- Chevrolet Silverado, 2014
Chevrolet unveiled the all-new 2014 Silverado 1500 full-size pickup. New from hood to hitch, Chevy Silverado is engineered to be the strongest, smartest, and most capable Silverado ever.
The new Silverado builds on Chevrolet's 95 years of truck heritage, while raising the bar for full-size pickups. Among the many updates for 2014 are a new trio of powerful, efficient EcoTec3 engines; a stronger, quieter, more comfortable cab; revised steering, suspension and brakes; ingenious solutions for managing cargo in the bed and true truck capability for towing and hauling.
The 2014 Silverado will become part of Chevrolet's three-truck portfolio, designed to let customers select the right truck for their needs. It joins the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 HD pickups, the ultimate tools for towing and hauling, which were new for the 2011 model year. Chevrolet is also developing an all-new Colorado midsize pickup, which will offer proven truck capability in a space- and fuel-efficient package.
Every detail of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was designed and engineered to meet the exacting requirements of full-size truck customers and to strengthen Chevrolet's reputation for building the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size trucks - trucks with the lowest overall cost of ownership.
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is designed and engineered to deliver the capability - without compromise - that customers have come to expect from Chevrolet pickups.
Chevrolet Silverado's exterior design blends strong Chevy truck heritage with a refined, modern aesthetic. The new design is more muscular, more functional and more aerodynamic. A twin-port grille, full-width bumper and dual power dome hood create a strong presence, which is carried through in sculpted body sides and fender flares.
The new Silverado design is about much more than just looks, however. The new front end is engineered to improve sealing for more efficient cooling, while the roof and tailgate spoiler were shaped in the wind tunnel to smooth airflow over the truck for reduced drag. New inlaid doors, which fit into recesses in the bodyside, reduce wind noise for a quieter cab.
Under the hood, the 2014 Silverado 1500 features a family of three all-new EcoTec3 engines, a V-6 and two V-8s, engineered specifically for use in full-size trucks. All three engines incorporate direct fuel injection, cylinder deactivation and continuously variable valve timing, a combination of advanced technologies not found in other competitors' trucks. All three switch seamlessly to four-cylinder operation to improve efficiency during light load driving and all three are engineered provide more power, more torque and better efficiency than the previous versions.
The engine family includes a new 4.3L V-6 that will have ample torque to power a crew cab pickup and tow a substantial trailer, as well as a new 5.3L V-8 designed for more power, more torque and better efficiency than the current version, which is currently the V-8 fuel economy leader. A new 6.2L V-8 is engineered to be the most capable engine in any light-duty pickup.
SAE certified horsepower and torque ratings and EPA fuel economy estimates for the new Chevrolet Silverado will be final and available beginning early next year.
The all-new interiors of the 2014 Silverado 1500 reflect the same focus on form and function. The upright instrument panel, six-gauge instrument cluster and multiple storage options are tailored specifically to the needs of truck customers. Controls are functional, logically placed and easy to operate with work gloves on. Rear doors on crew cabs are larger, for easier entry and exit, and rear doors on extended cab models are now hinged at the front for easier access, especially in tight spots.
The new Chevrolet MyLink provides easy-to-use connectivity for the job site or the family vacation, with natural voice recognition and enough ports and power outlets to support multiple devices.
The new truck cab is stronger, with nearly two-thirds of the structure made from high-strength steel for a confident feel and improved safety. Similarly, the main rails and key cross members of the updated frame are high-strength steel with major elements hydroformed for reduced mass and improved strength.
New shear-style body mounts tune out both up-and-down and side-to-side movement for a quieter, more comfortable ride. Extended- and crew-cab models have a third set of hydraulic body mounts to further isolate the cabs. Combined with numerous other acoustic and NVH (noise vibration and harshness) enhancements, the intended result is a solid, refined feel with no loss in traditional truck capability.
The pickup box also benefits from this focus on providing Chevrolet Silverado customers with the right tools for the job. The box is made from roll-formed steel for increased strength and reduced mass, compared with the stamped beds used by major competitors, and it features a range of smart solutions for everyday life.
Silverado's CornerStep bumper, combined with handholds built into the new box rail protectors, makes it easier to access the box. The bed is also available with new upper tie-down hooks, under-rail light-emitting diode lighting, and an EZ Lift and Lower tailgate.
For the first time, Silverado 1500 crew cabs will be available with a longer 6'6" foot box, in addition to the previous 5'8" box, enabling customers to carry more cargo while still being able to park in many garages.
The chassis of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado includes a number of customer-focused updates. A revised front and rear suspension and wider wheels provide a more comfortable ride and more confident handling. Electric power steering improves steering feel and reduces fuel consumption. New four-wheel-disc brakes with Duralife ™ rotors improve brake feel and extend rotor life.
Silverado will be available with segment-exclusive safety features such as Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning with an Active Safety Seat, and Front and Rear Park Assist. StabiliTrak with Trailer Sway Control and Hill Start Assist are standard on all Silverados.
Engineered and validated for demanding customers
Truck customers are among the most discerning and demanding in the business. They know trucks inside out - many have owned trucks for decades. They work their trucks hard, under conditions that would shock many car owners. They have tough tasks to do, and they expect their trucks to do them, without complaint. And they expect their trucks to endure - the average age of a full-size pickup is now more than 10.4 years.
The team that designed the new Silverado went to extremes to design a new truck that would exceed the demands of these customers.
For example, GM's new full-size trucks will undergo more than 6 million miles of durability testing in the torture chambers at the Milford Proving Ground, over the deserts and mountains of Nevada and across the frozen flats of Kapuskasing, Ontario. That's equivalent to 240 trips around the earth. In addition, the trucks will accumulate more than 7 million real-world miles during final testing, bringing total test miles to more than 13 million.
The increased power, torque and efficiency of the new EcoTec3 engine family resulted from an unprecedented level of computer analysis, including extensive computational flow dynamics, to optimize the burning of air and fuel in the cylinders. More than 10 million of hours of computational analysis went into the engine program. More than 6 million hours - about 685 years' worth - of analysis went into the advanced combustion system alone.
Even the basics, like the new inlaid doors, were tested to the extreme, with the doors undergoing nearly 150 truck lives' worth of testing.
The 2014 Silverado 1500 crew cab will start production in the second quarter of 2013, with other cab styles following later in the year.
A modern interpretation of iconic Chevrolet design
For the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, designers sought to strike the ideal balance between Chevrolet's deep heritage in full-size pickups and a more modern, refined aesthetic. They also sought to give the new Silverado a more dramatic presence, with a heightened stance and more structural, muscular sheet metal, while also improving aerodynamics to make the new Silverado quieter and more efficient.
The classic two-port Chevrolet truck grille, restyled headlamps and one-piece bumper wrap from fender to fender, giving the truck a wider, stronger stance. The grille of the new Silverado is designed to admit the just right amount of air, and the front is carefully sealed to provide efficient cooling with minimal aerodynamic drag.
A modern interpretation of Chevrolet vertically stacked headlamps includes projector beam lamps on LTZ models. A new hood with twin power domes not only enhances visual presence, but it guides air over the windshield wipers for reduced wind noise.
The more aggressive design continues down the body, with sculpted body sides and prominent fender flares. Available wheel well liners provide a more finished look. Wheels range from 17 to 20 inches in diameter and all are a half-inch wider than before, for reduced tire flex and enhanced cornering and steering. Twenty-two-inch wheels will be available as Chevrolet accessories.
Special attention was paid to airflow over the truck, to improve efficiency and reduce wind noise. Most notable are the inlaid doors, which fit into body sides rather than wrapping over the roof. When combined with new triple door seals, the inlaid doors reduce wind noise and turbulence, helping quiet the cab.
Other aerodynamic details include new cab-to-box seals, shields on the chassis to smooth under-vehicle air flow, and deflectors to guide air around the rear tires. Both the roof and the top of the tailgate were precisely shaped to help manage airflow over the back of the pickup.
Also for 2014, rear doors on crew cab models are larger. The B-pillars were moved forward, the rear seat redesigned and the front seatbacks made thinner, adding about two inches to rear legroom and increasing the ease of entry and exit without adding length to the vehicle. On extended cab Silverados, the rear doors now hinge at the front, from the B-pillar, for easier access in parking lot and other tight spots.
Three all-new EcoTec3 engines
The heart of any truck is under its hood and the 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 offers three new EcoTec3 engines developed specifically for the demands of truck duty cycles. All feature a trio of state-of-the-art technologies - direct injection, cylinder deactivation and continuously variable valve timing - that optimize power, torque and efficiency across a broad range of operating conditions.
The new trio of engines is designed to match the needs of truck customers, and to provide more horsepower, more torque and better fuel economy than previous Silverado engines.
All three engines feature an advanced combustion system for more efficiently turning fuel into work and all three are designed to seamlessly switch to four-cylinder mode to improve efficiency during light-load driving.
To provide the dependability and low cost of ownership that truck customers count on, all three engines feature a work-tested, race-proven overhead valve design that is light and compact, and has inherently low friction for improved fuel efficiency. All three feature aluminum blocks and heads for lower weight. (For more details, see the accompanying EcoTec3 Engines release.)
The new engine family:
- A new standard 4.3L V-6. Its large displacement delivers the torque to power a crew cab and pull a substantial trailer, yet it can seamlessly shift into four-cylinder mode under light loads for improved efficiency.
- A new 5.3L V-8. It is engineered to provide more horsepower, more torque and better fuel economy that the current 5.3L V-8, making it an excellent choice for mainstream customers.
- A new 6.2L V-8. It is engineered to be the most capable engine in any light-duty pickup. Like the other two engines in the family, it can seamlessly switch to four-cylinder mode under light load conditions for improved efficiency in daily driving.
The 2014 Silverado 1500 is engineered to further improve efficiency by enabling the engines to operate in four-cylinder mode more of the time. For example, transmission and exhaust mounts tune out vibration that can occur when the engines are in four-cylinder mode, and an active exhaust system fine tunes backpressure and the exhaust note for smoother, quieter operation. Models with the 6.2L V-8 feature active noise cancellation to further quiet the cabin during four-cylinder mode.
All three engines feature a six-speed automatic transmission with gear ratios and shift schedules optimized for performance and efficiency. The transmissions feature Auto Grade Braking, which downshifts on downgrades to help reduce brake wear. Due to the added torque of the new V-8 engines, new 9.5- or 9.76-inch rear axles are used.
More comfortable, more functional interior
With crew cabs now accounting for more than two-thirds of light-duty sales industry-wide, pickups are increasingly becoming multi-purpose tools, used to run a business or earn a living during the day and transporting friends and family during the time off. To accommodate those needs Chevrolet Silverado designers sought to craft an interior that was quieter, roomier, more comfortable and more functional, without making it look like the interior of a car or crossover.
