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Review: 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid is all swing, all miss

July 15, 2010 in 2010, 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, 2010ChevroletSilveradoHybrid, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, ChevroletSilveradoHybrid, GM truck, GmPickup, GmTruck, Hybrid Pickup, HybridPick-up, HybridPickup, HybridPickupTruck, HybridTruck, Reviews, Silverado, Silverado Hybrid, SilveradoHybrid, featured, gm pickup, hybrid, hybrid pick-up, hybrid pickup truck, hybrid truck, review by Zach Bowman

Filed under: Hybrid, Truck, Chevrolet, GM, Reviews

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.

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