2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD LT CREW: Chevy’s popular full-size pickup gets a face lift

I feel sorry for the designers of the new 2016 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.

The last time the Silverado was redesigned was a couple of years ago, and its new look was described as too conservative. Still, Chevy sold about 530,000 Silverados in 2014, second only in vehicle sales to the Ford F-150. Too conservative? Tell that to the stampede of buyers.

So, what is a designer supposed to do with the second-most popular vehicle on the market? A complete redesign is out of the question because the truck is much too in demand already. More likely is the route that Chevy took – refining a few things in the front and elsewhere that add up to a significant improvement.

For the 2016 model, the Silverado most noticeably has changed the front-end design by abandoning the two stacked headlights of the past for a smaller, smarter-looking single High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlight with LED running lights. The result is a more unified, horizontal-looking front, with a little less chrome. The front hood is also more sculpted than previously.

The rest of the 2016 Silverado 1500 LT that I recently tested was mostly unchanged on the outside of the big truck that’s just a little over 19 feet in length with a 5-foot, 8-inch box.

In fact, everything about the Silverado is big. In addition to its length, it’s also 6½ feet wide and more than 6 feet tall, with just over 8½ inches of ground clearance. The step-in height is 22 inches and it weighs more than 5,400 pounds. One advantage of this size: You can spot it at the far end of a crowded parking lot because it stands taller than practically anything else.

It’s also big on the inside. The two front seats are large, comfortable and have power adjustments, including lumbar, for both.

The backseat is very roomy with 40.5 inches of headroom and 40.9 inches of legroom. It received rave reviews when recently there were four of us in the truck. Three people could comfortably sit in this back seat.

The Silverado is also big on storage. There is a large storage bin separating the two front bucket seats that’s big enough to conceal a laptop. That console also locks and can accommodate hanging file folders for those who use their truck as their mobile office. Aiding that task are numerous power connections, including two USB ports, two 12-volt ports and a new 110-volt outlet in the center stack. Combined with the connectivity of the OnStar 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot means you can work from anywhere with the Silverado.

This Silverado provided my first exposure to Apple CarPlay, which puts some features of the iPhone, like playing music, using navigation or making calls, on the truck’s 8-inch MyLink audio system. It’s controlled by the phone, the MyLink touch screen or by voice via Siri. It was easy to set up and use. A similar system for Android phones is coming.

About the only thing that isn’t big on the Silverado is the combined gas mileage number. With an optional 5.3-liter V-8, the Silverado is rated at 16 miles per gallon in city driving, 23 mpg on the highway and 18 combined.

Oh, and one other thing that’s on the small end: the amount of noise – road or wind – that gets into the cabin. This truck is luxury-sedan quiet.

Visibility is excellent, and not just because of the high seating position. That definitely helps, but the large windows make it easy to see around the big truck. Just make good use of the backup camera because seeing what’s behind the truck is impossible without it. How did truck drivers get by without these things?

Another nice feature on the 2016 Silverado LT was the four-wheel drive automatic electronic transfer case selector with five settings: Neutral, two-wheel drive high, automatic four wheel drive, four-wheel drive high and four-wheel drive low.

Warranty

Three years or 36,000 miles, with a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Pricing

The MSRP of the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD LT Crew is $41,370. Options include the Texas Edition package, which includes a trailering equipment package with auto locking rear differential, driver’s power seat adjuster, LED front fog lamps, dual zone climate control air conditioning, tilt and telescoping steering column, remote vehicle start, rear vision camera, rear window defroster, 110-volt AC power outlet and Texas emblem. The Silverado also features the optional 5.3-liter V-8 engine, front cloth bucket seats with heated seat cushions and backs, front passenger power seat adjustment, center console with USB ports and wireless charging, six-inch chrome assist steps, spray-on bed liner, four movable upper tie downs, 7,200-pound GVW rating and 3.42 rear axle ratio. Sticker price is $47,485.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 6:03 PM with the headline "2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD LT CREW: Chevy’s popular full-size pickup gets a face lift."