2019 Silverado

[Ace-Garageguy]

Today's apparent truck styling doctrine:

Slap together a random collection of totally unrelated creases, droops, lines, bulges, holes and folds.

This is easily accomplished in your computer, using the popular "Pick-n-Stick a Styling Element" program, and takes no thought or effort.

Do not strive for unity-of-design or beauty, because our Postmodernist bleating-sheep world-view teaches that those are obsolete and subjective concepts, and not everybody will like anything you come up with anyway. So, because you can't please everyone, try to achieve mediocrity that will be sorta acceptable to as many people as you can...and looks as much like what the other kids companies are doing as possible (without looking exactly like them).

And remember, everyone is a winner, and everyone is equal...whether they actually are or not. That's only fair. Make sure the member of the styling team who has no talent whatsoever but graduated for just showing up has equal design input as the member of the team who's really really good.

Edited December 18, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[iamsuperdan]

Hmm...

 

The more I see the "real" pics as opposed to the staged and airbrushed publicitiy shots, the more I like it.

 

[Rob Hall]

The fender tabs between the light clusters is a similar treatment to the current Tahoe/Suburban.  

[Brizio]

I like it, I would like to see it with chrome bumper.

[Casey]

55 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

And remember, everyone is a winner

Bill, what if I told you Chevy has won more J.D. Power Initial Quality awards than any other manufacturer for five years running?

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 minutes ago, Casey said:

Bill, what if I told you Chevy has won more J.D. Power Initial Quality awards than any other manufacturer for five years running?

In that case, I would remind you of the GM ignition switch debacle, which may ultimately cost the company $10 BILLION (but would have cost the company only 57 cents per vehicle to fix prior to production).

June 5, 2014: An internal inquiry by Anton Valukas, a former U.S. attorney, into the ignition switch recall finds an 11-year "history of failures" and "a pattern of incompetence and neglect."

Links here:

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2017/04/24/gm-ignition-switch/100837116/

https://www.npr.org/2014/03/31/297158876/timeline-a-history-of-gms-ignition-switch-defect

 

[mikemodeler]

15 minutes ago, Casey said:

Bill, what if I told you Chevy has won more J.D. Power Initial Quality awards than any other manufacturer for five years running?

Initial quality pertains to the first year of ownership, not how the vehicle holds up after the warranty period. 

As for the ignition switch issue, that is your typical corporate response to a problem. Imagine if the GM folks had been in charge at VW during the diesel cheating scandal?

I have finally found the current Silverado design acceptable and now they go and change it? Hmm, I will have to study this new design and get back to you. 

Edited December 18, 2017 by mikemodeler

[Ace-Garageguy]

6 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

Initial quality pertains to the first year of ownership, not how the vehicle holds up after the warranty period. 

Exactly. Things like rattles, how shiny the paint is, glaringly obvious fit issues, whether the heat blows hot and the AC blows cold, and other equally highly technical aspects of a vehicle that the typical consumer is qualified to judge...

Edited December 18, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[mikemodeler]

Just now, Ace-Garageguy said:

Exactly. Things like rattles, paint shine, obvious fit issues, whether the heat blows hot and the AC blows cold, and other equally highly technical aspects of a vehicle that the typical consumer is qualified to judge...

Perception is the only reality. Your expectations and mine are most likely different based on personal tastes. While I might not notice a little wind noise but can feel the transmission shifting hard, you find the transmission acceptable but notice the engine makes a peculiar noise at 45 mph!

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

Perception is the only reality...

Here's some "music" to go with that premise...

 

[iamsuperdan]

I've attached the official release that my GM fleet guy sent me yesterday.

I have a couple of production spots reserved now.

 

GM_Enterprise_EMails_Silverado T1 Campaign Dealer2-E.PDF

[Motor City]

Why are ALL of the truck bodies about 8 inches too high?  Who wants to look at the inner wheelhousings and exhaust?  Yet people keep buying them.  I'll take my El Camino any day!

[Ace-Garageguy]

In all honesty and fairness, I actually LIKE the overall shape, major lines, and proportions of the new Chevy.

What puts me off is the absolutely unnecessary complication of the detail design, and the tortured sheetmetal where the front fender blends into the door. 

The grille / front bumper styling is just too complex, period. It's like every member of the team was allowed to make a mark on the drawing, and nobody ever bothered to actually integrate them into something coherent.

And the character line that droops under the mirror, fades out, and then magically reappears farther back on the truck looks like crapp.

Raise the mirror a tick, and continue the line all the way down the side of the vehicle.

OR,  remove the upper crease from the front door, and bring the character line back on the rear door, echoing in reverse the front fender treatment.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 minutes ago, Motor City said:

Why are ALL of the truck bodies about 8 inches too high?  

I think a lot of it is compensating for a lack of inches in other areas.   

[iamsuperdan]

The problem with trucks now (and most vehicles for that matter) is that they are overstyled. Too many crease and curves and edges. Crazy shapes on grilles and lights. Needlessly complex.

I think Lexus is the worst offender for that.

 

As for the wheel well gaps, this particular truck is the Trail Boss trim level, meaning it's the "offroad" edition, therefore has a factory lift. The standard GM half tons are significantly lower. In fact, the half tons from all manufacturers are quite low, with very little wheel well gap visible. The HD trucks are a different story all together.

 

 

 

[Matt Bacon]

41 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

And the character line that droops under the mirror, fades out, and then magically reappears farther back on the truck looks like crapp.

Ahh... but not a line, that's the swoosh that makes it go faster...

Seriously, I think all these big pickups look equally rubbish. They're covered in the worst excesses of functionless form you can find on the globe today, and that includes the entire production of the Chinese and Indian auto industries. I don't believe that every car should be designed by a wind tunnel alone -- beauty matters, building your brand and driving your sales. But as Bill says, a coherent vision and style brought by a talented leader are pretty essential to achieving a good outcome from the design project.

best,

M.

(Actually, maybe the problem is too much function: the basic requirements are the same, so the manufacturers can't make them very different in overall dimensions, power, performance, layout or packaging, so the only individuality left to them is the skinning and the badges...)

Edited December 19, 2017 by Matt Bacon

[iamsuperdan]

25 minutes ago, Matt Bacon said:

 

(Actually, maybe the problem is too much function: the basic requirements are the same, so the manufacturers can't make them very different in overall dimensions, power, performance, layout or packaging, so the only individuality left to them is the skinning and the badges...)

You are so right! My job is vehicles, and I deal with this every day. When comparing trucks, they're pretty much all the same. No I know that all the manufacturers say they have the best fuel economy, and best towing, and best resale, and best reliability, and blah blah.

But the reality in the real world is that payload, towing, fuel economy, equipment, dimensions, cost, warranty, reliability...they're all pretty much the same. It really comes down to which one you like driving and looking at. 

[Bainford]

I am simply amused that a truck the size of a house is adorned with a name that suggests it is a worthy trail vehicle. No matter anyway really, since the majority of the units sold will never negotiate anything more daunting than a mall parking lot.

[iamsuperdan]

53 minutes ago, Bainford said:

I am simply amused that a truck the size of a house is adorned with a name that suggests it is a worthy trail vehicle. No matter anyway really, since the majority of the units sold will never negotiate anything more daunting than a mall parking lot.

There are actually some very capable off road vehicles being built now. The Jeep Wrangler is still around, the F150 Raptor and Ram Rebel can both handle offroad very well, Nissan and Toyota have several models with better suspension and locking rear diffs, the Chev Colorado ZR2 can easily tackle offroad. I drive a 2018 Ram Power Wagon with front and rear lockers, swaybar disconnects, low range 4wd, and factory suspension lift.

Like you say though, very few people will ever use these features. I do, but I'm in the minority for sure.

It's kind of the same as these car guys though. No one can use 700hp or a 200mph top speed. But it's nice to have.

 

[Fabrux]

Did anyone else notice the 2019 Ram has switched to six lug wheels?

[cobraman]

I think all the trucks look good from some angles and they all look bad from other angles. IMO

[Matt Bacon]

2 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

There are actually some very capable off road vehicles being built now.

...and quite a few are being built by Land Rover... despite the fact that most people will never use the capability, and some might baulk at taking their "luxury limo" to the edge, a Range Rover will go pretty much anywhere a car might even think of going:

The pace is a bit slow, and I'm afraid the commentary is all in Russian, but they definitely have a better class of Top Gear presenter over there... ;-P

best,

M.

 

 

 

[martinfan5]

I like the all black instead of chrome on the Silverado, this is 2018 almost, Chrome is so rose colored glasses era and just looks out place on most new vehicles.

[iamsuperdan]

1 minute ago, martinfan5 said:

I like the all black instead of chrome on the Silverado, this is 2018 almost, Chrome is so rose colored glasses era and just looks out place on most new vehicles.

Just wait.

This is the Trail Boss trim level. The SIlverado will also have LS, LT, and LTZ trim levels, all of which will have chrome bumpers, grilles, and/or door handles!

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

I'd buy this. I'd even sell off a couple of other vehicles to do it. Put a little shorter rubber on it, I'd be a happy guy. And it looks like it wouldn't mind getting all muddy.