11 Ways GM Can Step Up Its Full-Size Pickup Truck Game
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General Motors reported earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) adjusted of $3.9 billion for the second quarter 2016. GM North America accounted for $3.6 billion, or 92 percent, of that. And of that $3.6 billion made by GMNA, over half was earned by The General’s full-size pickup trucks — the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. In other words, without strong sales of and profits on its full-size trucks, General Motors would have substantial financial troubles. Problem is, the automaker is falling behind the competition in the space, and real-world buyers are taking note.
* GM South America posted a $0.1 billion loss during the quarter and is not displayed
To be completely clear: the house isn’t falling down — so there’s no need to panic… at least not just yet. As the British Government proclaimed during the Second World War, Keep Calm and Carry On. Or in this case, do just that, while remaining mindful of GM’s various competitive disadvantages with its trucks.
How and why is GM falling behind? In short, it all comes to features and creature comforts: today, trucks are used as much for work, as they are for personal/family use, and recreation. Pickups are perhaps the only vehicle that need to seamlessly balance and blend those capabilities, and GM’s current generation of the Silverado and Sierra, which were launched in 2014, can do a much better job at that, especially in light of the competition.
1. Push-Button Start & Keyless Entry
There is no reasonable justification that Chevy and GMC trucks near the $40,000 mark and above are not equipped with push-button start. There’s even less reason that $50,000+ trucks like the GMC Sierra Denali or Chevrolet Silverado High Country don’t have the feature.
Those who ardently believe that push-button start and/or keyless entry are gimmicks either haven’t lived with a vehicle equipped with the features, or would be perfectly fine if new vehicles needed a crank to start the motor. Both keyless access and push-button start enable the driver to keep the key in the pocket, purse, handbag, or what have you, while entering and starting the vehicle. With comfort and convenience being the name of today’s automotive game, these needed to have to come to the Silverado and Sierra yesterday. As a secondary benefit, the technology will also empower GM to avoid ignition switch fiascos in the future.
Competitors that have it: Ford F-Series, Nissan Titan.
2. Optional Console-Mounted Shifter
Console-mounted shifter in 2016 Ford F-150 Limited
Rotary e-shift switch on Ram Truck
GM’s reasoning for sticking exclusively to the column-mounted shifter isn’t without merit, since avoiding a console-mounted shifter opens up that area for heaps of storage space. Problem is that not everyone cares about the space, and some want the look and feel provided by the console-mounted option.
Granted, this is a subjective preference for those who want it. But keep in mind that the beset-selling truck in the country — the Ford F-Series — offers it, and there is no reason that GM should not on such profitable and vital vehicles as Silverado and Sierra, at least on the higher-end trims.
Perhaps a better idea: switch to a digital system such as the rotary e-shift on the Ram Pickup and end the column and console shifting argument forever.
Competitors that have it: Ford F-Series, Ram Pickup (digital shift).
3. Dual Exhaust Option
Dual exhaust on 2017 Ram 1500 Laramie Limited Crew Cab 4×4
Sure, dual exhaust is purely an aesthetic feature that, for some, makes the truck look better than with a curved exhaust tip. There’s also the secondary benefit of a better exhaust note.
In that regard, this one is right put here with the console shifter: it’s not exactly functional nor a necessity in a truck. In fact, it might even restrict access to parts of the bed. But there is demand for this feature in the real world.
Competitors that have it: Ram Pickup.
4. Uncompromising Off-Road Variant
2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
We have been waiting so long for this, and it doesn’t seem like it’s coming for GM’s K2-generation of trucks. No matter: Ford has the F-150 Raptor, and Ram has the Rebel. Outside of the Z71 package, which doesn’t hold a candle to either one of those trucks, GM has nothing in this segment.
Granted, the Raptor doesn’t sell in huge quantities. But that’s not the point: each one sold makes a healthy profit on a per-unit basis, and — more importantly — creates immense interest in the truck line and in the overall brand, resulting in salivating fanboys and fangirls in the process. That, in turn, turns into (online) research and showroom visits, and some of those convert into sales of other vehicles within the lineup. And that is the halo effect at its finest.
PS: the Colorado ZR2 will be good, but its sales potential will be limited, as it won’t compete in the world’s best-selling pickup truck segment (full-size trucks).
Competitors that have it: Ford Raptor, Ram Rebel.
5. More Active Safety Features
Both the Silverado and Sierra currently offer some form of active safety features, such as Forward Collision Alert, Lane Keep Assist, Low Speed Forward Automatic Braking, and GM-exclusive Active Seat, along with the recent addition of trailering camera. But the trucks currently don’t offer the most advanced collision avoidance features, such as Adaptive Cruise Control (available on GM’s full-size SUVs), Surround Vision and Rear Camera Mirror.
We’d like to see all three make their way to the trucks as extra-cost, optional features, as each will be highly useful in a large truck while also enabling GM to charge more for the features, thereby raising ATPs and per-unit profit margins.
Competitors that have it: Ford F-Series; GM vehicles.
6. Second-Row A/C Vents
Second-row A/C vents with heated outboard rear seats on 2015 Ford F-150 SuperCrew
How a full-size truck with four full-size doors in today’s day and age can be sold without A/C vents for the second row is just impolite. The poor folks sitting back there, whether kids or fellow colleagues, are no different from the driver and front-seat passengers — they, too, get hot and cold. So, why don’t they get any love?
When GM gets around to adding the vents to the Silverado and Sierra, it should also add tri-zone or quad-zone climate control as well.
Competitors that have it: Ford F-Series, Ram Pickup.
7. Smarter Bed Solutions
2017 Ram 1500 RamBox with Mopar holster system
Wouldn’t it be useful if your truck had built-in storage in the sides of the bed without sacrificing its functionality? Why, yes it would be. Ram has just that with the RamBox Cargo Management System, negating the need for big, heavy and expensive tool boxes. Even better, RamBox is drainable and can also be locked. We have previously outlined multiple features we would like to see from GM when it comes to truck bed solutions, but it’s nice to serve a reminder every once in a while.
Stowable Loading Ramps on 2015 Ford F-150
And for those who need to get a four-wheeler, a pair of motorcycles or dirt bikes, or maybe even a golf cart into the bed of their truck without ten guys, a forklift, or self-made plywood, wouldn’t it be practical if the truck offered built-in rails to do just that? Sure it would. Ford offers just that on its new F-150. Called Stowable Loading Ramps, it’s a pricey option but one that is highly useful and profitable for the Blue Oval.
In all, GM needs to offer smarter truck bed solutions. That said, one feature that is new for the 2017 model year is capless fuel fill — a highly-convenient and time-saving feature. GM was slightly behind Ford in bringing it to their trucks, but we’re glad it’s here now.
Competitors that have it: Ford F-Series, Ram Pickup.
8. Updated Center Console And Dash Design
The cabin of the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado High Country
From many a standpoint, there is nothing particularly wrong with the interior designs of the current Silverado and Sierra… if you are using them in the oil field or the construction site. Problem is, these vehicles are used just as often for personal use. And that is when we wish they had a little more pizzaz to their highly-utilitarian dash and center console layout.
Some decorative elements on the passenger side of the dash would certainly help, and we’re sure that GM’s multitude of interior designers can think of all kinds of ways to make the center stack of each model more appealing to the eye. Ford and Ram seem to have the perfect combination of practicality and eye-appeal. So can GM.
9. Higher-End Silverado Trim Level
The High Country trim on the Silverado is nice, but it’s not for everyone. In a day and age when vehicle personalization and customization is the ultimate differentiator, especially on more expensive vehicles, the Silverado High Country by itself isn’t enough, as there are those who want a flagship truck that’s not all about the country. Though it does a great job competing with the likes of the Ford F-Series King Ranch, there is nothing in the Silverado lineup that takes on the F-Series Platinum trim. Though some might argue that GMC Sierra Denali accomplishes that feat, we’d posit that both brands should be able to stand independent from each other.
So, Chevy needs to offer a high-end, urban trim level for the Silverado. Something that is similar to the Sierra Denali, but is still Silverado and Chevrolet.
10. Half-Ton Diesel
FCA’s Ram was first to offer a diesel engine in a modern half-ton truck with the GM-influenced 3.0L EcoDiesel, instantly drawing interest and attention from America’s truck buyers. Ford appears to be following suit, and Nissan partnered with Cummins to stick a 5.0L V-8 turbo-diesel making 310 horses and 555 pound-feet of torque in the pseudo-heavy-duty Titan XD. On multiple occasions, GM has stated that it is ready to respond with a diesel in its full-size half-ton trucks. And therein lies the problem: as the industry offers oil burners in its half-tons, GM is waiting at the ready.
Has anyone ever benefitted from being the last to offer a vehicle in a certain segment or sub-segment? We think you already know the answer.
11. Less Weight
There have been rumblings that General Motors may utilize a more mixed-material approach in the future when it comes to trucks. Making the full-size models significantly lighter can both improve emissions and fuel economy, and allow for the usage of… you guessed it…
…Bonus: Smaller Displacement Turbocharged Engines
When introducing its current GMT-K2 generation Silverado and Sierra, GM made a point out of saying that the EcoTec3-branded, naturally-aspirated V-6 and V-8 engines are truck motors through and through, in some ways suggesting that smaller, turbo-charged motors originally developed for non-truck (car) applications have no business powering pickups. Meanwhile, Ford has bet big on turbocharging and decreasing displacement of its own EcoBoost-branded motors.
At this point, the jury is still out on whether boosted, smaller-displacement engines actually deliver real-world performance or fuel economy improvements over larger natural breathers. But for the sake of on-paper competitiveness, perhaps it would be beneficial for GM to offer one or two boosted motors in its half-tons.
In All…
Full-size pickups are the lifeblood of General Motors, and it’s vital that GM maintains healthy sales and profit margins of the vehicles. And though the present-generation K2 trucks do the basics really well, it’s fairly clear that some new comfort and convenience features are in order. Luckily, it has been rumored that GM has moved up the release of its all-new, next-gen pickup trucks on the T1XX platform to the 2018-2019 calendar year. In that regard, we might see some or all of the aforementioned features on those vehicles, rather than seeing the current trucks receive the changes.
Lest you think we are a handful of opinionated auto writers, all of the above is based on actual feedback we have received in the mail from readers. Have a look for yourself.
“I’m convinced GM thinks I’m an idiot”
Let me say that I love GM trucks, but I’m convinced GM thinks I’m an idiot and don’t do my own research before I buy a truck. Ford beats GM in every single category from luxury to utility to safety to performance and the incentives are a little better. It’s time to consider buying a Ford if GM can’t get their act together. 2017 Raptor!
“GM thinks they can build it and we will buy it regardless”
It appears GM thinks they can build it and we will buy it regardless. They do somehow continue to sell a lot of trucks. It’s amazing how short the Silverado comes up when compared to the Ford. GM literally giving market share to Dodge, Toyota and Ford. I think GM is just satisfied being mediocre in the middle of things. It’s also very clear Ford wants the # 1 spot very badly! Nice job Ford!
“After 30 years with GM, I switched to Ford”
Frankly, after 30 years with GM I switched to FORD to get the adaptive cruise, push button start as well as numerous other features that are not available on GM trucks. I was dumbfounded that GM did not keep pace with Ford or Ram. I get it but when I am paying $60k for a truck a lot of the options mentioned in this article should be there. GM does not even respond to email regarding the subject including capless fuel.
New F-150 “blew my socks off”
I went to look at a new Ford F-150 today. Blew my socks off! The full moon roof, keyless start, luxury items throughout that you don’t see on GM trucks. Heated rear seats, AC vents to rear seats, power ports in the rear. Adaptive cruise control, center console shifter. Basically a Cadillac in a truck version. The Ford can out haul, out row, literally out run the GM trucks and that’s with a 6.2. I can’t imagine what ecoboost will do to the underpowered 5.3.
If GM was selling for only 40 or 50k like Dodge, I could see them getting away with such lack of options, but for 60+ they should be equivalent.
I’ve always preferred a GM truck, but these days GM is just cheapening out on all the little things they put in the Cadillac’s and making out like bandits in profit on the trucks. On the other hand, Ford has introduced the Cadillac concept in trucks and taken it further with the Raptor. Amazing truck!
I will not buy another 60,000 dollar truck that is not superior to other trucks in the market place. Putting you on notice, GM, Ford is looking pretty good these days. Change your ways or lose another truck customer to Ford.
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I completely disagree with options 1 & 2. As the owner of a current gen GMC canyon, i can say that the console shifter is my most disliked feature of the truck. Why waste that space when there is plenty of room on the column. Even the Mercedes suv that I have driven also featured a column shifter. I am only 20 and have grown up with features like push button start, and must admit that it is the most useless feature ever. Most men don’t have a purse or a bag to keep their key in, and it is a lot more functional to have it sitting in the ignition, than in my tight pockets. In regards to the smaller displacement engines comment, if GM is able to get relatively close fuel economy numbers with a V-8 to competitions V-6, than why would a move to smaller displacement be necessary. While fuel economy may help sway a buyer, it is far from the first thing someone looks at when buying a truck. There is no replacement for displacement.
With that being said, i do think you present some good points. An offroad variant, second row A/C vents, an updated dash, and a half ton diesel would be welcome changes.
I agree on 2. I thought no console mounted shifter was a FEATURE…. I hate console-mounted shifters… I’ve never heard of someone liking it.
Sure if you have “manual Mode” on an automatic sports car I get it, so you can pretend its a stick, but not on truck?
I fully disagree on 1. I WILL NOT buy a car that requires a key to start. They are way too inconvenient. My last 2 cars have had keyless enter ‘n go and my truck does NOT and I HATE It.
Its not just the keyless start, its the ability to walk up to your car with your hands full, get the door open, sit down, and drive without having to comb through your pockets for a key.
This is literally one of those features I must have. When we bought my wife’s porsche, they had one on the lot without it and I literally said I would not take it, I’d rather pay thousands more and order the one with it, just for that single feature.
I have had a car with push button start for about a year now. I was hesitant at first, but I can say without a doubt that I absolutely HATE it. The *only* benefit is being able to push the button on the door handle to open the door or trunk without taking the key out of my pocket. However, I have forgotten or lost my key more times in the past year than I ever have, including losing the key inside the car when it fell out of the pocket of my shorts and slid under the seat. Since they keys are uncomfortable in my pockets, I often take them out and put them in the cup holder where they have been left behind. I got into my car and pushed the button this morning, only for it to chime at me for not having the key in my pocket. Had to go back upstairs to get it. Also, the car runs so smoothly, I have pushed the button (apparently not hard enough), and the car was still running when I went to get out. All of these problems would be eliminated if I could just have a fail safe place, like an ignition slot, to put in my car. My wife hates them even more than I do, and refuses to own a car with a push button start. I feel that she will soon be out of luck.
I do agree that console shifters are silly in a truck though.
Your complaints are what we in the IT industry call a PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair). User problems, don’t blame the technology because it’s not as slow as you are.
The IT industry? lol..this right here shows the kind of people buying “trucks” these days..no longer is a truck used for it’s intended purpose. This guy probably bought a loaded out $70k 4×4 truck that has a console shifter, push button start, heated and cooled leather seats with a bunch of “flair” in the interior and not a single scratch on the bed so he can drive back and forth to the office in it.
Well, the thing is that if GM only made trucks to serve folks living in shacks in the mountains or farmers in middle America, there wouldn’t be enough volume to innovate and survive as a business. GM needs to make trucks that appeal to many walks of life. For instance, an IT guy might use his truck to drive downtown to work during the week, then use it for a hunting trip on the weekends, or to pull his camper. This particular writer uses his to haul a bunch of crap around for work (boxes, parts, all kinds of stuff). Since I am on paved roads 98% of the time I need a “road truck” with limited off-road capabilities. I’m sure that if I had a ranch in Montana I’d have different priorities. So should expand the depth of their options packages to better cater to specific genre’s: Construction, off-road, farming, luxury and street-sport. The bones can be common, the dressing unique.
They need to find out there truck starting problems before I ever buy another one
I Have been asking for GM to please offer ,A diesel option too the Chevy and GMC half ton and I don’t think i am the only one !! Now as for the downsize of engine with Turbo, it seems ,that there finding out that, those engine are not getting all that great of mileage as advertised, in real driving and putting out more pollution .
I agree with all the suggestions in the article. GM is falling behind in innovation and flexibility.
The GM twins are priced on the higher end of the full-sized truck spectrum. It’s about time they were built that way.
As a owner of a 2016 duramax I gotta say while I overall like the silverado much better then the competition there is a few things I wish they did as well as the competitors.
1. Let us order trucks how we’d like. I really like the 6.2l engine, all that extra power at a 1 mpg penalty is well worth it to me. How ever its limited availability and only being in top trim trucks priced it so high I just couldn’t justify it.
2. Rear A/C vents. Truck isn’t horrible without them but having a black crewcab means on hot days I have to start my truck and let it cool down for a few minutes before putting my infant in the back seat, Having a rear vent would be a inexpensive for GM and it has caused enough uproar I cant believe they haven’t added them yet.
3. Storage! The glove boxes and center console are awesome, how ever there is no storage at all in the back besides the door pockets. Ram did great by putting the in floor storage pockets and factory under seat bins with the fold out flat floor, GM has a plastic under seat tub as optional accessory but its pretty cheap looking compared to rams. I like to carry some tools / emergency supplies that fit behind the seat of my old duramax but now they just roll around on the floor in the rear on the new truck.
4. A real sub woofer. The Bose system is okay, gets better as breaks in, but I feel like $65k truck could at least have a bit better sub then the 6″ it has now. I believe both Ram and Ford have a 8″ sub.
5. Suspension. Many of us use these trucks for daily drivers and never see near maximum payload, I would love to see softer riding 2500’s. Ram offers linked rear suspension with coils and air which i’ll admit is a huge attraction.
6. Pricing. I qualify for supplier pricing which is about 5% off msrp. How ever the new norm is to have a high msrp and always have the trucks 5+% off. This makes my discount worthless.
7. Innovation. GM has done great with making the trucks competitive without doing anything innovative (stuck with v8’s, still leaf sprung, mostly steel, etc) but it be nice to see more innovation. The only real thing I can think of that gm has that the competition doesn’t is android auto / apple car play. (Honestly one of the biggest reasons I went with chevy is because android auto is so awesome)
8. 1500 diesel. The Colorado simply didn’t offer enough room in back (car seat would only fit in middle on the largest crewcab model) The build quality and feature set on the Colorado may be best in class but definitely a notch below the full size trucks. The ecodiesel is a more attractive option as its more powerful and more capable then the Colorado, with nearly as good mileage, not limited in features like the colorado, and pricing seemed to be inline with the chevy 5.3l 1500’s. I feel like GM could have a good seller if they made a ecodiesel competitor.
9. Make true performance variants. Only offroad package offered is a skid plate, rancho shocks, and all terrain tires. We’d all love to see a truck with removable air dam, higher stance, bigger tires, etc. Doesnt have to be crazy, something close to a power wagon would be great though. On road performance version like the old SS trucks would be great and inexpensive, special bumpers, exhaust, lower sport suspension, and 6.2 engine standard. Really wish we could have a raptor competitor. My duramax is more of a toy then a necessity, I think raptors are pretty sweet but not a ford fan, If gm just made similar i’d be all over it. The Colorado disparately needs a better offroad package, I think a zr2 version if its anything like the prototype could steal lots of business from toyota.
10. Better dealers. Every GM dealer I went to was a disappointment with pushy idiot salesman that knew nothing about the trucks and constantly lying. I’m not saying Ram dealers are any better but it was nearly enough to make me want to buy use or keep my old truck.
Well written list of items GM needed to address yesterday.
Since this is their primary profit generator, GM should be looking for ways to leapfrog the competition and not just catch up!
When did GM eliminate the rear vents for the A/C?
My 2007 Silverado crew cab has A/C vents in the second row.
I always wondered that too. I’ve never gotten a straight answer at any of the training sessions that I’ve been at.
Must be a real important thing if you noticed when they went missing.
I’m not really sure what you’re implying. I haven’t been in the market for a new truck because I’m happy with my 07 Silverado, which has rear vents. How would I have “noticed” if I weren’t looking? If I were looking at new trucks today that would be an important consideration.
I’m frankly very surprised that GM would have removed such a feature. How is it that a 10 year old truck has this feature but not the new ones?
Not sure when they removed them but my 2012 1500 didn’t have them. Neither did my 2014 1500 or my 2016 2500.
Agreed! My 2002 had it. Ordered and received my 2014 and low and behold no rear ac vents?
This is a company truck – left to me I would have traded it for Ford right away!
Scott3 is forever a GM defender – seemingly he’s unable to see objective criticism!
1, 2, 3 NO 4-10 YES Defintantly esp the half ton diesel. How about #11 stop waiting for others to come out with stuff and be initiative and come up with your OWN IDEAS GM.
At our company we’ve always had Ford trucks for work, and the owner had Chevy for his personal trucks because he felt they were nicer and rode a little better. Now he’s all Ford.
Ram I think rides the best, hands down has the best looking exhaust. Fords clamped on chrome piece is a joke.
Fuel economy is there with the eco boost if you drive normal, the performance is there plus some. I was against the boosted 6 but now I’m a believer, the down low torque is really good.
GM has the outside look, all blacked out they look great.
They should of taken all that money spent on advertising against Ford and improved there own truck.
Focus on point 1,2,5,6,8,9
As a potential 2017 purchaser, I agree. Many of these items are available on lower end cars. GM interiors are bland.
Well I would not get all in panic mode here.
First off GM is not all that far out from replacing this truck with a All New Model. I expect that they are investing in the new truck more than putting more money in one that will be gone soon. Also these systems would be much better integrated in the new truck.
Second they are not exactly in dire straits with sales. While volumes are not growing neither are the others and most of them are only selling many trucks when they put 20% rebates on the hood like Chrysler. GM ATP is as high or higher than anyone in class. Profits are also very high. Lets face it GM right now has other products in more dire need than the trucks that can make it to the new models with little trouble.
Three. so much for all this need for all these things. Ford Motor Co. on Monday said it will shut down production of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck for a week at a Kansas City assembly plant, and temporarily idle three other plants over the next several weeks.
The F-150 is the best-selling vehicle model in North America, and a key profit-maker for Ford. However, sales of the overall F-series pickup model line fell nearly 3 per cent in September. Ford dealers had a heavy 95 days’ supply of the pickups on their lots at the end of September, according to data compiled by Automotive News.
So much all these added features are doing for them.
The truth is controlling cost right now is key. The market is predicted to be heading into a down turn and investing a bunch of money into a truck that will only be here 1-2 years is lost money. Better to put the investment into the new truck and add these features there.
Generally most of this segment is brand loyal and only a few people jump ship mostly due to price and incentives. Often they return because they find out why there are high rebates on these models.
Some of these ideas have good merit but with the right timing of production and investment. Putting much into these models now is like buying grandpa new shoes when he is getting his feet amputated next week.
We need to look at this big picture and where it is all going. Ford does not live or die on the Raptor. Yes nice added profits and Yes GM should have done one a couple years ago but at this point better left to the new model.
GM is now more focused on controlling cost and increasing profits as when you expect a market down turn these things really come into play as you need to squeeze more profit from less volume to move on. The MFG that have the best handle in controlling cost going in are the ones that will survive the best.
Volume has its place but cost control and profits per unit are also a bigger part of the equation.
Now lets just see where they take the new truck and then we can either praise of curse GM for what they did or did not do.
Some comments please.
Through the end of September F Series sales are up 5.5% over last year, RAM up 8.3%, Sierra 1.7% and Silverado -3.5% No use sugarcoating, GM is at the bottom of the heap.
You can spare me the dissertation of incentives, specifically RAM buying market share. Saw a lot of Silverado ads–national for $11,000 off–GM incentives bought plenty of sales too.
As to inventory, possibly GM should take Ford’s guidance and curtail production–As of October 1 F series had 93 days inventory, RAM 81, Sierra 86, and Silverado 91.
Bottom line is GM products need an update and the update better be of leapfrog quality because now they are not class best. There is no way as a GM stockholder I could accept there are more urgent needs of investment quickly! Generates probably the highest profit level with the highest volumes–sure seems like prime target for investment to me! Furthermore, this will allow the badly needed update of the full-sized SUVs that only control commanding market positions because of lack of decent competitors, something that apparently is going to change shortly.
Not sure how a power sliding full rear window escaped this list… Tundra has had this for years. C’mon, GM – it’s time.
They have power sliding rear window. Unless you mean the whole window roll down? If that’s the case it’s probably a expensive option that adds weight and cost room.
My 2015 1500 has a power rear window
After working for 3 GM dealerships over 35 as a fixed op director I find it unsatisfactory that GM has neglected the full size trucks. When I mentioned this at the dealer in New York , they were shocked that convince items were requested by me, like keyless and push button start as well as the safety packages. Truth be known I never looked at the competition, but after reading this my 18 will be compared to Ford and Dodge. It appears that GM is riding on the past. My 2013 CTSV has push button start and keyless, my wife,s 2017 XT5 still has some missing safety items not available on other similar vehicles. This makes no sense as the XT5 is a new model, certainly should not be behind the competeors. Thanks for allowing my comments.
What options do you find that XT5 missing? My biggest gripe is that it doesn’t come with Kona Brown or Morello Red interiors. And that the adaptive cruise is now having the same issues that the Escalade was having. Oh that was soooooooooo much fun to deal with. Oh yes Mr. Customer your $110,000 Escalade can’t use cruise control on your 500km trip, have fun. F%#k those were ugly and angry phone calls.
Then there are guys like me that want a truck to actually do work. I don’t want all these silly luxury items, add ons, and junk that make a truck cost $40k+. People that need a truck to do farm work can’t afford that crap. Also, what happened to the smooth ride AND reliability? I have always had GM products, and GM trucks. My dad has a 2005 Avalanche with nearly 300k miles on it. My 2009 Silverado has had the engine rebuilt, the transmission rebuilt, the evap system replaced, emergency brake replaced, cheap interior plastic replaced, power steering pump, door locks, and now AC is screaming. It has 120k miles and I’m pissed. I’m looking at Tundras, but all the trucks cost $40k, it is just stupid. Anyone have any suggestions? Lol
Last but not least,just take a look at how far they have fallen behind in the full sized passenger van lineup.You might argue that the Express and Savanna are capable vans,true but there is room for improvement ,but they are not even trying to play catchup in that segment,unless somebody out there knows more.——-I’m anxious to here it.
I provide Locksmith services, a pickup is worthless to me. But look at the full size van segment, GM is far behind.
Both, Dodge and Ford have started building vans tall enough to stand up in, without being hunched over.
I think all your points are valid. Given how profitable it is to be a major player in the truck market these days, one can’t help but wonder why GM has put forth a stronger effort in the segment. There are some strong offerings in the market and IMO GM hasn’t answered in kind. Note that Ford is even more dependent here, chalking up 90% profits to pickups according to Morgan Stanley.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-28/ford-profit-beats-estimates-as-buyers-pay-up-for-f-150-pickup
This is a good list but I agree with the first poster that the column shift and push button start are kind of pointless. I had the push button start on an Altima and it sucked.
Alex above is spot on with the back window. I would add one more item though. It bothers me that they assemble all the crew cab half tons in Mexico. Nothing badged as an American truck should be assembled outside the US.
I believe 70% of the new chevy truck parts are made in China
Proof?
I believe that 100% of that statistic was pulled out of your ass.
As the owner of a 2015 GMC Sierra, I would say one of the biggest shortcomings of the GM 1500s is a short travel front suspension that hasn’t changed since the last generation. It should have more travel and a slightly higher ride height so it isn’t so much of a city truck.
I haven’t owned a pick-up in 20 years and I was not aware of how Chevy/GMC trucks have fallen so far behind the competition.
One thing that Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet and GMC share is that they are all ugly.
Evey now and then I think that maybe I’d like a pick-up again and then when I see one of those obnoxious front grills in my rear view mirror I just leave that ugly thought behind.
Long-time Chevy Truck owner here and pretty much all GM vehicles over the past 25 years. On few instances have my wife and I even looked at the competition before buying or leasing another GM product. That may have to change if Chevy doesn’t up it’s game in the truck market. Items like 1, 3, 8, and 9 don’t impress me, but I would like to see a better engine line-up in the half-tons and HD’s. I still have a 2007 Silverado 1500HD (6.0L) that we tow a travel trailer with regularly. It’s sufficient for towing and has been a flawless truck, but it’s just “sufficient”. When my buddy’s F150 ecoboost can tow circles around me, I want something better from GM. The marketing of the ecoboost is wrong, it’s no more efficient than my 6.0 when you put 7000 lbs behind it, but it will tow like a beast. Granted, I’ve never been to a dealership for repairs in 90k miles and almost 10 years, and his F150 was traded in before the warranty ran out because he couldn’t keep the truck out of the shop (never engine related though). But, the ecoboost is impressive enough, that he went out and bought another F150.
And another point for GM, don’t tease me with 460 lb/ft of torque with the 6.2L and then force me into an LTZ trim package. Some of us don’t want all the bells and whistles but still want a strong towing engine. I can configure an F150 XLT ecoboost for thousands less than a Silverado LTZ 6.2.
I’m not a big diesel fan, but I still think there’s a market for a half-ton diesel as long as it’s the right size. Somewhere around 500-550 lb/ft seems like it would be a sweet-spot for half-ton owners that are towing 7-9k pound trailers. The ram Eco-diesel is too small. The HD’s with 900 lb/ft and $8k premium are too much.
if GM put the 6.0 or 6.2 as a option in all pickups their CAFE would take a beating because too many people would buy them. back in the day I owned a 482 cu in BBC with 500+ HP pickup and I still smile when I think about racing corvettes and porsches with a snowmobile or a couple of dirt bikes in the bed for traction
Isn’t only like a 1 mpg loss going to the 6.2?
The arguments for bringing back the Duramax 4500 seems overwhelming. Why not?
http://www.duramaxhub.com/45-duramax.html