The chassis of Chevrolet’s 2019 Silverado 1500 pickup truck is trimmed down as much as 450 lb., and a range of six engine/transmission choices includes an all-new Duramax 3.0L inline-six diesel. High-performance materials allowed engineers to extend the lighter truck’s wheelbase 3.9 in., and passenger and cargo volume.
GM has put a lot of work into 2019 Silverado’s cargo bed by:
New trim option for 2019 is the Silverado RST, adding street-performance appearance to the LT with body-color trim, LED foglamps, headlamps and taillamps and up to 22-in. wheels with all-season tires.
- Widening the bed floor nearly 7 in. to claim the most cargo volume in every bed length. The short-box has 63 cu. ft. of volume – up to 20% more than a competitor’s short-box. Chevrolet Accessories will offer storage bins that fit over the wheel wells, offering nearly seven cubic feet of lockable cargo space for short-box models, while easily accommodating a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood flat on the cargo floor;
- Using higher-grade steel for the roll-formed bed floor to improve its yield strength more than 30%;
- Adding fixed tie-downs for a total of 12, and doubling their strength to resist 500 lb. of force before bending. Nine moveable tie points expand cargo flexibility;
- Including more features, such as a class-exclusive power up/down tailgate that can be operated from the key fob, interior button or by hand; task lighting; a 120-volt power outlet and larger cutouts in the CornerStep bumpers to better accommodate steel-toed boots.
The body is 88 lb. lighter than before due to mixed materials use. All exterior swing panels (doors, hood and tailgate) are made of aluminum while fixed panels (fenders, roof and bed) are made of steel. The underlying safety cage uses seven different grades of steel, each tailored for the specific application. The boxed steel frame is also 88 lb. lighter than its predecessor, and has 10% more torsional rigidity.
The front independent short/long arm suspension features new forged-aluminum upper control arms that are lighter and provide better wheel alignment than the stamped component they replace. The live-axle rear suspension is also redesigned, including new composite second-stage springs on LT models that save about 12 lb. per side over the steel springs they replace.
2019 Silverado Work Truck features a “CHEVROLET” graphic across the grille and tailgate, blacked-out trim and 17-in. steel wheels. The interior features durable vinyl or cloth seats and 7-in. color touch screen.
The 2019 Silverado will be available with six engine/transmission combinations, including the new 5.3L and 6.2L V8s with industry-first Dynamic Fuel Management that actively shuts off any number of cylinders, in a variety of combinations, to optimize fuel economy.
Silverado will also be available with an all-new Duramax 3.0L inline-six turbo-diesel. Both the 3.0L diesel and 6.2L engines are paired with a new Hydra-Matic 10-speed automatic transmission as well as start/stop technology to improve fuel economy for optimum performance and efficiency.
The cab is stretched, with crew-cab models now offering 3 in. of additional rear-seat legroom for a total of 44.5 in. of front legroom and 43.8 in. of rear legroom.
2019 Silverado High Country interior
