2014 Chevrolet Silverado Review 2

It’s different but the same, which is exactly what we wanted. Those GM blokes are mind-readers!

By Shahzad Sheikh

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Whilst I was driving around in the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, a few people commented that it didn’t look much different than before.

Well of course it didn’t. What were you expecting? An egg-shaped cacoon with a giant tub in the back? A sleek wedge-shaped profile, tapering back into a giant shovel-like scoop? Or the front of a Smart car mated to platform from a Milk Float?2014 Chevrolet Silverado

From GM’s point of view: can you see a big Texan with an elbow out the window grinning and chewing a straw in the front seat of any of those? Or could you picture Shania Twain rocking it on the bed of these oddities? Frankly I think she’d say ‘that don’t impress me much’.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

And she’d be right. Likewise it wouldn’t go down well here either methinks. Can you see the theoretical alternatives loaded with quad bikes? Can you see them lowered with bling wheels? How about cruising JBR without being laughed off the cobble stones?

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

The Silverado looks the way it looks because, well, that’s how a truck should look. Big, bold and blocky, and things not starting with ‘b’ such as, tough, robust and imposing. American pick-ups have to look the part. That’s almost as, if not more, important than being able to haul stuff on and off-road, ideally with a big dirty V8 up front.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

In fact, if you take a bit of time, you’ll find it doesn’t look exactly the same as the previous iteration at all. It’s cleaner, crisper, with stronger more refined lines and corners.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Ah, that word: ‘refined’. It seems to come up a lot in reviews of GM’s all-new line up of trucks and full-size SUVs from the multiple family brands of Chevy, GMC and Cadillac. Just read my previous review of the Silverado’s more well-to-do bigger brother, the GMC Sierra, and Imthishan’s original verdict on the Silverado itself, not to mention my summation of the Escalade.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

I won’t cover ground already combed in those pieces of most excellent, considered and compendious prose – well you expect nothing less from Motoring Middle East – so click back if you want the basics on these .

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

GM knows its market, knows its customer, and knows the traditional buyer would have bulked at anything radical or revolutionary. So instead the focus has been to address the areas that needed dragging into the present – the on-board tech, the outdated cabin, the touchy-feely bits of the trim, and underneath, the rigidity, the build quality and quietness.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Interestingly – and this came up in discussion too – the smoother ride, the less raucous nature, the easier more intuitive interfaces and controls, in fact the general move towards making this big beast more car-like, affable and accessible might, it was argued, also alienate potential owners.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

The notion being that maybe they like crude, rude and lewd, that it’s not enough to ‘look’ like a truck, but that it must also ‘feel’ like a truck. Perhaps. But so far it seems to be fitting in fine with the modern lifestyle of the softest generation of first-world humans the planet has ever seen – the ones with elasticised jeans, pocket sanitizers and male spas.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Frankly I think the products planners have judged this just right, we like the idea of beefy vehicles, but we won’t drive anywhere not on the sat nav, nor move fridge-freezers or mow-down a widescreen full of zombies. But it’s nice to feel like we could.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado – The Specs

Model range and prices
Regular cabs start at AED100,000 for the WT (Work Truck) model (4.3 V6, 2WD) and AED146,000 for the LT Z71 model (5.3 V8, 4WD).
Double cabs start at AED107,000 for the WT models (4.3 V6, 2WD) and AED172,000 for the highest LTZ Z71 models (5.3 V8, 4WD).
Crew cabs start at AED 113,000 for the WT models (4.3 V6, 2WD) and AED 191,000 for the premium High Country models (5.3 V8, 4WD with standard box).
4.3L V6 is standard engine for WT
5.3L V8 is standard engine for LS, LT, LTZ and High Country trims, available for WT trim.
6.2L V8 is available for LTZ and High Country

Engine: 5.3-litre V8, 355bhp @ 5600rpm, 383lb ft @ 4100pm
Performance: 0-100kph 8.2s (Est), top speed n/a
Transmission: Six-speed auto, selectable four-wheel drive
Weight: 2359kg

Let us know what you think of the new Silverado below!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.