Back in 2009, Chevy made a thirty-second TV ad for the Silverado pickup truck which did almost nothing but mock the tailgate step on the rival Ford F-150. Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long, acting as the owner of the Chevy truck, watches his Ford-owning counterpart as he climbs awkwardly down from his vehicle, then starts to walk away without folding up the step, which made the process slightly easier than it might have been.
“Hey, buddy. You left your little, uh . . . man step down,” says Long, helpfully, but also in the tone of voice he might have used to let the other dude know his lipstick was smudged. A voiceover artist then asks, “Would you rather have a Ford F-150 with a man step, or a Silverado that backs you for 100,000 miles or five years?” apparently failing to notice that tailgate accessories and warranty arrangements are not mutually exclusive.
2016 Chevrolet Silverado with CornerStep rear bumper
Well, it was all good fun at the time, but it side-stepped the fact that another Chevy truck had previously been offered with something very much like a man step. The CornerStep bumper fitted to the Chevrolet Avalanche from the 2001 to 2006 model years was arguably a neater and more functional arrangement than the Ford step, but it performed the same service.
At the time of the Silverado ad, the original CornerStep was long gone, though there was still a cutout step in the center of the rear bumper. Then a new-generation CornerStep appeared on another Chevy truck, the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, and its corporate cousin, the 2014 GMC Sierra. It then appeared on the rest of GM’s truck portfolio, including the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD, 2015 GMC Sierra HD, 2015 Chevy Colorado and 2015 GMC Canyon.
And then came another CornerStep bumper with even larger cutouts to accommodate heavier footwear. This improved CornerStep made its debut on the 2019 Chevy Silverado 1500 and the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500, followed on the 2020 Chevy Silverado HD and the 2020 GMC Sierra HD.
GM’s commitment to designing user-friendly pickups has led to the introduction of the multi-function tailgate known as MultiPro on GMC vehicles and Multi-Flex when fitted to a Chevy truck. This led to the “Jaw Drop” ad for the 2019 GMC Sierra, in which Ford and RAM owners – and even their vehicles – react in amazement to the versatility of the MultiPro tailgate.
For those who either haven’t seen Chevy’s “Man Step” ad or just don’t remember it, here it is in all its glory:
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Comments
Yes because the Ford step sucked.
The GM step is by far a very versatile tool. Being a easy to use step is just a side effect.
The best is the pop up catch guard that comes in handy on gate down loads or the fold down top on 2×4 boards .
With so many short beds being sold these are great assets.
Lmao, your comment sucks, sounds like a GM fanboy, don’t even get me started, I own a Ram and I gotta say those F150 steps is far way better than the Silverado ones, you can’t even use it when there’s a hitch attached.
Acting tough and starting fights from the safety of your couch is beyond embarrassing. Please stop.
Some of those that reside within our 21st century society are truly very sad individuals. 🙁
Yes, It is very pathetic.
Acting tough and starting fights from the safety of your couch is beyond embarrassing. Please stop old man, you might die from heart attack.
Uhuh! I know what you are thinking.
Did he fire 5 facts or 6……
To be honest I lost track myself….
This is the GM Silverado the most capable tailgate in the world.
It can blow your ram Dutch tailgate clean off the road.
So you have to ask yourself …………do you feel luck?
Well do you PUNK! Lol!
You own a Ram? LMAO, that disqualifies you from the very start…..lol. #StayInYourLaneBucko
Although corner steps are awesome, I think it’s time for GM to evolve it, a corner step that tucked under a bumper and slides out when needed, can be both powered or manual, it’ll give a nice clean look to the bumper again. Or at least make that option for high trim trucks, and keep the cut outs for lower trims.
Toyota has it on the Taco as an option. My buddy said my bumper one is a lot better especially in the winter time.
Agreed. I own 4 Fords (including a F150) and a Camaro and those tailgate steps suck unless you know that you’re going to be making a bunch of trips in and out the bed, but for anything on the fly or a “get into the bed real quick at the spur of a moment” the GM setup in much simpler, quicker, and easier to use without having to setup some tailgate step.
My parents recently bought an 18 F350 FX4, crewcab, PSD and the main thing they complain about is that it’s missing the tailgate step and they’re thinking about getting a tailgate with the step for it. I say whatever floats your boat, but that’s likely going to be a pretty expensive upgrade for something that’s not that much of an upgrade IMO. Iguess if they’re going to be getting in and out the bed a lot a step will be pretty beneficial to a 1 ton.
BTW Ian is a fahag.
EDIT: I was quoting your other comment where Ian quoted you. Not sure why it ended up quoting this one.
The Chevy corner step is so much better than what Ford offers.
And Ford can’t really copy it because they made such a big deal out of their ankle-snapping man step nonsense.
Shut your ass up with your Chevy corner step nonsense, you’re just mad cause the step that gm developed has design flaws, it’s a cool gimmick, but useless when you have a hitch equipped.
GMs corner step, which is standard equipment on all trim levels, is in the corner of the bumper and can certainly be used with a hitch and tow bar attached . You are thinking of the multi-flex tailgate available as an option on up-level trims which in the “step” configuration could interfere with a tow bar.
Bob, no one claimed Ian to be a rocket scientist…. He owns a Ram…..lol
Ian is a keyboard warrior! A real tough guy!
Ian, I bet you ride up on other peoples asses on the highway and swerve back and forth to get them out of the way! Shine your lights in their mirror! What a tough guy!
Why should you need to use the step with a trailer attached? Just step on the trailer tongue and get in. Or are you afraid you might break a nail?
???? Your arrogance is showing. No need for that kind of comments
Ian’s having a rough week.
Lol😂
climbing up on a G M bumper step and tripping over the tailgate cable …
Ford doesn’t even have that corner step anymore. They have power running boards going back to the bed and they have the ledge on the back. So they didn’t copy it but they found a cleaner solution that doesn’t ruin the design. I really don’t care but I’m just pointing it out. Each vehicle has its highs and lows it’s just what you want or care about more.
The Ford step is the most useful option on my truck. Not as a step, but if you have a 6 1/2 ft truck box and you put the tailgate down and the step grab bar up, you have 98” to carry a full 4×8 sheet without tying anything down. The bar prevents it from sliding out. Also if you carry a ladder, the bar can go through the rungs of the ladder to keep the ladder from sliding out. GM and all the others missed the boat on this. That being said Ford sucks for other reasons, but not for the step. It’s by far the best, for entirely different reasons than what it was designed for.
The Ford design is for California type weather. In the cold North East with real winter with snow and ice, that thing gets clogged up and frozen in place. If you put too much effort to free it, it breaks due to the abundance of plastic used.
Odd how they never show to use it that way. That is the reason I prefer the GM design as it can hold cargo. I am using the bumper for the step anyways.
I’ve said that all along!
I really don’t care what features tailgates have because most of them are gimmicks to top the competition. As long as it has a tailgate step, lights, some sort of power, is reliable, and can tow at least 12,000 pounds I’m good.
*unless it’s a Honda or jeep truck.*
I really dont care about all these arguments about this and that , when G M can make a truck that sways Ford owners i will listen… but we all know that aint happening , G M is staring at Ram tailgates in the distance and Ram is squinting hard to see the quickly fading Ford truck in the distance , hey G M sell a million Sloberados in a year and i will take notice !
The best thing about the Ford step is you can sit on it/straddle it and shoot your rifle off the endgate. It’s a great shooting bench….
Well Walt,
I live north of you in Canada and I’ve never had an issue with winter causing my step not to function in any of my my f150’s. Best idea going around. As usual GM trails from behind. Hats off to Ford and Dodge for their ideas.
News Flash: I do live in Canada in the North Bay area. Check it out on the map.
As someone with prosthetic legs, the Ford step and grab bar actually works alot better for me.
Can general motors think of anything more stupid to talk about than a dumb commercial that they put out years ago, think about building a better truck because and it looks department you’re not doing too bad, everywhere else I can’t believe Dodge is kicking your butt, thanks the good old the bean counter Barra,must be getting really desperate to write articles so to pick such a topic and it shows in all the responses, both Dodge and Ford beat you in engine choices and options, any surprise that the ram got truck of the year again, all’s Barra cares about is electric.
This website is not owned or operated by General Motors. We write articles. We do not build trucks. Thanks for the compliment about our looks though!
I think it would really help if they had a real performance/off-road model like the F-150 Raptor or the Ram TRX. Would boost their image I think.