Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup lets you see through trailers — sort of

Stephen Edelstein
By
1 of 10
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss

Fresh off a redesign for the 2019 model year, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 gets a number of small but important updates for 2020. A reshuffle of the powertrain lineup gives Chevy’s bread-and-butter pickup truck a boost in towing capacity, and the Silverado gets more tech features as well.

Many of the changes center around the Silverado’s 6.2-liter V8. It’s the most powerful Silverado engine, and Chevy is adding it to more trim levels for 2020. The big V8 was previously available only on LTZ and High Country models, but it migrates to the RST and off-road-focused LT Trail Boss and Custom Trail Boss trim levels for 2020. That drops the price significantly. The least-expensive 2019 Silverado with a 6.2-liter V8 (a four-wheel drive LTZ Double Cab) started at $50,390. Chevy said a 2020 Custom Trail Boss model with the same engine will start at $43,865 (including the mandatory destination fee).

Related Videos

Expanded availability of the big V8 also helps the Silverado haul more stuff. The combination of a 6.2-liter engine, RST trim level, and four-wheel drive boosts the Silverado’s towing capacity to 13,400 pounds, when properly equipped. That’s a major increase over the 2019 Silverado’s 1,200-pound maximum towing capacity.

Related

Baseline output for the 6.2-liter V8 is unchanged at 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, but Chevy is adding an optional performance exhaust system for 2020 that increases output to 435 hp and 469 lb.-ft. A 10-speed automatic remains the sole transmission option. Chevy will continue to offer other engine options, including a 5.3-liter V8 (which also gets the 10-speed automatic for 2020), 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four, and a 4.3-liter V6. A 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 will join the lineup for the 2020 model year following a delay.

The 2020 Silverado 1500 also gets more tech features, including the “transparent trailer” system previously seen on the larger 2020 Silverado HD. It uses cameras to let a driver “see” through a trailer while towing.

Like its GMC Sierra 1500 sibling, the Silverado 1500 also gets adaptive cruise control for 2020. The system can bring the Silverado to a complete stop in traffic if necessary, according to Chevy, and is available on the LT, LTZ, and High Country trim levels. Adaptive cruise control is a worthwhile addition, but it also seems like something Chevy should have offered from the start when the redesigned Silverado 1500 debuted for the 2019 model year.

Chevy hasn’t revealed full pricing for the 2020 Silverado 1500. That will be announced closer to the truck’s launch later this year as it does battle with its old rivals — the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
2024 Polestar 2 gets a major overhaul for the 2024 model year
2024 Polestar 2

Volvo off-shoot Polestar is looking forward to an eventful year. It will begin production of the 3, its first crossover, and it will release a comprehensively updated version of the 2 sedan that's sportier than the outgoing model, more road trip-friendly, and better equipped.

The biggest visual difference between the original 2 and the new-look car due out in 2023 as a 2024 model is found on the front end. The electric sedan swaps its grille for what Polestar designers call a SmartZone that frames the front-facing camera and covers the mid-range radar used to power some of the electronic driving aids. While the shift isn't significant, it's symbolic. The grille created a visual link between the 2 and the 1, Polestar's now-retired first model; the SmartZone brings the sedan in line with the sleek-looking 3 unveiled in late 2022.

Read more
Electric trucks aren’t ready for the big leagues — but I still loved the F-150 Lightning
Ford F-150 Lightning

Electric cars are getting pretty cool. While Tesla popularized the concept of a "fun" electric car, these days there are quite a few options out there, like the Kia EV6, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and even some luxury options from Mercedes and BMW. These cars offer awesome performance and often a sweet design, making them excellent choices for first-time EV buyers.

But with electric trucks, it's a slightly different story. To be clear, they're just as powerful, -- often more so -- than electric cars. But when you're driving a truck, you expect to be able to use that power in different ways, and frankly, electric trucks seem to have a way to go before they'll hold up in those settings.
Towing is tough
The Achilles' heel of every electric truck comes down to hauling: Adding a ton of weight to the load seriously impacts range -- and not in a trivial way. Add a camper or even a lightweight trailer, and you might find that you're getting half of the expected range out of a charge. That means that you'll have to charge up more than every 150 miles, and if you're towing a camper, it's very likely that you're driving further than that. And even lighter loads can have a heavy impact on range.

Read more
VinFast’s new electric cars will be available in the U.S. this year
VinFast VF6

As we move toward electric vehicles, all kinds of new car brands have been popping up -- giving the traditional automakers a run for their money. Over the past few years at CES, one of the more interesting of those has been VinFast -- a Vietnamese company that delivered its first cars in the U.S. in November. Now, the company is planning on more releases over the next year -- and at CES 2023, we learned more about what those cars will offer.

VinFast may not be very well known in the U.S., but it's actually one of the larger automakers in Vietnam. It certainly doesn't have the experience in manufacturing on the scale that it's hoping to in the U.S., but unlike many of the other electric carmakers, it is actually shipping cars -- not just building concepts. The VinFast VF8 crossover and VF9 SUV were announced earlier -- but little was known about the smaller VF6 and VF7 models, until now. Turns out, like their larger siblings, they're pretty compelling options.
VinFast VF6

Read more