Introduction

Depending on how it's ordered, Chevrolet's S-10 Pickup can be a no-nonsense work truck with vinyl seats and vinyl floor. Or it can be more like that other car in the driveway, with full carpeting and velour seats. Or it can be like a sedan with four doors, amenities, and roominess. In all cases, the S-10 offers the utility of a pickup. Whether hauling manure, driving to work, or heading into the backcountry, the S-10 LS can provide car-like comfort, even with four-wheel drive.

Walkaround

The S-10 mimics the big Chevy pickups with the horizontal bar grille and nicely rounded contours. It looks like a truck. No trick, no gimmicks, just sincere serviceability. A bedliner, available as an accessory from the dealer, is good for keeping the double-wall pickup box safe from dents and scratches and helps things ride more quietly. The bed has four tie-downs, one at the upper edge of each corner. More tie-downs would be helpful, actually, in securing loads of various sizes. Unlike many 4WD pickups, the standard 4x4 S-10 doesn't shout its identity. Aggressive P235/75R15 on/off road tires are a hint. The five-spoke aluminum wheels available only with four-wheel drive offer another clue. More important for those with work to do: The tailgate on the 4x4 drops for a 22.7-inch lift-over height, actually lower than the extended cab 4x2 S-10's load height; that can save on back strain.

Interior Features

LS models come with a nicely finished interior. The premium cloth resembles velour. It feels good to the touch and looks like it would hold up well. The door panels include cloth sections, but frequent touch areas around the door controls and rear sill area are covered in vinyl. From the radio dials to the dashboard, it's obvious Chevrolet spent a lot of time and energy into getting the appropriate feel, mostly soft-touch, for the interior appointments. The optional leather-wrapped steering wheel features a minipack airbag that affords a better view of the gauges and lets the steering wheel look like a steering wheel, not a pillow with hand grips. The S-10 has full instrumentation that's easily legible day or night, and a tachometer comes standard for 2002. Radio and heating and air conditioning controls are large, legible and so easy to use that their respective sections in the owners manual may never be read. For 2002, air conditioning is standard on all S-10s. A cold climate package is also standard on all models sold in northern states. Four-wheel-drive controls are fully electronic, push buttons easily reached on the dash. Although the system is part-time only, the system allows shift-on-the-fly into and out of 4-high. The truck must be stopped to shift the transfer case into 4-low, of course, but it still only requires pushing a button. A neutral position is also available that allows the truck to be flat towed without disconnecting driveshafts. Chevrolet joins most other extended-cab pickup builders in making the third door standard, a $295 option last year. Chevrolet puts the third door on its Silverado full-size pickups on the passenger side, presuming that the rear door will more often be used by passenger who will wish to exit on the curb side. The S-10, on the other hand, has its third door on the driver's side, the logic being that it would more often be used by the driver for stowing extra gear. But when dropping off someone at the curb, it means they must venture into traffic to get to any cargo. Chevy is correct, however, in presuming that the jump seat in the extended cab will seldom be used for passengers. It's cramped for an adult, and requires that the front passenger seat be moved forward to permit any kind of shoulder room. The extended cab sure is handy for carrying stuff you don't want in the bed exposed to the elements or thieves, however. Need more passenger room? Check out the new Crew Cab. It doesn't have the rear-seat leg room of a Cadillac DeVille, but it can accommodate five actual adults.