2014 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Lt on 2040-cars

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2016 Chevy Silverado puts on a better face

When Chevrolet introduced the redesigned Silverado pickup for 2014, you, our loyal readers, gave the new truck's front-end a lukewarm response. Aside from saying it was ugly, one commenter came to the far more damning conclusion that this brand-new vehicle already looked dated. For 2016, Chevy has attempted to address opinions like that, issuing a comprehensive facelift to its bread-and-butter pickup. Designers cut way back on the chrome for 2016, fitting a body-color strip across the middle of the grille and going to a single-headlight design. Combined with twin LED running lamps, the new look is much more modern while still harkening back to the retro-ish look introduced a few years back. The new truck also gets a much more muscular and aggressive hood, while the front bumper is significantly more modern, and features vertical housings for what look like LED foglights. The bad news, here, is that there's only one picture, shown above. We have no idea what changes Chevy has made to the rear of the pickup, nor do we know what other versions of the truck beyond the Z71 seen here may be available. The Bowtie brand did, however, confirm that we'd see a wider application of the eight-speed automatic transmission, as well as a new version of the MyLink infotainment system, which will play nice with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Look for much more on the freshened Silverado when it makes its official debut this fall. Until then, check out the press release and hop into Comments. We'd love to hear what you think about this facelift. 2016 Silverado: The New Face of Strong - Bolder, more sculpted look reflects Silverado strength, dependability - Available support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay - Expanded use of 8-speed transmissions; additional safety technologies DETROIT – Chevy Trucks are on a roll, with Chevrolet pickup sales up 32 percent so far this year. Chevrolet intends to strengthen this momentum with significant updates for the 2016 Silverado 1500 full-size pickup. "The redesigned 2016 Silverado will build on Chevy Trucks' legacy of dependability. It will feature a more muscular appearance and offer new customer-focused technologies," said Sandor Piszar, marketing director for Chevy Trucks.

Junkyard Gem: 1985 Chevrolet Sprint

For in the 1985 model year, General Motors began selling Chevrolet-badged Suzuki Cultus hatchbacks in California. Sales of the cheap three-cylinder econobox in the rest of North America followed soon after (with the Canadian version known as the Pontiac Firefly), and did pretty well considering the crash in gasoline prices during the middle 1980s. Starting in 1988, the facelifted Sprint became the Geo (and, later on, Chevrolet) Metro. Here's one of the very first Cultuses sold on our shores, found in a San Francisco Bay Area car graveyard. Amazingly, the primitive rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet Chevette remained available all the way through 1987, competing with the thriftier front-wheel-drive Sprint in the same showrooms. For 1988, Pontiac started selling a rebadged Daewoo LeMans, so the Sprint/Metro never lacked for intra-corporate competition. Inside, you'll find the same stuff most mid-1980s Japanese econoboxes got: tough cloth upholstery and long-wearing hard plastics. Suzuki quality in 1985 wasn't quite up to Honda or Toyota levels, but you weren't paying Honda or Toyota prices for the Sprint. MSRP on this car started at $4,949, or about $12,000 in 2020 dollars. The cheapest possible 1985 Chevette cost $5,340, while a new no-frills Ford Escort would set you back $5,620. Subaru, however, could have put you in a punitively unappointed base-model Leone hatchback for just 40 bucks more than the Sprint that year. I think I'd have sprung the extra for a $5,348 Toyota Tercel, a $5,195 Mazda GLC, or— best cheap-commuter deal of all that year— the $5,399 Honda Civic 1300 hatchback. I was 19 years old and driving a Competition Orange 1968 Mercury Cyclone that year, and I recall feeling pity for Chevy Sprint drivers, new-car smell or not. Still, these weren't bad cars for the price, though a Sprint with an automatic transmission was a real character-builder. Got three cylinders and uses 'em all! 48 horsepower from this hemi-headed SOHC 1-liter. The Turbo Sprint — yes, such a car existed — had a howling 70 horsepower. The hood-latch release is a rectangular button that resembles a badge. 1985 Chevy Sprint Commercial The highest-mileage, lowest-priced car you can buy. 1985 holden barina commercial The Australian-market version was the Holden Barina, and the TV ads featured the Road Runner. 1983 SUZUKI CULTUS Ad In its homeland, this car got screaming guitars and a drive through New York City for its TV commercials.

GM trucks get hybrid versions, but you'll probably never see one

A few years ago, General Motors sold hybrid versions of its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. They weren't very good, using GM's old two-mode hybrid system that resulted in only negligible fuel economy gains. But GM's trying again, launching eAssist models of the 2016 Silverado and Sierra that are said to offer 2-mpg improvements in city, highway, and combined fuel economy ratings. Problem is, you probably won't be able to get one. Only 700 eAssist trucks will be made for the 2016 model year – 500 Silverados and 200 Sierras. When you consider that GM moved 824,683 examples of its light-duty pickups in 2015, this small run represents 0.08-percent of all Silverado/Sierra production, and GM says it "will monitor the market closely ... and adjust as appropriate moving forward." But that's not the only limitation. The eAssist trucks will only be sold through California dealers. For the Silverado, eAssist can only be optioned on the 1500 Crew Cab 1LT 2WD model, and for the Sierra, the fuel-saving technology is solely available on the 1500 SLT Crew Cab 2WD model with the SLT Premium Plus package. Granted, in terms of the Sierra, that means you get niceties like LED headlights and taillights, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bose premium audio, heated seats and steering wheel, lane keep assist, and more. In the trucks, eAssist combines a small electric motor and 0.45-kWh battery pack with the pickups' 5.3-liter V8. GM estimates total output of 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque – no more horsepower than the non-eAssist trucks, but three more pound-feet of torque. GM says the eAssist trucks can tow up to 9,400 pounds, and the battery only adds 100 pounds to the trucks' weight. The electric motor provides 13 hp and 44 lb-ft of torque for a boost of acceleration off the line, or during passing. It also allows the engine to run in four-cylinder mode for longer periods of time. eAssist uses regenerative braking to help power onboard electrical systems, and adds start/stop to the powertrain. Finally, the so-equipped trucks have a six-percent improvement in aerodynamics, thanks to a soft tonneau cover and active grille shutters in the front fascia. Great news is, the eAssist option is relatively inexpensive, only costing $500. But good luck getting your hands on one.