Ordering 2014 Silverado Crew LTZ - Bench or Buckets? Opinions?

stiggy1 · September 28, 2013

Bucket!!! because the center console is huge and so roomy and then you have side pockets also!

kelub · October 1, 2013

When I went to buy my truck, I was going for a Sierra SLT Z71 4x4 with the bucket seats. I was dead set on wanting the buckets because I loved that center console. The truck I wanted had been on the lot for nearly 2 months so I figured I'd get a good deal on it, being the end of the month AND the quarter.

Turns out they sold it the day before I got there.

I ended up getting a Silverado LTZ 4x4 (no Z71) Texas Edition with the bench seat. Wasn't crazy about all the extra chrome (still not crazy about the wheels...) I had been so set on getting the buckets that I never really researched the bench. Once I test drove it (which was an overnight affair) I quickly came to appreciate the bench. The storage space is amazing, the versatility is phenomenal (I have 3 kids and my wife, and my cousin was down visiting this weekend, so we were all able to take the truck when we wanted to) and after spending my entire adult life in vehicles that compartmentalized the leg room, there's something... freeing about not having a divider to my right.

tl;dr - The buckets look great, and if it's what you want, then get it. But don't discount the bench until you get a chance to check it out. It might surprise you.

mzodarg · October 1, 2013

It's just me and the old lady, been married over 33 years (she ain't sliding next me ) so I went with the Buckets and like the storage space in the full console.

Clover128 · October 2, 2013

I have the buckets. I felt seating for 5 was enough for me. I'll take the extra storage + connections (3 usb, 2 x 12v, 120 v) and a nice place to rest your smart phone/tablet, over a sixth seat. ....and the subwoofer makes a big difference to me - to my wife, not so much.

If I had a regular cab without a back seat, I would have gone with the bench seating.

kelub · October 2, 2013

The bench also has the 120v, 2x 12v, and USB ports, as well as a nice place to rest your phone. The only significant difference from a feature perspective is the subwoofer and I think it's less USB ports (2 or 3 instead of 5). I'm not trying to convince anyone that one is better than the other, just to inform anyone with questions on what the differences between them truly are (other than the obvious.)

The subwoofer would be nice, but the bass on the Bose system sans subwoofer is still really impressive. Not sure about the standard speaker system, or if the standard speaker system comes on trucks with the bucket seat option, and if so, whether or not it comes with a sub.

I went into it really wanting the buckets. I have 5 people in my family, but figured 5 seats was enough since we can take the Traverse if we need to fit more people. I skipped over several trucks using "bench vs bucket" as my visual "divider" between trucks to consider that were on the lot. In hindsight, I might have overlooked a couple of trucks that had, say, the Z71 package that I ended up not getting, because they had bench seats and not buckets.

It all worked out and I'm happy with my truck; my point is just that if you're going into it thinking the bench is significantly subpar, check it out in person before making a final choice, because that's not necessarily the case. I was so set on the buckets that I was flat-out ignoring trucks with the bench, so I was
completely ignorant on what options came with the bench.

If someone is down to bucket vs bench on two trucks, I'd hate for them to compromise on something else they wanted so that they can get the bucket seats (or pay more for extra features they didn't necessarily want/need) because they were uninformed about the options with the bench seats.

towdog · October 3, 2013

For me, the reason I am leaning towards the buckets is that if I am dropping 45K on this thing, it had better feel pretty luxurious. And nowadays, even the low-end cars have bucket seats. So to not have bucket seats now , even in a truck, looks cheap. Feels like I should run out to Walmart and get one of the plastic trash bins with cup holders to screw into the floor. Heck, 10 years ago I would've scoffed at the idea of having leather seats in a pickup. And now here I am in 2013 scoffing at the idea of having a front bench. Interesting how my opinions have changed as pickup trucks have evolved.

I did think it was interesting that when I stopped by my Chevy/GMC dealer a few weeks ago, all but one of the 2014s had bench seats. I don't know if they ordered them that way or didn't have a choice as to what they got during these early runs.

I do think, however, that if you didn't have another vehicle (minivan or SUV with 3 rows) to cart around a bunch of people, I think the bench would be a good idea. I wonder how the airbag works when you have the middle passenger?

Joe_K · October 3, 2013

For me, the reason I am leaning towards the buckets is that if I am dropping 45K on this thing, it had better feel pretty luxurious. And nowadays, even the low-end cars have bucket seats. So to not have bucket seats now , even in a truck, looks cheap. Feels like I should run out to Walmart and get one of the plastic trash bins with cup holders to screw into the floor. Heck, 10 years ago I would've scoffed at the idea of having leather seats in a pickup. And now here I am in 2013 scoffing at the idea of having a front bench. Interesting how my opinions have changed as pickup trucks have evolved.

I did think it was interesting that when I stopped by my Chevy/GMC dealer a few weeks ago, all but one of the 2014s had bench seats. I don't know if they ordered them that way or didn't have a choice as to what they got during these early runs.

I do think, however, that if you didn't have another vehicle (minivan or SUV with 3 rows) to cart around a bunch of people, I think the bench would be a good idea. I wonder how the airbag works when you have the middle passenger?

Just for your information, the seats are exactly the same. Only difference is what's in the middle. Like most people here, I wanted the center console, until I saw the bench seat version in person and looked at it. Very nice, plus the lockable storage under the middle seat is great.

kelub · October 3, 2013

^exactly. The seats are the same. Again, just trying to educate here cause there seems to be this idea that the bench was imported straight from 1984. The seats are all independent seats, just the middle is a console that folds up.

ShotgunZ71 · October 3, 2013

^exactly. The seats are the same. Again, just trying to educate here cause there seems to be this idea that the bench was imported straight from 1984. The seats are all independent seats, just the middle is a console that folds up.

Precisely. If the seats were like the old bench whereas the bottom was all one piece as was the seatback, no one would want them. Fold them all the way across! The center console is great, has a lot of room, and that lockable part on the bottom. I will say, if you couldn't get the heated split bench, I'd have gone with the buckets again.

Stex · October 3, 2013

I like the buckets with the console. One thing I noticed. If you move the cup holder tray to the front position in the console, you have a very deep large area that is open. Perfect for handy reach of firearm or any thing tall you need handy but want out of sight of people in other cars.

plunk77 · October 3, 2013

I have the bench in my GMT900 and i did it purely for the leg room. without the center console its so much more comfortable. (I am also 6'8" so i place a high value on leg room)

towdog · October 3, 2013

Just for your information, the seats are exactly the same. Only difference is what's in the middle. Like most people here, I wanted the center console, until I saw the bench seat version in person and looked at it. Very nice, plus the lockable storage under the middle seat is great.

Yeah, by "bench" I didn't really mean the old school bench. Just the free floor space in the middle seat brings back memories of the bench seat. With the favorable comments here and with the number of them I'm seeing on dealer lots, I will take a look in person before I make up my mind. It's just nice to have the option! There really are so many options on these trucks that it's almost overwhelming.

Bravo1 · October 3, 2013

If I understand what gm supplier is telling me is if you order a LTZ it defaults to a 40/20/40,if you select the Bucket seat option,it automatically selects the LTZ Plus package as well. So 1165.00 for the LTZ Plus,then add 325.00 for bucket seats non heat/cool.So in reality it will cost a total of 1490.00 for bucket seats on a LTZ equipt truck.

hodges25 · October 3, 2013

If I understand what gm supplier is telling me is if you order a LTZ it defaults to a 40/20/40,if you select the Bucket seat option,it automatically selects the LTZ Plus package as well. So 1165.00 for the LTZ Plus,then add 325.00 for bucket seats non heat/cool.So in reality it will cost a total of 1490.00 for bucket seats on a LTZ equipt truck.

negative, I ordered buckets and it automatically selected cooled seats but you can decline the cooled seats and just get the console for 325.

Chris · October 3, 2013

If I understand what gm supplier is telling me is if you order a LTZ it defaults to a 40/20/40,if you select the Bucket seat option,it automatically selects the LTZ Plus package as well. So 1165.00 for the LTZ Plus,then add 325.00 for bucket seats non heat/cool.So in reality it will cost a total of 1490.00 for bucket seats on a LTZ equipt truck.

negative, I ordered buckets and it automatically selected cooled seats but you can decline the cooled seats and just get the console for 325.

Trading in the 2010? I liked that truck.

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