2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 Review

2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 Review

Bruce Sheridan

Overview

A perennial powerhouse when it comes to full size pick up trucks, Chevy knows a thing or two about making high quality trucks that stand the test of time. The 2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 is the next truck in line, and it has enough variations in its trims, models, styles and options to make a uniquely customized truck for any driver and situation. There is an affordable Work Truck model, a fuel efficient XFE model, a powerful Max Trailering package for towing and a luxurious LTZ model. The Silverado even offers its own class leading hybrid model.

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While Ford has the claim that its F-150 is the best selling truck for years running, if you combine the sales of the Silverado and its twin brother the GMC Sierra, then GM outsells Ford handily. The full size truck market is incredibly competitive these days, with the F-150 constantly raising the bar in performance, the Ram 1500 redefining luxury and comfort, and the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan are not far behind. Among all these trucks, the Silverado competes and even excels in each category. The 2012 Chevy Silverado is hands down one of the best local new car sales of the year, yet again.

2012 Chevy Silverado 1500

Starting MSRP	Max City / Hwy MPG
$22,195	15 / 22

Pros	Cons
Well balanced truck	Weaker v6 engine
Smooth ride	Bare bones base model
Good capabilities
Highly customizable

Trims

Like most other full size trucks, the Silverado comes in either a regular cab, extended cab, or crew cab models. The regular and extended cab models have their choice of a 6.5 foot or 8 foot bed, while the crew cab only gets a 5 foot 8 bed. The regular cab has the choice between the basic Work Truck trim, which comes with minimal standard features and amenities, or the higher LT trim. The extended cab gets a few more selections, with the Work Truck, LS, LT, or the premium LTZ trim. The crew cab gets the Work Truck, LS, LT, LTZ and the fuel efficient XFE trim. The regular cab trims start at $22,195, the extended cabs start at $26,340 and the crew cabs start at $30,320 for all the Work Truck trims. As you go higher in the trims, more and more performance, luxury and comfort options become standard, and the price also rises with it.

Performance

The 2012 Chevy Silverado may not be class leading anymore, but whatever task you have for it, this truck can do it well. It is very capable and powerful in its v8 engines, and they even get surprisingly good gas mileage. The turning radius may be too wide for some, but it is nothing out of the ordinary for a full size truck. The Silverado has a very smooth and quiet ride, and responsive and accurate handling. This full size Chevy truck has a good amount of power behind its acceleration as well, but does not have so much pep in its more sluggish v6 engine.

The Silverado can come with one of four different engines. The base engine of the Silverado is a 4.3-liter v6 engine that gets 195 horsepower and 260 lb/ft torque, but does not perform nearly as well as its v8 brothers. The v6 gets 15 city / 20 hwy mpg with 2WD and 14 city / 18 hwy mpg with the 4WD. The rest of their engines are v8, and the lowest of them is the 4.8-liter v8 that gets 302 horsepower, 305 lb/ft torque, 14 city / 19 hwy mpg with the 2WD and 13 city / 18 hwy mpg with the 4WD. The next engine up is the 5.3-liter v8, which has 315 horsepower and 335 lb/ft torque. This engine gets a surprising 15 city / 21 hwy mpg, and in the XFE trim gets 15 city / 22 hwy mpg, both figures are higher than the standard v6 engine. The biggest engine is the 6.2-liter v8, that has 403 horsepower and 417 lb/ft torque and gets 13 city / 18 hwy mpg with the 2WD and 12 city / 18 hwy mpg with the 4WD. The Silverado can also come with either a 4 speed or a 6 speed automatic transmission, although many feel the better choice is clearly the 6 speed.

Interior / Exterior

Chevy has not redesigned its Silverado since its inception as a 2007 model, but then again it does not really seem like it needs to. The Silverado has the distinct Chevy truck look, and it only gets better with age. Trucks have overhauled their interiors, notably the Ram 1500, and have made strides past the Silverado, but that does not mean that it has a bad interior. Even the bench seats are comfortable. The Work Truck model does not come with much standard equipment, and may appear pretty bland to some drivers. It is not the best of the best when it comes to interior design, but the higher models have more than enough comfort and luxury options to satisfy anyone.

Features

Full size trucks are a class of vehicles that have a huge assortment of different features and optional equipment, and the 2012 Chevy Silverado is home to its fair share. While the base Work Truck does not come with many standard features, almost all are available as options, and many come standard with each trim upgrade. New for the Silverado this year is Chevy WiFi that essentially turns the truck into a mobile WiFi internet hub for passengers and anyone within 150 feet. The Max Trailering option can come with the 6.2-liter v8 engine, and increases the towing capacity to 10,700 lbs and its payload to 1,937 lbs. The LT trim boasts the widest variety of available optional equipment.

Safety

The Silverado has scored pretty well in its government safety testing, earning four out of five stars. The IIHS also graded the Silverado fairly well, with the only average mark coming for its roof strength in the event of a flip over. All Silverados come standard with a good deal of safety equipment, and have even more as optional equipment. Every Silverado comes standard with front, side and side curtain air bags, stability and traction control and antilock disc brakes. Some optional equipment includes comprehensive OnStar services and a rear view camera.