The Miami Herald's view

It has been 10 years since General Motors last did a major update to its full-size pickup trucks, and a lot has happened in that decade.

For one thing, sales have jumped dramatically. In 1988, sales for Ford, Chevrolet, GMC and Dodge totaled about 1.2 million. Last year, sales neared 1.7 million. Ford dominated in 1988, and still does today by an even wider sales margin. And Dodge, which was barely a blip on the sales screen in 1988, now sells about 300,000 pickups.

Those numbers mean that the competition facing Chevrolet and GMC is tougher than ever and a lot of corporate profits are at stake. So it was imperative that General Motors respond with an all-new truck for 1999 that was better in all regards than those that came before.

On nine out of 10 points, General Motors has succeeded.

The 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 half-ton pickup (and its identical GMC counterpart) is a quantum improvement over its predecessors. With new engine choices, brakes, interior and chassis refinements, the Silverado will now be the target Ford and Dodge will be shooting at.

The only weak point in the new Silverado — a former trim designation now applied to all full-size Chevrolet pickups — is that you may at first have trouble picking it out from the 1998 model.

In an era when pickup design at Ford and Dodge has been defined through bold, brawny looks, GM decided to opt for an evolutionary redesign of the sheet metal on its pickups. Although no body panel carries over from 1998 to ’99, it’s hard to tell the two trucks apart on first glance.

The overall shape of the grille, the nose, the doors and the cargo box sides were changed carefully, resulting in a smoother shape that lacks the Mack 18-wheeler look in vogue at Ford and Dodge.

GM says it tested various designs with current Chevy truck owners and prospective buyers and this is the look that won.

OK, it’s mild, not wild. Once buyers get beyond that, they’ll find one terrific pickup.

The first thing longtime Chevy truck buyers will notice are the brakes. The 1999 Silverado stops with a sense of authority that heretofore had been lacking.

Credit huge disc brakes — 12 inches at the front, 12.8 inches at the back — and a standard anti-lock system for the improvement. There also is a computer chip that monitors rear wheel motion under braking, and shifts the front-rear proportioning as needed.

Also, all GM pickups now ride on 16-inch wheels as standard equipment, which improves the ride and handling.

Handling also is improved thanks to a 60 percent increase in chassis rigidity achieved in part by using the same front-frame rail construction process used on the ’98 Corvette. The truck’s track is wider and the wheelbase is longer on all models, which also contributes to the near absence of any truck-like bounce going down the freeway.

Power comes from the standard 4.3-liter V-6, which is a carry-over from last year, and a new family of optional V-8s that ar e more fuel efficient and develop more horsepower for their size. The 6.5-liter turbo-diesel V-8 also carries over from 1998.

The V-8’s come in 4.8-liters (255 horsepower), 5.3-liters (270 horsepower) and 6.0-liters (300 horsepower). All have cast-iron blocks but are based on the architecture of the LS1 5.7-liter V-8 used in the Corvette. The 4.8 and 5.3 engines use aluminum cylinder heads while the 6.0 goes with cast iron. The six-liter engine is envisioned largely for commercial use at first and is available only in the 2500, three-quarter ton models.

Four-wheel-drive models finally get a fully automatic transfer case, a feature long available on competitors’ trucks. Called AutoTrac, it allows the driver to choose two-wheel-drive, full-time four-wheel-drive, or an automatic mode in which a computer shifts power front to back as needed in slippery conditions.

Another improvement is a towing/heavy load mode for the four-speed automatic transmission. Press a button on the e of the shift lever and the gearbox stays in each gear longer.

Big improvements have been made to the interior as well. Even in base trim, the new Silverado has better-quality covering on the seats and a higher grade of carpet.

The front seat bottom cushion is longer, the seat back tilts back more, there is more leg room available and the seat belts are anchored in the top left-hand corner of the seat, making it far more comfortable. There also is a large storage bin with built-in note pad holder in the middle of the front seats. It flips up for three-across seating.

On extended cab models — those will be the first to appear at dealerships — there are four more inches of leg room in the back, making that bench seat usable by adults.

For 1999, extended cab models have three doors — a flip-out rear door is on the passenger side. That puts GM at a disadvantage in the door wars, since Dodge and Ford now offer four-door extended cabs. Expect a fourth door on the GM trucks by the 2000 model year.

Throughout the new GM pickups there are small but appreciated improvements such as a circuit that protects the battery if a driver leaves an interior light on, an engine management system that can run the engine in a “limp home” mode if it loses coolant, and an “information center” box on the instrument panel that can deliver 18 messages from “Trans Fluid Hot” to “Cargo Lamp On.”

One feature that will be useful to commercial buyers: By depressing the trip-odometer button for four seconds, the display switches to an hour meter that shows how long the engine has been running since the last scheduled service stop. This will allow fleet customers, whose trucks idle a lot, to better plan their servicing intervals.

Prices for the new Chevrolet Silverado reflect another industry trend: They’re up over last year.

Expect a base two-door V-6 pickup to list for $16,000. A nicely equipped two-wheel-drive extended cab model will list for about $24,000, and a fully loaded 4X4 will approach $31,000.

Buyers of 1999 Chevrolet Silverados who get sticker shock can take solace in knowing that they’re getting a truck that’s better in all regards than last year’s model — even if they have to squint hard to see the changes on the outside.

SPECS
Base list price: $22,200.
Price as tested: $25,932.
Major options: Power driver and passenger front seats, $480; 5.3-liter V-8, $1,295; automatic transmission, $995.
Engine: 5.3-liter pushrod V-8.
Horsepower: 270 at 5,000 rpm.
Transmission: Four-speed automatic.
Weight: 4,600 pounds.
0-to-60 mph: 8.9 seconds.
Mileage: 14-18 mpg.
Competition: Ford F150, Dodge Ram 1500.