CHEVY TRUCKS TO FIND NEW ROADS IN THE GARDEN STATE

We think choosing a Chevy is a no-brainer. In the midsize segment, the Colorado delivers best-in-class efficiency and towing capability with a surprisingly easy ride and the most off-road specialized truck in the game. The Silverado 1500 full-size pickup has a huge selection of styles, options, and engines to go along with state-of-the-art cargo management features and tech. Drivers who need a truck to do some serious heavy lifting should look to the 2500 HD and 3500 HD, which offer enormous gasoline and diesel V8 engine options for best-in-class towing capacities. It’s pretty clear to us that the best truck in any segment is a Chevy. The real question is, which one is right for you?

Pickup trucks are more than utility vehicles. Nearly half of all registered vehicles in the US are trucks, and it’s no stretch to imagine that most of them serve primarily as commuter vehicles. People love the high seating position, the commanding view of the road, and the sheer convenience of being able to move lots of large and unwieldy items yourself. However, when space comes at a premium, handling and parking a bulky pickup becomes problematic. Nowhere is that truer than the Garden State, which is the second most densely populated in the nation.

Midsize pickups offer truck utility in small packages, and the segment has come to life with diverse offerings thanks to increasing interest. Enter the Colorado, one of the segment’s best. It offers three engines: a 2.5L 4-cylinder, a 3.6L V6, and the segment’s first diesel, a 2.8L Duramax. With the 2.5L 4-cylinder, it offers one of the lowest starting MSRPs of any truck at $25,200.

The 2.5L will produce 200 hp and tow up to 3,500 lbs, so it’s perfect for the daily commute. The 3.6L V6 delivers 308 hp, an impressive towing capability of 7,000 lbs, and a surprisingly agile, easy ride without sacrificing fuel efficiency. The diesel provides 369 lb-ft of torque and best-in-class towing of 7,700 lbs, beating the significantly pricier Jeep Gladiator while also achieving an amazing fuel efficiency of 20/30 MPG city/highway. Diesel engines are notoriously long-lasting when maintained properly, making this an excellent choice for easy-going drivers with intentions of doing hard work for a long time.

Drivers remark that the on-road ride quality of the Colorado is among the best in the class. The Colorado is also one of the segment’s best off-roaders, especially in the fun-focused ZR2 trim. This package sheds Colorado’s mild-mannered looks in favor of performance-enhancing adjustments that also make the ZR2 look plain mean. Whether you want to go play at Island Beach State Park or get lost in the trails of Wharton State Forest, the Colorado ZR2 is the best truck to do it in.

Chevy’s best-selling model is the Silverado 1500 for a reason. For over twenty years, the Silverado name has adorned a truck that leads the way for ride comfort and sheer utility thanks to GM’s emphasis on introducing features to make hauling and trailering easier than ever. The Silverado is offered with 5 engine options and plentiful trims and special editions to personalize it to any driver’s style. The bare-bones WT (Work Truck) trim starts at only $28,600 for frugal-focused shoppers. Trail Boss trims come with off-road-ready parts and tuning. High Country trim delivers the epitome of trucking luxury, while special editions like Midnight and Rally dress up the Silverado in appropriate dinner party attire.

The diverse engine choices suit every lifestyle, as well. The base 4.3L V6 delivers appropriate power at a bargain price, which is really this engine’s strong point. 2021 introduces the segment’s only 4-cylinder engine, a 2.7L turbo, to the lineup that is more powerful than the V6 and delivers significantly greater towing and fuel efficiency ratings, making it a great choice for forward-thinking customers. These two engines deliver low cost and the 1500’s highest payload capacities (2,250 and 2,280 lbs respectively) to Silverado buyers.

At the other end of the price spectrum, 2021 also adds a 3.0L Duramax diesel engine to give the 2021 1500 an astonishing EPA-estimated best-in-class fuel efficiency of 23/33 MPG city/highway. It’s pricey, but fuel savings and longevity make it an investment in the long term. Then in the middle of the lineup fall the 5.3L and 6.2L V8 engines.

The 5.3L is the most diverse, available with 3 different transmissions and dynamic or active fuel management technology depending on which trim and configuration you fit it to. It offers over 11,000 lbs of towing capacity and over 2,000 lbs payload capacity with similar or better efficiency compared to the V6. Silverado 1500 owners looking to maximize their capabilities will want the beefy 6.2L engine; however, with 420 hp, 460 lb-ft of torque, and a maximum towing capacity of 13,300 lbs, that far exceeds the needs of most drivers. Combined with Chevy’s innovative towing tech (more on that later), the 6.2L V8 ensures that getting your camper up into Stokes State Forest won’t be any problem at all.

The heavy-duty Silverado pickups are simply best in class. All of Chevy’s trucks rank highly with Kelley Blue Book for resale and cost to own values, as well as with JD Power for initial and long-term quality. They all include user-friendly cargo bed features like the CornerStep bumper and a large number of tie-downs. The Silverado HD models also get a Bed Step at the front of the cargo bed for easier access, and all Silverados boast best-in-class bed sizes of up to 80 cu.ft. thanks to high walls and wide dimensions.

Chevy offers a pair of 6.6L V8 engines to heavy-duty customers, one fueled by gasoline and the other by diesel. The gas engine produces 401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque, making it comparable to the 1500’s 6.2L engine but with substantially higher limits thanks to the construction of the ¾ and 1-ton pickups. The 2500 HD supports a max payload of over 3,900 lbs, and the 3500 HD can carry over 7,400 lbs with a dual rear wheel setup. When equipped with the 6.6L Duramax and its 445 hp, 910 lb-ft output, the 2500 HD can tow 18,500 lbs trailers, and the 3500 HD can manage a whopping 36,000 lbs via 5th wheel/gooseneck trailering.

That’s the best-in-class according to Chevy’s website, and while it’s unlikely most drivers would need all of that capacity, what it means for lighter loads is that they’re easier to handle than on lower-limit trucks. In fact, Chevy’s all about making trailers easier to handle, which is why Silverado models are offered with up to 15 camera views, including a revolutionary transparent trailer view for providing clear rearward visibility and virtually eliminating blind spots for even the largest trucks and trailers. Plus, Chevy offers a trend-setting trailering app – with trailer diagnostics, checklists, and settings profiles accessible in-vehicle or on your phone, managing multiple trailers has never been simpler.

Despite being one of America’s most urban states, more than half of all registered vehicles in New Jersey are trucks. While many drivers need the space that an 80 cu.ft. cargo bed provides, tens of thousands of drivers also make use of the high payload and towing capacities that trucks have to offer. But while Chevy trucks deliver the most usable vehicles in each truck segment, owning a Chevy truck is about more than being able to move the big stuff.

It’s about managing those heavy loads safely with convenient cargo bed features and state-of-the-art trailering technology. It’s about being friendly to the planet with unique 4-cylinders and the most efficient diesels on the market. It’s about doing it all in style from Newark to Trenton with High Country, Midnight Edition, and Rally Edition models, and about cutting loose with Trail Boss and ZR2 models from Cape May to the Delaware Water Gap.

Finally, owning a Chevy truck is about doing it all on a budget that makes the liberty and prosperity that comes with being a truck owner achievable to every Garden State Driver. We firmly believe that at Richard Lucas Chevrolet, and we have the truck inventory to back up our beliefs. So give us a call or drop into our Avenel dealership today to find your new Chevy truck!