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By Steven Cole SmithOrlando Sentinel
November 25, 2007
The new, full-sized Toyota Tundra is finally selling at the forecast levels, but it hasn't been as easy as Toyota thought -- the company has had to sweeten the deal with a lot more incentives to customers and dealers than expected. One reason: The truck-buying public was, and is, well served by the domestic manufacturers. Ford, Chevrolet, GMC and Dodge have built up a loyal customer base for their pickups, not so much because they were the only ones building trucks, but because the trucks they build are very good ones. Case in point: The 2008 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ crew cab. No single aspect of the pickup is remarkable, but the package is integrated so nicely that if you needed one all-purpose vehicle, this might well be it. Inside, the LTZ -- the top of the line in the Silverado lineup -- has leather upholstery, all the power and luxury options you'd want, including an excellent stereo with standard XM satellite radio, and a rear seat large enough for three adults. The rear doors open wide, making it easy to access the rear seat. And if you need that room to carry cargo instead of people, the split seat folds up, leaving plenty of room for groceries or luggage. Outside, the test truck -- rear-wheel-drive -- sits low enough to make ingress possible without pole-vaulting into the seat. The tailgate swings down and back up easily. The styling, unchanged for 2008 from this model's debut as a 2007, remains contemporary and unmistakably Chevrolet. Beneath the hood is a 5.3-liter, 315-horsepower V-8 engine that runs on regular gasoline or E-85 ethanol. Fuel mileage is quite good on gasoline (EPA-rated at 15 miles per gallon city, 20 mpg highway), not so good on E-85, with an EPA rating of 11 mpg city, 15 mpg highway. Aiding mileage is GM's engine management system, which can shut down four of the eight cylinders when their power isn't needed, such as during easy cruising on the highway. This is nothing new -- Cadillac had the infamous "8-6-4" V-8 in 1981, where the engine could run on eight, six or four cylinders -- but that was a disaster. These modern systems that GM and Chrysler use are entirely seamless and transparent. On the road, the Silverado LTZ crew cab -- base price $35,100, as tested $37,040 -- is among the smoothest-riding pickups I've driven. The only thing that keeps it from being an ideal highway vehicle is steering that is less precise than I like, but that could have been due to the tires on this pickup. Otherwise, it's a solid partner for work, play or just traveling. There are no bad full-size pickups now, but the Silverado quietly excels in every area. Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com.
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