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2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra - First Impressions
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Comments
Questions:
1) The GM web site infers that power windows/locks are not availble with the Work Truck edition. Yet the '07 Chev catalog that the dealers hand out lists a "Work Truck Convenience Package". Can you get power windows in a Work Truck edition? Power windows in a truck are a necessity IMHO.
2) We want to get the trailer package for not only the trailer capability but also the added coolers. Seems like a no brainer.
3) Engines. The 5.3 seems to be a good option. But the 6.0 is appealing because you get so much more with it such as a six speed tranny instead of the four speed. Any thoughts?
4) You can get vinyl with the WorkTruck or leather for an addional $800 (dealer installed). We have leather in all of our cars and like it. But I don't remember vinyl as being all that bad. Is it?
5) Cabs. Sure the Extended Cab is nice, but it is rougly 3K more and I rarely see them used except as storage lockers for the owner's gymn bag. Moreover, you give up an 8' bed. Based on my experience with an F150 Supercab with the 8' bed, you should really settle for only a 6' bed with an Extended Cab.
6) Fancy sterio/fancy wheels/LT3 etc, etc? For the fourth vehicle in two person household, this seems like overkill.
7) I like getting more for my money. When I run the numbers for a 1500 vs. a 2500 they are within 1K or so. Seems like the ostensibly more rugged 2500 is a good deal. Yet a salesman just told me that the frames are the same with the exeption of one addional leaf spring on the 2500. So, what do you get with a 2500 that you can't get with a 1500?? How is it more rugged?
8) I see where you can option up a Work Truck. Of all the option packages, is the 1LT the best "deal" for your money??
Any thoughts? What did I miss?
By the way. The wife has 20K on her 06 crew cab 4wd slt. Other than rattles hear and there (in the truck) it has been so far so good. We get 16 mpg in mixed driving and 19-20 hwy.
I also have the Sunroof, and it too has a sound issue - I love to drive at high speed with the sunroof open, but it really isn't a option. I have noticed a baffle that overlays it a little that might reduce the sound level. there is a wind baffle integrated into the opening and closing of the sunroof glass panel but it really is ineffective and I feel could have been designed better. (note Skytop, this is not a opportunity to pounce , please, LOL)
Other wise I love the truck, 8800 miles on it so far
16.9 city, 19+ highway
On your point #3, you Do NOT get a 6-speed with the 6.0 motor. You get the Super Duty 4-speed. The 6-speed is only on the Sierra with the 6.2L motor.
The external trans and engine oil coolers also come standard on the 6.0L.
1offroader
The difference between the 6.0L and 5.3L V8s is HP and torque. No, you do not get a 6 speed automatic trans with the 6.0L unless you go to the 2500HD. The 6.0L Vortec Maxx V8 in the 1500 is matched with a 4 speed automatic also. HP/Torque is 315/338 on the 5.3L and 367/375 on the 6.0L. The HP/Torque on the 2500HD with a 6.0L is 353/375 and a 6 speed auto transmission with touch-up, touch-down manual mode.
The vinyl is just as good as the leather. Don't waste you money, you won't get it back on trade in.
The bed on the Ext cab is a 6.5 foot bed. The extended cab has enough room for 3 adults to ride in the back if needed. It is not as much room as the crew cab, but if you need it, you got it.
Stick with the LS package on your Work truck, you won't need to pay for those other extras.
This is where you need a new salesman. The 2500HD is way more frame and powertrain than the 1500. 1st of all, the 1500 GVWR is 7000 lbs. the 2500HD is 9200 lbs. (big difference). The engine and tranny are also much bigger.
Again, the Work truck with the LS package will save you $thousands. The 1LT has many options that you may not need or want. Go find a 1LT and look at the standard options for the 1LT. If it has options that you want, that the work truck doesn't then the 1LT is the better option.
D. Sanders
The 1500 Silverado 1LT configured the way we want it (5.3 engine and towing) comes in at $31235. The WT configured the same way (5.3 and towing) plus other features we want (CD, rear defroster, solar windows, LS package, power windows/locks/doors), all WT options that are included in the 1LT, comes in at $30,397. Call it an $800 difference.
This seems close. But, as far as I can tell from the Chev web site, there is no AC available in the WT. This makes the 1LT a no brainer in 2007. PLUS the side curtain air bag is available on the 1LT and not on the WT. If you have AC and the side curtains, you have truck you can live with for 10 years.
Sure the WT is a lot cheaper than the 1LT if you delete the power windows/locks ($990), the solar glass ($100), and the chrome front end in the LS package ($490) but now you are into a different vehicle. Something with no air, hand crank windows, manual locking doors (imagine trying to close a window or lock a door at a stop light at night), etc.
As a side note, one of the attractions to someone who drives a truck for 10 years in the Northeast, is the towing package. Not only do you get a trailer hitch but also you get a better suspension, a tranny cooler, and the locking differential. I strongly recommend the package even if you don't plan on towing much. The vehicle will last longer, be more versatile and better in snow.
Love the truck. Can't say enough good things about it. But I do have this little bitty gripe. Hoping someone here has a solution. The navigation/radio screen is to bright at night when set in automatic mode. I know there are manual settings. And using those settings is how I control the brightness of the screen. Here is the problem. Using the manual night mode setting I can adjust the brightness of the the screen for night mode. Same thing for the manual day mode settings. So I have to manually choose the night mode when I drive at night and day mode when I drive during the day. If I select the automatic mode, the screen is to bright at night but ok during the day. I was hoping that when I adjusted the manual day and night settings those would become the default for the automatic settings but nope. Any ideas? thanks a bunch
Could someone clear this up for me?
1offroader
I have had my 5.3 LTZ for about two months and have about 3 thousand miles on it.
I am getting about 15 mph which is a mix of city/hwy. I think the V4/V8 has not been perfected yet as it doesn't seem to help much. A perfect speed for the V4 is about 40mph slightly downhill. The 25 gallon tank is a little annoying. Interior storage is lacking. Would be nice if there were an above sunglass compartment or under seat storage. Overall the truck is great. Comfortable, relatively quiet, nice ride, great features ( remote start, auto folding mirrors, steering wheel radio controls, back up warning, heated seats, rainsense wipers. One other item of note, although I have the Z71 off-road suspension, the front of the truck is only 11" off the ground. I already tore off the cheap black plastic front spoiler on a concrete parking stop. My dad's 2003 ford front bumper is about 16-18" off the ground. I like the ONStar turn by turn howver I will not pay the $38 a month when my trial runs out and XM is not as good as Sirius. I am glad I bought and would do it again tomorrow. The only thing that would be better would be the 6 speed tranny.
I ordered a Silverado 1500 extended cab in leather, with side air bags, power driver's seat, cargo management system, and stabiltrak. Period. Everything else I wanted was standard with the LT1. (Believe me, I did the "build your Chevy" web site exercise nine ways from Sunday to figure out the best way to get the features I wanted). The truck rides well, the interior is great with the seats at least as comfortable as those in our Volvo, which everyone claims are the best. I love the XM radio (I have no experience with Sirius) and will probably keep it activated. Clearly it is a generation ahead of the hard-riding, high wind noise, poor ergonomic F150s.
Toyota wouldn't let me build and order the truck I wanted even though they aren't exactly setting sales records. The "Build Your Tundra" feature on their web site is largely academic because your Toyota dealer can't order it to your specs from his Toyota distributor (why the added step in distribution??). Rather the all-knowing Toyota distributor sends the Toyota dealer the Tundras they "know" will sell.
As a side note, go to Maine for your next vehicle. I got tired of the shuck and jive from the Chevy dealers in Massachusetts. No one it seems stocked trucks with side curtain air bags or stabiltrak. (I guess safety doesn't sell?). When I insisted that I wanted one with those options, they became very difficult and resisted a special order. Are their vehicles selling that well? Was my button down business attire too much for them to handle? Were the sales guys hoping for a layup?
One Saturday I was in Portland, ME on business. I casually stopped in at Pape Chevrolet. Nice people, no pressure. Placed an order, waited 6 weeks, and picked it up last week. They ordered what I wanted, no tricks, no gimmicks, no last minute got-cha's
Now get this: as I left Portland on the way home on the Interstate it was dark and began to snow. I realized that as with most new vehicles the truck probably had about a pint of gas left in it. I began frantically to look for an Exit and for a gas station. Wrong! These Mainers gave me the truck with a full tank of gas. Pape is a class act.
Pape Chevrolet gave me the same level of customer service that I get from my Porsche dealer and much better than from our Volvo dealer. I'm impressed. Impressed enough to order a Tahoe-hybrid from them in a year or so.
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I've been thinking about replacing my old 98 Jimmy lately (as I do about every other month or so, hehehe) and what I want runs the gamut from a new Mustang GT, to a late model G35 or wait out and see what the Camaro is like, which I guess I"m subconsciously doing by not buying anything (I owned a 98 Z28 and I actually really miss it). I also owned 2 late model Sierras once upon a time (an 01 2wd and an 04 Z71, both of which I bought when I owned a business)...Every once in a while I get a hankering to get another full size truck again, but something thats unusual and fun. Anywho...long story short, I was thinking it would be kind of cool to have a hot rod truck as my daily driver - think 2wd regular cab V8 truck - and as I was building and researching online I noticed something extremely disappointing about the GM trucks; you can't get the 375 horse 6.0L Vortec Max engine in the regular cab! Toyota offers the 5.7L in their regular cab, I think GM should offer that motor (or better yet, the new 6.2L) in their regular cab. What gives?
Does anyone know if GM did away with the electronic torque converter lock? The reason I ask is I can hold the throttle at a steady speed and lightly step on the brake and there is no slight increase in RPM with my 2008 Z-71 5.3. All my other ones did have this. Thanks in advance!
So I would not be surprised to see all 4 trucks have the same front end. I don't recall the 07 Avalanche being offered with body hardware (which is good considering how awful I thought it looked), and even the GMC's Denali versions are lacking the body molding that the previous generation had. It might have something to do with cost-cutting, but it could be more in the way of streamlining GM's look.
This time around due to the popularity of the SUV GM has reversed and released the Tahoe first, then the Suburban and now the Avalanche has just been released. The truck is the last, but at least it is still within the same model year. So in following GM's general tradition I would not be surprised to see the same front end on the Chevy versions of the truck. It would be nice if they differentiated it a little bit, but I am not holding my breath.
I do however expect to see some changes to the Sierra front end to differentiate it from the Yukon. I think that is where GM will focus the differences. GMC is supposed to be the upscale and more luxurious truck line and so to have cosmetic changes would make more sense? In my opinion, I wouldn't want a truck that has the Yukon front end anyway. I will go for the Chevy any day of the week. I like the Yukon front end - it has the Euro flair, but for a truck??? That would make it look like a Deville with a truck bed on it.
Yet look at how many of them are on the road... and I like the 99-02 design. Not so much the 03-current but I could deal with it especially since the Chevy is the most capable truck on the road right now. So people might say what they want about how the truck looks, but there will be one in my driveway eventually if it's got the capabilities I need.... (that is also depending on my ability to afford one - I may have to wait until they start hitting the used lots )
When my lil' ole S-10 finally poops (if it ever does ), I'll be headed to my Chevy dealer for a test drive....
One pic shows an interior that I swear is the same pic as the Tahoe interior. The other is a very different interior. Hence my question; is an uplevel Silverado to have the same interior as the Tahoe?
I am pretty interested in how well it performs.
Pretty imposing beasts. The grill on the GMC was like a huge gaping mouth ready to swallow you whole. Not that they were bad mind you... just big and imposing, a looking ready to do what they need to do. Tow and haul.
So I am excited about the new trucks... Hopefully I will be able to get one. A Colorado looks to be more in my range, but who knows... maybe a Silverado is in my sights?