck I find this amazing. It’s like marrying the nice girl only to find out she has a touch of the naughty. The Duramax is a $7,195.00 option but, this is a truck with a base price of forty thousand dollars. What’s even more impressive is the almost 800LBFT of torque. I’m not sure but this has to be the secret of the awesome city mileage.
The styling is rugged and right. The only thing I would change is the camper style mirrors. They make it hard to go through the drive through at Starbucks. Yea, that Starbuck’s reference earlier was about me. There, that feels better. Parking, as expected was a bigger challenge than finding a good music station on terrestrial radio. There were times I had no choice but to take up two parking places. Without the rear back-up mirrors I would still be parked somewhere.
And last but not least. It’s a truck guys. You need to be able to load and unload it. So, could you please make the bed about 18 inches lower? If I had to pick up a load of landscaping rocks I would have to crawl in and out of the bed constantly to finish. There’s got to be a better way.

Overall the Chevy with the big name and the footprint to match was off the chart enjoyable to drive. Knowing you can drive over or pull up anything you want is a feeling you have to experience. The price as tested for the Silverado was $57,199.00. That’s a payment as big as Texas but, everything is bigger in Texas. Now, Austin needs to get on-board and make the parking places larger.

I’m Lonnie Johnson and this is this week’s review sponsored by Stewart’s Donnybrook Automotive. Stop by and see Gary today. I’m very proud to have them sponsor these reviews and hope you will give them a chance to earn your business. At the corner of Donnybrook and Troup