Used 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Half-ton pickups like the Chevy Silverado 1500 are invariably the best-selling vehicles in the United States. They can’t all be sold for work purposes, though. After all, why use a truck capable of off-road thrills to carry plumbing equipment? Or why mess up a luxurious leather-and-wood truck cabin with muddy boots?

The point of a truck like the 2023 Silverado 1500 is that it can be many things to many people. And it doesn’t drive like the old-school stuff. The Silverado 1500 is no lumbering lump with the dynamics of a mobile home.

An all-electric Silverado arrives for the 2024 model year. The harder-working 2023 Silverado HD truck range gets reviewed separately.

Don’t write off the base engine just because it has four cylinders. Thanks to a turbocharger, it makes more torque than the 5.3-liter V8 and almost as much as the top two engines. And torque is arguably more important than horsepower — it’s what gets things moving.

Then again, a full-size pickup like the Chevy Silverado 1500 is such an American vehicle that a V8 seems like an obvious choice. Luckily, there are two available, providing a choice of 355 or 420 horsepower.

The larger of the two opens the door to the Silverado 1500’s maximum towing figure of 13,300 pounds. However, this can also be achieved with the optional turbodiesel engine — while returning better fuel economy.

On the other side of the work coin is payload. Depending on the variant, these figures go from 1,440 to 2,300 pounds. That lowest number belongs to the ZR2 — in fairness, not meant to be the ultimate work truck.

Instead, the ZR2 comes with a specialized off-road suspension and tires, plus extra underbody protection and a standard 4-wheel-drive system. It’s not a direct rival to something like the more extreme Ford F-150 Raptor, though.

Wherever there’s a 4-wheel-drive system in a new Silverado 1500 truck, it comes with a transfer case and low-range gearing, which can really help in sticky and/or tricky situations.

In general, the Silverado 1500 rides comfortably, yet with the right amount of body control. And with things like steering and brakes requiring just the right amount of effort for driver input. This full-size truck feels smaller than it actually is. The most luxurious High Country trim can also come with optional adaptive suspension for an even finer degree of cushioning.

Versions of the 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 truck with the regular cab have seating for three, with a 40/20/40 bench. The double and crew cabs can accommodate five or six occupants. The crew cab has the best rear legroom of the lineup — a generous 43.4 inches.

In keeping with its utilitarian vibe, the Work Truck comes with vinyl on its seats. Mid-range trims have cloth upholstery, and there are leather seating surfaces in the higher trims.

No doubt buyers of the Work Truck and the Custom trims aren’t too concerned with the basic and somewhat dated nature of their interiors. They also have a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen, for example.

It’s at the LT level where things perk up considerably. This is when a 13.4-inch touchscreen comes in, along with a 12.3-inch digital driver information display.

Cab formats for the 2023 Silverado 1500 are — in ascending order of spaciousness — regular, double, and crew. Only the regular cab offers the long bed, measuring 98 inches. The other two have the choice of the short (70 inches) or standard (80 inches).

Bed volumes range from 62.9 to 89.1 cubic feet. And there are 12 tie-down points. LED lighting for the cargo area is standard in all but the base Work Truck model, which offers it as an option. The top High Country trim has the option of retractable steps for bed access, but even the lowly Work Truck has a corner step in the rear bumper.

The Work Truck runs on 17-inch steel wheels, and the rest have alloy wheels. The largest wheel available on the options list is 22 inches in diameter. And the ZR2 off-road specialist deploys Goodyear Wrangler Territory Mud Terrain tires.

Fresh colors for this year are Radiant Red Tintcoat, Sterling Gray Metallic, and Harvest Bronze Metallic. A protective film is now offered for the front end.

MULTI-FLEX TAILGATE
This clever arrangement of two tailgates in one provides six load/access features. It can be a step into (and out of) the bed, a work surface, or provide extra hauling versatility. Available at every trim level of the Chevy Silverado 1500.

SUPER CRUISE
First seen in a Cadillac, Super Cruise is a hands-free and feet-free self-driving system that works on specially designated roads. There are 200,000 miles of them in North America so far. It even functions when there’s a trailer hooked up. It’s just a shame that such cool tech is only optional in the top High Country trim.

WIRELESS APPLE CARPLAY/ANDROID AUTO

No more fishing around in pockets or purses, searching for the phone. The 2023 Silverado 1500 connects without a cable — from the LT trim and up, that is. The lower trims still require the wire for smartphone integration.

WI-FI
Standard in the one-up-from-base Custom trim, Wi-Fi can turn a new Chevy Silverado 1500 into a mobile office, help perform tasks like ordering parts, and y’know, watching cat videos during the lunch break.

TRAILERING CAMERA SYSTEM
This comes in at the LTZ level, providing drivers with 14 views of their truck and trailer, including one where the trailer can “disappear,” showing a clear view behind.

MAX TRAILERING PACKAGE
This options bundle adds extra cooling, stronger rear springs, revised tuning of the shock absorbers, and a tougher rear axle.

The basic engine for a 2023 Silverado 1500 half-ton pickup is a turbocharged 2.7-liter 4-cylinder unit developing 310 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. Despite the use of a turbocharger, regular fuel is still okay.

This connects to an 8-speed automatic transmission, with rear-wheel drive (RWD) as the standard setup, or 4-wheel drive (4WD, with a low-speed transfer case) available as an option.

The first V8 offered is a 5.3-liter version making 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. A 10-speed automatic transmission is deployed here, with the same rear-drive/4-wheel drive arrangement.

This V8 is standard in the LTZ and High Country trims, optional in the Work Truck, LT, RST, and Trail Boss versions.

You get a maximum towing capacity of 13,300 pounds with the 6.2-liter V8 generating 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. It’s another job for the 10-speed automatic transmission here, and this engine connects exclusively to a 4-wheel-drive system. It’s standard in the ZR2, optional in the RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, and High Country trims. Premium gasoline is recommended for this engine.

Both V8s offer a Dynamic Fuel Management system that can deactivate up to six cylinders when demands are particularly light.

Chevy also provides the option of a turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine running on diesel for maximum towing and optimum fuel economy. Rear-wheel drive is standard, 4-wheel drive is optional, and a 10-speed automatic carries out the transmission duties.

This turbodiesel is available with the Custom Trail Boss, LT, LT Trail Boss, RST, LTZ, and High Country trims.

2.7-liter turbocharged inline-4
310 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm
420 lb-ft of torque @ 3,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19 mpg/22 mpg (RWD), 18 mpg/21 mpg (4WD)

5.3-liter V8
355 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm
383 lb-ft of torque @ 4,100 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17 mpg/21 mpg (RWD), 16 mpg/20 mpg (4WD)

6.2-liter V8
420 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm
460 lb-ft of torque @ 4,100 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16 mpg/20 mpg, 14/17 mpg (ZR2)

3.0-liter turbocharged diesel inline-6
277 horsepower @ 3,750 rpm
460 lb-ft of torque @ 1,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 24 mpg/29 mpg (RWD), 22 mpg/27 mpg (4WD)