Well, I tried to conduct a three-way comparison between the new Ford F-150, Dodge Ram Hemi, and Chevrolet Silverado. But I got pulled off course. Twice. The first time around I ended up driving an Avalanche instead of the Silverado. So I went to another dealer—where they had a red Silverado SS sitting out front. And so I still have not driven a garden variety Silverado aside from the three-quarter-ton work truck my father-in-law uses on his cattle farm. As a result, the following review is something of an apples to oranges comparison.

Styling

When the current Chevrolet full-size pickup was introduced in 1999 many criticized it for ho-hum, dated right out of the box styling. Well, it has only become more dated since then following redesigns by Ford and Dodge, even with last year’s fresh Avalanche-based front end. To my eye this is the least attractive large pickup you can buy. It’s not ugly, just old.

Yet the SS version looks pretty good. Credit the lowered ride height, monotone paint, cross-hatch grille (much like that on my Protegé5!), and twenty-inch alloys that give it a “modded” look from the factory. Interestingly, unlike Ford’s equivalent SVT Lightning the SS is fitted with the plain “fleetside” bed, not the “sportside” bed. I guess the flat-sided bed better fit the look Chevrolet was after. The SS would look even slicker with a tonneau over the bed. One is available from the dealer, and likely also from a number of aftermarket companies.

The only available exterior colors are black, red, and blue. Your only interior “choice” is dark charcoal.

Inside the Chevrolet pickup’s styling also lags the others with a busy, blocky instrument panel. Material quality is middling, especially compared to the new Ford. Of course, buyers like my father-in-law could not care less about such things. They care whether the controls are easy to reach and operate, and whether they hold up. From this angle the Chevrolet seems to fare well.

But I expect more from the performance-oriented SS. Unlike its exterior, little about the SS’s interior conveys its sporty mission. The major change is white faces for the instruments. A center console is standard, but it’s the same clunky affair optional in other full-size Chevrolet trucks. The console in the GMC Denali and Chevrolet Escalade is much sleeker. Either way, GM puts the shifter on the steering column. Which isn’t very sporty. In the new Ford a console-mounted shifter is available. Which doesn’t do much for your traditional truck buyer, but your traditional truck buyer isn’t buying the SS.

Accommodations

The SS’s two-inch-lower ride height makes it easier to get into than a regular Silverado, even without assist steps. You still sit plenty high up, affording the excellent visibility typical of full-size trucks. The SS is fitted with the same seats as other Silverados, though with standard leather and “SS” embroidered on the headrests. They’re fairly soft and cup you a bit. I’d rate them above Dodge’s seats but not quite as impressive as the larger firmer thrones fitted to Ford’s new truck.

The SS is available in only extended cab form. The rear seat is easily wide enough for three people. It’s cushion is high enough off the floor to provide decent thigh support. When the Silverado was introduced this seat set a new standard. Unlike previous crew cab rear seats, its seatback was not bolt upright and the cushion was deep enough to provide thigh support. However, the competition has now caught up and in some cases surpassed the Chevrolet, especially in knee room. The Chevrolet’s rear seat is still acceptable, but the Dodge’s is a bit better and the Ford’s is considerably better.

Even since the 1993 Dodge Ram full-size trucks have required a large storage compartment in the front seat armrest, and the SS like other Silverados has one. For large cargo there is of course the bed. The SS is available only with the six-and-a-half foot “short box,” which is only short compared to the eight-foot “long box.” I expected that the “touring” tires, sport suspension, and lower ride height would cut into the payload rating, but the SS is rated to carry nearly 1,500 pounds back there, just like other half-ton, four-wheel-drive extended cab Silverados. With a $190 trailering package it can tow 7,500 pounds, just a few hundred less than the vanilla truck. This sporty truck might look nice paired with a similarly sporty boat or a race car…

On the Road

Regular half-ton Silverados can be ordered with a 200-horse 4.3-liter V6, a 285-horse, 4.8-liter V8, or a 295-horse, 5.3-liter V8. The SS comes standard with the 345-horse, 6.0 liter V8 developed for the Cadillac Escalade. (GMC’s fancy Denali pickup makes do with a 320-horse version of this engine.) There are two ways of looking at this. On the one hand, this is nearly as much horsepower as in a base Corvette. On the other, the 5.7-liter “Hemi” available in the Dodge Ram is just as strong. So, despite required premium unleaded, this is hardly an exotic powerplant. In either the Chevrolet or the Dodge, that Corvette-level power has literally a ton more mass to motivate than in a Corvette. (The SS tips the scales at 5,300 pounds.) Being saddled with a four-speed automatic doesn’t help. Nissan’s new large truck comes with a five speed that permits a much shorter first gear. Third in the Nissan slushbox is roughly equivalent to second in the Chevrolet or Ford. (Dodge fits the Ram with a five-speed, but its first gear is not as short as Nissan’s.)

The upshot: for a pickup the SS is quick, but acceleration is hardly blistering. A quick Google search pulls up a Motor Trend comparison test between the SS and a Dodge Ram with the Hemi. The SS took 6.6 seconds to hit 60, while the Ram took 6.8. (In the Chevrolet’s defense, the Ram was a rear-drive regular cab; a four-wheel-drive extended cab would have been significantly less quick.) The SS didn’t feel quite this quick to me, nor did the Ram when I test drove it, but then the larger a vehicle is the slower it tends to feel—and this is a large vehicle.

Even based on the MT stat the SS is not in the same league as a Ford Lightning or the new, Viper-engined, 500-horsepower Dodge Ram SRT-10. The SS engine makes a nice burble as it goes about its business, but after reading about the specially tuned exhaust I expected an even fuller, richer note.

In the handling department I was disappointed with the SS. Compared to the Avalanche (which I assume is somewhat similar to the regular Silverado), the SS’s steering is a bit heavier, and its cornering is flatter, but all in all the SS’s chassis doesn’t feel all that sporty. Most of all the heavier steering and stiffer suspension lend the SS a heavier, less nimble feel. From a sporty truck I’d like tighter, more precise steering and a more overtly sporty feel. For what it’s worth, the huge 275/55R20 Eagle LS tires stick well in turns and don’t protest when pushed.

The SS’s handling—and ability to transfer the V8’s 380 foot-pounds of torque to the pavement—is aided by a standard all-wheel-drive system. This system is optimized for balanced, on-road handling. There is no two-speed transfer case.

The SS does not ride as smoothly as the Avalanche, and felt a touch busy over some road surfaces, but the ride was never harsh. Oddly, the new F-150 if anything has an even firmer suspension, at least in the off-road FX-4 trim I tested. In the Chevrolet noise levels are low—this is no rattly bare bones work truck—though not as low as in the very quiet new Ford.

Overall, the Silverado SS struck me as more of a spiffy “touring” truck than a hardcore “performance” truck. The Eagle LS tires suggest this was its mission all along. These are touring tires, not high-performance tires. If what you what is a high-performance truck, then you want the Dodge Ram SRT-10 or the next Ford SVT Lightning, both of which feature (or will feature) about 500 horsepower and a more highly tuned suspension. You cannot even get an automatic in the Dodge; a six-speed stick in the only option. On the other hand, those trucks can’t carry or tow as much as the Silverado. This is the one you’ll want to tow your ski boat or drive to that NASCAR event.

Pricing

With the trailering package and an in-dash CD changer the SS lists for $40,885. Okay, that’s still a lot for a pickup. Maybe it should be called the Silverado $$? (Okay, bad joke.) At least according to Edmunds the typical discount and a $2,500 rebate bring the typical cost down to about $35,900.

How much is does the special SS stuff set you back? A comparably equipped Silverado LT (which includes dual zone climate control, a $195 option on the SS) lists for $36,350, and after the typical discount and rebate runs about $30,200. So the SS bits cost about $6,000.

The Ram lists for even more, $45,850, and there’s no rebate and little discounting, but then it does include a V-10 from the Viper. What it doesn’t include: all-wheel-drive, a rear seat, or much of the utility of a regular pickup. Dodge recommends against using the SRT-10 for towing. These aren’t really comparable products. Do you want a hardcore sport truck, or a regular pickup with a bit more power and custom look?

For a high-performance pickup at a budget price, Ford continues to produce an SVT Lightning version of the old F-150. The Lightning’s supercharged V8 kicks out 380 horsepower and 450 pounds-feet of torque. Like the Dodge it comes only in a regular cab with rear wheel drive. The list is $33,560, and Edmunds suggests that’s what they go for. Next year there will be a new SVT Lightning based on the new F-150. Ford is hinting that it will outperform the Dodge SRT-10. No doubt it will cost significantly more than the outgoing model.

If spiffy looks are your top priority in a truck and you don’t need it to do much in the way of truck stuff, then Chevrolet’s new retro-styled, two-seat, hard-top convertible SSR is the way to go. Based on road tests the SSR isn’t as quick as the SS (it could use the latter’s engine), and its interior has a rough, kit car look and feel to it, but it is a looker. Payload is just a few hundred pounds shy of the SS, but the SSR can only tow one-third as much. With the 1SB option group, the SSR lists for $43,895. Edmunds suggests these sell at sticker…but just wait a year…

What if you do want it to do truck stuff? Then it’s a matter of what sort of truck stuff, and your priorities. Does it have to be quick? Do you want to venture off the pavement? Is all-wheel-drive of value to you? What look are you going for? Does the appearance of the interior matter? In the looks department, both the Ford and the Dodge are arguably better looking, though a case could be made that each offers a distinct “look,” macho vs. off-road sophisticated vs. street custom for the NASCAR crowd.

My preferences in sporty big pickups incline towards the Ford in FX4 form. It’s not as quick as the Chevrolet, but its looks sharp, feels more upscale, and as a regular issue truck costs less. Also, an off-road-oriented pickup makes more sense to me. That’s what pickups are for, right? Equipped like the SS it lists for $37,335. After the discount and a $1,000 rebate it costs about $32,800.

For nearly as much performance as the Chevrolet SS at a price like the Ford’s check out the Dodge Ram Hemi. But I personally don’t see the need for a large pickup to be any quicker than the Ford, and the Dodge’s interior and level of refinement cannot begin to compare.

Final Words

All in all, I’ve got to agree with my salesperson. She didn’t think the SS was worth the price. $6,000 is too much for what it offers over a standard pickup. Half that would be more like it. While Chevrolet is at it, they might try to inject a bit more sport into the steering and redesign the instrument panel. Currently the SS doesn’t feel as sporty as it looks, and even three grand is a bit steep for just looks in my book.

Actually, my salesperson couldn’t see how the Silverado SS made sense, period. But I can see how it offers a good combination of all-weather performance and utility for a specialized segment of truck buyers. It’s just a very specialized segment. Most people will be happier with one of the others discussed above.

My reviews of related vehicles:
Chevrolet Avalanche
Dodge Ram
Ford F-150
Nissan Armada



Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 40,885
Model and Options: SS