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This Silverado's silver lining? Better mileage

Chevy Silverado lets truck owners jump on the hybrid bandwagon

2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid

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By Amy Rollins, Driver's Side Updated 1:48 PM Friday, October 23, 2009

I'm throwing out a few numbers to help tell the story of the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid.

Here they are:  30, 40, 25, 6,100 and 8. BINGO!

Here’s what they mean:

• 30: Thanks to what General Motors calls 2Mode Hybrid technology — a 6.0-liter V-8 gasoline engine with Active Fuel Management, paired with a 300-volt battery and an electrically variable transmission —the half-ton Silverado Hybrid can take off and accelerate to 30 mph on electricity alone. The hybrid system enables the engine to operate in a more economical 4-cylinder mode, too, when cruising at highway speeds. The V-8 mode kicks in when brute power is needed.

• 40 and 25: The Silverado Hybrid achieves 40-percent greater city fuel economy and a 25-percent improvement in overall fuel economy.

• 6,100: Don’t think that it’s any lightweight when it comes to hauling or towing. The Silverado Hybrid, equipped with a locking rear axle and a trailering package, can tow up to 6,100 pounds if it’s the rear-wheel-drive model or 5,900 if 4WD.

• 8: The energy storage system — the hybrid battery — is warranted for eight years/100,000 miles.

Another number: 20/20. That’s the EPA estimate my 4WD tester carried for city/highway mileages. Two-wheel-drive Silverado Hybrids are a bit thriftier, with EPA estimates of  21 mpg/city and 22 mpg/hwy.

Let’s stop to ponder the significance of what GM and Chevrolet have achieved. Until mid-2008, light trucks were the best-selling vehicles in the U.S. If each of them had 25 percent better fuel economy, think about how much gasoline and emissions would be saved. It boggles the mind.

My tester wasn’t easy to overlook, with H-Y-B-R-I-D emblazoned along the side, and a badge indicating it was a 2Mode Hybrid, too. Inside the crew cab, the only body style offered, were all the creature comforts top-of-the-pack Silverados offer.

The Hybrid version’s leatherclad front bucket and rear bench seats were complemented by a navigation audio system, satellite radio, dual-zone climate controls and a rear backup camera.

Safety features included front, side and curtain side airbags; daytime running lights; stability control; a year of OnStar’s Safe and Sound service; tire pressure monitor; navigation traffic; and 24-hour roadside assistance.

One had best be prepared to pony up a pile ’o cash for this premium technology: the base retail price for my 4WD Silverado Hybrid tester was $47,305. With a sunroof ($995) as the only option and a destination charge of $975, my 4WD tester’s grand total came to $49,275.

That’s not small change. But the  Silverado Hybrid, like its design cousins, the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and the GMC Sierra Hybrid, is a first, and it’s a good thing to see.

Amy Rollins is Wheels editor at the Dayton Daily  News. Reach her at arollins@coxohiomedia.com.

2009 CHEVROLET SILVERADO HYBRID 4WD CREW CAB

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PRICE - $47,305

AS-TESTED PRICE - $49,275

ENGINE - 6.0-LITER V-8

TRANSMISSION - 2-MODE CONTINUOUS ELECTRIC HYBRID

HORSEPOWER - 332 @ 5100 RPM

TORQUE - 367 @  4100 RPM

BATTERY - 300 VOLT

TOWING CAPACITY - 6,100 POUNDS (RWD); 5,900 POUNDS (4WD)

BRAKES - REGENERATIVE, ANTILOCK

ANTISKID SYSTEM - YES

MILEAGE - 20 MPG (HWY); 20 MPG (CITY)

OTHER KEY FEATURES -  BLUETOOTH; FRONT,  SIDE & HEAD CURTAIN  AIRBAGS; 1 YEAR ONSTAR; HARD TONNEAU COVER; ULTRASONIC REAR  PARKING ASSISTANCE; NAVIGATION AUDIO  SYSTEM, BOSE SPEAKERS; SATELLITE RADIO; POWER ADJUSTABLE PEDALS

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