Quick, name the two things Chevy needs to fix on its Silverado pickups? It’s an easy question; the blandtastic interiors and that ridiculous fascia. We think Chevy has been bluffing about how popular its new trucks are. All trucks are popular, but Chevy lost ground last year to Ram when it slipped to third place. Many say that would not have happened were it not for the uninspired interiors and ugly mug. But now we have learned that Chevy will cave and all-new Silverado front ends and interiors will change soon. 

We’re a bit surprised. GM usually soldiers on with miscues until a scheduled refresh debut. It might be pride or otherwise exerting that stubbornness GM has displayed for decades. Whatever the reason, we’re anxious to see the much-needed changes.

GM pickups will get interiors like siblings Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, and GMC Yukon

Now Stuart Pierce, GMC Trucks, and SUV senior marketing manager says GM pickups will get interiors like siblings Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, and GMC Yukon currently features. “You’re gonna see some similarities,” he told Muscle Cars & Trucks. “Our customers are looking for very premium appointments in a very capable truck.”

What separates the pickups from their SUV cousins is mainly the infotainment layout and how it is integrated into the dash. The Silverado and Sierra touch screen is small. It looks like it’s fighting for dashboard space between the air vents. In the SUVs, the screen is larger and dominates the dash area. The air vents reside below the screen.

Those ugly Silverado front ends will need to change too

But that’s not all. That ugly front end will need to be fixed and MC&T got the word on that, too. “We’re working on some projects that will grab exterior design on one and grab interior design on the other,” said Chevy Trucks marketing director Bob Krapes. Yeah, it’s slightly vague. Past rumors have suggested Chevy might snag the Z71 front end off of its SUV for the pickups. 

Some might be OK with that. We feel that those front ends are just a different version of what they already have. Like Chevy thought hogging out the entire front of the vehicle would play better. It really doesn’t. The Lexus approach to grilles is not a good one to follow. 

With Ram beating it and the new Ford F150 revealed Silverado needs to change soon

GM is in a pickle with its pickups. With the Ram beating it out and the all-new Ford F150 revealed it needs to up its game. It can resist changing what needs to be changed until 2023 or so, or it can get in the game and give customers something better. You know what your competitors are up to and you know how to combat them. But sometimes you don’t know how potential customers will react and can’t anticipate shifts in the marketplace.

We can’t say that the 2021 F150 is much of a reach from the previous version. But maybe truck buyers are conservative enough that they don’t require major cosmetic changes. Ford is calculating that customers will respond better to slightly-revised sheetmetal. That remains to be seen. But Chevy should change the Silverado interior and front end for something bold yet appealing. We’ll have to wait until 2021 to find out.