My best friend Jacob is fond of using the term “boss status.” If you possess it, you feel cool – as if you run things, no matter where you are. I certainly had it during the week in which I drove the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado High Country 4WD. For most of it, anyway. Attaining such a level of confidence doesn’t mean that it can’t be lost in an instant.
It was hard to feel like an underling sitting in the 4×4 cowboy Cadillac’s Saddle Brown leather and wood trim interior, rolling on eye-catching 20-inch chrome wheels and listening to the rich, throaty tones rumbling out of the optional 6.2-liter V8. Just looking at the cockpit’s large, blocky proportions made my testosterone levels go up. There was no way to describe them aside from “masculine.” While I thought the color used for the seats was a little flat and boring, I did respect Chevrolet’s ambition and effort in taking on the Ford F-150 King Ranch. The dash was soft to the touch and had a river of contrast stitching running through it, as did the rest of the cabin. I also appreciated the Range Rover-like piping around the seats.
Other perks of the job of driving this visually sturdy, handsome and square-jawed truck included a power sunroof, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning and the MyLink audio system with navigation running through an eight-inch touchscreen. Those in the back office…er…rear seats were treated to a $1,495 entertainment setup which included a ceiling-mounted flat screen and DVD/Blu-Ray/component output. However, this was also one area in which the HC fell short. There were no second row HVAC switches (see for yourself in the video below). It’s hard to feel like “the man” if you can’t make sure your family is completely comfortable in the Texas heat.
I checked the Chevy website to see if four-zone climate control was not picked for my tester and discovered that it’s not even available as an option. That’s mind-boggling to me, especially when I consider the amount of money necessary to buy this particular Silverado. My review vehicle started at nearly $49,000. After almost seven grand in options and a $1,095 destination charge, the rig seen in the galleries below was slapped with a sticker reading $56,965.
Outside, there were no glaring omissions. The front end, whose bold chrome headlight borders reminded me of those on the C/Ks from the 1980s, housed fog lamps and projector beam headlights. Everyone could easily climb into and out of the HC using the $700 six-inch chrome assist steps. (All I was missing was an interior driver assist handle to grab.) The fully lined bed was capable of carrying a payload of 1,957 pounds; up to 9,500 LBs could be hooked up to a hitch. Had I needed to carry something in the 68-inch box, I would’ve been able to easily reach the cargo using the back bumper’s convenient CornerStep. Unloading would’ve been a pleasant experience thanks to a quiet EZ-Lift and Lower Tailgate. You can see it in action in the following video.
I must not make an omission of my own, even though my honesty will out me as a serial small-car driver. Riding so high above the rest of traffic, listening to satellite radio and having 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque under my right foot made me feel as if I were driving a medium sized country. Having to climb down and get out repeatedly to check if I had my nose eating into an adjacent parking spot was similar to having to clean out my desk in front of my coworkers. A front/side camera combo on this 80-inch wide pickup would’ve helped me avoid getting my boss status temporarily revoked.
There were times during which the HC was not so bad-ass, too. (Click play below to see one of my complaints about it.) Its 6.2-liter V8 idled a little more roughly than I expected. In first gear, it had an annoying rubber band tendency. I would apply steady light throttle from a stop, and feel the power build and then noticeably slump. It felt as if the six-speed Hydra-Matic were awkwardly shifting to second. I grumbled about it almost every time I was behind the wheel.
However, when I wasn’t doing that, I was noting all of the things that made the HC so impressive. Its Monroney told no lies. Over the course of seven days, I fell just short of its 17 combined mpg figure, which splits the difference between the 14 city and 20 highway mpg numbers. (Compare those to the 12/16/13 (city/highway/combined) mpg ratings for the 2014 Ford F-150 4×4 with the 6.2L V8.) The ride was surprisingly smooth on the highway for such a large rig. It only got jiggly over larger-than-average bumps, which made me feel the range of travel in the 4×4 suspension. General Motors’ Active Fuel Management, which turned the big eight into a V4 under light load conditions such as coasting, carried out its duties without being noticed at all. Wind and road noises went equally unregistered. Their absence made listening to the Bose stereo even easier, as did the convenient placement of the volume controls behind the right side of the steering wheel.
My time with the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado High Country 4WD showed me that it was able to call the shots in a variety of conditions. It could get to an unfamiliar location in a relatively fuel-efficient manner, haul heavy loads and access a wealth of safety and infotainment technologies. The lux truck also served as my rolling corner office and granted me seven days of that sometimes-elusive “boss status.”
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
