Out of all the cars that dominate America, the most well known has to be that of the pickup truck. You won’t go through any road in the USA without seeing at least one truck.
If you only see one truck, you may very well not be in the USA! The pickup has come to almost embody the American spirit.
One of the biggest manufacturers of pickups in the USA is General Motors (GM). Through their various brands, they have been producing trucks for many years, including those of the Silverado and Sierra ranges.
This list contains some of the best GM pickup trucks ever built. 15 to be exact, all ranked. Number one might actually surprise you a bit.
But all of them are worthy of their place on this list. Because for one reason or another, they are all brilliant trucks, be they classics or some more modern editions from 2019.
14 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
It might look like a bit of an oddity, but the Chevrolet Avalanche from 2002 was quite a good truck, given its bizarre looks. It was very heavy duty and could take anything thrown at it, and those who bought one had a truck that was excellent value for money. Even now, it is a solid truck to own.
13 1973 Chevrolet C-30
Back in 1973, the C-30 was quite a statement of intent from Chevrolet, and it certainly changed the game a bit when it came to heavy-duty. It had excellent power, so heavy loads were really no issue. Plus its utilitarian looks belied the fact it was a rugged and durable machine, even if technology did supersede the truck a few years down the line.
12 1955 Chevrolet Pickup
Any Chevrolet pickup from the 1950s deserves a mention on a list like this. One thing that really makes these trucks worthy of a mention is their looks. By today's standards, they aren’t going to be able to haul that much of a load. But in terms of their design, they are second to none when it comes to striking looks.
11 2019 Chevrolet Silverado
The Silverado comes in for a bit of stick sometimes. Whilst it is a good truck, it can often fall short of its rival at Ford - the F150. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not one of GM’s best. Because it is. It is a rugged, powerful and dependable machine despite its odd reliability shortcomings. Plus, it’s popularity means it is easy to get fixed should an issue arise.
10 GMC GT 454 SS
What makes the GT 454 SS so special is not only it’s incredible looks, but also its rather great performance. For a truck anyway. A V8 engine and a dual exhaust, plus a solid two-wheel drive system meant that 0-60 was achieved in just under eight seconds, which for a truck is rather good performance indeed.
9 2009 Chevrolet Colorado
The Chevrolet Colorado emerged as a strong alternative to the Silverado, and it was certainly a lot less commonplace than its larger cousin. But, especially with its peak in 2009, it was a very good truck indeed and surpassed a lot of people's expectations. Even now, Colorado is a very good truck and many view it as better than the company’s flagship Silverado.
8 Chevrolet C/K
The Chevrolet C/K started out its life in the 1960s and rapidly became a firm favorite with pickup drivers. Various wheelbases were offered as well as two and four-wheel drive, and the truck was evolved over the years to become a lot more refined and more up to date as the decades went on. Some models have now become classics in their own right.
7 GMC Sierra 1500
GMC trucks don’t tend to get as much credit as those from Chevrolet, but that doesn’t make them any worse when it comes to quality. The Sierra 1500 is perhaps the best that the brand has to offer its customers. Like the Silverado, it is a rugged and dependable machine that is not going to offer you any surprises. It is a safe truck to buy, and one that will serve you well.
6 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Whilst the baseline Silverado is pretty good, the additional variants of the truck that GM and Chevrolet have to offer, go a long way to making it a great truck. The 2019 edition is keeping up that high reputation, and many are expected to last twenty plus years in the hands of their owners. It is one of the best-built trucks that money can buy.
5 2019 GMC Syclone
Another GMC truck that deserves some good press is the Syclone. An apt name for a pretty good truck. The original Syclone from the 1990s earned a lot of praise and became almost legendary. Whilst this edition is not quite on that level it is still fast, and rugged, and quite the homage to the original truck.
4 1991 GMC Syclone
And now, for the original Syclone. A high-performance variation of the company’s half-ton pickup, the Syclone was only in production for two years, 1991 and 1992. But it was fast, strong and the first production truck to feature anti-lock brakes. It was in some ways ahead of its time, and many are gutted that it was not around for long. But, it is certainly an exclusive and desirable collectible now.
3 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
The 2500 Silverado and the 2500HD edition very much build on the success of the base and 1500 models. A brilliant 13,000 to 14,3000Ibs towing capacity is quite spectacular and it comes with a whole host of modern features such as a touchscreen, and Wi-Fi too. Gimmicky to some perhaps, but slowly becoming essential to modern vehicles on the road.
2 2018 Chevrolet Colorado
The Current Colorado very much builds on the good baseline of the 2009 edition, which itself began production in 2004. It’s a bit smaller than the Silverado’s and that is reflected in it’s 7,700Ibs towing capacity. But it can still get a whole host of heavy work done, so it worth considering for those who perhaps don’t need a crazy towing capacity.
1 2006 Chevrolet Silverado Intimidator SS
The 2006 Silverado Intimidator’s primary aim was to mend the shortcomings of the Silverado SS. But the reason it is number one here, is because it pays tribute to the late, great, Dale Earnhardt Sr. It ran in a limited production run of 1,333 trucks, 3, of course, being Earnhardt’s number in NASCAR. It still remains one of the best Silverado’s that GM has ever built.
Sources: AutoWP, Wikipedia, Top Speed, Edmunds, YouTube