The full-size American pickup is perhaps the most utilitarian vehicle on the market. Now that most “lifestyle buyers” have left the segment—meaning fewer 110-pound soccer moms toting 60-pound kids in these 18-foot-long behemoths—the remaining truck buyers value capability above all else.
So GM made sure the first pickup trucks that use its Two-Mode Hybrid system would be fully as capable as their non-hybrid brethren. The 2WD versions of the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid—and its all-but-identical twin, the 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid—proudly trumpet the crucial stats for full-size pickups. They can tow up to 6,100 pounds and still deliver 21 mpg (city) / 22 mpg (highway). Each of the trucks started to reach dealers in early 2009.
2009 Chevrolet Sierra Hybrid.
Pricing for a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2WD Crew Cab Hybrid starts at ,995; adding the luxury package takes it up to ,155. A 2009 GMC Sierrra 4WD Hybrid in the high-line model runs ,675.
At a February launch in San Antonio, Texas, GM offered an array of hybrid pickups. We also had the choice of towing a 5400-pound SeaRay powerboat on its trailer, or a horse trailer with 5,100 pounds of ballast. Until now, no hybrid on earth could handle those loads—and no standard pickup capable of towing either could return more than 20 miles per gallon.
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