Trucks today are a far cry from their bare-bones predecessors. Thirty years ago a truck did one thing, and one thing only—truck things. It hauled, it towed, and it got the job done, but shifting consumer trends saw the truck slowly morph from a tried-and-true workhorse into a luxury vehicle with a bed and comically massive towing capacity. Just look at this MotorWeek review of the 1988 Chevy Cheyenne—this truck doesn’t even come close to the definition of luxury. Instead, it’s all about function over form.Â
The MotorWeek review is a blast from the past. It showcases how customer tastes have changed, forcing automakers to cram the latest luxury and technologies into today’s pickup trucks. But thirty years ago, the Cheyenne was the cream of the crop. It offered a variety of engines, including a diesel. The review model in the video had a 160-horsepower V6 engine. Chevy also offered the Cheyenne with several different gearboxes—five- or four-speed manuals and three- and four-speed automatics.Â
Inside, it was all about work. The Cheyenne had a bench seat with forward and aft adjustability. It didn’t even offer reclining seats for increased comfort; however, MototWeek did call it “roomy.” An extended cab version sat six. It also came with “advanced climate controls” and a well-designed AM/FM radio. Engineers hid the upholders in the glove compartment lid, which, today, doesn’t seem practical for our Big Gulps.
New, the Chevy Cheyenne had a starting price of $9,531. That was good money back then. But times have changed. Today’s trucks lack manual gearboxes, and diesel engines are just now coming back into vogue. Truck interiors today have fine-grain wood and soft, supple leather. Digital screens and creature comforts cram dashboards as music blares from premium sound systems. If you showed a true as barebones as the Chevy Cheyenne to pickup truck customers today, they’d recoil in disgust.
It’s crazy how things change over time.
Comments
Hard to believe it’s been 30 years since those trucks hit the streets.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the Cheyenne was just a trim level then, with the Silverado being the top of the line. I believe in 1989 the W/T, with its “ball-bat” grille, took over as the base level truck.
Some might have referred to their trucks as Cheyennes or Silverados, but in reality they were known as C-1500, C-2500, C-3500 and K-1500, K-2500, K-3500s, with “C” standing for two-wheel drive and “K” four-wheel.
They gave them more cupholders too as time went on. Their interiors were miles ahead of Ford and Dodge back then.
The Chevy Cheyenne actually first appeared in the 1968-72 Model Years as a special medium trim level with the Silverado being the top trim level from 1975.
I had a 1991 step side (sport side) and this brings back good memories. Wish they would bring back step side in today’s trucks
This is when Chevrolet made trucks an didn’t settle for 2nd or 3rd place
I still think those GMT400 trucks were a high water mark for GM. I had 3 different ones and they were great. And in my view they look FAR better than any of their pickups since. They are the Tri-Five’s of the pickup world, they have timeless good looks and were priced right. Time to learn from lessons from the past.
Lightyears ahead of competitors at the time in terms of refinement. Ford and Dodge had ancient designs at that point that would continue on for years. Up until the mid to late nineties it is hard to imagine why anyone would have chosen a different half ton truck. The only problem were doors that liked to sag, but I owned a 93 C/K ext cab a few years back that didn’t have that issue. And it had soft touch plastics on the dash around the instrument cluster that weren’t cracked. Odds are your late model, $50k truck doesn’t have that.
They were a HUGE motivator for Dodge to come out with their own groundbreaking truck in 1994. It just shows how competition breeds a better product across the board.
The thing is, that there are a lot of these GMT400 Trucks still in service. They’re all over the place, pulling/towing and hauling – as work trucks – and as recreational vehicles…and of course now a bunch of them have been lowered, or raised up as show trucks. Say what ya want, but these honest ol’ trucks were well engineered…and well built – Many of them coming from Fort Wayne/Roanoke (Indiana) Assembly.
Had a 1990 Sierra with 6 cyl. stick. Loved it till white paint started flaking off. Was much smaller than my 2014 Silverado. Much easier to get in and out of. Both were/are reg cab short box 2-wheel drive.
I had a 1988 Cheyenne. A great truck and I loved the dash and steering wheel
“not 50 grand with a four-cylinder engine”
Don’t buy one configured that way, it’s simple as that.
I own a 1994 Cheyenne W/T it’s as bare as it comes, with 126,000 miles 4.3l V6 and 2WD, auto transmission. Its simple to work on and has required minimal repairs.
8 foot bed and bench seat. I love this truck for what it is… functional.
I remember very well when GMT-400’s came out in May of 1987. They did indeed make the competitors look 15 years old. But, it wasn’t just looks. The driving dynamics were worlds better, they actually handled very well as the Motorweek video points out. Over the years I owned 4 trucks of this generation including a 1990 454SS I bought new.
I have a 94 with 4.3 5spd 2wd. I am the 2nd owner but the 1st shouldn’t count i have had it since 96. I put 200000 miles on it. Its now my back up vehicle or just truck. Not my over priced daily driver of todays truck market. I was 18 when i got it. It has gone through life with me. It will be in my drive way untill Jesus Christ returns.
Back in 1990 I bought a like new 1988 2wd Sportside/stepside Silverado with the 5.7 auto, It was dark red metallic with the all red interior. That was one of my favorite trucks and I paid $12,000 with only 21,000 miles on it. A far cry from what I paid for my ZR2.
The 1988 GMT400 trucks were the last ground breaking trucks from GM in my opinion!
I want one of these in the worst way, but every single one for sale is a POS.
These trucks were great! They were so much better than the previous trucks that it changed who traditionally purchased trucks. Before these trucks came out trucks were big, bulky, hard to drive, didnt handle very well, were not comfortable inside and had very little creature comforts! Which for men was perfectly fine, but women were no sold on the idea of driving a unrefined truck.
The gmt-400 was the truck that made it easy for women to live in a truck, Tahoe, suburban, everyday. Not just ride in one on a camping trip because taking the car was not a option! There was a time in the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s that you could get a woman to drive a big suburban, but now days soccer moms drive them everyday!
Once people started viewing trucks as daily drivers and people movers instead of work and utility trucks. The desire to put everything in a cars interior into a truck started! Customers started complaining that cars were more comfortable and that they would purchase a truck if it was more car like! That’s exactly what happened!
Fast forward 30 years we have trucks that are 50k plus and that doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop! Part of this reason is that people nitpick these new cars and trucks to death, they compare a luxury car to a truck and want both to look the same. Which is ridiculous if you ask me! So GM keeps shoving more and more hi tech and luxury items into trucks which makes the cost continue to rise! The other reason this has taken place is the idea that one vehicle could serve as the family car. This is where the truck has evolved to be rugged enough and comfortable enough to take care of the entire families needs. Which is sad if you ask me. You use to have a family car, work truck, and a performance fun car to play with. Now people just buy a Tahoe or 4 door truck and go about with their boring lives!
Look trucks today are not trucks anymore not like the 70 chevy C10 that I still have to this day! Trucks today are like a hybrid of a rugged truck and a nice Cadillac.
Unfortunately there is no turning back!
From the looks of most of the comments above these old trucks sure did inspire a lot of passion and pride! I can’t help but wonder what the 2019 “good enough”truck will do.
I miss the simplicity of these. You could pick a trim level and order just about any option for that trim. You could truly make unique, one of trucks that were special. Today’s trim packages take a lot of that away and with that you lose what made these trucks appealing, something that was just a little different from the next guys that cost as much or as little as you wanted but worked as hard as any.
I hated them when they first came to market bu thirty years later there is still one on the property being used about everyday.
The SS454 and Sport models still look great when I see them at Car Shows.
Kinda wish GM would go back to a time this simple. some good trucks like the Cheyenne, the Scottsdale and the Silverado SS, a modern K5 blazer, a few good Tahoe models, a Suburban Scottsdale HD, an Impala SS, a modern F-body style camaro, and a few good SUVs and regular cars. Most people who are interested in Chevy cars aren’t interested in a Euro or Jap style vehicle, they’re looking for a reliable american vehicle. The Chevy lineup needs to be a perfect blend of what Dodge and Ford have but of course all Chevy.
Cavalier (2dr coupe, 4dr sedan, 5dr hatch). Volume selling compact coupe/sedan/hatch with diesel option, hybrid option, full electric option, a 2.0L Turbo RS variant and a 350hp/380tq 2.7L Z24 option w/ AWD manual transmission option, Brembo brakes, performance suspension, quad tipped dual mode dual exhaust, sporty interior, etc. (Cavalier RS & Z24 would be the equivalent of the Focus ST and Focus RS for GM but obviously better)
Malibu: volume selling midside sedan w/hybrid options and electric drivetrain lifted from the Chevy Volt, also need a Malibu SS with the 2.7L turbo bumped up to about 350hp/380tq, Brembo brakes, magnetic ride 1LE type suspension, 20×9.5″ wheels wrapped in 245/35R20 tires upgraded aerodynamics, smoked lights, sporty camaro inspired interior etc.
Camaro: Alpha-2 chassis reincarnation of the “F-Body” camaro. Take the 5.3L, bump it to a 425hp 5.7L for the Z/28, take the 6.2L bump it to a 485hp 6.6L for the SS-396, switch the ZL1 from the LT4 to the 755hp LT5, remove the 3.6L and swap it for the 4.3L V6 with a power bump up to about 320hp/310tq for the RS and call it a day.
Impala: Alpha-2 chassis sedan, same engines as the Camaro basically the American version of the RWD Holden performance sedans (reincarnation of the Chevrolet SS/rival to the Charger)
Trailblazer: RWD based SUV rival to the durango with an SS Variant 6.6L 485hp AWD 10-speed w/magnetic ride, Brembo brakes, dual mode exhaust, Camaro inspiration, etc. Under that should be a 5.7L RS Trailblazer, an a 4.3L trailblazer LS w/ standard AWD and lastly a high country model that has the 4.3L V6 or optional 5.7L V8
S10/S10 Blazer: Current Colorado, bring up the Colorado Sports Cat R from Australia, drop the 2,7L V6 in as well as the Baby Duramax and call it a day. The 2.7L V6 should power the S10 Xtreme and Blazer Xtreme as well as the ZR2 Blazer and ZR2 S10. Keep the current blazer styling just put it on the colorado platform
Chevy Express: Okay so, call me a relic but i would love to see the return of the Vandura/Mark-series vans. SUVs are cool but Vans are king and they were ultimate luxury and good for camping as well.
Tahoe/Blazer: Next gen tahoe with 5.3L upgraded to the 405hp 5.7L and the 6.2L bumped up to a 450hp 6.6L V8. Blazer would mark the return of the 2-door Tahoe with a true off road suspension 4×4 setup and even a blazer high country. The RST Tahoe should be replaced by a modern reincarnation of the ’99 Tahoe Limited (blacked out, lowered 6.6L 450hp, 22″ wheels, Brembo brakes, dual exhaust, comfortable interior, etc)
Suburban: Suburban should go to the HD chassis 6.6L gasoline engine with a Duramax V8 option. Also Suburban should get a Scottsdale off road version
Silverado 1500: To be perfectly honest, i’m sure the 2.7L is a fine engine in the big truck but i’m not a fan of it being in a full size truck. But anyway, only thing the silverado 1500 really needs are a few different trim options. the first being a SS-396 6.6L pickup with AWD, 10-speed auto, lowered, magnetic ride, brembo brakes high performance exhaust, a few aerodynamic upgrades, blacked out, red outline bowtie, performance interior, hard bed cover with integrated rear spoiler, black housing LED lighting on the outside, SS interior with Recaro truck performance seats, center console with a floor console shifter, performance steering wheel, LED gauges, Kicker Stereo, navigation, etc. next would be a high performance-high luxury Cheyenne with the same drivetrain as the SS but with a focus on Denali-level luxury and a classic 2-tone paint scheme in a variety of colors taking place of the LTZ trim. The High Country should still be avaliable in both 5.7L and 6.6L options with the focus being on luxury but with the single color scheme like the current High Country has. Next in line should be a Silverado ZR2 being the high performance off road pickup with the 485hp 6.6L V8 tricked out with a 4″ lifted off road high performance suspension, 33″ tires, high performance dual exhaust, off-road sporty interior, off road bumpers, ZR2 hood, ZR2 graphics, etc. There should also be a Scottsdale Deluxe Z71 4×4 pickup to take the place of the LT Trail Boss, also sporting the classic 2-tone paint scheme and a 405hp 5.7L V8 with more of an emphasis on off road ruggedness than high speed off road performance. The RST should be a 5.7L street performance sport truck with AWD, 10-speed auto, single mode dual exhaust, cold air intake, lowered ride, Brembo brakes, performance wheels, graphics, RST interior, etc. Below that, the Silverado Scottsdale would take the place of the Trail Boss Custom with the 5.7L V8 option and the 2.7L. Below that, the Custom pickup would have three different packages, the Custom, Custom Classic and Custom Cheyenne. The custom classic would build on what the Centennial edition silverado package was but with cloth houndstooth interiors, molded side steps, a lower suspension setup that is not geared towards performance, factory bed rails and things like that. The Custom Cheyenne should have a 2″ lift all terrain tires, z66 suspension package and more interior features with the 2-tone exterior, a 5.7L V8 and dual exhaust and cold air intake. At the bottom should be the WT and WT Cheyenne.
Silverado HD: add a off-road Scottsdale HD and everything is fine.
Of course, Buick would be the entry level luxury cars and Cadillac would be premium sports cars and luxury vehicles and GMC would have its lineup but honestly, the Chevy lineup really needs to go back to being that American lineup. Granted I’d still love for a modern day Monte Carlo SS as well but that’s wishful thinking, as is everything else above. Unfortunately days like this are gone and all we’re left with is boring, wannabe euro and jap cars and things that fit into the status quo. Economy-bs, electric vehicles and the rest of the cookie cutter dull, pathetic, pointless, numb, mundane, lackluster china driven, cafe regulated, vehicles. It’s like the auto industry is giving us endoscopic surgery while giving us a urinary catheter at the same time and forcing us to be happy about it. Yeah i know some of you out there will say “oh the china market is the only important market because the US doesn’t matter and our market has matured and blah blah blah” New’s flash, we still need cars and we should be just as important. But of course, this is just my opinion and unfortunately, the american auto industry i reminisce about will probably forever remain a memory
You want to go back to a simpler time? Then (I dont mean to be sexist) stop having women design trucks!
Women are the reason trucks are more and more car like every generation of truck!
Women are the reason the interiors of trucks are more comfortable, with more earth tone colors interiors, more soft touch panels and dashes!
This has driven up the cost of a truck and SUVs!
I am not trying to be mean or hateful to women I just pointing out the reason I believe we have gotten to this point of the truck evolution!
To be honest with you, the cars, trucks and SUVs that you have asked for are never going to be built because women have zero interest in those types of models!
I love hi performance cars and trucks, you know who doesn’t like hi performance cars and trucks? Women! Not all but most! They see zero use in them outside of a Corvette and a Camaro! Certainly not a spark, sonic, cruze, or a Malibu. Or a 600 horse Tahoe/Suburban.
So if you want to get back to being simple when it comes to trucks then you have to start making them less plush and comfortable. Or stop listening to women’s input! Which we know that’s not going to happen!
Funny, I remember the comments people made about the GMT-400’s when they first came out. They were too car-like, the largely welded frame didn’t look as tough as the riveted C-channel frame of the ’73-’87 models, the windows were too large, the overall size was too small, the bed wasn’t square (about 1.5″ narrower at the tailgate compared to the front), IFS on 4X4 models, ect.. Have to admit I was a bit skeptical too, before I drove one for a few days.
I agree with you