All-new Chevy truck is bigger & lighter, but its most striking feature is a new front end that is a huge departure from previous generations.
Although the Silverado name had been used for a trimline of the Chevrolet C/K pickups from as far back as 1975, the first Chevrolet Silverado pickup was introduced for the 1999 model year. Since then, every half-ton Chevy truck has worn a very linear front-end design, with a distinct rectangular grille flanked by rectangular, stacked headlights. This basic design has changed over the years, but for the most part, all of the Silverado pickups from the past two decades have shared a similar face.
That all changes with the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, with the newest exterior design serving as a complete departure from the look that we have known since 1999.
Bigger and Lighter
The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado will be offered in three cab configurations — Regular, Extended and Crew – and short and long bed options. Each one of those configurations has a wheelbase that is 3.9-inches longer than the 2018 trucks and an overall length that is 1.6-inches longer while the cargo areas are seven inches longer. The cabins are all roomier as well, with the improvement over 2018 varying by configuration, but in the Crew Cab, three inches of space has been added to the rear seating area.
However, while the truck has gotten bigger, it has also gotten lighter. The 2019 Silverado is 450 pounds lighter than the outgoing trucks and the engineers shaved the weight from this bigger Chevy pickup in a variety of ways. The most significant changes include a hood and doors that are made from aluminum, seven different types of steel in the cab reinforcing structure and a higher grade of roll-formed steel in the bed. By using higher-grade steel, they can effectively use less of it without losing strength, which is why so many automakers advertise the use of high-strength steel. Using high-strength steel weighs more, but the components can be far thinner, leading to major weight reduction in a Silverado that is even tougher than the 2018 models.
The new Silverado will be offered in eight trim levels: Work Truck, Custom, LT, RST, LTZ, LT Trailboss, Custom Trailboss and High Country.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
