2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Package $29,990

All-purpose vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado can haul passengers and plywood and tow trailers up steep grades without breaking a sweat. It's one of the reasons why the modern full-size truck is one of the most popular vehicles on the road today. They come in many forms, from a sparsely equipped, three-seat workhorse to leather-wrapped people haulers. Fully loaded crew-cab models even rival full-size luxury sedans in terms of rear seat legroom and creature comforts. The 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is no different, offering a variety of cab and bed configurations and tons of available features. But several aspects of the Silverado help distinguish it from its rivals. If you live in California, you could check out the LT model's eAssist package, which adds an electric motor and regenerative brakes to support an engine start-stop system. This mild-hybrid system raises EPA estimates for the 5.3-liter V8 and eight-speed automatic transmission combo by 1 to 2 mpg all around. New for this year is the Teen Driver system, which allows users to obtain notifications whenever certain parameters (such as a maximum speed or emergency safety systems) are breached or triggered by a secondary driver, such as a valet or teenager. A number of appearance packages are also available to differentiate your Silverado from the crowd. Standard safety features on the 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 include antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, front and rear seat side airbags, and side curtain airbags. Also standard on all trim levels is the Teen Driver watchdog feature, which can be used to set certain parameters for secondary drivers such as teens and valets. All Silverados except the Work Truck come with OnStar, which includes services such as automatic crash notification, roadside assistance, remote door unlocking and stolen vehicle assistance. Options include a rearview camera (available on all trim levels except Custom), front and rear parking sensors, and the Enhanced Driver Alert package. This suite of driver aids adds a lane departure warning and intervention system, a forward collision warning system with low-speed emergency braking, and the Safety Alert seat that buzzes the driver seat bottom as an additional form of warning. In government crash tests, the Silverado earned a perfect overall five-star rating, with five stars awarded for both total front-impact and side-impact protection and four stars for rollover protection. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing, the Silverado 1500 earned the top rating of Good in the moderate-overlap front-impact, side-impact and roof strength tests. In that agency's small-overlap front-impact test, the Silverado received the second-lowest Marginal rating. The Silverado's seat/head restraint design was rated Good for whiplash protection in rear impacts. During Edmunds' braking test, a 2WD Silverado Regular Cab came to a stop from 60 mph in 122 feet, a very short stopping distance for a full-size pickup. A heavier and larger 2WD Silverado Crew Cab came to a stop from 60 mph in 128 feet, still a few feet shorter than average. The 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 full-size pickup is available in three cab styles: the two-door regular cab, the four-door extended (Double) cab and the crew cab. The regular cab seats three and can be had with either a 6.5-foot-long standard bed or an 8-foot-long bed. The extended cab can seat up to six and comes only with the standard bed. The crew cab adds full-size rear doors and increased rear legroom and is available with the standard bed or a shorter 5-foot-8-inch bed. All cab and cargo bed configurations can be ordered with two- or four-wheel drive. Regular cabs are limited to the Work Truck (WT), LS and LT trims. The extended cabs come in WT, LS, Custom, LT and LTZ trims, and the crew cab comes in all the aforementioned trim levels (except the Silverado Custom) as well as the plush High Country. The off-road-oriented Z71 package can be ordered in LT and LTZ models with four-wheel drive. The LS adds stainless steel finish wheels, chrome bumpers and grille, power and heated mirrors, deep-tinted glass, power windows, remote locking and unlocking, and the upgraded infotainment system. The Silverado Custom is similar to the LS but receives special exterior trim, front tow hooks and 20-inch alloy wheels (remote locking/unlocking is deleted but can be added back by selecting the Convenience package). From the LS, stepping up to the LT adds an EZ Lift and Lower tailgate, alloy wheels, body-colored door handles and mirrors, a rearview camera, cloth upholstery (with adjustable lumbar support for the driver), carpeting, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, an upgraded driver information display, and an 8-inch touchscreen with HD radio, satellite radio and a CD player. Double and crew-cab models with front bucket seats also get a floor-mounted console with wireless phone charging.