The transmission has been upgraded, and mid-year, Chevy will roll out the Express LT, a luxury version of the van. Big doings for Chevy's best selling vehicle, the Silverado family of pickups. First, Chevy's mechanics spent some time under the hood and retuned all three Vortec V-8 engines. The 6.0-liter gets the most radical changes. It now features aluminum cylinder heads and is rated at 300 horsepower.
Traction control is optional now on two-wheel drive models.
New this year are the Silverado 2500 HD and 3500. It's also certified to last 200,000 miles before a major service. A sporty Z71 Suburban is new to the line for 2001. It comes with 17-inch wheels and special body panels. Two news models have been added.