For decades, General Motors truck line has been know for holding the best resale value and having a higher price MSRP when purchasing new. And yet for decades people will still purchase these vehicles new and pay the premium for them on the used car market. At first I thought it was just a looks thing? But Ford and Ram have put out some pretty aggressive competition. Then I thought maybe it was just the Ford-Chevy-Mopar badging thing? However over the past two decades in the business, I've come to realize that brand loyalty isn't as strong as it used to be. Then it hit me, people are buying off a multitude of things, and the GM line up hits most of them out of the ball park.
I have the opportunity to drive vehicles home for a couple reasons. First is to familiarize myself with the vehicles, and then I want to make sure that even though the vehicle has gone through a safety inspection and has been set up for the lot, that there isn't anything that may have been missed or not found like you would in every day driving. I took home the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Crew Cab 4x4 the other day and had my eyes opened to what people are talking about with the GM product.
Now, in my older years I'm getting a little more spoiled. I like driving a truck to sit me up higher and for the practicality of having a truck form on and end jobs around the house. However I've spoiled myself with the more luxurious SUV and sedans on the market.
As I got ready to leave the dealership, I adjusted the six way drivers power seat to fit my shorter than most structure, adjusted the power mirrors to my liking and adjusted the rear view mirror. After leaving the dealership in the 2012 Chev 1500 Crew Cab, I was impressed by the comfort of the seat. Along with being sat up and able to see more of the surroundings that you get in a truck, this 2012 Silverado also gave a comfortable seat and ride. Handling around the round about and then down the road was more than I expected. The 2012 Silverado for town driving felt more like an SUV or larger car with it's ride, suspension, and steering. Don't get me wrong, it's not as smooth as a Cadillac, but was not what I'd expect from a full size truck equipped to go trail riding.
As I crossed over Old 12, entered the round about, and then merged onto 12/19, getting up to highway speeds was not an issue at all. The 5.3L V8 powering this full Crew Cab truck has more than enough power to get you up to speed and maneuver around the highway. When set in my place on the highway, I started to check out the rest of the features at my fingertips. I moved my left thumb over the cruise control located on the left side of the steering wheel, and turned it on and set it at the desired speed. I then moved my right thumb over the radio controls located on the right hand side of the steering wheel and proceeded to move through the media options (hoping to find XM active and listen to some Hair Nation, but found it was not activated at this time) and ended on FM radio, then adjusted on the steering wheel the volume. I do like how all are right there at your finger tips so you don't have to take your eyes of the road. As I did look around, this 2012 Silverado is well equipped with Power Locks, windows, Air, Tilt Steering and CD player also.
I was rather impressed with the handling of this full size truck driving down the interstate also. I started out this article by saying GM hits most of the features people are looking for out of the ball park. This is what I meant, here is a 2012 Chev half ton truck that most would expect to be basic, rougher ride due to truck suspension, noisy, and a looser steering. However, driving this 2012 Silverado was just the opposite, it handles beautiful down the road with a nice tight steering, comfortable suspension ride (almost like a car even having the Z71 suspension), a quite cabin with little road noise, and is fully loaded. And with an EPA of 15 city and 21 Hwy, this full size truck that can become multi purpose for odd and end jobs and drives out like an SUV with a ton of room gets about the same fuel economy as most mid/full size SUV's.
As I walked around the truck in my driveway at home I was taken in by the tough look, a couple of small accessories that were added took away from the basic look like the black bug shield, tonneau cover, and wheel well moldings to match the black side mirrors and door handles. It wouldn't take much to put a little lift and a slightly more aggressive tire and possible aftermarket rim to transform this already sharp looking truck to the next level. But this is what always gets me in trouble lol, not everyone wants that look and or stance.
Either way, if you're in the market for a full size Crew Cab truck check out this beautiful 2012 Chev Silverado 1500 4x4 currently at our Oliver Motors Baraboo location.
