Early GMT-K2 Chevy pickups, model years 2014 and 2015 specifically, are the pinnacle of modern truck design. I like to joke that all the best trucks have “square bodies and round lights, as God intended” but I do think there’s something to that. And these stack-light Silverados capture a classic-without-feeling-retro look that is just pure truck aesthetic perfection.
Why do I like the way this truck looks so much? It pretty much boils down to the fact that it’s composed almost entirely of dead-straight lines; even the wheel arches are square. Call me SpongeBob and crank up the Huey Lewis because I can not get enough square in my motor vehicle designs. Pickups tend to be boxy by default, the ’14 and ’15 Silverado takes square to the extreme.
There’s something else about this execution of Chevy truck that really does it for me, though. The 2014 face looks like a modernized GMT400 – another exceptional and now-classic truck design that ran through the ’90s. And that truck looked like a modernized version of the stacked-light C10 design from the early ’80s. It’s a continuation of exactly what a pickup truck should look like and it brings me a lot of joy.
Chevrolet has a whole website dedicated to its truck history timeline which has a bunch of great illustrations and images, but alas, the early ’80s square-light truck look is absent from it so I had to make my own little picture from older media images to show you what I’m talking about:
There you can see a late third-generation C/K truck on the left and an early fourth-gen GMT400 C/K on the right. Those third-gens are generally known for having round lights, as they did for most of their run, but the final models of that body style had square lights. In fact they’re often called “square body” trucks which is kind of funny since, you know, many trucks before and after it were also quite square.
If you grew up in the ’90s with me, I’m sure you recognize the similar stacked-light look, of the final Chevy truck design before the name “Silverado” was bestowed, on the right. That front end was also shared with its contemporary Suburban and Tahoe, making it one of the most common facias on American roads for a while there. You can tell the truck in the picture is an early one because of its split headlights and vertical grille slats, but the general shape didn’t change until 1999.
Back in the present, I can tell you that my friend and former colleague David Tracy and I talk about our love for the ’14 Silverado all the time. In fact, he might have blogged or tweeted about this at some point too because we’ve had some form of this conversation more than twice:
“Dude, the 2014 half-ton Silverado redesign is the best-looking modern truck.”
“Totally, it’s the perfect amount of squareness. Maximal.”
I’m paraphrasing, but, you get the point. We both like the way this truck looks a lot. Here’s a pseudo-cartoon Photoshop I made of the truck in question as a tribute to its right-angled beauty:
Granted, I wish the edge at the top of the windshield were just a little bit sharper, but I’ll forgive that very minor imperfection on this otherwise impeccable truck design.
The 2014 Silverado is considered a third-gen, since half-ton truck Chevy trucks started being known as “Silverado” at the end of the ’90s. But if we’re zooming out to just think of all basic GM pickups as the same model, the 2014 body style could be considered the 11th generation “Chevy truck.”
That third-gen Silverado was tragically facelifted after just two model years for reasons I’ll never understand, but the body style continued through 2019. I’m not entirely sure how easy it would be to put 2014 fenders, lights, hood, grille, and bumper on a 2019 truck but I think about it all the time. In fact – if you have any insight on that process I’m sincerely hoping you’ll speak up in the comment section.
Like most pickup trucks in recent history, the 2014-’15 trucks could be had with a V6, a healthy V8 (5.3 in this case), or a huge V8 (6.2 here) if you really want to scoot. Was there a mild hybrid variant or a natural gas version for fleets? Maybe, I don’t care.
Most have six-speed automatic transmissions; an eight-speed got added for the big V8s for 2015 along with more paint options (Rain Forrest Metallic, Deep Ocean Blue Metallic, Sunrise Metallic, Pewter Metallic).
My powertrain pick would be the smaller-but-plentiful L83 V8 with four-wheel drive. I go back and fourth on whether I’d rather rock a single cab, extended, or full four-door… I like ’em all. A short-bed short-cab would certainly be the coolest looking, but the body looks good as a “sedan” truck and I wouldn’t mind being able to remove the back seat and build an easy-access storage area.
Oh, yeah, and I’m totally putting an in-bed RV camper thing on the back so I have a little apartment to hang out in on the cross-country trips I hope to be taking my silver doe on. Will I get a deer decal and “Silver Doe” written in brush script across the side? Who can say, but yes. I guess in that particular fantasy it’d be nicer to have a lux-trim High Country, preferably with a tan interior, but it could be fun to take a base truck and reupholster it, too.
Anyway, I’ll stop forcing my daydreams upon you and leave you with a gallery of high-res 2014-2015 Silverado 1500 pictures to peep:
Chevrolet Silverado LT Z71 2014 5.3L V-8 EcoTec3 AFM VVT DI (L83) 2014 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Z71 2014 Chevrolet Silverado High Country 2015 Chevrolet Silverado High Country 2015 Chevrolet Silverado High Country 2015 Chevrolet Silverado High Country Chevrolet Certified Service Rescue Squad 2015 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ (with majestic horse)
I’m sure you’re looking forward to telling me how wrong I am in the comments section, but I will never be swayed from loving 2014 and 2015 Silverados. And yes, I’m aware that the steering wheels are kind of crooked. When it’s finally time to buy and build my next camping rig, this is where I’m going to start. Hot damn do these things look good.
If you’re on the same page as me and just want to look at more 2014-2015 Silverados, GM’s media site has 115 images.
