The Chevy Silverado is one of the best pickup trucks of the year. There are a lot of good things to say about the Silverado, and MotorTrend had a couple. It wasn’t MotorTrend’s favorite truck of the year though, but there are two things about the Silverado that MotorTrend loved.

Power

When equipped with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, MotorTrend praised the power that the Silverado got out of it. Car and Driver says that the Silverado gets about 420-hp and 460 lb-ft of torque with its 6.2-liter V8, which is one of the most powerful engine options for similar trucks. This high-powered Chevy even beats similarly equipped trucks in terms of performance with its 6.2-liter V8.

According to Car and Driver, the Silverado with its 6.2-liter V8 can go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 5.4 seconds. This is a much faster time than what the Ford F-150, the Ram Laramie, and the Toyota Tundra got when they were equipped with their own V8s. 

This powerful 6.2-liter V8 allows the Silverado to tow over 12,000 lb of cargo. The smaller, but still good 5.3-liter V8, which generates about 355-hp and 388 lb-ft of torque, can tow just under 10,000 lb of cargo. For comparison, the standard 4.3-liter V6 can tow over 7,000 lb of cargo, according to Chevy.

Along with that great power, MotorTrend also praised the 10-speed automatic transmission of the Silverado. MotorTrend’s test drivers loved how responsive the transmission was, and it allowed the Silverado’s 6.2-liter V8 to really perform. 

However, the 6.2-liter V8 isn’t the standard engine on the Silverado. Car and Driver mentioned that it’ll cost about $2,500 to get the 6.2-liter V8 on a Silverado. The standard 4.3-liter V6 was good, but MotorTrend didn’t praise it much.

Looks and practicality

The two V8s that Chevy has available for its Silverado, a 5.3-liter V8 and a 6.2-liter V8, both come with a dynamic fuel management system. This system will, depending on what the driver needs at the moment, shut off up to seven cylinders, according to MotorTrend. The result of this system is an improved fuel economy for the truck.

Car and Driver says that the 5.3-liter V8 Silverado gets a combined 16 MPG. This is comparable to the very fuel-efficient F-150 series of trucks as well as the Ram 1500. However, because of the massive 420-hp that the 6.3-liter V8 gives the Silverado, its decent fuel economy doesn’t come at the cost of power or performance. 

Furthermore, MotorTrend praised the looks of the Silverado. Chevy redesigned the exterior of the Silverado, and its beauty caught MotorTrend’s eye. Of course, what’s beautiful to MotorTrend and its test drivers may not be beautiful to you, so your mileage may vary. 

On top of that, MotorTrend also liked how practical the Silverado’s truck bed was. It was very easy to get into, and there were three hooks on each corner of the bed, which makes securing a load easy. Chevy also offers a powered tailgate at a premium fee for the Silverado, and this will make loading and offloading very easy.

Prices 

Although the Silverado didn’t win MotorTrend’s truck of the year award, it was a finalist. With trims starting at about $30,000, the Silverado is an affordable and very popular pickup truck. Of course, some of the features that MotorTrend praised, like its 6.3-liter V8 or its powered tailgate, are premium features that’ll cost extra. 

This price point is similar to what other automakers have for their pickups. The F-150, for instance, starts at about $29,000. The Ram 1500 and the Toyota Tundra both start at about $31,000.