Community Question: How Would You Change The Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra?
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It’s no secret that GM is actively working on the next-generation of its full-size pickup trucks due out sometime in 2013 for the 2014 model-year. And we know that this time around, the Chevy will carry a different exterior design compared to its GMC counterpart… which brings us to the question: what would you like to see in the next-gen trucks?
Anything is game here, folks: powertrains, exterior and interior design, utility and on-the-job features (read: Ford’s much-admired man step), durability, capability, technology, the competition and anything and everything else you can think of.
Be heard in the comments and keep it chivalrous — we all know the fine people at GM are reading (and taking notes).
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As a owner of the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD 6.0L gas powertrain design.The one change that jumps out at me after 2000 miles of driving is a active fuel management system that works with the VVT timing system and also with the tow/haul mode.It has to be the highest gripe of Silverado HD gas owners is the fuel mileage this truck gets.Do not lower the weight or trim material weight just add a Corvette or Camero fuel management system one that will achieve around 18 city and 24 hwy.I know GM is very capable of this,I think that by just replacing the 6.0L with the VortexMax 6.2L may statisfy some,but all in all the HD gas trucks need a better ECM fuel management system programe into the 6.0L.If also just to keep up with the Jones add 45 ft-pounds of torque as well and you will have a big time winner on your hands
GM I hope you are reading these posts. I plan on trading my 2006 GMC Sierra CrewCab SLT (GMT 800) with 140,000 miles in a year or two, but there are too many things I do not like that will keep me away from a 900.
Here are a few of them:
1) Interior – The SLT dash is like I am sitting in a rental Impala. The fake wood is ugly! The radio and air controls are too low. The plastics feel thinner. The center console/armrest feels loose and will break. There is no storage ( I like the two holes in the dash and the overhead storage area in my 800 and the center console is better laid out in the 800’s). The SLE had the radio and air controls higher and I like the dual glove compartments, but the all black looks cheap. If you are going to have fake wood inserts, then give me an option to order satin aluminum instead. Or just don’t have inserts
2) Seats – You have to quit taking away the number of seat adjustments. I want the bottom of the seat to move independently from the back! Go back to 12 way adjustable seats on the SLT! And they need better side support!
3)Bumpers – I want real bumpers. Something that actually sticks out so I can stand up on the front bumper. And the rear bumper needs to be one piece,no plastic middle.
4)Wheels – I don’t want shiny chromed plastic hub caps glued to wheels. Give me machined aluminium 18″ or 19″ standard, I like sidewall on my tires.
5) Why did you get rid of the rear air vents in the crew cab? I go on 8+ hour trips with my kids and these are a must. Don’t need the fancy rear radio controls or even separate air controls, just vents in the back.
What do I like about the 900’s? the exterior is good (not cartoony or carish, but would like to see an updated front end), The 6 speed is nice. The 5.3 is about the same, I do like the 6.2 power. I would like to see the next gen have 6.2 power with the 5.3 fuel economy.
I am waiting for the next model before I buy, so I hope these things are corrected!
Put a true manual transmission back in trucks.You can buy a Caddy or Camaro ,but not a truck. Come on GM some of us still like to shift gears even if we have to pay for it.
One thing bring back the 350 it was a better engine and with new tech could be just and good on gas as anything on the road.
1. Get rid of cheap plastic parts.
2. Stronger sheet metal.
3. Get rid of all the cheap chrome accents. Looks ghetto fabulous!
4. More powerful engines.
5. Bigger wheel wells.
6. No more chrome clad bullshit wheels.
7. Standard wheel well inner fenders on all trucks.
8. Better ground clearance.
I grew up with chevy & gmc trucks. Every year it seems like they get cheaper with quality. Get with the program GM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well-said, Marcelo!
Improvements needed to the 1500 GM trucks? OK here is my list:
1. Need a 6.5 foot box option on the crew cab 4 door 1500. That 5.5 foot thing cannot be called a truck.
2. Need to introduce the small diesel. Farmers like diesel equipment! Regardless of fuel cost, it will sell.
3. Upgrade the load carrying capacity of the tailgate so you can load / drive an ATV on it without being over the carrying capacity.
4. Improve the fuel economy in the 6.0 litre.
5. Loose the 4 speed auto transmission option and stick with the 6 – 4 speed should not even be an option with any motor anymore.
6. 4.8 and 5.3 litre engine have almost the same power and torque, but are paired to different transmissions. Why bother? Get rid of one of those engine options.
7. Catch up to ford and make a good turbo charged V6. This should replace the old V6, the 4.8, and maybe even the 5.3 at the same time.
8. Stop selling trucks with the Goodyear Wrangler ST tires. Put a little more traction under the truck. These things are useless and dangerous in snow. Especially in the 2X4 trucks.
9. In extended and crew cabs get a decent center headrest. I have three kids, one needs to sit in the rear middle. He thinks it is not fair that his brothers get a headrest and he doesn’t. Need it for safety as well.
10. Make the rear center seat comfortable for a third kid. Those long holiday trips pulling the camper are hard on the kid sitting in the middle back seat.
11. Block heater. Don’t make it an after thought. Figure out where the cord should run, and hard mount the plug so it does’t crack in the -42 cold.
12. brake lines – route them so that rocks thrown fromt he tires don’t go through them.
13. Reverse lights – should be stupid simple – should not need a $600 electronic module to fix backup lights that do not work.
14. Start using LED running lights, signal lights, reverse lights, interior lights etc.
Great suggestions, Dave!
Agree with you on all accounts. We will see some really good stuff in the next-generation of trucks — and the major points (like Powertrain) will be “taken care of”. 🙂
A small diesel engine with around 450 ft lbs of torque for people who tow. It seems every manufacturer is in competition to have the most powerful diesel in it’s class in the h.d. series pickups. We don’t need it. Make two diesels available and have the smaller one available for the half ton pickup.
I’ve been a Chevy/GMC guy my whole life. I can’t stand the thought of owning a Ford.They do, however, have some good things going for them recently. Mainly the Ecoboost. Who wouldn’t like the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6. They are still a very new engine and who knows what issues will crop up down the road, but so far they look like very good engines. As far as im concerned GM doesn’t have much to compete with Ford in this category…yet. Gas is probably not going to get any cheaper. We need something that can pull a decent load and cruise back and forth to work with, without breaking the bank.
Not only does Ford have the EcoBoost on GM’s trucks, but the F-150 is just a better vehicle altogether. The interior, ride & handling, and the amount of variants (trim levels like King Ranch, Raptor, Platinum). And to me, the F-150 looks way better, too.
Other than that, consider the fact that the base engine in the F-150 is a modern 3.7 liter V6 that makes 302 horses (vs. the Silverado’s antiquated 4.3 and 4.8 units) that top out at 302 hp. The Ford also has six-speed transmissions across the board, while the Silverado makes do with four speeds. And the other engines in the F-150 lineup (3.5 EcoBoost, 5.0 V8, 6.2 V8) are much better than GM’s aging units.
Until GM redesigns the Silverado and Sierra in 2013, Ford will have a superior truck in pretty much every way you look at it.
Why can’t you guys make a High Performance Silverado with postive rear end and NO Torque Management????? If you don’t somebody will ….
When i was growing up i had no intrest in any other Brand of vehivle than Chevy. My dad owned several Chevy trucks so naturally i was going to own one. But as i got older and wiser and owned a couple of chevys i realized that they were just ok. They rattle like rocks in a soda can and things tend to break. Especially on the interior. I now own a dodge and have had really good luck with it and it has a unique look. I am constantly looking to see what chevy does because theres still that part of me that wants to be a chevy guy. I think the recent truck is an improvement over the previous generation but this time around chevy needs to do something different. Design a truck the makes people say wtf is that! Give the truck some curves, some different shapes. Make it look tough and edgy. Design it to set itself apart from the other manufactures. What ever you do dont just make it another chevy truck. Less straight lines and less squares. Make the wheel wells round. Something like the pics i am seeing of the new colorado. (different) Take a chance with some kind of out of this world idea. Give it some neat features like the door on the side of the bed (Cayanne concept) which isnt a bad looking truck (different)
I hear you load and clear, Brandon. The current Chevys are good trucks, but not industry (or segment) leaders, by any stretch of the imagination.
We hear that the next-generation will not only look hot (yes, the trucks will look spectacular — bold yet stylish), but they will also be state-of-the-art in terms of quality (no more squeaks or rattles) and engineering (smaller displacement, more power, better efficiency). And the interiors will be best-in-class. Can’t wait for the next-gen Silverado!
PS: the GMC Sierra will look significantly different from the Silverado as both vehicles are redesigned.
Some BOLD colors! like Ford, GM trucks have used the same colors for the last ten+ years…. (stealth gray) I would like to see some blues, coppers, and orange metallic again
had an ’05, ’08 and now 11′ GMC 2500 HD 4×4 SLT . PLEASE upgrade the fog lamps. The lamps on my ’05 were road worthy enough to drive with. The ’08 and ’11 are dismally dim,using some strange bulb. Why not offer HID lighting as an option ( all lamps) ? It would be nice to see a front axle E-Locker option or something comparable for true 4 wheel drive capability. Other than that, can not find much wrong with my GMC Thanks
Offer a manual transmission in all models.
No more HVAC controls that feel like they just broke every time you touch them.
Offer optional electronic locking front AND rear differentials in all models.
Always offer a real 2-speed transfer case.
Make AWD an across-the-board option on 4×4 models and do not limit special models to AWD only (some of us prefer the 2-speed part time along with all the luxuries and toys)
Offer all engines in all models (yes that includes a 6.2 6-speed in a 4×2 regular cab!).
Looking forward to a modern strong efficient V6 and direct injection gas engines.
Give us a stong diesel engine option in a half ton.
Give us a diesel Suburban.
Keep the Avalanche and offer a diesel – and bring back the 2500 Avalanche while you’re at it since it’s all Suburban 2500 running gear anyway.
Offer a heavy half ton at around 7200 to 7500 GVWR.
Look at net payload when upgrading chassis GVWR – you have to be competetive; you can’t raise the gvwr way up then use up so much of it in extra chassis weight.
Offer creative features such as Ram’s in-bed tool boxes.
Can you do a fold-in-floor rear seat on extended and crew cabs so the rear cab area becomes a useful carrying space?
Very wise move to finally up-market GMC, this has been an un-taped potential for years that really goes back to GMC roots (look at the differences in GMC vs. Chevy in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s).
Offer bolder colors and colored interiors and bring back the two-tones! Why is it that in the old days of punch cards and manual records we had many interior and exterior colors and many many options, yet in today’s fast computer driven world we must settle for one or two interior colors and a limited selection of many dull exterior colors?
I have driven GMC trucks for 20 years. Currently I have a 2007 2500HD 4×4 withe the 6.0/6 speed. I hated this truck for the first year I owned it. Completely gutless. After I had the ECM tuned and took all of GM’s “restrictions “it was better but still lacks power. You figure if it’s gutless it should get decent mileage at least but 10-12 MPG is the best it gets. Pretty fricken sad Ford makes a V-6 F150 the make more horsepower and torque than my 3/4 ton HD! Wake up GM, the only engine that produces sufficient power is the Duramax, why does the half ton truck and a Caddy get the 6.2, but my HD truck that I use to tow and work with have less power than a V-6. Please give me a 400+ hp/ 450 ft.lb gas engine in a 2500 truck so I can tow my 12,000 lb trailer and not get passed by every Neon out there climbing the hills in Pennsylvania.
First off chevies engines are outdated screw a twin turbo v6 either single turbo or twin turbo the 4.8 or 5.3 get rid if the 4.3 and just use 4.8 a v6 in a truck is destined to fail. Make a performance model Ford is kicking their ass on that why not use any ls engine like the 5.7 or in HD models drop an ls7 24mpg how was this not common sense?
Fix dual cotrol climate either than that its all good they just need new engines man this is crap
“Make a performance model Ford is kicking their ass on that why not use any ls engine like the 5.7 or in HD models drop an ls7 24mpg how was this not common sense?”
That’s the thing, it doesn’t make any sense.
An HD GMT900 with an LS7 won’t get 27mpg, ever. Also, the LS1 (5.7L) is gone and isn’t coming back.
Furthermore, since performance models are ALWAYS outsold by the downmarket models, the handfull of “performance Silverado’s/Sierra’s” are doomed to be a costly investment for GM to undertake for a slim number of units that would sell. Consider how many are 4.3’s and 4.8’s regular cabs and standard lenghts in contrast to higher spec’d version.
Not evevy model sold by GM needs a Hi-po version “just because”.
Agreed, Graw. GM’s best bet for a high-performance version would be to emulate either the Raptor or the EcoBoost F-150. Those two are as high-performance as trucks need to go, in my opinion.
One important feature GM needs to add in their pickups as standard equipment is keyless start (yes even on the basic models), a lot guy use trucks for work, that means wearing gloves, so instead of taking your gloves off to get your keys out of you pocket, you get press a button. And please make it a rugged button.
An important feature GM needs to add to their trucks is keyless start (on all models) I’d make things easier when you wear gloves (work is what trucks were intended for). And make that button rugged please.
I would like to GM go back to the 3.73 gears in the half ton instead of the 3.42 because every new truck i drive feels like it has a large decrease in power compared to the 3.73. I would also like to see aluminium heads injection spacers and to set the computers on a higher setting rather than the lowest setting
I would like to see an 8 speed transmission coupled to an LS7 or similar 500 hp + direct inject aluminum V8 with a trailer package that doesn’t require a lower gear ratio. This would be the perfect light load (6,000 lbs and under) towing rig that would still get great mileage. A red one please.