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With all due respect to fans of Ford, Dodge, Toyota and Nissan pickups, I’m convinced that for 2007, General Motors builds the best light-duty, full-size trucks. That was my belief even before the newest generation of the Chevrolet Silverado was introduced for 2007. This redesigned Silverado, considerably better than the already great truck it replaced, just reinforced my view.

The fact is that no matter how lousy some of GM’s other products (especially cars) might get from time to time, the General flat-out knows how to build a pickup.

And even though my preference is for the Silverado or its clone, the GMC Sierra, that doesn’t mean I would recommend against buying a Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan. All of the full-size pickups on the market today are well-built and quite capable, and a consumer really can’t go wrong choosing any one of them.

For many pickup shoppers, the choice might come down to something as simple as the final price or even the vehicle’s exterior styling. Styling, of course, is one of those emotionally-driven intangibles that factors into vehicle-shopping, although with pickups, it’s probably not quite as important as it is with a car.

People who buy pickups, especially those who use their trucks in their work, generally are looking for more-practical attributes than styling. They need to know that the truck they choose can do the job they’re buying it for – whether it looks great or not.

The nice thing about the 2007 Silverado Crew Cab LT2 model (base price $31,840 plus $900 freight) we tested is that even though it will do everything a pickup should, it looks great, too.

In restyling the Silverado, GM didn’t make the kind of bold changes that Dodge did with the 1994 Ram, which received a radical makeover that generated a good bit of controversy among the Ram faithful.

The changes to the exterior of the ’07 Silverado are more practical than radical, giving the vehicle more of an evolutionary than revolutionary makeover.

Exterior changes were designed to make the trucks “sleeker and more aerodynamic,” GM said. That helped with one of the more-important attributes of a vehicle in today’s market: fuel economy.

The Silverado’s new design included a “faster, 57-degree windshield angle” designed to reduce noise inside the vehicle as well as to improve fuel economy, the automaker said.

The truck also got wider front and rear tracks and “a tailored wheel-to-body relationship” to provide “stance that is both muscular and agile,” the company said. While the more-muscular appearance really doesn’t help make the vehicle more rugged, it does help GM get the point across that these new pickups are more capable than their predecessors.

These trucks are more capable because they ride on GM’s new GMT900 full-size truck platform, which is significantly stronger than the chassis of the previous model.

Besides the redesigned exterior and improved chassis, the trucks have completely new interiors, and a choice of new powertrains, suspension systems, and box sizes. As before, three cab configurations are offered, including the regular, extended and crew-cab versions.

The fuel-economy ratings of our two-wheel-drive test model — 16 miles per gallon city and 22 highway — are the best in the full-size pickup class Four engines are offered: a 4.3-liter V-6, and 4.8-, 5.3- and 6.0-liter V-8s. They’re connected to a four-speed automatic transmission.

Under the hood of our truck was the 5.3-liter V-8, with 315 horsepower. It offers the best fuel economy of the GM full-size pickups. One reason for the great highway mileage is the cylinder deactivation system that automatically shuts down four of the cylinders during level highway cruising, requiring less fuel.

Maximum towing capacity for the light-duty models is 10,500 pounds, which can handle many of the horse trailers, boats and RV trailers that Texans like to pull.

These trucks are more refined, too, a trend in the auto industry as more people use pickups for routine family transportation as well as for work.

The crew-cab model probably is the best for family use; ours came with a quite roomy back seat, and the full-size doors, which can be opened independently of the front doors, are much more convenient than the smaller, rear-opening doors on the extended-cab models.

To open those doors, the front doors must be opened first. But to help facilitate the loading of bulky cargo into the back seat area, those extended-cab access doors now open almost 180 degrees so they can be pushed well out of the way.

Chevy offers three cargo-box lengths for the new Silverado, just as before: short (5 feet, 8 inches), standard (6 feet, 6 inches) and long (8 feet). The crew-cab model comes only with the short bed, however. An eight-foot sheet of plywood will hang out over the tailgate.

Among other features are fully-lowering rear power windows; theater-style folding rear seats; improved lighting; stronger cargo boxes with increased capacity; and tailgates that take much less effort to open and close.

The Silverado’s exterior has the same proportions as those of the also-redesigned 2007 Chevy Tahoe full-size SUV, but the grilles, hoods, headlights, taillights and side moldings are different from those found on the Tahoe and the SUV-pickup combo known as the Avalanche.

GM says the new Silverado uses a single-piece body-side stamping and bolt-on door hinges, “which foster significantly increased fit and finish”

On the two-wheel-drive LT2 crew cab model, 17-inch aluminum wheels are standard. But these trucks can accommodate wheel sizes of up to 20 inches, such as the polished-aluminum wheels that were included in the special Texas Edition package ($995) that came on our vehicle. Along with the larger wheels, the Texas package also brings a trailering package, high-performance suspension, and locking rear differential.

The interiors of all three cab sizes are roomier than before, and front leg room has been increased to 44 inches, the best in the large pickup segment, GM said. There also is increased hip and head room in front and rear seats, and more leg room in the rear, as well, especially in the extended-cab model, where it was a tight fit for adults in the previous-generation model.

A new woven-fabric headliner replaces the previous models’ so-called rat-fur fabric. In models with front bucket seats, which were standard on our LT2, there is a center console with 20 liters of storage space. On trucks with the three-person front bench seat, a fold-down armrest has six liters of storage space.

Rack-and-pinion steering has replaced the old recirculating-ball system that has been around for decades. A choice of five different suspension packages is offered, and all cab configurations are available with four-wheel drive.

Payload for the crew cab model has been increased to 2,039 pounds.

Among new safety features are the optional side-curtain air bags ($715), included on our truck, which protect both front and rear outboard passengers. In addition, GM’s Stabilitrak computer-controlled vehicle stability system is standard on crew cab models, and optional on the extended cab trucks.

A tire-pressure monitoring system also is available, along with a new turn-by-turn navigation system that can be used without having to look at the center-dash nav screen. Some other new optional features include heated windshield-wiper fluid and remote-start capability, both designed for cold-weather climates. Both of those features were included in the LT2 Convenience Package ($595) on our test vehicle.

Other options on our truck, which was as fancy inside as some of the nicest sedans, included leather seats ($900); a Bose premium audio package ($1,155), which also brought a six-disc CD changer and XM satellite radio; and the EZ-Lift locking tailgate ($100). A cargo-management system tacked on $175, and a 3.73 rear axle was an additional $100 on our truck.

With all the options, our vehicle’s sticker totaled $37,370, including freight.

G. Chambers Williams III is staff automotive columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and former transportation writer for the Star-Telegram. His automotive columns have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at (210) 250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.

At a Glance: 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup

The package: Full-size, regular-, extended- or crew-cab, two- or four-door, three-, five- or six-passenger, V-6 or V-8 powered, light-duty, rear- or four-wheel-drive pickup. Highlights: Chevy’s full-size Silverado has been completely redesigned for 2007, and has been dramatically improved – enough to win several major awards. The chassis is stronger, engines have been upgraded, and interiors are much more refined. Deficiencies: Four-speed automatic transmission is a bit dated; some competitors offer five- and six-speed gearboxes for better fuel economy. Engines: 4.3-liter V-6; 4.8-liter, 5.3-liter, and 6.0-liter V-8s. Transmissions: Four-speed automatic. Power: 195 HP, 295 HP, 315 HP, 364 HP. Length: 205.7-249.2 inches (230.2 for the crew cab). Curb weight: 4,448-5,426 pounds. Towing capacity: 7,500-10,500 pounds. Electronic stability control: Standard on crew cab, optional on extended cab. Side air bags: Optional, covers front and rear seats. EPA fuel economy: 16 city/22 highway (5.3-liter, 2WD). Fuel capacity/type: 26 (short bed) or 34 (long bed) gallons/unleaded regular. Major competitors: Ford F-series, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan. Base price range: $17,860-$34,990 plus $900 freight. Price as tested: $37,370 (LT2 Crew Cab 2WS, with freight and options). On the Road rating: 8.8 (of a possible 10).