2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Road Test

Walkaround

The 2003 Chevrolet Silverado shares its aggressive new design cues with other Chevy trucks. It looks similar to the Avalanche sport-utility truck, but the TrailBlazer SUV and even the big Express van sport the new look. The upcoming replacement for the S-10 compact pickup, called the Chevy Colorado, will sport a similar look.

Most noticeable are the new headlights, which angle down at the top, making them look like knitted eyebrows. The grille features a large band running across the middle with a big gold Chevy bow tie in the center. It's all smoothly integrated into the front end with the redesigned headlamps. Silverado's new aerodynamically styled hood suggests power and strength and works with the headlights for an almost menacing appearance. Front tow hooks and fog lamps are recessed into the front bumper.

Along the sides are new front fenders, new body side moldings, and a new wheel line-up. In back, bulging taillamps boast a fresh design that maintains the Chevrolet family look yet clearly identifies it as a new Silverado. Models with Quadrasteer have bulging rear fenders.

The doors and door openings are large. Extended cabs come standard with four doors, though rear doors only open about 90 degrees. Big door handles make getting in easy. Puddle lamps mounted beneath the big side mirrors light the ground along the sides of the truck, handy in the woods and in the city. Those mirrors are also available with redundant turn signal indicators, warning drivers alongside or in the blind spot that you're moving over. Running lights on the roof, tailgate, and leading and trailing edges of the bulging rear fenders on some models add visibility for improved safety. They also look neat.

The bed features built-in tie-down brackets near the four corners. Indentations molded into the bed allow use of boards to form two-tier loading and bulkhead dividers. The Silverado's load floor is 31.6 inches above the ground on 2WD models, 33.7 on 4WD. Short boxes are 78.7 inches long; long boxes are 97.6 inches long. Fleetside boxes are 60.2 inches wide (at the floor); Sportside boxes measure 49.1 inches wide. All boxes are 50 inches wide between the wheel housings.

A PRO-TEC composite box is available for Silverado 1500 Extended Cab Short Box models. PRO-TEC is a nearly indestructible material that's lighter and stronger than steel and resists dents and never rusts. PRO-TEC Silverado tailgates can support a lot more weight than steel tailgates.

Interior Features

The Chevy Silverado is roomy and comfortable. Available in cloth or vinyl, the standard front bench is comfortable and can seat three, giving extended cab and crew cab models capacity for six people. Split 40/20/40, the middle part of the bench folds down to become a center console armrest. There's plenty of head room, leg room, hip room, and shoulder room.

Available bucket seats are comfortable and adjust every which way. Both the premium cloth and the leather are nice. The seats are separated by a deep center console that holds lots of stuff. The top of the lid features a nice rubber-lined indention handy for small items. It would be even better if the rubber would be an insert that could be removed for cleaning. It would be better still if the top of the console wasn't angled forward: Lay a clipboard there and it'll slide off.

A redesigned instrument panel for 2003 includes a large speedometer and tachometer. Smaller gauges to the right display oil pressure, water temperature, fuel quantity, battery charge. Heavy-duty models with the Heavy-Duty Trailering Package come with a transmission temperature gauge on the left. All use highly legible white-on-black graphics. Headlamps and taillamps turn on automatically when it gets dark. A new Driver Information Center is located in the instrument panel cluster that provides various bits of information, including an available engine hour meter.

New stereo systems offer digital controls with large volume and tuning knobs. It's more attractive and more sophisticated than the previous system, but just as easy to use. New dual-zone climate controls are standard. Sliders are used to adjust the temperature on base models with manual controls. Better are the available electronic climate controls, which use two large knobs for driver and passenger. A large LED displays the mode and fan settings. It's a well-engineered system that's sophisticated, yet easy to operate. XM Satellite Radio is a good option for people who want minimal blab interrupting their music or listen to dedicated news or sports channels. Drive across the U.S. without losing your favorite stations.

The back seat in the extended cab offers more room and comfort than we expected. We wouldn't want to ride across the state in the back seat, but three adults can ride in reasonable comfort back there. Most of the time, the back seat is used for cargo. Alternatively, the seat bottom can be flipped up to load gear onto the floor. When cargo capacity is more important than hauling passengers, the entire rear seat assembly can be removed with a wrench and lifted out through the door.

The back seats in crew cab models are roomy and very comfortable, similar to those in a Suburban. The rear seats can be flipped down to provide a big, secure cargo area. This is a great truck for someone who wants a roomy rear seat with interior cargo space and big trailer-towing capability.