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2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 A Motor Trend Truck Of The Year Contender

It’s nearly award season and the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 will look for a big win. Chevy’s brand-new full-size pickup is a Motor Trend Truck of the Year contender, but the field is a tough one this year.

In the past, Chevy has cleaned up well with the mid-size Colorado, but this year, it’s all about full-size pickups. The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado will face the also brand-new Ram 1500, its corporate cousin, the 2019 GMC Sierra, and the Ford F-150 and its new diesel engine.

2019 Chevrolet Silverado High Country towing a trailer in Wyoming 006

MT put together the Chevy’s candidate profile and said the updated exterior looks are a winner, as is the 10-speed automatic transmission. GM can thank Ford for the transmission, though. The Blue Oval took the lead on development for the 10-speed automatic as part of a collaborative engineering effort, while GM undertook work on a new 9-speed automatic transmission for front-wheel-drive cars. Ford later said, “thanks, but no thanks” to the 9-speed auto.

We’re not sure if there’s a mis-type in the finalist profile, but MT explicitly writes, “[the Silverado’s] bumpy ride, the dated interior, and a hesitant 5.3-liter engine kept the Silverado from getting the Golden Calipers.” The publication hasn’t awarded a winner yet, but it sounds like the 2019 Silverado may be out of the running already.

2019 Chevrolet Silverado High Country exterior - August 2018 - Wyoming 005 - rear three quarters

Similar language was not found in the 2019 Sierra’s finalist write-up.

Judges found few points to love about the 2019 Silverado’s interior, which echoes our prior feelings about the next-generation truck. While we understand it sometimes doesn’t hurt to mess with success, it’s tough not to see the Silverado’s interior as an old design when compared to the 2019 Ram 1500.

We’ll stay tuned as MT prepares to announce the winner in the weeks to come, but if we were to place bets, our money (unfortunately) wouldn’t be on the 2019 Silverado.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. Given that everyone knows how MT effectively sells their “awards” to the highest advertising bidder, who really cares?

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  2. It’s sounding like the RAM 1500 is set to be MT’s 2019 Truck of the Year! Their evaluation of that truck seems to highly favor it compared to all other entrants in the segment! I feared the GM twins wouldn’t fare to well, which, sadly, proves all the effort GM put into redeveloping these trucks simply fell short of expectations! Is it just me, or is this becoming a bit of trend toward all the new GM offerings as of late?….

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  3. If GM’s trucks truly were the most capable across the board and trucks weren’t so overpriced in general it wouldn’t be an issue, but in this era of King Ranches, Platinums, Limiteds, Denalis, etc. it matters quite a bit when one company’s all new trucks simply don’t measure up.

    What really hurts is that people have been complaining about GM truck interiors for decades. They’ve improved in many respects, but recycling components and the last generation truck’s interior design was an epic blunder on their part. Now, from what it sounds like, Ram will be able to market the hell out of their win and siphon off more buyers.

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    1. It’s truly disturbing to me that GM didn’t improve the interior of the all new Silverado and Sierra even after numerous complaints from the previous two generations.

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  4. Yeah, I think the interior is gonna be the deciding factor. Nice job everywhere else though.

    On a side note…. I thought Ford was using the GM developed transmission, except only using an 8 speed version of it. Did that change?

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  5. Chevy should have raised the bar even higher to be a true competitor to the F150 & Ram 1500 which are excellent trucks. For 2019, they should create a SILVERADO ZL1 TRUCK which would have the 650HP/650 lbs/ft torque 6.2L 10-speeed V8. This would make Silverado the most powerful truck offering from the factory, beating out the FORD F150 RAPTOR’s 510HP 3.5L Twin-Turbo V6 hands down. Add a PANORAMIC ROOF Option to all the GM Trucks & Large SUV’s and an adjustible back seat. Beefier Suspension and axle ratio inprovements would also be needed for a ZL1 Truck. RECARO Front Bucket seats that would be incorporated into a truck front seating with special center console, etc. and a special sport paint job w/ZL1 badging & Quad Exhausts!

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  6. I have been without a pickup for about five years, and am ready to buy a 2019 model. I sat in the new Sierra and was surprised – it felt like a dungeon compared to the car I am driving now. I suppose it is for aerodynamic, strength and weight reasons, but I find the view out windows all around to be poor, especially out the front. The model I sat in had a front camera – very useful in most trucks if taking them up a very steep hill, but in the case of this new model I could see using it in every day driving as well as visibility out the front was that bad. The model also had what I would call monster grab handles on the front pillars. What is that for? Not of much use to climb into the truck, for a right or left hander. Is it supposed to help with getting out? It just takes up too much space, was in my face. I don’t see using the touch screen features with gloves on. I felt cramped with the huge console (but it is necessary for many of the higher end features). I will compare with the Ford, Ram, Titan and Tundra, but really, an old model with new running gear might be the way to go.

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  7. The only GM product to make it this far into the competition as well.

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  8. Couple notes, Ford’s 10speed was using GM’s transmission know how and expertise put into a rear wheel drive vehicle. It was a collaboration of experience and technology. Also the “bumpy ride” is a lot of bs. Chevy tu es their truck to feel like a truck. Rams and Ford’s are tuned like cars. MT gave Mazda the best SUV of the year cause the traverse “while better in numbers, feels like a truck” that’s personal preference Mr I drive a Porsche. I prefer trucks

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  9. I LOVE CHEVY TRUCK’S I HAVE SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID AND I JUST CAN’T WRAP MY HEAD AROUND WHY CHEVY DID THIS WHOLE REDESIGN OF THIS SILVERADO AN KNOWING HOW COMPETITIVE THE PICKUP TRUCK MARKET IS DROP THE BALL ON THERE MOST PROFITABLE VEHICLE I DON’T GET IT WHAT IS HARD ABOUT REDESIGNING THE INTERIOR SO IT WOULD APPEAL TO MORE THEN JUST THE 7 THOUSAND PEOPLE YOU TALK TO WHAT IS HARD ABOUT IMPROVING THE ACCELERATION AN POWER OUTPUT OF YOUR ENGINES WHAT IS HARD ABOUT IMPROVING THE WAY YOUR VEHICLE HANDLES I JUST HATE THAT I LOVE A BRAND OF TRUCK THAT HALFA$$ WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING THE BEST TRUCK I STILL CANT BELIEVE THE ONLY THING WE ARE BEST IN CLASS IS THE PICKUP BED OMG I JUST WOULD LOVE TO BE AT ONE OF THERE BORD MEETINGS TO LET THEM KNOW HOW DISAPPOINTED THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY LOVE THIS TRUCK ARE I UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE TO MAKE A PROFIT BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GOT GM IN TROUBLE IN THE PAST BY JUST PUTTING SOMETHING OUT THERE NO REAL THOUGHT OR QUALITY PUT INTO THE VEHICLE THE FINDINGS MT ARE TALKING ABOUT DONT SURPRISE ME IT SEEMS LIKE THATS WHAT 99% OF THE REVIEWS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS TRUCK HOPEFULLY SOMEBODY AT GM IS LISTENING

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    1. Cause they rather listen to sales than noise like this. Interior isnt bad. much of it is less tacky than ram or ford my guess isba couple of new colors will be introduced for the interior in 2020 for those who want more flare and color.

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      1. They sure will be listening when the Ram surpasses it in yearly sales figures.

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  10. Interiors?. Man, some truck buyers have gone soft. You want a nice interior?, get a Benz SUV interior to stroke while the GM tow-truck is coming to get your stranded self, I like my truck to work . I do think GM should done a little better Interior to distinguish the 14-18′ models but I wouldn’t scratch it off my list.

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  11. Hey dumb dumb Jake I think they need to listen to this noise because they are going to miss out on a lot of sales

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  12. It looks like Jake was 1 of those seven thousand Turds who gave Gm ADVICE for the for the interior

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  13. GM will not win truck of the year because people value what the interior looks like to much in a truck! Which is fine because the GM twins are going to sell like hot cakes!

    I love the new truck both inside and outside!

    People have a weird idea of what makes a great truck!

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  14. The trucks look is way better in person and starting to grow on me since I have seen it with optional 20 inch wheels and beefier tires. But the interior could be improved. Just giving better color selections could help. I remind you that black is not a color and what the hell is “Gideon and Very Dark atmosphere”? Why not some rich browns or tans? Maybe some shade of red or blue interiors? The polarizing front end could have been tweaked a little to be more handsome. IMO, the base trims with the stenciled “CHEVROLET” looks better along with the the halogen lights but it’s still pretty hard to adjust to. GM could have had a real winner, maybe even a crown catcher here but they stopped just short. But limited interior colors and not offering the engine line up across the entire line hurts the appeal.
    If I could have the truck I want it would be a Custom Trail Boss, black exterior, red interior, 6.2 with a 3:42 gear but I can’t have that and GM will never have the money for that either.

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  15. There is a lot more wrong with the interior than the boring color schemes and lackluster materials. The doors and dash have bulky looking bezels rendered in either black or cheap-looking painted plastic. The lower part of the dash looks like an afterthought, with the connection ports, etc. just exposed as if they were thrown in at the last minute. The placement of the trim on the doors and console is weird; at knee level so you don’t really see it. And there is no trim on the dash to compliment it. The whole look has a cheap, extruded plastic/Rubbermaid look to it.

    Reply

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