The new High Desert package available on Chevrolet Silverados in LT, LTZ, and High Country trim gives buyers options of how they want to store items in the back of their trucks. The flexible, lockable, and water-resistant system installs over the bed and adds dual side storage bins. Dividers can be raised to keep items separate or lowered to free up the inside of the cargo area. Everything’s covered by a three-piece hard tonneau cover.
Silverado LTs with the High Desert package roll on 20-inch wheels wrapped in all-season tires; LTZ and High Country models are available with 22s, all-terrain rubber, and the 420-horsepower/460-lb-ft EcoTec3 6.2-liter V8. All trucks feature a tailgate that can be locked with the keyfob, but only the High Country Silverado with the High Desert package can be equipped with the advanced, fast-acting Magnetic Ride Control suspension. According to Chevrolet, “Its sensors ‘read’ the road every millisecond, triggering damping changes in as little as five milliseconds in electronically controlled shock absorbers that replace conventional mechanical-valve shocks.”
Look for the Silverado High Desert in Chevy dealers this fall.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
