Review: 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 6.2L – One Big Leap for Truck Kind

2014 chevrolet silverado 6.2L video towing

The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado CrewCab 4×4 6.2L brings the big V8 to the light duty truck wars. It took several months for this motor to join the all-new 2014 Silverado lineup on the dealership floor. Was it worth the wait? Read on to find out.

STATS Starting Retail Price As Tested Price HP / Lb-Ft
2014 Chevrolet Silverado 6.2L LTZ $45,760 $51,560 420 / 460
EPA Rating MPG As Tested MPG
Rating: BUY IT! 14/20 Combined 17 19.1

First Impression:

This LTZ trim truck has a long wheelbase and looks very sharp and sophisticated in Silver Ice Metalic. It’s not the High Country top-dog trim level, but it still has the 6-inch wide chrome side steps and plenty of shiny bling throughout.

2014 chevrolet silverado tail ltz

Design:

2014 Silverado’s chief designer, Tom Peters, was also responsible for the C7 Corvette Stingray. He calls the new tall and upright grill a “fist in the wind’. The whole front-end, with the stacked headlights, harkens to the K1500 pickups of old, yet brings a modern flare. This look should age well.

Although, this truck has a large and tall grill, it is also of the most aerodynamic in the segment. It has a clever front lower valance with a cutout (a design element borrowed from the C7). It has a sharply raked windshield and little aerodynamic elements in front of the rear wheels that look like small mud guards. In the end, all this fancy engineering translates to one of the quietest cabins in any pickup truck. The fact that all four wheel wells are lined in sound deadning material helps as well.

2014 chevrolet silverado dash insterior

Speaking of interiors, the 2014 Silverado hits this out of the park. I am fairly tall (at 6’2”), but the step-in height feels lower than others and does not require the side steps to ease entry. Once you are in the driver’s seat, the seating position feels low, comfortable, and car-like. You really feel like you are sitting “in” the truck and not “on top” of it. When I say “car-like”, it’s a compliment. Driving an older truck may fatigue you with a noisy cabin, not a great seat, and loose driving dynamics. Not here. Even a longer trip in this pickup feels easy and not tiring.

The gauges are very clear, there is a reconfigurable information screen in the center of the cluster. And the big X* inch center infotainment screen sits up high and is easy to read. The center stack feels a little overwhelming at first, but you can learn it within a few minutes and become comfortable with it. Most features have redundant buttons below the screen or on the steering wheel. There are plenty of power outlets (including a 110V) and plenty of storage cubby holes. My wife liked all the storage areas.  The rear seat in the CrewCab is equally comfortable. The seat backs are reclined just enough to keep your passengers happy.

6.2L ecotec3 chevy silverado v8

Power:

Finally, we get to the heart of this truck. The 6.2-liter EcoTec3 all aluminum V8, which is shared with the C7 Corvette at its core. Power output is tuned for more heavy duty work and it kicks out 420 hp and 460 lb-ft. The maximum torque is reached at a somewhat high 4,100 rpm, but there is so much of it throughout that it will break loose the large rear tires with any semi-aggressive throttle input (even with traction control on). A 6-speed automatic transmission sends the power to the wheels.

This motor (just like the 5.3-liter V8) can run in V4 or V8 modes. The switch from eight to four cylinder is imperceptable, but there is a green V4 icon in the gauge cluster that lets you know that you are saving fuel. You cannot “lock” the truck in V4 mode. The truck tries to anticipate your need for full power and is eager to go to V8 mode at the slightest touch of the throttle.

Speaking of fuel economy, this big and heavy V8 beast truly surprised with a 19.1 MPG average after nearly 60 miles of driving (about 70% highway). The computer readout showed 22.1 MPG after traveling about 20 miles on the highway. Impressive!

Not everything is perfect. This truck’s exhaust is simply too quiet. The engineers tried to make it more appealing for families, but they hushed the powerful V8 too much. It has a bit of a good sound under acceleration around 4,000 rpm, but I was left wanting a louder V8 burble.  An aftermarket exhaust system should fix this.

2014_silverado_profile

Handling:

This Silverado is surprisingly easy to maneuver.  Once again, it feels car-like.  The steering feel is about right, the ride is compliant and well sorted.  How did they get this truck to this point and give it a 11,800 lbs max tow rating?  The ride and handling have to do a lot with a lower seating position.  It feels confident in corners and does not wonder on the highway.  Going back to driving an older truck makes you think twice.  It’s like tasting a glazed donut for the first time.  This truck spoils you, and it’s hard to let it go.

Competitors:

Starting Retail Price City/Hwy MPG HP / Lb-Ft
2014 Toyota Tundra Crew Limited $42,990 13/17 381/401
2014 Chevrolet 1500 Crew 6.2L LTZ $45,760 14/20 420/460
2014 F-150 SuperCrew 6.2L Lariat $48,000 12/16 411/434
2013 Nissan Titan Crew SL $44,185 12/17 317/385
2013 Ram 1500 Crew Laramie $45,220 13/19 395/407

There is only one even competitor to the 2014 Silverado 6.2L, and it’s the Ford F-150 6.2L.  Depending on configuration and options, these two are closely matched on power, features, and price.  The other three trucks do not offer big displacement engines with over 400 horsepower.  Of course, the Chevy has cylinder deactivation and other aerodynamic tricks to get impressive real-world MPG numbers.

2014 chevrolet silverado 6.2L

On the TFLcar scale of:

  • Buy it!
  • Lease it!
  • Rent it!
  • … or Forget it!

I give the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado CrewCab 4×4 LTZ a Buy It!

You can only get the big 6.2L motor in the 2014 Silverado when you choose the higher level LTZ or HighCountry trim levels.  If you do, the 6.2L is an additional $1,995 option.  Once you are at that level, the big motor option becomes a simpler decision.  It would be great if the 6.2L was available in the lower LT trim.  This crew cab starts at $45,760 and this is a competitive price for a 4×4 truck with luxurious features.  I say – Buy It! and get the big motor.

0-60 MPH towing test:

Ike Gauntlet 2.0: