Fending off the threat of an all-new entry with a four-year-old design is no small accomplishment in any class. To do it with full-size pick-'em-ups is a monumental feat. In the face of the best Dodge Rams in history and a more powerful 2002 Ford F-150, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra have earned All-Star honors for the third year in a row.
Chalk it up to the best powertrains, the most palatable exterior design, and this planet's broadest assortment of trucks geared to tow your boat and haul your mail.
Somewhere between the $18,238 Chevy Silverado stripper and the $44,105 GMC Sierra Denali, there's a big General Motors pickup for every barnyard and suburban driveway. The only missing ingredients are an affordable diesel engine, a five-speed automatic, and a crew cab for regular-duty models.
The most notable new feature that's standard in the Sierra Denali and soon will be offered in other Chevrolet and GMC extended-cab models is Quadrasteer. As the name suggests, the rear wheels steer up to 12 degrees to tighten the turn circle by 19 percent and to prevent tail wag at highway speeds. Quadrasteer also eases the task of backing a wide boat down a narrow launch ramp. Dodge and Ford should be green with envy.
Now that GM has merged its car and truck engineering forces, our dream is that some of the greatness of its bestselling, all-conquering full-size truck platform will infiltrate and invigorate the car side of the house.