Silverado Hybrid is Light on Fuel Savings, Heavy on Utility October 2004

Why do hybrids get such great mileage?" asks www.fueleconomy.gov. The answer is simple: "They combine the best features of the internal-combustion engine with an electric motor and can significantly improve fuel economy without sacrificing performance or driving range." Nicely put, but then the question becomes, why does the Chevy Silverado hybrid pickup get only 18 miles per gallon in town, and 21 on the highway? That's an improvement, but a mere 5 to 13 percent better than standard half-ton GM pickups.

The Silverado, the first full-sized hybrid pickup on the market, is a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too kind of vehicle. It's no bare-bones two-seater like the Honda Insight. It's a big, muscular truck of the type Americans buy in droves, with a Vortec 5.3-liter V-8 engine producing 295 horsepower and 335 foot pounds of torque, just like the non-hybrid version.

GM engineer Kevin Kidston says the idea is that "if you're not doing any work, don't burn fuel." The Silverado shuts that big V-8 right down at traffic lights, then (when you take your foot off the brake) it restarts with the same unobtrusive precision as the Toyota Prius. Old-time Chevy truck guys may find it a bit disconcerting, but they really will get used to it.

The Silverado, which offers emissions benefits to complement the fuel savings, is a "mild" hybrid. The electric motor can't run the truck, as the Prius' motor does; and it doesn't provide supplementary power for passing and other high-output duty, as the motor in the Honda Civic does. Instead, it starts the engine and powers accessories. Because it has regenerative braking, the motor becomes a generator as the truck slows down. It works in tandem with a big 42-volt battery that runs all the systems that would ordinarily impact on fuel economy: the power steering, air conditioning and audio system.

There are four 120-volt outlets, two under the rear seats and two in the bed of the truck. Bring your hair dryer on the morning commute! Like the Dodge Ram "contractor special" truck, which offers a similar 15 percent fuel economy improvement, the Silverado is aimed at working guys who don't want to lug a generator around.

So far, it's available in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Nevada and Florida (I drove one of the very few in the Northeast) and is available in two- ($32,380) and four-wheel-drive ($35,720) versions. In contrast, the Prius, which is rated at 60 mpg in town and 51 on the highway costs $20,000. But it won't tow your boat or run your toaster.

I got along with the Silverado fairly well. It's quite comfortable, with all the amenities including satellite radio, and in extended cab form it can haul the kids and enough plywood to build a deck. GM is definitely expanding its hybrid offerings. A hybrid version of the Saturn Vue is due next year, followed by the Chevrolet Equinox in 2006. A Chevy Malibu hybrid sedan is also planned, possibly for 2007. The Vue may be GM's first "true" hybrid, but we'll have to wait and see what actually materializes.

SOURCE: Fairfield County Weekly

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