2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Road Test and Review

2019 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ ・ Photo by General Motors

After briefly losing its status as the second-best-selling truck in America to Ram, the Chevrolet Silverado reclaimed the slot in 2020. This year, the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 improves equipment levels for lower trim levels, introduces a new Multi-Flex Tailgate option, upgrades trailering technologies, enhances trailering capabilities, offers wireless smartphone projection, and adds an adaptive suspension for the top trim level.

The 2021 Silverado 1500 continues in regular cab, extended cab (Double Cab), and crew cab styles with short, standard, and long cargo beds. Engine choices include a gas V6, three gas V8s, a gas turbocharged four-cylinder, and a Duramax diesel turbocharged inline six-cylinder. Automatic transmissions offer six, eight, or 10 speeds, and the Silverado comes with rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. Depending on the configuration, a Silverado 1500 tows up to 13,300 pounds and hauls as much as 2,280 lbs of payload. Prices range from $30,595 to $59,295, not including the destination charge of $1,695. Our test truck was an LTZ crew-cab short bed with 4WD and the turbodiesel engine. It came with the LTZ Premium Package, Technology Package, and a spray-in bedliner. It cost $61,465 with destination charges.

2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 Trim Level Differences

At Chevrolet, WT stands for Work Truck, and with this trim level, the Silverado certainly looks the part. Steel wheels, black bumpers, a black grille, and vinyl seats and mats identify this as the lineup's workhorse.

The Custom trim builds on this with body-color trim, a nice set of alloy wheels, and cloth upholstery. A wider variety of features is available for the Silverado 1500 Custom. Choose the popular Silverado LT for chrome exterior detailing, available leather seats, and even more choice for optional upgrades. To tone down the LT's chrome, choose the Silverado RST. The Silverado LTZ builds on the LT trim with fancier detailing inside and out. High Country denotes the most luxurious version of the 2021 Silverado. Two Trail Boss versions are available, too. Offered with the Custom and LT trim levels, the 2021 Silverado Trail Boss has a lifted suspension, more aggressive tires, and is made for off-roading.

Photo by General Motors

Designed for Purpose, Not Pleasure

More than many other vehicles, truck design is set in stone. You need a box in the front to house the engine, you need a box in the middle to hold people, and you need a box in the back to carry stuff. Unsurprisingly, the 2021 Chevy Silverado is boxy. But it does demonstrate some character.

In addition to its gently swelling fenders, the Silverado has front and rear lighting featuring C-shaped motifs. The use of black, body-color, and chrome trim elements distinguishes different versions of the truck, along with unique grille designs for every trim level. These details decorate a truck with a blunt front, short hood, cab-forward appearance that I happen to like. Our test truck's Northsky Blue metallic paint was beautiful, and the 20-inch polished aluminum wheels added presence.

The interior is not as pleasing. It has a tough-looking industrial theme and plenty of useful knobs and buttons, but the cabin looks a decade old due to its materials and build quality. At least the test truck's lighter-color interior added visual contrast and helped to mask some of the cheaper surfaces and finishes.

Photo by Chevrolet

Silverado Supplies Comfort and Cargo-Carrying Capacity

Equipped with leather-wrapped 10-way power-adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation, our test truck proved quite comfortable. It also had a heated steering wheel. But without the available power running boards, getting into and out of the cab proved daunting.

With the crew-cab configuration, rear-seat legroom is significant, and there is plenty of headroom. Once you're settled in, the back seat feels a little low in the cab, but thigh support is generous, so comfort is not a problem. The test truck had heated rear seats and air conditioning vents. In-cab storage is adequate for the full-size truck segment but is not terribly innovative aside from the small compartments embedded into the rear seatbacks. They're hidden behind panels in the cushions, but you cannot lock them, so be thoughtful about what you store there. Chevy says the Silverado offers the deepest cargo bed of any competitor (except its corporate cousin, the GMC Sierra). Standard rear bumper corner steps and numerous cargo tie-down hooks add to the truck's utility, and a new Multi-Flex Tailgate option provides six different configurations to add usefulness. The test truck didn't have this, but it did offer power tailgate operation.

Photo by Chevrolet

Impressive Infotainment, but a Small Screen

Regardless of the trim level, the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado has a 7-inch or 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Our generously optioned test truck's version included a high-definition display and new-for-2021 wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Additional highlights include Chevrolet Connected Services with an available 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot and SiriusXM satellite radio. All require a paid subscription, though some features offer a short free trial to service. The test truck also had a navigation system, an impressive voice recognition system, wireless smartphone charging, and a Bose sound system that meets basic expectations of upgraded audio components, but no more. You can also outfit the Silverado with a rear camera mirror that shows a video feed of what's behind the truck on the rearview mirror. A surround-view camera, multiple trailer-towing camera views, and a head-up display are among the available technologies for this truck.

Photo by General Motors

Mediocre Crash-Test Ratings

When it comes to safety, Chevrolet has some work to do. And resolving the problem is not as easy as throwing some technology at it. In crash-testing, the Silverado is among the less impressive full-size trucks when it comes to protecting the people inside the cab.

Perhaps in light of this, Chevrolet makes several advanced driving assistance systems either standard or optional across all trim levels. On a more limited basis, you can get adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assistance, and a Safety Alert Seat that vibrates to get the driver's attention when a threat exists. The Silverado does not offer a Level 2 ADAS pairing stop-and-go adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assistance. All Silverados have Teen Driver technology, which monitors how the truck is driven and provides the owner with a report card detailing specific use metrics. Through a paid connected services plan, automatic collision notification can speed emergency responders to the Silverado's location following a collision. Crew-cab models also include a rear-seat reminder function to prevent owners from accidentally leaving children or pets inside the truck.

Photo by General Motors

The Duramax Diesel Is a Delight

Chevrolet offers various engines in the 2021 Silverado 1500, but we think the best one is the turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel inline six-cylinder. Dubbed the Duramax, this $995 engine option generates 277 horsepower at 3,750 rpm and 460 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 rpm. It pairs with a 10-speed automatic transmission, and for 2021 the tow rating for the diesel increases to 9,500 lbs (9,100 lbs with 4WD). The Duramax's maximum payload rating is 1,870 lbs. For reference, that's about 300 lbs more than a Honda Ridgeline can carry.

Making the same amount of torque as the Silverado's big 6.2-liter gasoline V8, but at much lower engine revs, the Duramax delivers plenty of grunt and smooth, effortless acceleration. The subtle signature clatter of a diesel is evident, too, adding more differentiation. According to the EPA, our test truck should have returned 24 mpg in combined driving. We averaged 22.6 mpg, driving with the Autotrac 4WD system in automatic 4WD mode. Given the truck's size and capability, not to mention its satisfying performance, this is remarkable.

Photo by Chevrolet

You Want the Z71 Suspension

Without the stiffer suspension tuning found in a Silverado Z71 or Trail Boss, our LTZ test truck offered weak-kneed ride and handling qualities. At low speeds, the LTZ's standard suspension provides the firm feel of the road that you expect in a full-size pickup. But as you drive faster and travel over scarred or undulating road surfaces, the Silverado struggles to retain its composure.

Hit a bump or a sharp dip or hole at higher speed, and the truck gets skittish, the impact force seeming to reverberate throughout the Silverado's structure. Over one extended section of undulating freeway (left lane, southbound 101 freeway entering Ventura, California), the test truck began bouncing at increasing frequency, making for a woozy ride and some tummy discomfort. Also, while off-roading over deeply rutted trails, our LTZ had trouble absorbing impacts at any velocity above a snail's pace. For these reasons, we strongly recommend getting the Z71 Package, which adds an off-road suspension with Rancho shocks. The Trail Boss is another solution, but its all-terrain tires whine on the highway. 

Photo by General Motors

Alternatives to the Chevrolet Silverado

When it comes to full-size, light-duty pickup trucks, you've got six models from which to choose. In addition to the Chevy Silverado and its corporate twin, the GMC Sierra, they include the Ford F-150, Nissan Titan, RAM 1500, and Toyota Tundra.

Ford redesigned the F-150 for 2021, adding a new hybrid version to the lineup and, more recently, debuting Tremor off-road and Raptor performance off-road variants. Ram most recently redesigned its 1500 pickup in 2019. This year, the performance off-road TRX version debuts with more than 700 horsepower. Next year, the first all-new Toyota Tundra since 2007 will arrive, promising dramatic improvements over the current version of the truck. How does the Chevrolet Silverado fit in the segment? It's on par with the Nissan Titan, making it a back-to-basics entry that needs new electrified powertrains, a performance truck variant, and improved safety and technology if it hopes to remain competitive. 

Photo by Ford

Chevy Must Act Now

If you're planning to buy a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, be sure to drive a hard bargain during the price negotiations.

While there is plenty to like about this full-size pickup truck, its dated interior, unimpressive crash-test ratings, aging technology, and lack of both electrified and high-performance variants make the Ford F-150 and RAM 1500 look mighty appealing. And the new 2022 Toyota Tundra will no doubt pose an additional threat to the Silverado.

Photo by General Motors