All Terrain Outdoors Vehicle Test:
2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD
Ray (Hawkeye) Sedorchuk
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Hard-core truck owners are in for a serious surprise, the 
introduction of the new 2008 Chevrolet Silverado trucks. Here is a truck that has the Silverado an icon amongst tough truck owners everywhere. The new Silverado pickup is not your granddaddy’s bench seated pick-em-up truck. Today’s Silverado is still setting the standard on toughness but Chevrolet has moved to a more refined vehicle. The new more ergonomically friendly design is more about comfort, best possible ride, great control, and features. The day of basic AM radio and three speed heater fan controls are gone forever. Our test truck is the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado LT, 2500HD, crewcab, 4x4 with the Z71 off-road package, and Duramax Diesel engine with Allison transmission.
This is an elaborate description of a new model truck but the highly structured package is truly a truck owner’s dream vehicle. Our tester’s 
sticker price came in at around $50,000. Chevrolet has placed a powerful 6.6 liter Duramax Diesel engine and heavy-duty Allison 6-speed automatic transmission into a platform that’s called a pick-up but resembles more of a high-end SUV. The Allison also offers the operator a manual pick and shift option through the 6 forward gears via-a handy push button up-down control located on the automatic steering column gear selector. The ability to manually shift gearing is a great function when it comes to towing, especially when ascending and descending steep inclines and towing. Our test vehicle is designed as a crewcab pickup with a heavy-duty work ethic. Standing behind the truck line is GM’s 100,000-mile/5-year powertrain limited warranty. When it comes to the $8000 up-grade with a Duramax and Allison, we have to wonder about the warranty since this combination is expected to last near a half-million miles. Well, it’s always best to have the warranty even if it’s not needed.
In 2007, GM made many improvements to the Duramax engine to meet the new clean diesel specifications. These changes included a 
new turbocharger with continuous boost resulting in a more efficient engine with lower emissions. This cleaner burn is also due to an improved fuel injection system which burns a cleaner Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel or B5 bio-diesel. This up-graded Duramax is more environmentally friendly, is quieter, gets around 16 MPG, and starts remotely with the help of new instant heat glow-plugs.
You’ll find the inside of the new Silverado to be extremely luxurious. All the aspects of the interior are smooth, clean, and come together nicely to produce a well appreciated and comfortable cabin. Our test truck was very-close to the best Chevy has to offer. Just think, a heavy-duty pickup equipped with leather seating front and back. The back uses a 40/60 split rear seat that folds up for even more storage. The open rear cabin supplies plenty of storage space, great for groceries, the family pet or luggage. Up front, you’ll find a spacious seating area with a great center console with moveable and removable cup holders and a third 12 volt power supply located inside the console. Up front occupants have dual climate control settings so comfort is at your fingertips. Should you be a music lover, the Bose sound system will keep you energized. The elegant dash sports large round instrument displays with a driver’s information system that gives more information than the morning news. Oh and if you should need a morning stock quote, just push the On-Star button and your virtual adviser will give you the numbers. The interior design is either covered in leather or a covering closely resembling a rubberized coating.
The structure of this article changed several times, originally the story started as a vehicle review but our momentum picked up and 
GM as well as a few aftermarket companies joined in with a few up-grades. Before long we had what many would call the ultimate traveling rig. The up-grades covered convenience, style, function, as well as storage. The 2008 Silverado is already and impressive vehicle and now with access to GM’s complete accessory line, over 100 items.
Accessories can be a disappointment but not when it came to the GM line. In this case, GM engineers worked closely during design and built the accessories line out front, instead of building the truck and fitting the accessories later. GM designed the accessories as the new Silverado was being designed. The results are a better fit, more reliable items, and applicable products for a diversified truck line.
Our test vehicle was sent to Valley Chevrolet and here qualified GM representatives outfitted our Silverado with a set of 6“ oval running 
boards, a full set of seat covers, up-graded floor mats, and in the truck bed, a Bed Rug and GM’s excusive Cargo Management System. Frank Wallace, Valley Chevrolet service manager was prompt and did everything possible to make our truck experience the best it can be. GM dealers are great to work with and take great amounts of pride in their service and GM products. We whole-heartedly endorse Valley Chevrolet, their sales and Frank Wallace’s service team provide everything needed
There are two types of truck owners, those that like an open bed and those that like a bed cover to keep their gear safe and dry. Our project would look at a covered bed and the best of both worlds, a 
soft tonneau cover and a fiberglass truck cap. We opted to work with two of the best manufacturers in the industry, first Agri-Cover, Inc. and Leer Truck Accessories. Just as there are two types of truck bed owners, covered and open bed. There are also two types of covered bed options, a bed cover and a truck cap.
Let’s start with Agri-Cover’s new Access roll-up cover which installs with out drilling any holes in your truck box and locks from the inside. The Access uses an automatic latching system and uses an EZ-dial adjustment system to keep the tonneau cover tight.
Secondly there’s the fiberglass truck cap which will offer more storage space and give the owner many new options. When it comes to truck caps look to Leer Truck Accessories for one of the best truck 
caps in the industry. Leer offers a Special Edition Browning package for the outdoors. This cap is equipped with two interior lights, full interior rug, lockable gun storage, a drop-down clothing hanger, and the Thule Tracker II roof-rack system. Just think about a day in the field with your new Silverado crew-cab 4x4. The truck has room for five and enough storage space for almost any amount of gear. This tricked out truck has taken comfort and efficiency to the next level. Inside the truck bed is a Bed Rug, a specially designed carper bed liner made specifically for durability and comfort. Next, the GM excusive Cargo management system gives storage in many levels, enabling aluminum storage boxes to hold all your gear and slide from front to back inside the box. There is even a smaller aluminum box which removes easily and can be taken into the field. Put all that comfort and versatility inside the new Leer 100XL, Browning Edition cap or Agri-Cover, Access tonneau cover and you have the ultimate hunting package.
Side Bar Section:
GM Cargo Management System
GM’s exclusive Cargo Management System is designed to make the most out of your pick-up and its bed. Hauling cargo has always been a chore but with the new cargo management system there are plenty of options to keep your cargo and gear stowed most efficiently.
GM’s Cargo Management System is a complete system of dealer-ordered accessory packages for the bed of your truck. The base structure of the CMS (Cargo Management System) is three dealer installed rails that run the length of the pick-up box sides and the forward box wall. These aluminum rails are secured with high-strength anchors and incorporate upper and lower tracks. Included are four adjustable tie-down brackets that can be located anywhere on the tracks. Each is rated for a load point of 500 pounds (227 kg). That’s not all, also offered are a number of work and lifestyle accessories. First, a set of aluminum commercial overhead racks, great for light weight boats or canoes. Also, a line of aluminum work boxes, starting with a large tool or storage box and smaller removable tool or field box. The larger tool/storage box can be used to storing valuable firearms, clothing, decoys, and any outdoor related items. The smaller tool/field box can easily be removed for transport into the cabin or field, supplying dry storage for such items as dog training supplies, lunches, game calls, and hunting gear. Each of these boxes are secured with a "codeable locking system" - the ignition key can be coded to each lock so that it is the only key that will open these boxes. A big deal for owners who want to know their stuff is secure. Next, on the list, a bed divider and bike mount. All of these items slide front to back and lock with easy to use spring tension pins. Best of all, with acceptation to the overhead racks each accessory can be used with either a tonneau cover or truck cap.
LEER XL100, Browning Special Edition Truck Cap
Pick-up trucks have always been the handiest vehicles produced. They have been hauling items such as firewood, hay, camping gear, 
and wild game back from the field since day one. In the early days, truck owners needed a way to keep cargo out of the weather and safe. Ingenious individuals began making primitive coverings from sheet metal and plywood resembling a modern day truck cap. LEER is a company that has taken the truck cap to the highest level, producing many models with just as many options. Our GM test vehicle has been outfitted with the XL100 in the Browning Special Edition package. The XL100 does one better with its SUV characteristics, such as SUV style side windows and a frameless rear curved glass access door. This sleek cap has a low stance and has a great smooth look with no excess lines. Other features include an insulated roof, a single twist handle lock on the rear window, dome light, and tinted glass.
Even with eight truck cap models, LEER offers still more options with special edition packages, featuring a Fishing Edition, Adventure Edition, and the Browning Edition for hunters and outdoorsmen. New truck owners who enjoy the outdoors are going to love the Browning edition cap. LEER and Browning give truck owners all the features they could ask for, such as a complete set of Browning/LEER graphics, a ceiling-mounted lockable storage box for guns and other valuables, a fold-down clothes hanger, interior headliner, the Thule Tracker II Roof Rack system and a LEER/Thule Roof Rack Fairing. The XL100 Browning Edition cap sells for around $2,000 and is worth every penny. No truck cap is better prepared for the hunt!
AGRI-COVER INC. Access Roll-Up Cover
The Access Roll-Up Cover is another option to the hard truck cap. The Access Roll-Up Cover is lightweight, easy to install, and keeps dirt and water out. When it comes to a soft cover Access is the best performing, tightest, and sporty tonneau cover available. The Access 
cover installs in a few minutes with a sturdy steel frame that clamps to the side rails of your truck bed. Tight Bite clamps hold the frame in place and the XT-Dial is an adjustment wheel integrated into the cover which supplies a tight fit at all times. When you roll the cover out it will automatically click into place and from the inside a slide auto-latch locks the cover and keeps your cargo secure. Both sides lock one automatically and the other by hand with a slide lock, another patented feature by AGRI-Cover.
AGRI-Cover also puts together a product called TrailSeal® which is a tailgate gasket designed to seal the gaps around the perimeter of your tailgate keeping dust, rain and snow out of your truck bed. This product is installed with an adhesive backing and is priced at $29.00. The Access soft tonneau cover sells for $480 and both products ship free if purchased from their web-site, www.agricover.com
BEDRUG from Wise Industries
When it comes to really using your truck, the bed is the focus point. As you’ve seen with our up-graded Chevrolet Silverado, owners can 
really customize their trucks and truck beds. The starting point in any customization will always be a bedliner of some sort. The BedRug from Wise Industries is the most user friendly bed protection available. The BedRug is tough, soft and gives your truck the flexibility to work or play. Don’t be fooled this is not just a piece of carpet cut and glued together to form a bed liner. The BedRug is a material impervious to gas, oil, dirt, and hard work. The uses also include camping inside the truck as the BedRug is soft, warm and comfortable. Crawling inside your bed is a soft on the knees and can make a great place to sit or just relax. The BedRug can be purchased from your GM dealer for a price of around $500. For more information visit the GM website or BedRug.com.
Special Thanks:
All Terrain Outdoors would like to extend a special thanks to Frank Wallace and Valley Chevrolet for their part in our project. Frank and his service teem at Valley Chevrolet are prompt, knowledgeable, and offer first rate service. All Terrain Outdoors gives Valley Chevrolet our highest dealer ranking!
Parts & Service
221 Conyngham Ave
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702
(800) 722-8826
(570) 821-2778
(570) 281-2781
Ken Wallace’s Valley Chevrolet
601 Kidder Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
(877) 207-9214