Make that two wins for General Motors and Chevrolet this year. The 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD joins the Motor Trend Car of the Year - 2011 Chevrolet Volt as this year's Motor Trend Truck of the Year. We just had the Silverado's sibling, the 2011 GMC Sierra Denali HD in for review... and we can understand Motor Trend's sentiment towards this brute of a hauler.
The first three trucks that MT tested are three-quarter-ton, single-rear-wheel HDs with gasoline engines, including the 2011 Chevy Silverado 2500 and GMC Sierra 2500 twins powered by GM's 6.0-liter V-8 and the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty with the all-new 6.2-liter V-8 under its hood. The second set of trucks are one-ton dual-rear-wheel rigs, including the 2011 Chevy Silverado 3500 and GMC Sierra 3500 with the updated 397 horsepower, 765 pounds-feet of torque 6.6-liter LML Duramax V-8 and the 2011 Ford F-350 Super Duty with the all-new "Job 2" 400/800 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8.
“On the outside the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD appears to have been given a subtle makeover, but it’s what’s under the skin that makes this truck a winner,” said Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief Angus MacKenzie. “Chevy engineers focused on three key areas – powertrain, frame, and suspension – to deliver a truck with significantly improved capability and more refinement.”
The truck award was presented to GM CEO Dan Akerson before the 111th Army-Navy Game at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Chevrolet is the Official Vehicle of the Army-Navy Game.
Press Release
Silverado HD Named 2011 Motor Trend Truck of the Year
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chevrolet Silverado HD is the 2011 Motor Trend Truck of the Year, completing a rare same-year sweep of the prestigious car and truck awards. Chevrolet also earned the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year award.
The truck award was presented to GM CEO Dan Akerson before the 111th Army-Navy Game at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. Chevrolet is the Official Vehicle of the Army-Navy Game.
"On the outside the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD appears to have been given a subtle makeover, but it's what's under the skin that makes this truck a winner," said Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief Angus MacKenzie. "Chevy engineers focused on three key areas – powertrain, frame, and suspension – to deliver a truck with significantly improved capability and more refinement."
The new 2011 Silverado HD built in Flint, Mich., and Fort Wayne, Ind., was introduced this summer, featuring new frame and suspension designs, and a more powerful Duramax diesel engine with 397 horsepower, 765 lb.-ft. of torque, and 11 percent better fuel-economy. As a result, the 2011 Silverado HD is capable of towing up to 21,700 pounds, or carrying 6,635 pounds of payload. The new Silverado HD also offers available confidence- and control-related features specifically for towing including electronic trailer sway control, hill start assist and smart exhaust brake system.
"With more capability and technology than ever before, we believe the Chevrolet Silverado HD sets the bar for heavy-duty trucks," said Akerson. "It's a great honor to have such a respected authority as Motor Trend agree."
The full report from Motor Trend appears in the February issue of the magazine (on newsstands in early January) and online at www.motortrend.com. Chevrolet also earned the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year award for the Volt, the industry's first electric car with extended-range capability.
It is the first time since 2006 that one brand has won both Motor Trend Car and Truck of the Year awards in the same year. Chevrolet and Buick won both awards in 1979.