Across the Chevrolet stable, from the Malibu to the Blazer, the Premier name is used to denote the range-topping trim level. Hell, even the Trax is offered in Premier guise. However, there’s one glaring omission: the Chevrolet Silverado. Chevy’s bread-and-butter truck continues to use the old “LTZ” trim-level naming convention all the way into the current model year.
The Premier name was first introduced with the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, replacing the LTZ across the Bow Tie brand’s top trim level from that point forward. However, the Silverado resisted the change. Despite the Chevrolet Silverado’s huge sales numbers and critical importance to the Chevy brand, it still doesn’t offer a Premier trim level, instead sticking with the old LTZ nomenclature.
Granted, there are a few other Chevy models that also neglect to use the Premier name, including the Express van, Camaro, and Corvette. But all three of these are specialty products with their own unique trim level structures, which makes them exempt from the LTZ-Premier changeover.
Hence, there’s really no excuse for the Chevrolet Silverado. The truck already has a huge number of trim levels on offer, from the most range-topping High Country, to the off-road-ready Trail Boss, so why not keep it consistent and reduce any possible confusion? After all, it looks a little strange when Chevy’s bread-and-butter product doesn’t adopt the brand’s latest trim.
Well, as we told you previously, Chevy truck marketing director Sandor Piszar told us that the reasoning behind the inconsistency is marketing. Last year, when we asked why Chevy neglected to rename the Silverado LTZ to Silverado Premier, Piszar answered: “We tested that. We looked at Premier for Silverado, and what our truck customers told us is they like the LTZ. They understand what it means and how it fits into the lineup, and felt it was more ‘truck-like’ than Premier. So we stuck with LTZ.”
Well, it’s time we did a little “market research” of our own by asking you: should the Chevrolet Silverado get a Premier trim level? Let us know by voting in the poll, and share your opinion in the comments section.
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Comments
No, the Premier is the top luxury model everywhere else in the line, wouldn’t be case with availability of the High Country. Besides, bean counters say they can save a couple pennies on the badging since LTZ is shorter!
I say Chevrolet needs to compete neck to neck with ford and not count on GMC, if Silverado could have premier to compete with platinum, high country with king ranch, all there’s left is to make competition to limited and raptor.
Not only should Chevy avoid the Premier name on the Silverado. They should re-adopt the LTZ name for the other top of line Chevys as well.
The Premier name and badging does not belong on a Chevy. LTZ works so much better for the modern Chevys.
Why not both in a sort of another Y split? Say Chevy makes a sportier upper trim and doubts whether it deserves an SS badge… It can re-purpose LTZ for those; fwd-based models included.
Nope. But they should add Scottsdale above High Country. Make Scottsdale the ultimate pickup truck, as if Cadillac had a pickup… But not hold anything back. Let High Country be the ‘western’ luxury model.
Scottsdale
22″ unique rims
Power everything
Push sensor doors like the Vette and old CTSV coupe
Pano roof
Big heads up display
Big center screen
Big AMOLED gauge cluster screen
Heated, cooled, Massage seats from and rear
Reclining rear seats
Option of 2+2 seating layout
High output 6.2 or turbo V8
Air suspension
Independent rear suspension
All the autonomy and tech GM has in its arsenal
The list goes on, no holding back
If Cadillac had a truck it would be the Denali
2019 Denali isn’t luxurious enough. A Denali Platinum could parallel the Scottsdale
If they really want to bring a high end truck into the line up they need to go the way of Ram Longhorn/Limited and truly make the interiors high end. When people see the word ‘Premiere’ they have an immediate expectation unlike ‘LTZ’ which is a generic moniker. There’s no need for High Country Part II. Do it right or don’t do it at all. GM is making a bland interior but it is functional and durable.
No!
Premier sounds cheap, poor and it’s as bad as Platinum. LTZ is fine as is Scottsdale and Deluxe.
IMHO, GM should drop Premier from all Chevrolets.
I remember when I was little (I’m 21 now) I literally dreamed of owning an LTZ Chevy and when I got my Cruze LTZ I was on top of the world. I just like it better than Premier. I don’t have anything against premier, I just like LTZ better.
Premier should be thrown out altogether. LTZ was a distinctly Chevy trim level, and it works. And, at least for me, I don’t necessarily associate Premier with high end luxury, especially considering Premier was a trim level Mercury used for the last decade of its existence, and the vehicles they were slapping that onto were just rebadged Fords and not bargain Lincolns like they were pushing for. So just go back to LTZ.
I don’t mind Premier on the cars but LTZ was fine. What they really needed was the higher end interior and trim goods to back it up so it meant something special. It was becoming like the old days when they’d just slap an SS or RS badge on anything and it soon stood for nothing.
As for the trucks, leave it LTZ. They have High Country as the top trim and I still think they need a High Country Limited. Or as someone mentioned a Scottsdale. Something really high end. Regardless, LTZ for trucks works right along side of the WT and LT designations.
No! Leave Premier for cars and keep LTZ for trucks. There are still people who are miffed that the LTZ trim name is no longer available on cars.
The only other trim names I’d consider for a replacement of LTZ on the Silverado are, Cheyenne, or Scottsdale.
I say drop “Premier” for all of Chevy. LTZ carries some weight in my part of the country and folks still call the top of the line “LTZ” here.
But for what it’s worth, never liked “LT”, “LTZ’ “RST” and so on. I would have stuck with names for trims like Trail Boss, Scottsdale, Cheyenne, SIlverado and such gave them each a unique style. Kind of what they are doing but……better.
I mean you wouldn’t name a crossover Blazer…………oh, wait.
But the high Country already has bronze painted accents. What could they possibly do to make the truck any nicer, spray paint trim pieces gold??
It reminds me of the Eagle Premier. It doesn’t sound right with any Chevy.
https://www.allpar.com/model/premier.html
Premier doesn’t sound “premier”
I say back to LTZ for all cars/trucks.