2009 Chevrolet Silverado

The hybrids are here early next year, with the same two-mode system used in General Motors and Chrysler sport/utilities going into the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. Like the GM/Chrysler utilities, the pickups suffer a bit of the engine on-off jolts that make it clear to the driver that he's driving a truck that gets 21/22 city/highway EPA mpg for the two-wheel drive and 20/20 for the four-wheel drive. The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado / Sierra Hybrid is offered only in the crew cab body style.

The Silverado/Sierra XFE includes the aluminum version of the 5.3L V-8, with Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and the six-speed automatic.

Quick, accurate steering inspire confidence and a smooth ride makes the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado a pleasant commuter -- until you have to park it. Still, seasoned truck drivers won't have any trouble with it.

Chevrolet has updated the 2009 Silverado with a six-speed transmission with manual shifting capabilities and rolled out the Silverado Hybrid.

On the road, the Chevy Silverado was exceptionally pleasant to drive. The ride was very smooth for a truck and bumps and pavement imperfections were soaked up nicely. The steering was nicely weighted and communicative and the manual shifting buttons on the shift column came in handy on long hills or when passing.

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado's hybrid drivetrain consists of a 6.0-liter gasoline-powered V-8, an electrically variable transmission, and a 300-volt nickel-metal hydride (NiMh) battery pack. The entire package allows the truck to drive at speeds up to 30 mph on electric power alone.

The only full-size hybrid pickup on the market

Forty-percent improvement in city fuel economy and twenty-five-percent improvement in combined city/highway (compared with the ordinary Chevy Silverado)

All-electric propulsion at speeds up to 30 mph-6.0-liter, gasoline-powered V-8 engine with GM's Active Fuel Management technology

Cruising range of more than 500 miles

New for this year is the addition of the powerful (the most powerful of the segment) all-aluminum 6.2-liter V-8 and newly revised six-speed transmission. We like this pairing because it gives the truck a strong-pulling first gear as well as an easy-cruising sixth gear for fuel economy.

For us, the 2009 Chevy Silverado was the best overall choice, balancing power, performance, value, and quality. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. We have to admit it came down to the Chevy and Ford (Dodge will be a strong player this year as well), and maybe the home field gave the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado the slight advantage, but with a strong powertrain story and a top-notch interior layout (not to mention a pretty good price advantage), our pick by a nose (and a very small nose at that) is the Chevy Silverado LTZ.

While all half-ton trucks maintain a weight, size, and seating advantage over smaller vehicles, the 2009 Dodge Ram, 2009 Nissan Titan, and 2009 Chevy Silverado, were unable to muster a "Good" rating on their side-impact tests.

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado, along with its sister truck the 2009 GMC Sierra, received "Poor" ratings, both with and without optional side curtain airbags. Torso airbags are unavailable on the Silverado and Sierra.

For the first model year, 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrids will be offered with the "pure pickup" interiors, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, a locking rear axle, and the trailering package. These vehicles will be able to tow up to 6100 pounds so there is a small capability penalty for the powertrain; also, since the system adds about 350 pounds, you can take that right off the payload number.

Available on crew cab models, the big E85-ready V-8 produces 403 horsepower, enough to knock the 5.7L 381 horsepower Toyota Tundra from the title of most powerful fullsize truck. The rest of the 2009 Chevy Silverado engines remain unchanged, with the 195 horsepower 4.3L V-6, 295 horsepower 4.7L V-8, 315 horsepower 5.3L V-8, and 367 horsepower 6.0L V-8 filling out a large family of trucks. As before, the 2009 Silverado can be ordered in three cab styles and three cargo box lengths from 5 foot 8 inches to a healthy 8 foot.

The General has added a bigger engine choice to its compact and full-size truck lines, with the 6.2-liter, 403-horsepower V-8 and six-speed auto available on Chevrolet Silverado and Sierra crew cabs and a 300-horsepower, 5.3-liter with 320 pound-feet and four-speed automatic on extended- and crew-cab Colorados and Canyons.

Unlike the Denali and Escalade, the 6.2-powered crew cabs can be had in 2WD and 4WD forms, so you can have big torque and low range in the same truck.

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado XFE will receive improved fuel economy ratings of 15/21 mpg (city/highway) thanks to a combination of mechanical, aerodynamic, and mass-reducing enhancements. Aerodynamic enhancements give the truck a best-in-class coefficient of drag of 0.412, according to GM.

The XFE package, which stands for Xtra Fuel Economy, is planted on a 2WD drivetrain with a 315-hp 5.3L FlexFuel V-8 and six-speed Hydra-Matic 6L80 automatic transmission. Thanks to the six-speed, a high-capacity cooling package, and 338 lb-ft of torque, towing capacity on the truck is increased from 6,600 lbs to 7,000 lbs.