2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid

2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery For every engineering stroke of genius out there, there are a million duds – projects that someone slaved over in good faith, only to realize that someone else had already come to market with a superior and/or more viable alternative. Both the electronic and automotive industries are awash with tales of second-place finishes in two-man races. Blu-ray vs. HD DVD, VHS vs. Betamax and Oldsmobile vs. Edsel are all stories of outright champions and also-rans. It's rarer, however, to see a company build and sell an ugly duckling right alongside the varsity all-stars of the family, which is exactly what General Motors has done with its 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid. It's clear that GM desperately wants to mix the seemingly unblendable worlds of full-size pickup trucks and hybrids with its electrified Silverado, and to some degree, they've succeeded. Yes, our tester has a bed, four-wheel drive and a meaty V8 up front. And yes, it packs an electric motor and a mammoth battery pack. But the finished product feels like the road-going equivalent of a spork – a utensil to be used as a last resort. The only problem is, there are far better alternatives, many of which are available from The General's stable. %Gallery-97545% Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc. For 2010, the Silverado Hybrid is nearly indistinguishable from its conventional cousins. Chevrolet designers have finally deleted the gaudy HYBRID decals we saw slathered down both sides of the cab when we first drove it early last year, and we couldn't be happier. The fenders and tailgate still wear attractive hybrid badges, but otherwise, the truck is largely interchangeable with its less expensive family members. By now, the world has largely made up its mind on the merits of the new's Silverado styling, so we won't waste anyone's time by nitpicking. However, we note that the pickup's hybrid nature has dictated an emphasis on improved aerodynamics for better mpg numbers, so this Silverado wears a low-hanging front airdam that shivers at the thought of steep parking lot entrances and gets hung on most parking barriers. This, on a four-wheel drive model. Things don't get much better inside. We typically wait until the end of a review to beat you over the head with a vehicle's MSRP, but in this case, it's important to point out that our particular 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid carried a sticker of $41,490 without destination charges. Throw in the $995 it takes to get the truck to your local dealer and you're knocking on the door of $43,000 – without a single option. Our tester carried cloth seats, acres of cheapish plastic dash materials and not much else. We did have the benefit of dual-zone climate control, power windows and locks, along with satellite radio, but at this price point, that's like saying the vehicle also comes with windshield wipers. It damn well better. But don't get us wrong. We …
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