So far, I love having the Silverado to drive around town. It feels safe, comfortable, and the kids love it. While we didn’t get the crew cab to drive, it turns out that the extended cab gives us plenty of room for our family. The Silverado we have also has the Texas Edition package on it, which includes an upgraded engine, 20″ wheels, among several other upgrades. If I were to add accessories, here’s what I would add:

• Leather package: unless it was strictly a work truck. In that case, I’d stay with the cloth seats.
• Chevrolet Wi-Fi: making your car a hotspot is pretty sweet and convenient for those occasions where you are not near reliable, free Wi-Fi.
• Rear-view camera: for safety. If you go on the Silverado website, there is a version that is integrated with the rear-view mirror.
• Running boards: My wife is not very tall, and she would love a step.
• Crew cab: the extra room can be useful!
• ONLY if I had the crew cab, I would go for the optional center console.
• Power sliding rear window: seriously, how could you go wrong here?
• Lockable sliding toolbox: If you own a truck, you will often find yourself in a situation where something needs repair. A waterproof spot to keep some of your tools and roadside assistance kits is a must.
• For colors, definitely the Imperial Blue Metallic exterior with the Light Titanium interior to keep things cooler in the Texas summer.

What about things that might be nice like a bed liner? I am truly on the fence here on this one. If this was strictly a work truck, I would probably not bother. That said, a bed liner does come in handy when you are worried about scratching that paint or putting dings in the bed with a heavy haul. It also helps to keep cargo in the same place as you drive around town.

This certainly “Ain’t yo’ Daddy’s truck!”

Just looking over the downloadable Silverado catalog makes me salivate.

One note, I did find a bug in the software of the audio system as it relates to the iPod jack.  It made for a rather humorous situation, and I know exactly how to reproduce it. I was on the phone with my airline on the way to the airport, and was using the Bluetooth audio feature. I have an iPhone 4, and when you have lots of activity going on (on the phone, forgot to turn off Wi-Fi, screen backlit, Bluetooth enabled and in use) the battery can drain in an almost comical fashion.

I was about halfway through the call when the agent put me on hold, and I figured I would plug in the phone for a bit to top off the charge before hopping out at the airport.  When I plugged in the iPhone, I noticed that the hold music suddenly sounded different. I’m listening closely and I think I can hear some Third Eye Blind under the New Age Muzak. Surely my airline didn’t all the sudden feel like a cool ’90s kid.

When the agent came back on the phone, her hold Muzak was gone, but Third Eye Blind was still playing under her voice. Thinking it might be something with the bluetooth, I turned it off and brought the iPhone up to my ear, and was greeted with some classic Stephan Jenkins vocals so loud that I could not hear the agent any more. I wondered if the vehicle had just said “tell that fancy thing to PLAY” when I connected it, so I unplugged the iPhone and the music immediately stopped.

So until a patch comes available, be sure not to plug in your iPhone in the middle of a call made on Bluetooth.

In the meantime, ENJOY this beautiful Texas fall weather we are having!