Kill Bill on a Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado is a full-size pickup that has been produced since 1999 and has existed for four generations and two complete restylings. It is available in two-door and four-door configurations, with front, rear and all-wheel drive. The Silverado has a twin brother, the GMC Sierra, and competes with the Ford F-Series, Dodge Ram, Nissan Titan and Toyota Tundra. It enjoys immense popularity in the United States, but has earned great respect in other countries as well.
A movie star and more…
From 1975 to 1998, the Silverado was one of the trim options for the C/K pickup, but it gradually grew to a full-fledged model, becoming one of the symbols of America, about the same as Coca-Cola, the Statue of Liberty, apple pie, and so on. The Chevrolet Silverado was driven by Captain America, the quintessence of the spirit of US patriotism. Naturally, Arnold Schwarzenegger also drove it and even handles giant pistols and machine guns while doing it.
But the Silverado is not famous for its role as the Pussy Wagon in Kill Bill, but for the fact that this is a really high-quality and powerful vehicle, to which GM paid great attention by constantly improving the entry-level version, regularly upgrading generations and carrying out restyling, offering a large number of interesting special versions. The Silverado regularly raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and won the Primm 300 off-road races in 2004, 2005, 2006. It got to the point where 19 teams used the Silverado as their vehicle of choice for the 2016 season. In total, over the history of the existence of this pickup, 12 million units were bought in the USA alone. The Chevrolet Silverado has won numerous American and world-class awards and deservedly so.
The first generation
The Chevrolet Silverado and Sierra 1500 and 2500 (higher payload) pickups were built on the GMT800 platform in August 1998 as a 1999 model. The Chevrolet Silverado was produced until 2007, while its restyling took place in 2002. The Sierra developed differently, and the generations of these vehicles differ.
The first Silverado came with a 2-door standard cab, a 4-door longer cab and a longer cab with hinged doors. During the first year, three engine options were available: Vortec 4300 V6, Vortec 4800 V8 and Vortec 5300 V8. In later years, additional engines were added: a 6-liter Vortec 6000 V8 and an 8.1-liter Vortec 8100 V8. All options were powerful enough for off-roading and towing. The first generation had several pickup variants, including the SS model introduced in 2003, the 2006 Intimidator SS Special Edition, the 2004 Performance Edition, the mild hybrid introduced in 2004, and the heavy-duty variant from 2000 to 2007.
The second generation
The second generation Silverado was introduced in 2007 and was produced until 2013. The new pickup was built on a completely new Shakebody platform. Compared to the first generation, the design changed. The vehicle acquired new engines, a new frame and a new suspension, retained the cab configurations. The new frame was much stronger, which increased body rigidity by 92% as compared to the first generation. New rear springs, hydraulic body mountings and other changes increased the truck’s durability and improved handling. The second Silverado could handle much heavier road conditions and carry much heavier loads. There was also a new 8-cylinder engine with an output ranging from 332 hp to 379 hp. The vehicle featured an electric drive and a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The second generation Silverado won the 2007 North American Truck of the Year and Motor Trend Truck of the Year awards. But more importantly, the powerful pickup received top safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The second generation pickup won the 2007 North American Truck of the Year and Motor Trend Truck of the Year awards. But more importantly, the powerful pickup received top safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The third generation
The third generation Chevrolet Silverado was produced from 2013 to 2019, while its restyling took place in 2015. The chassis of the pickup was further strengthened using hydroforming technology. However, at the same time, the hood became aluminum, thus reducing the weight of the vehicle. In addition to the usual powerful petrol engines, the third Silverado had three new variants of petrol engines: 4.3-liter Eco-Tec 3 V6, 5.3-liter Eco-Tec 3 V8 and 6.2-liter Eco-Tec 3 V8 engines. The Terrain X version released in 2016 was notable. The vehicle was powered by a 5.3-liter V8, which had an output increased to 365 hp, 18-inch wheels, LED off-road headlights and so on. The vehicle received a new MyLink touchscreen control system with Bluetooth, USB, Apple, iPhone and iPod connectivity. In 2015, Silverado’s fame reached worldwide level, and GM started expanding, sending its Chevrolet model to conquer South America and the Middle East. GM also announced plans to bring the Silverado to the Chinese market.
The fourth generation
It was produced from 2019 to the present (as of 2021). The fourth generation Chevrolet Silverado is practically a new car, or at least a very heavily upgraded pickup, presented as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The vehicle has kept its 4.3-liter engine. Moreover, the engine range has acquired a more technologically advanced 5.3-liter V8 (355 hp) and a 6.2-liter V8 (420 hp) engine. Both units have an idle stop option with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The new pickup has a spacious cabin, plenty of legroom and a host of useful options, such as heated and ventilated front seats, ergonomic controls with a simplified design, and so on. The cabin is equipped with an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Wi-Fi connectivity functions.
The 2019/2020 Chevrolet Silverado has kept all the best from the ‘old’ Silverado (the strongest base, powerful engines) and has taken nothing but the best from the modern pick-up industry
The new Silverado offers a lot of storage space for anything, for example, a console box specially (!) for a laptop, two glove compartments, rear seat cushions that can be lifted to open additional closed storage boxes, whereas seat backs hide two (!) trash cans. The 2019/2020 Chevrolet Silverado is considered one of the best in terms of the accuracy of modernization of the previous generation. The pickup as kept all the best from the ‘old’ Silverado (the strongest base, powerful engines) and has taken nothing but the best from the modern pick-up industry.
One of the most important advantages of the new Chevrolet Silverado is the increase in trailer towing ability (in one version) by 500 pounds (227 kg). Now the Silverado 3500 HD Work Truck modification with Regular Cab, rear-wheel drive, double rear wheels, V8 6.6 Duramax diesel engine (451 hp, 1234 Nm), 10-speed automatic transmission and Max Tow package can pull 16,329 kg. Direct competitors are lagging behind: the Ram 3500 pulls up to 15,921 kg, and the Ford F-350 can tow up to 16,057 kg. Chevrolet calls the parameter the best in the segment, which is not entirely correct. Still, according to the total weight (excluding the trailer), the heavier pickup truck Ford F-450 also falls into the same ‘Class 3’ (according to the American specification) along with the Silverado 3500 and the Ford F-350. And one of its versions can tow a trailer weighing 16,783 kg. So the record has not yet been broken, but the model is very close to it.
The HD
The HD (Heavy duty) is a heavy modification of the Silverado. With these modifications, the chronology of the model becomes confusing and discordant. But you just need to know that the Silverado (and Sierra) has the following versions: 1500 HD, 2500 HD and 3500 HD. In fact, there are still 4500, 5500 and 6500 modifications, but these are already full-fledged trucks, not large pickups. The HD restyling takes longer time than the entry-level 1500 and isn’t nearly as drastic.
The first generation 1500 HD, introduced in 2000, was powered by a Vortec 6000 V8 engine with 300 hp and could tow 4,700 kg and carry up to 1,419 kg. The 2500 HD had a 5-speed transmission with powerful Vortec 8100 and Duramax 6.6 engines. The Chevrolet Silverado 3500 had the same engine and drivetrain characteristics as the 2500 HD, however it was usually fitted with double wheels at the rear and had a more durable suspension. The 2500 HD could tow 7,300 kg, and the 3500 HD pulled 7,600 kg with single wheels and up to 4,252 kg with double wheels.
The second generation HD version had practically the same towing capacity, but also started featuring four-wheel drive, which reduced the towing capacity and carrying capacity, but increased the cross-country ability.
The third generation 2500 HD and 3500 HD were the first heavy-duty pickups in the world to receive Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS) and Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS). Power capabilities have remained the same. But there are optional packages, which have allowed the most powerful 3500 models to set towing records.
