Chevrolet Silverado 1500 reviews

2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Driving Impressions

The Chevrolet Silverado remains one of the best-driving full-size pickups, even with the new competition. The Silverado feels tight and quiet. There's little road noise or wind noise.

Those are benefits of its stiff frame, which minimizes noise and vibration from the running gear. The rigid chassis allows the suspension to soak up and manage bumps and ruts and tar strips. The cab is stiffened by a magnesium beam behind the instrument panel and a lateral steel beam between the magnesium beam and the right side of the dash. This additional stiffening is designed to eliminate squeaks and rattles, and we haven't heard any.

The Chevy Silverado rides more smoothly than the Dodge Ram and Ford F-150. We drove a Silverado 1500 2WD LS Extended Cab that rode very smoothly. Its long, 143-inch wheelbase contributed to the ride (and enhanced high-speed stability). Models with Quadrasteer seem to have a rougher ride, however. At low speeds, a Silverado 1500 LT with Quadrasteer we tested tended to bounce annoyingly over a succession of dips. Could it be that the stouter rear end that comes with Quadrasteer causes a rougher ride? Silverado 2500 models ride rougher than 1500 models, but offer a bigger towing capacity (10,700 pounds).

The Silverado handles well on dry pavement, loose dirt, deep dirt, and off road. It tracks straight at speed on dry pavement and it's stable on wet pavement. It holds its line when the rear wheels spin under acceleration, even when coming out of a low-speed turn. Steering is responsive and offers the right amount of feedback. We find the Silverado more responsive to steering than the Dodge Ram; the Silverado has better on-center feel (less slop in the center). There is a dead spot in the center when cruising, however, which Chevrolet says is designed to minimize steering corrections on the highway. Rack-and-pinion steering is used on Silverado 1500 4x2s. Four-wheel-drive and heavy-duty models use recirculating-ball steering.

Quadrasteer is no gimmick. It enhances low-speed maneuverability, and is a must-have for owners who tow, though it's available only on selected models (1500 Extended Cab short-box and 2500 Crew Cab models, the last time we checked). The Silverado is a full-size truck in a compact world and Quadrasteer helps address that fact. Four-wheel steering helps when maneuvering through crowded parking lots and public garages. With Quadrasteer, you can make a U-turn in places that previously required backing up. A Silverado that requires 47.3 feet to turn around in, needs just 37.4 feet with Quadrasteer. That's 10 feet, a huge difference. Where turning around on a narrow street takes five steps in a standard pickup, it's only three steps with Quadrasteer. Changing direction is quicker, less annoying.

While Quadrasteer helps around town, it is truly a must-have feature when towing trailers. Quadrasteer can make you look like trailering pro. First, it greatly improves control when backing up, eliminating much of that trial and error that occurs when you're not towing trailers on a regular basis. Second, Quadrasteer allows you to back a trailer into spots where you could not physically do so without it. Quadrasteer also increases towing capacity slightly due to the heavy-duty componentry that supports it.

The optional Ride Control Suspension, available with or without Quadrasteer, is designed to enhance control when pulling a trailer. Press the Ride Control button when the truck is empty and the system firms up the shock damping, which reduces bouncing somewhat, although at the expense of increased harshness. When towing, Ride Control helps reduce the tendency of the truck to pogo as the trailer goes over bumps. It can also be used for better suspension control when driving off road.

Four different engines are available for Chevy's light-duty pickups, so when choosing one it's helpful to study power ratings, payload ratings, tow ratings, fuel-economy ratings, pricing, and other data.