2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Overview Change Vehicle

This 2010 Chevy Silverado 1500 overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2010 Silverado 1500, and includes Chevrolet Silverado 1500 safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Last year, the Silverado saw some major improvements so for 2010, the truck is refined to improve fuel economy and safety. Stability control and side curtain airbags are now standard on all models. Trucks with the 5.3-liter V8 have new fuel-saving features to improve gas mileage, and Chevy is expanding availability of the six-speed automatic transmission with this engine. The smaller 4.8-liter V8 is now E85-compatible, and Chevrolet drops the 6.0-liter V8 from the engine roster. All stereos except the base version have a USB connection this year, and more trucks can be equipped with the optional reversing camera. Changes for 2010 are rounded out by new Taupe Gray and Sheer Silver paint colors.

If you can’t find a 2010 Silverado that meets your needs, you simply aren’t trying. Chevy offers regular, extended, and crew cab styles combined with short, standard or long cargo beds, equipped with either two-wheel drive (2WD) or four-wheel drive (4WD).

Five trim levels are available, starting with the Silverado WT, or Work Truck, which is designed for commercial use. Even so, it’s equipped with a tilt steering wheel, a stereo with CD/MP3 playing capability, XM satellite radio, OnStar telematics service, automatic headlights, a cargo box light, a theft deterrent system, and a full-size spare tire. Extended and crew cab models with WT trim include air conditioning, while crew cab models also get power door locks with remote keyless entry.

The Silverado LS trim comes only in extended or crew cab format. The LS adds carpeting, cloth seats, floor mats, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power heated side mirrors, power windows, a rear defogger, and cruise control. A chrome front bumper, chrome steel wheels, and rear privacy glass are also included.

In addition to LS trim features, the Silverado LT adds alloy wheels and a chrome grille on the outside, while interiors get a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a compass, an outside temperature indicator, and illuminated visor mirrors. The popular Interior Plus upgrade to LT models (formerly known as 2LT trim) adds dual-zone automatic climate control, 6-way adjustable front bucket seats, a large center storage console, audio controls on the steering wheel, and fog lights, among other items. The Silverado Hybrid is packaged in this fashion, in crew cab style only.

For more luxury and convenience features, try the Silverado LTZ. Equipped with leather, the Silverado is equipped with 10-way heated front seats with 2-way power lumbar for the driver and passenger and memory for the driver’s seat. LTZ models also have a premium Bose audio system with a USB connection, Bluetooth hands-free calling, remote engine starting, and other features. Distinguished by its body-color bumpers, the LTZ gets a different dashboard design with simulated wood and metal trim, just like the one found in the Suburban and Tahoe SUVs.

As is customary with full-size trucks, Chevrolet offers a wide variety of upgrades for the 2010 Silverado. Highlights include the Z71 Off-Road Package for improved off-road capability (skid plates, off-road suspension and air cleaner), the Convenience Package (power-adjustable pedals, Ultrasonic park assist), the LTZ Plus Package (Homelink universal transmitter, locking EZ-Lift tailgate), and the Max Trailering Package which bumps the Silverado’s maximum towing capacity to 10,700 pounds. In addition to these, Chevrolet offers numerous national and regional option packages, both factory and dealer installed.

Furthermore, Silverado buyers can choose options individually. Chief among them are Bluetooth, a Bose premium sound, a navigation system, a rear seat DVD entertainment system, remote engine starting, rear parking assist, a reversing camera system, and a power sunroof. Additionally, the factory and Chevrolet dealers offer numerous features to custom-tailor a Silverado to specific needs, including a variety of alloy wheels ranging in size from 17 inches to 22 inches.

The Silverado WT Regular and Extended Cab models are equipped with a 4.3-liter V6 engine generating 195 horsepower at 4,600 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque at 2,800 rpm. This V6 is neither powerful nor fuel-efficient, but it’s cheap and gets the job done, which is what buyers of the basic truck want. The V6 gets between 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, depending on whether the engine is paired with available 4WD.

We recommend a minimum upgrade to the 4.8-liter V8 engine. With 295 hp at 5,600 rpm and 305 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm, this engine is more powerful than the V6, but its fuel efficiency is awful. Rated to get between 13 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway, the 4.8-liter V8 ought to be retired but instead, Chevy has elected to make it E85-compatible this year.

The engine you should get is the excellent 5.3-liter V8. Offered with Flex Fuel E85-compatibility and equipped with Active Fuel Management technology, which allows it to run on four of its eight cylinders under low-load conditions, the 5.3-liter V8 provides better fuel economy than ever before thanks to changes for 2010. It still makes 315 hp at 5,200 rpm and 335 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, but now fuel economy is rated 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway even if you get 4WD. Chevy also offers an XFE (Xtra Fuel Economy) package with this engine, available on the crew cab model, capable of achieving 15 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.

For towing and hauling, get the 6.2-liter, E85-compatible, V8 engine. With 403 hp at 5,700 rpm and 417 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm, this stump-puller’s fuel economy ranges between 12 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway.

To maximize fuel economy and minimize emissions, the Silverado Hybrid is the truck you want. The Silverado Hybrid’s two-mode hybrid system consists of a 6.0-liter gasoline V8 with Active Fuel Management technology, a 300-volt nickel metal hydride battery pack, and electric motors capable of getting the truck up to 30 mph on electric power alone. The Silverado Hybrid is available in 2WD or 4WD format, can tow 6,100 pounds, and is rated to get 20 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. It also includes low rolling resistance tires, and recharges its battery pack through a regenerative braking system.

The 2010 Silverado is available with one of three transmissions. A rather rudimentary four-speed automatic with a tow/haul mode is standard with the 4.3-liter V6 and 4.8-liter V8 engines. Silverados equipped with the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8 engines get a more sophisticated six-speed automatic. The Silverado Hybrid has an electrically variable transmission, or EVT as Chevy refers to it.

Four-wheel drive is optional on any Silverado. The basic setup is a traditional floor-mounted transfer case with manual shift. Most Silverados will have the more sophisticated Autotrac system, which automatically engages 4WD as soon as wheel slippage occurs.

As if this isn’t enough information to wade through, the Silverado can be outfitted with one of five suspensions. For ride comfort, the standard Z83 suspension is the right choice. If you’re willing to trade some of that comfort for better handling and light-duty towing, the Z85 suspension is the one you want. For maximum dry-pavement grip, try the Z60 suspension with its 20-inch wheels and tires. Off-road enthusiasts know that the best rock-hopping setup is the Z71 suspension. And for the best performance when towing or hauling heavy loads, you’ll want the Z82 suspension that comes with the Max Trailering Package. For 2010, the Chevy Silverado can carry a maximum payload of 1,924 lbs., when properly equipped.

Every Silverado is equipped with antilock brakes; front, side, and side curtain airbags; and OnStar telematics with a free year of Safe and Sound service including Automatic Crash Notification, which detects airbag deployment and sends rescuers to the see of the accident even if the truck’s occupants can’t communicate with the OnStar advisor. StabiliTrak stability control system with roll mitigation is standard on all Silverados except those equipped with a V6 engine. Optional safety features include an Ultrasonic rear park assist system and a reversing camera.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Silverado posts impressive crash-test scores, receiving the highest five-star rating for frontal impact protection and a four-star rating for resistance to rollover. Now that the Silverado comes standard with side curtain airbags, the NHTSA does not rate side-impact protection because the government agency never re-tested the truck.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) did assess side-impact protection levels with the newly standard side curtain airbags, and the rating improved from Poor to Acceptable, which means that for the past three years, all Chevy needed to do to better protect Silverado buyers was to install these safety devices as standard equipment. Other crashworthiness ratings from the IIHS are a Good rating in the frontal offset crash test, and an Acceptable rating for rear crash protection.

Both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates expect the Silverado to provide owners with average reliability.

With improved fuel economy and safety ratings, the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado is more compelling than ever. We’re a bit mystified by Chevy’s delay in getting standard side-curtain airbags into the truck, since that was clearly the remedy to the former Poor rating for side-impact protection from the IIHS, but now that the Silverado passes that test with an Acceptable rating, and now that fuel economy with the 5.3-liter V8 engine matches the Hybrid model on the highway with the XFE package, we have no trouble at all in recommending the Silverado.