5-month 8,000 mile impressions on my 2018 Silverado

[EDL]

Ok, so I've had my 2018 Silverado LTZ for 5 months and 8,000 miles now and thought I'd post my impressions on the truck as a whole so far (keeping in mind this is my first Chevy product in almost 18 years):

 

Style:

     -  I think it's a great body style.  Aggressive and sporty without being obnoxiously so.  Probably one of, if not the best body styles out there.

     - Double cab vs Crew Cab.  I got the Double cab because I don't haul people around much, but I am kinda on the fence.  When I do need to put people in the back, I wish I had the crew, but when I have to haul stuff in the bed, I'm glad I got the double.  The CC with the standard bed is just too long of a truck for daily driving and parking, etc.

 

Exterior:

     - I like the steps in the rear bumper corners, convenient. 

    - The easy up/down tailgate is nice.

    -  Wish there were more tie-down points in the bed.

    - Wish the under bedrail lighting came standard on the LTZ.  Not as a big a deal without a tonneau cover, but with one, the light up on the back of the cab is useless. 

    - I think all pickups should come standard with tow mirrors.

    - The power folding mirrors are nice and convenient in parking situations.

    - Having the turn signal LEDs on the mirrors are distracting (nit-pick).

    -  LED headlights, definitely better than halogens, but not sure they are better than HID.  Wife's Mitsubishi Outlander Sport has HIDs and they are adjustable up and down a bit, plus since HID aren't instant on lights, when you hit the brights, the low-beam HIDs stay on along with the high beams.  Coupled with the fog lights, they are outstanding at night.  The Silverado's LEDs fall somewhere less, but definitely better than halogens.  If the LEDs could be adjusted up and down too, then they'd be pretty good.  Still scratching my head as to why they didn't also put LED lights on the tail end too.

    - Power rear window.  Eh, I can take it or leave it.  I don't (and probably won't) be opening it much at all.

    - Fabric like wheel well lining.  Dunno who's bright idea this was, but that shit is hard to clean.

 

Interior:

    - Leather seats are fairly comfy, nicely bolstered with plenty of adjustments.  Only nit-pick is I wish they would raise up a light higher.

    - Dash is nicely laid out, touch screen and controls are easy to use.

    - Some of the interior parts are a bit on the chincy/plasticy side (cup holders in center console, for example).

    - GPS, so far has been accurate and gotten me where I need to go, but entering a destination seems to have a lot of buttons to push (compared to the one in my 2014 Grand Cherokee).  Seems like I have extra steps to acknowledge things.

    - Headlight and 4WD drive selector knobs have a nice feel and placement is fine.

    - Levers below climate controls for hill descent, parking sens, etc are fine and easy to use.

    - Center console...eh, not impressed.  The wireless phone charger I'm sure is cool, but my phone doesn't do wireless charging.  The storage under the arm rest area is just one big empty space.  Would like to see a 2-tier lid with one being a shallow storage area with the big one under that.  The big open area in front of that could use some sort of lid or cover.  The USB, cig lighter and 110 outlet with those chincy flip-up plastic covers almost seem like an afterthought.

    - Movable pedals are nice for the wife since she is so much shorter than I am.

    - The three heat settings on the seats are nice (Jeep only had 2).

    - Heated steering wheel is nice.

    - Ventilated/cooled seats.  Very underwhelmed with these (and I was excited to get them).  They take forever to "cool" and they don't cool very much and are noisy.  By the time the seats actually start to cool, the A/C has already cooled the interior to the point you don't really need it.

    - Steering wheel controls are reversed from what they were on the Jeep.  Stereo was on the left, phone/cruise was on right.  Still fumble with it sometimes in the truck.

    - Volume controls on right side back of steering wheel same as Jeep, but the left controls I don't like.  I'd like to be able to just scroll through the satellite channels up and down, but instead these require some sort of "favorites" to be set up.

    - What's up with the auto-up and down windows???  Both driver and passenger are auto down, but only driver side is auto up.  Silly, should be both.

    - Remote start.  Not really a dislike, just different from Jeep.  Have to lock truck first, then hold the remote start button for a couple seconds.  In Jeep, just had to click remote start twice quickly and it would lock the doors and start the vehicle.

    - Wish trucks would have gone to the whole keyless entry/push button start set up sooner.  Kind of a PIA to have to dig keys out when you have your hands full.

    - Bose stereo.  It's adequate at the levels I listen to my music.  I'm not into ear splitting volume, hear it thumping 2 miles away anymore, so it's fine.

    - I'm sure it's just me, but that dang overhead eyeglass holder is a PIA to get my sunglasses into and out of.  It needs to fold down more.

    - Both driver and passenger side need the assist handle on the pillars (my opinion).

    - No rear power or USB outlets, no rear ventilation/heating/cooling.  Needs to have it.

 

Drive train:

    - Love, love, love the 6.2.  Excellent low end grunt and power when needed.  Only downside is requirement for premium gas.

    - Hate, hate, hate that POS, clunky 8-speed transmission.  I've already had two people ask me if there is something wrong with my transmission.

 

Driving/handling:

    - And this is where things start to go sour.  Not a smooth riding vehicle at all.  Always has some kind of vibration or shudder going on no matter what speed I go.  I do have the 22" wheels with those 45 profile tires which don't help, but I would have expected better.

    - Steering wheel always has vibration.

    - Over 60MPH, there is a slight, but noticeable rumble in the cabin, especially the rear.  Hard to tell if it is exhaust, drive train, or a combination.

    - Suspension a bit harsh (Z71), but interestingly for what feels like such a stiff suspension there's a fair amount of body roll and the front end bounces pretty good over things like slow speed speed bumps, or whoopdy-do kind of undulating surfaces.

    - Brake feel is pretty good and braking performance is good.

    - Steering weight is good, not too much effort and not so over powered as to feel limp.

    - Surprisingly, the offest steering wheel works to driver's advantage.  Being slightly to the right, it's comfortable and easy to grip with arm resting on center console.

    - Pulling small trailers is easy thanks to the 6.2, but adding the tongue weight seems to make the vibrating of the whole truck even worse.

 

Overall:

    - Had I done a proper road test before buying, I'm not 100% sure I would have.  I like the looks and the performance, but when you spend hours cruising the highway, those vibrations and shudders take a toll on you.  After 3-4 hours, I'm ready to park it and get out of it.  For day to day driving it's fine.

    - In general, the driving feel, ride quality, and the drive train just feel a bit unrefined.

    - I think when this one is ready to get traded, I'll have a hard time not going back to Dodge, but we'll see what's available by then.

 

[Nitrousbird]

I agree with some of your complaints.  Seats raise up fine - but I'm 6'3" so I don't.  8 bed tie-down points seems like enough and is what I've had in my last 2 trucks.  My SLT came with bed lighting, but its stupid as you have to hit the switch inside the truck for it to come on, unlike my last truck (Escalade EXT).  

 

I haven't had any vibration issues (only 900 miles...450 was the drive back from the dealership).  Transmission is a little clunky but nothing concerning yet and about the same as the 6L80E in my Escalade was.  I see zero need for a driver side grab handle but that's an easily purchased GM accessory.  No problem with my sunglass holder - I keep Oakley Half Jackets in there. 

 

My real complaints:
- No blind spot detection.  How is that not an option?
- No push button start.  My freaking '07 car has it!
- No radar cruise option.  Again, an option on my '07 BMW!

- No auto-leveling suspension option.  I miss that and will have to go aftermarket to get it

- No gear options with the 6.2L.  Either you get Max Tow with 3.42's or you get 3.23's.
- No Flex Fuel on the 6.2L.  That will change once I'm closer to expiring my powertrain warranty

- $1000 for a freaking sunroof and it isn't even a Panoramic roof; just the same basic sunroof GM has been using for decades
- Can't option 22" wheels on a SLT unless it is a base SLT.  Premium or Premium plus = no 22's.  

- Chrome bumpers.  To get painted, you either have to go a lower end model, Denali or lose options with an All-Terrain.  The packaging is just weird for that.
- I miss having a dedicated button for the auto-high beams like my Escalade had
- Wish the nav screen was angled more toward the driver
- Nav screen should be a little clearer and the rear camera should look better as well

 

I realize some of my above complaints are fixed in the T1 trucks, but I bought this truck for the price I was able to score it for new - no other brand could come close enough to even bother test driving to see a difference.
 

[m3n00b]

Read your whole review. Pretty much nailed my experience except for a few things. The tranny has been great since about 10k miles. Before that it was clunky.

Also I love doing long trips and have no strange noises or vibration at any speed. I have 18" wheels though with more sidewall. I love the cooled seats and think they work well.

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[catpartsman]

Great write up! Your complaints are almost spit on with mine! The main thing I wish my 15 Sierra had was vents for the back seat in the center console. My 13 F150 had them and it was nice for the kids in all seasons.


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[EDL]

Oh yeah, one other little thing I dislike (but this is on any vehicle, not just this truck), those freaking "auto dimming" rear view mirrors.  They don't dim worth a hoot.  I would prefer the old manual flip down type.

 

I don't see the tranny suddenly  becoming great at 10K.  If it does, then wonderful, but I don't see how.  I have to idle the truck for 30 seconds or so before I shut it off, otherwise, it surges at next startup (seen the bulletin and Chevy says it's not an issue, just have to idle it to let fluid drain).  Slowing down, once I get to the speed where it downshifts into second or first it thunks 90% of the time.  Frequently, when I am on the throttle, usually at slower speeds (25-40MPH) and I have back off the throttle suddenly, it thunks like crazy.  Sometimes when I go to add throttle it's like I have completely worn out u-joints, like there is a lot of slack that suddenly gets taken up and WHACK.

 

I think at some point I'm going to sell off those 22" wheels and go to 20 or maybe even 18's.  I like the style of the wheels with the black inserts, and I do see they have the same style in a 20" in aftermarket places.  Maybe I'll get those, dunno yet.  Had 20's on a 2002 Ram and it road just fine.

 

As for auto leveling, it depends on how the system works.  The Grand Cherokee had it, but it was built into the rear shocks.  Great idea and it did work well, but oh boy, those shocks are $350 each.  I'd like to see an air ride suspension like the Ram has.  Haven't ridden one with it, but everyone who has it says it's phenominal...and it's only a $1700 option on them. 

 

Not big on the flex fuel thing, not many places in my area to get alcohol fuel anyway, besides, your mileage goes to crap, so is it really saving anything in terms of fuel cost?

 

No sunroof in this truck, YAY!  A $1000 option I would never use (kinda like having a tiny power rear window).     Had one in the Jeep and I think we opened it once or twice in the 4 years we had it.

 

I'm going to have to check, but I'm pretty sure i don't have 8 tie-down points in my bed, just one at each corner. 

[Nitrousbird]

26 minutes ago, EDL said:

Oh yeah, one other little thing I dislike (but this is on any vehicle, not just this truck), those freaking "auto dimming" rear view mirrors.  They don't dim worth a hoot.  I would prefer the old manual flip down type.

 

Not big on the flex fuel thing, not many places in my area to get alcohol fuel anyway, besides, your mileage goes to crap, so is it really saving anything in terms of fuel cost?

 

No sunroof in this truck, YAY!  A $1000 option I would never use (kinda like having a tiny power rear window).     Had one in the Jeep and I think we opened it once or twice in the 4 years we had it.

 

I'm going to have to check, but I'm pretty sure i don't have 8 tie-down points in my bed, just one at each corner. 

I love auto-dimming mirrors.  I've had that in my last several vehicles.  My complaint with GM is:

- No passenger side mirror dimming.  This has been with all of my GM trucks, yet my car and my wife's last two cars have dimmed all 3 mirrors

- On my SLT, the auto dimming looks almost like an overlay on the mirror.  Looks a little cheap; all my other vehicles never looked like that.\\

 

Flex fuel makes a ton of sense on a 6.2L motor that requires premium.  Flex fuel means anywhere from 51% - 85% alcohol vs 10% or less.  So assuming a high alcohol content, you'll lose about 25% fuel economy (yet make more power).  E85 is typically 30% cheaper than Premium.  Do the math - you'll save money running E85.

 

I use my sunroof all the time.  Wouldn't even look at a truck without it.  

[midwestdenaliguy]

Always interesting to hear the perspective of someone who hasn't owned a GM truck (or GM vehicle for that matter) in quite some time. Overall you seem pretty level-headed with the review. Some jump in hating on everything and others refuse to acknowledge any issue because it could mean they're admitting they made a mistake in their purchase. The K2's are not perfect trucks, and I have yet to find any brand that makes one. You have to decide what you're willing to live with, good and bad, no matter what brand you choose to drive. If I had the vibration, like others have reported, I can understand why they would want to trade the truck. I do not have the bad vibration, but I did have what I would consider a 'harsher' ride due to the 70k+ miles that had been put on my stock suspension (I also had the 22" rims and 45 sidewall). I went with an all new suspension and an 18" wheel set up. Rides SO much nicer now. Not a luxury sedan ride, but as smooth as you can get on a truck. Here's a write-up I did on it: 

 

The only issue I'm trying to figure out right now on my truck is the see-saw bounce I get on certain stretches of highway. If it's a black top highway it's smooth as silk, but if it's a highway where they're paved in 10 foot grey concrete sections with noticeable lines, I get a see-saw motion on the truck. It's not shake you out of your seat bad, but it's noticeable. I've seen some other guys mention it on here and it appears to be a short-bed issue. Other than that, the only other issue I've had to deal with is a bad vacuum pump at 65k miles. She's been trouble-free outside of those issues for me.

 

Good luck in your decision to keep it or not. I think the deal breaker is going to be the vibration. Some have fixed it on the first try while others are still chasing a solution. May want to have your GM dealer take a stab or two at it before trading it in, but if they give you the runaround I'd trade it in.

[TRG]

I've got a 2018 5.3 with about the same amount of time/miles.  It's an LT Double Cab.  Those fabric lined wheel wells are ridiculous...not sure why they ever would've chosen that over the plastic.  I had the 22"s on mine when I bought the truck, but got rid of them for 18"s.  After swapping the tire set-up the only negative I have with the truck is the damn fishbite chuggle transmission.  It has gotten a bit better over time (maybe because I'm used to it or the truck is "learning" how I drive), but it's still there and I also get the slamming into gear when coasting quickly to a stop once in a while.  I've tuned out the V4 mode, shimmed the gas pedal and disabled Active Grade Braking and those small things have seemed to help incrementally but it's still an issue.

 

Oh - and the Direct Inject noise that bleeds through the steering column area into the cab is annoying, but it seems folks are getting close to a fix for that...which is on my list to try.    

[cperk]

I’m trying to figure out if you work for gm or are a Ford flamer! Lol


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[BobJ]

I came back to a pickup and a Chevy after a few cars and most recently a Grand Cherokee. I couldnt agree more on the convenience things you mentioned like remote start, auto up passenger window ect. my 2006 Corvette had all of these features. I prefer the ride in the pickup vs the Grand Cherokee, I liked the Jeep Navigation better (I think Jeep uses Garmin). Agree that the cooled seats take a long time to work and I can barely notice the cooling. I use the electric rear window all the time in summer, love having the sunroof and the rear window open. On average the truck is only 3 mpg worse than the Grand Cherokee was.

[ajensen383]

On ‎11‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 10:22 PM, EDL said:

Oh yeah, one other little thing I dislike (but this is on any vehicle, not just this truck), those freaking "auto dimming" rear view mirrors.  They don't dim worth a hoot.  I would prefer the old manual flip down type.

 

I don't see the tranny suddenly  becoming great at 10K.  If it does, then wonderful, but I don't see how.  I have to idle the truck for 30 seconds or so before I shut it off, otherwise, it surges at next startup (seen the bulletin and Chevy says it's not an issue, just have to idle it to let fluid drain).  Slowing down, once I get to the speed where it downshifts into second or first it thunks 90% of the time.  Frequently, when I am on the throttle, usually at slower speeds (25-40MPH) and I have back off the throttle suddenly, it thunks like crazy.  Sometimes when I go to add throttle it's like I have completely worn out u-joints, like there is a lot of slack that suddenly gets taken up and WHACK.

 

I think at some point I'm going to sell off those 22" wheels and go to 20 or maybe even 18's.  I like the style of the wheels with the black inserts, and I do see they have the same style in a 20" in aftermarket places.  Maybe I'll get those, dunno yet.  Had 20's on a 2002 Ram and it road just fine.

 

As for auto leveling, it depends on how the system works.  The Grand Cherokee had it, but it was built into the rear shocks.  Great idea and it did work well, but oh boy, those shocks are $350 each.  I'd like to see an air ride suspension like the Ram has.  Haven't ridden one with it, but everyone who has it says it's phenominal...and it's only a $1700 option on them. 

 

Not big on the flex fuel thing, not many places in my area to get alcohol fuel anyway, besides, your mileage goes to crap, so is it really saving anything in terms of fuel cost?

 

No sunroof in this truck, YAY!  A $1000 option I would never use (kinda like having a tiny power rear window).     Had one in the Jeep and I think we opened it once or twice in the 4 years we had it.

 

I'm going to have to check, but I'm pretty sure i don't have 8 tie-down points in my bed, just one at each corner. 

THis is my biggest issue with my 2018 as well...The rest of the truck is fine, this just pisses me off every day driving... Im not sure what GM did with the torque converters on these things, but my 2011 didn't do this and my wifes 14 Tahoe doesn't do this either...Its the singe thing that really makes me not like this truck.

 

 I have 7,000 miles and 9 months on mine..Other than that I don't have many issues to complain about

 

I love my sunroof with the rear slider open... It creates a nice flow of air in the cabin without having to open the side windows and get all that extra noise on the highway. Without the rear slider I wouldn't care if I had it.

 

Also totally agree with the cooled seats... they really don't work that well...yes they work, but not that great...

 

Im also not super impressed with the 6.2.... Im not sure what it is, but the truck to me feels dead off the line unless I bury it right to the floor....It seems that I have to use a lot more pedal to get a faster rate of acceleration.. My 2011 max tow 6.2 was incredibly responsive at low and mid throttle, I could easily incinerate the tires at will at low speed in that.... This truck seems to pull a lot harder once it starts going but light throttle it doesn't seem to have the instant torque my other truck did.

[rah7777777]

I have 6,000 and 5 months in with my 2018 Z71. Maybe i'm just not as picky, but I love mine. 

Did a 2400 mile trip to Florida right after I bought it and I thought it drove great on the highway. Being 4WD, I only have the 6 speed though, so I can't say anything about the 8 speed. For the first 5k, I thought it was a little clunky once in a while when going from a dead stop and turning in some parking lots. Later found out it was the AWD part of the system (which I had no idea it had, I thought it was just 2WD and if it detected it needed the fronts they would engage. Turns out the fronts are always engaged some in "auto" ) So once I switched that to 2WD, its never happened again. But after playing in the rain with the AWD and 2WD, I gotta say I LOVE the AWD, but now if the roads are clear i'll just keep it in 2WD. 

 

My biggest beef is how the damn A/C compressor kicks on with remote start if its above 49 degrees outside. I usually roll around with the temp all the way cold, but compressor off (so i'm just getting the outside air temp blowing in on a 60 degree day. But if I remote start it, the compressor kicks on and inside the truck will be like 33 degrees when I get in. 

[O_J_Simpson]

Same typical review our trucks get. You do know your truck does not have cooled seats? GM decontented cooled seats for 2016. The 2015's would freeze your butt. The 2016 and up just blow hot cabin air.

[ajensen383]

1 hour ago, O_J_Simpson said:

Same typical review our trucks get. You do know your truck does not have cooled seats? GM decontented cooled seats for 2016. The 2015's would freeze your butt. The 2016 and up just blow hot cabin air.

That's true, they are marketed as "vented" seats not "cooled"...

[swathdiver]

On 11/19/2018 at 5:18 PM, EDL said:

    - Hate, hate, hate that POS, clunky 8-speed transmission.  I've already had two people ask me if there is something wrong with my transmission.

 

On 11/19/2018 at 10:22 PM, EDL said:

I don't see the tranny suddenly  becoming great at 10K.  If it does, then wonderful, but I don't see how.  I have to idle the truck for 30 seconds or so before I shut it off, otherwise, it surges at next startup (seen the bulletin and Chevy says it's not an issue, just have to idle it to let fluid drain).  Slowing down, once I get to the speed where it downshifts into second or first it thunks 90% of the time.  Frequently, when I am on the throttle, usually at slower speeds (25-40MPH) and I have back off the throttle suddenly, it thunks like crazy.  Sometimes when I go to add throttle it's like I have completely worn out u-joints, like there is a lot of slack that suddenly gets taken up and WHACK.

 

Has anyone tried putting a 6L80 or 6L90 in place of that 8-Speed?