When you take on the task of tracing the history
of pickup trucks, one sees that for years the “form-follows-function” mentality
was the name of the game. If a feature was discovered that did not improve the
efficiency or capability of a truck, it was quickly deemed not worth putting
into the production regimen. During the middle to late 20th century,
that principle began to steadily disintegrate, and convenience, as well as luxury
features from cars, began to gradually work their way into the beds and cabs of
trucks everywhere. Now, trucks that boast luxury-car levels of equipment are
common, and the rise of frequent technology use has changed the face of trucks
for good.
Everything from air suspensions for lowering the
truck to built-in steps began to appear, and even though trucks still regained
their traditional form, many different innovations began to checker the
landscape. One prime example of just how far things have come is downsized
turbo engines. Back in 1993, the Ford F-150 had a 302 cubic-inch V8, making
just 185 horsepower, and 270 lb-ft of torque. This year, GM released a
turbocharged 2.7-liter 4-cylinder for our trusty new Silverado
that generates 310 horsepower, and 348 lb-ft of torque. Forced induction is one
of the developments that is really taking the truck world by storm.
Trailers are one of the great perks of owning a
truck: you can haul goods, or even choose to move the kids to college without
ponying up for a formal U-haul. This is all well and good, until you may
encounter forces of nature that make you sorry you had ever thought of this
cross-country endeavor. High winds can really change your trailering plans in a
hurry, as the trailer may be tossed around, potentially causing damage to
anything you are trying so hard to transport safely. All of us here on sales
and service staff at Chuck Hutton are proud to show customers how awesome the
brake-based trailer sway-control system is: these factory systems will keep
drivers from having a flat-out heart attack every time the wind picks up.
The 2019 Chevy Silverado
makes use of a tow package that has cameras on hand to show close-up views of
the hitch and trailer, displayed conveniently on the Infotainment screen. This
can really make a huge difference: while it may not completely cut a two-or
three-person job down to just one, it really can help with the extreme close-up
and vital focus that is needed during the hitch process. It is fantastic that
trucks have become so much more than just trucks, yet at the core are the exact
same all-American workhorses that they always were. When you come to visit this
fall and test drive a new Chevy truck, ask us to show you all of the amazing
features: there are so many ways in which new technology has made the working
man and woman's vessel more productive!
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