First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Feb 28th 2009 at 6:32PM 
2009 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrid – Click above for high-res gallery
With the 2009 editions of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrids just now beginning to appear on dealer lots around the country, we decided it would be a good idea to strap ourselves behind the wheel of the fuel-saving duo to see what fuel efficiency improvements we could manage in some typical city driving scenarios. Plus, there's all kinds of techno-wizardry at play as soon as the driver's right loafer touches the go-pedal, so we were keenly interested to see if The General was able to harness the power of three distinct power sources (one gas engine, two electric motors) while keeping everything smooth and controlled as one would expect from a $40,000 pickup truck.
Interested? Click here for the whole story on AutoblogGreen.
Photos Copyright ©2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Ed 6:45PM (2/28/2009)
It's amazing to me how much better the grille on the Sierra makes the entire truck look over the Silverado.
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Pokey 8:36PM (2/28/2009)
Yes, I agree, but it's more than just the grill. All of the sheet-metal on the Sierra, except the cab, is different than the Silverado.
Alex 9:48PM (2/28/2009)
i no its random but
RIP Paul Harvey :(
David H. 6:57PM (2/28/2009)
I crunched a few numbers and found that the cost to drive 10,000 miles at $3 a gallon in the 15 mpg silverado 1500 is $1998. The cost to drive that same distance at $3 a gallon in the 21 mpg hybrid version is $1428.
So the savings over 10,000 city miles is $570. Assuming a a generously low price difference of $8,000, it'd take 140,000 city miles to make up the cost of the hybrid in money saved on gas.
Sorry, but I don't see a point to this.
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Jay 7:02PM (2/28/2009)
everyone and their mother has known for years that hybrids aren't all that efficient when you consider how much more they cost, its the same for all of them
Torrent 7:27PM (2/28/2009)
Jay:
Honda's $18K Insight says hi.
letstakeawalk 7:34PM (2/28/2009)
The point is, ig GM didn't do this (add hybrid drive-trains and attempt to improve mpgs), they'd be excoriated in the media and by the government for making full-size pick-ups.
It's not about what GM does, it's about how they are perceived in the new "green" economy".
Also, remember the old chestnut that more gas is saved by improving the mileage of the worst-performing vehicles sold in the greatest volumes, than improving the mpg of smaller cars that are sold in smaller numbers?
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/the-illusion-of-miles-per-gallon/
HotRodzNKustoms 7:38PM (2/28/2009)
Well you do have to keep in mind that GM trucks routinely see 200k+ miles with their owners (my father has 150k miles on his 03 Sierra Duramax he bought new), but the biggest thing is so that you can own a pick up and feel "socially responsible" (South Park's SMUG effect) which is an intangible that is hard to put a price on. Personally if SMUG could destroy Sacramento I would be happy.
Polly Prissy Pants 8:32PM (2/28/2009)
I suppose if you don't care about trying to reduce pollution or cutting down on imported oil then yea, what's the point.
Gary 8:34PM (2/28/2009)
You save a lot more money on gas when you have a large vehicle that's been hybridized compared to a small fuel sipper that's been hybridized. I remember when I read a story somewhere about a hybrid scooter, I rolled by eyes so much they almost got stuck there.
http://www.mpgillusion.com/
Nude Love 9:01PM (2/28/2009)
1. As gas prices get higher, the amount of of money saved will become greater.
2. Just drive the truck for over 140,000 miles. Problem solved.
Len_A 10:01PM (2/28/2009)
that's true for all hybrids, in comparing them the price of a comparable gas version, or comparable sized conventional car. The price premium for hybrids, which is never going away, doesn't give me an incentive to buy one.
Sea Urchin 1:04AM (3/01/2009)
@ letstakeawalk
Well different companies chose different paths, Toyota went with green and as a result build an excellent pick up truck that probably does not sell as well as D3 trucks because of a perception that D3 make more powerful, better trucks. D3 build big trucks which leads to perception that they make vehicles with poor MPGs. That sword cuts both ways. The difference is that when Toyota or Honda make green cars, they try to make money on them, when they make gas guzzlers they make even more money on them. With D3, they make money on gas guzzlers...................and no money at all in anything that gets 25+ MPGs. That is the difference and you can see the result.
Sea Urchin 1:06AM (3/01/2009)
@ PollyPrisyPants
"I suppose if you don't care about trying to reduce pollution or cutting down on imported oil then yea, what's the point."----------------------Keep that dirty mouth of yours close. Environment is there to be destroyed and saudi arabia is our best friend.
Len_A 8:22AM (3/01/2009)
@Sea Urchin, Toyota's Tundra hasn't sold well for the same reason that Nissan's Titan hasn't sold well. They look good on paper, but in actual use they're at best average pick-up trucks. Average fuel economy, average handling, and the fact is that in the case of all three Detroit automakers, their pick-up trucks have been constantly improved.
Jim 12:28PM (3/01/2009)
How long does it take usually for a truck to get 140000 miles? Gas prices could shoot up to much more than $3 a gal before then. So, I don't think this is a fair comparison.
danrm 12:49PM (3/01/2009)
GM has to do something to get their CAFE numbers higher. And eventually through higher production the costs will come down.
JF 4:44PM (3/01/2009)
Polly Prissy Pants,
Making a bunch of extra batteries cuts down on pollution?
Gary 11:50AM (3/02/2009)
I've been hammering away about this for a long time. To make up the difference in the extra price of a hybrid over it's non-hybrid cousin, makes buying a hybrid a questionable.
Max 2:09AM (3/01/2009)
Jay,
Not true for all hybrids, some of them pay off within 6 years. And besides, there's people that want to reduce the amount of pollution they cause. Not everyone thinks with their wallets, ya know?
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