Some people think of summer and they envision themselves heading to the beach with the top down on their convertible, playing whatever song is the so-called “song of the summer,” huge sunglasses on and hair blowing in the breeze.
Others think of summer and all they see are dusty dirt roads, muddy fields just waiting to get kicked up, and rough, rugged terrain begging to be explored – usually with a little Waylon Jennings wailing out of the stereo.
For all my country-loving, off-road exploring, mud-covered summer adventurers – this summer, make it a Silverado Summer.
Why Chevy
Well first of all, is there anything more American than driving a Chevy pickup truck? No. And there hasn’t been since Chevy produced its first truck in 1918. Of course, that truck looked absolutely nothing like the trucks of today, but it was the start of something great. And as far as you’re concerned, you’ll look like a true American patriot rolling up to the Fourth of July cookout in your Chevy Silverado, truck bed full of coolers and lawn chairs, ready to watch the fireworks light up the sky. ‘Murica!
Exterior & Interior Features
The Chevy Silverado is a workhorse, yes, but it’s also a damn good-looking vehicle. Available in seven colors including the stunning Deep Ocean Blue Metallic and attention-grabbing Red Hot, the Silverado comes as a three-seater regular cab (the most affordable model), a double cab or crew cab, which turns the truck into a six-passenger ride. There are three trim levels available in the regular cab Silverado though the base model interior features are fairly basic (think: USB port, audio jack, 4.2-inch color display, and lots of vinyl).
But, Chevy has made it possible to customize your truck with a bevy of options, so all you have to do is decide what features matter the most to you and have them added to the truck. If a sunroof, satellite radio, touch screen displays, Bluetooth, OnStar, wireless charging, or a WiFi hotspot are important to you, feel free to add them on. In fact, go for the top model and all the features, and you could easily send your Chevy Silverado over $70,000. Talk about offering a little something for everyone.
Cargo Room
Unfortunately, no matter how many amenities you load into your Silverado, you still can’t spend the whole summer just sitting in your truck (although you may want to). No, you have to make the most of the outdoors and in order to do that, you’re going to need some room for all your gear. Luckily, the Silverado offers the choice of three bed sizes, so no matter if you’re just venturing locally for a day trip or hauling cross country, you’ll be able to find a Silverado that can carry anything you need to dominate summer.
The standard Silverado comes with a 6-foot-6-inch bed, but you can also purchase the Regular Cab model with an 8-foot bed for additional room. The Crew Cab model offers a 5-foot-8-inch bed, although what you lose in bed space you’ll gain in interior space, as you can collapse the rear bench seat, giving you additional room to store anything you may want to lock up in the cab. Chevy also offers an array of options to customize your space, including bed tie down rings and roof mounted bicycle racks giving you the freedom to optimize your Silverado.
Performance
So, we’ve covered that you’re going to have plenty of room and upscale features to make taking your Chevy Silverado out on the road a pleasure, but how is it going to handle once you hit the open road? Well, in the standard model, a V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission is going to get you 285-horsepower, and pretty good gas mileage for a truck with an EPA-estimated 18 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. If your summer plans involve lots of paved road driving rather than off-road rumbling, than the standard model V6 engine should do you just fine.
However, if you’re looking to get a little wild, you’re going to want to upgrade your engine. Chevy offers the Silverado with two V8 engine options and a few four-wheel-drive options. Your V8 engines will be either a 5.3-liter V8 (355 horsepower) or a 6.2-liter V8 (420 horsepower). As with any upgrade, moving away from the base V6 to either V8 is going to cost you a few thousand dollars, so be sure you’re actually going to need the advanced engine before you spend the money.
Once again, Chevy has you covered with tons of options to make your Silverado the perfect ride for anything you want to do outside. And if you’re really looking to tackle tough terrain, you may want to look at the Silverado Z71 Off-Road Package, available on the LT Z71 and the LTZ Z71. The Off-Road Package equips your Silverado with all-terrain tires, Rancho brand shocks, a front stabilizer bar and hill descent control among other rugged features. With the Off-Road Package, the Silverado becomes the ultimate outdoor truck.
Looking to tow? A standard Silverado is going to be able to tow 9,800 pounds behind it. Load it up to the max with the right equipment, and you’ll be towing up to 12,500 pounds. Trailers, campers, and boats – you can bring your favorite summer accessory with you thanks to your Silverado.
Safety
Nothing is going to cramp your summer style quite like getting hurt, which is why it’s so important to consider safety when embarking on your outdoor adventures. You can feel confident in the Silverado, as it’s backed by a five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It also has been given the top rating of “Good” by the Insurance Institute.
As we’ve seen with all things Chevy, there are plentiful available safety options for you to load into the truck, such as front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera and safety technology, such as lane keep assist and forward collision warning. Take into account your summertime activities, and speak to your local Chevy dealership to see which safety features will best suit your Silverado.
Silverado Summer
Summer is short – don’t let your lack of a Silverado stop you from making it the best time of the year. Check out the selection of Chevy Silverados at your local dealership today… and don’t forget your sunblock.
