2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Silverado 1500 Hybrid, and includes Chevy Silverado 1500 Hybrid safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

General Motors builds the only hybrid pickup truck on the market, one that gets 20 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. Of course, there are trade-offs in terms of towing and hauling capability, which might be one reason the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and its corporate twin, the GMC Sierra Hybrid, are rarely seen on the road.

The Chevy Silverado Hybrid features revised styling, new colors, and upgraded technology for 2012. The front end is restyled and now includes a chrome mesh grille insert, and the color chart adds Silver Ice, Mocha Steel, Black Granite, and Graystone. The cab can be rendered in Light/Dark Cashmere or Light/Dark Titanium two-tone treatments this year, while the standard StabiliTrak stability and traction control system gains standard Hill Start Assist and Trailer Sway Control features for 2012. A reversing camera is standard on the top trim level, along with a new navigation radio system with a 30-gig hard drive, touchscreen display, voice command, a USB port, and more. OnStar offers a Remote Link mobile application for the 2012 Silverado Hybrid, and this truck can also be turned into a mobile wi-fi hotspot compatible with multiple devices located within 150 feet of the vehicle.

The 2012 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid is sold only in crew cab format, equipped with two- or four-wheel drive. The standard equipment list is based on the Silverado LT, but for this model Chevy uses 1HY and 2HY trim level designations.

With a starting price approaching $40,000, it is safe to assume that the Silverado Hybrid is equipped with basic staples like power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power heated side mirrors, cruise control, a tilt steering wheel, a stereo with a CD/MP3 player and satellite radio, and premium cloth seats. Additionally, the Silverado Hybrid has dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, OnStar telematics service with Automatic Crash Notification and Turn-by-Turn navigation, and remote vehicle starting. A driver information center, unique hybrid gauges and displays, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel are also part of the standard equipment list, along with a 40/20/40 front bench seat, manual lumbar support adjustment for the driver, dark tinted rear glass, and illuminated visor vanity mirrors.

From a styling standpoint, the Silverado Hybrid is chromed up with shiny bumpers, grille, and 18-inch wheels. A soft tonneau cover over the cargo bed helps maximize fuel economy, and if you need to remove or re-install it after dark, standard cargo bed lights help. The Silverado Hybrid also comes with a locking EZ-Lift tailgate, a heavy-duty locking rear differential, transmission and engine oil coolers, a Handling and Trailering suspension, a trailer brake controller, and a heavy-duty battery with 600 cold cranking amps of power.

Options are limited for this model. Buyers can add a six-way power driver’s seat, bed rail protectors, all weather floor mats, side assist steps, and a mobile wi-fi hot-spot connection. For anything addition, it is necessary to upgrade to the 2HY model.

With the Silverado Hybrid 2HY, you’ll get leather upholstery, six-way power front bucket seats, power adjustable pedals, a Bose sound system, and a hard drive navigation radio with 30 gigs of music file storage space, a USB port, real-time traffic reports, and a hybrid power flow display on the in-dash touchscreen. This model also comes with a reversing camera and rear parking assist sensors, as well as a rear window defogger, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and auto-dimming side mirrors with integrated turn signal indicators and ground illumination. A programmable HomeLink universal remote is included on this version of the Silverado Hybrid, along with fog lights and a hard tonneau cover.

In addition to these features, the 2012 Silverado Hybrid 2HY can be equipped with an optional power sunroof, side assist steps, all-weather floor mats, and a mobile wi-fi hot-spot connection.

The main reason to select a Chevy Silverado Hybrid over a conventional model is to maximize fuel economy when driving around town. If you spend the majority of your time on the highway, perhaps the Silverado XFE is a better choice, or any Silverado equipped with Chevrolet’s capable 5.3-liter V8 engine.

For city dwellers, the Silverado Hybrid is rated to get 20 mpg in town and 23 mpg on the highway. This is made possible by the truck’s two-mode hybrid powertrain, comprised of an Atkinson-cycle 6.0-liter V8 engine and a 300-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack functioning together or separately via an electronically variable transmission with dual electric motors.

Combined power output equates to 332 horsepower and 367 pound-feet of torque, and the Silverado Hybrid can attain 30 mph running on battery juice alone. Kinetic energy captures by the standard regenerative braking system is used to recharge the battery, electric steering is employed to reduce fuel consumption, and the Silverado Hybrid has an Auto Stop mode that shuts the gasoline-burning V8 engine off at low speeds or while idling in traffic. Active Fuel Management technology is also a part of the package, allowing the V8 engine to run on just four of its eight cylinders under light-load conditions.

If you decide to get the Silverado Hybrid with 4WD, Chevy installs its Autotrac automatic system, controlled using a rotary dial on the dashboard. Fuel economy ratings are identical to the 2WD model at 20 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

Every Silverado is protected by a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Certain hybrid components are covered for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Weight is always an important consideration when it comes to safety, as heavier vehicles fare better in collisions with smaller vehicles. And there’s no shortage of weight when it comes to the 2012 Chevy Silverado Hybrid, which tips the scales at more than 2.5 tons. But just in case that level of poundage won’t do, the Silverado Hybrid includes six airbags, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, StabiliTrak traction and stability control, Trailer Sway Control, and Hill Start Assist. OnStar telematics also comes standard, with a free six-month subscription to Automatic Crash Response service, which allows a live operator to try and get in touch with the pickup truck’s occupants and to send rescuers to the Silverado’s exact location even if passengers are unable to respond.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has performed crash tests on the 2012 Silverado, and bestows upon the truck an overall rating of 4 Stars. The ingredients for that result include a 4-Star rating in the frontal-impact test, a 5-Star rating in the side-impact test, and a 4-Star rollover resistance rating.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has also evaluated the Silverado, giving the pickup its top-ranked Good rating in the offset frontal-impact test, an Acceptable rating in the side-impact test, and an Acceptable rating in the rear-impact injury protection assessment. Unfortunately, the IIHS concluded that the Silverado’s roof crush strength is Marginal.

There’s more bad news from Consumer Reports, which recently updated its reliability prediction, dropping it to below average for Silverados in general. J.D. Power and Associates indicates in its most recent reliability predictions that the Silverado will provide average dependability over time.

The primary trade-off associated with buying the Chevy Silverado Hybrid, aside from the price premium the technology commands, is a drop in maximum payload and towing ratings. The Silverado Hybrid 2WD can haul 1,527 pounds of payload and tow 6,100 pounds of trailer (4WD models handle slightly less weight). Those figures are a whopping 400 and 4,600 pounds less, respectively, than the maximum figures for a conventionally powered Silverado.

The 2012 Chevy Silverado Hybrid is built in Silao, Mexico.

Truck people like to haul stuff and tow things. The Chevy Silverado Hybrid, compared to a conventional V8-powered pickup, isn’t particularly good at those tasks, equipped with payload and towing ratings more aligned with a midsize or compact truck. Add a steep price tag – around $5,000 more than the Silverado XFE Crew Cab that gets 22 mpg on the highway – and it’s not at all surprising that Chevy finds few takers for the technologically sophisticated Silverado Hybrid, which evidently answers a question nobody asked.

-- By Christian Wardlaw