My Top 10 List of Chevrolet Pickups and SUVs

What would my personal top ten Chevrolet SUV and Truck list consist of? This topic could be hotly debated for years and there would be absolutely no way to determine which top ten list would be "the best" of all their available models, across their entire lineup of vehicles.

However, in my humble opinion there are a few iconic vehicles in the Chevrolet SUV and Truck lineup which simply must be on any top ten Chevrolet model list. My thoughts on the criteria for a list this ambitious would be to first think of how many of each of the top ten Chevrolet SUV and Truck vehicles are on the road. I decided to focus my top ten Chevrolet SUV and Truck list on the more recent models, primarily because they are all still available to us, and can be purchased either new or used. Here is my version of a Top Ten Chevrolet SUV and Truck list.

Avalanche, Full size SUV. This truck has been one of the most adaptable vehicles on the market. It is a pickup with four full size doors, and the bed opens into the rear seat via a removable back panel, and removable glass. The bed also has a plastic removable cover, which is made up of three separate panels. so you can carry plenty of cargo, and up to six passengers as well. This is so versatile that you end up with all of the functionality of three or four vehicles in one. I feel that this was one of the coolest truck models that Chevrolet ever produced. My friend had one of these, and the biggest problem he has is where the heck do you put all these panels when you want them out of the way? If you haul them along, then they take up valuable cargo space, and if you leave them behind, it is almost a certainty the it will rain and you will wish you had them in the truck somewhere.

Blazer, Full size SUV. The old school K5 Chevrolet Blazer has been used extensively in the northeastern United States as a snow plow vehicle because of it's short wheelbase, it's full frame, and powerful V8 engines. Many older K5 Blazers are still in service doing this exact job around town here in Geauga County Ohio! These trucks were not big on creature comforts, except they have a giant heater, and the four wheel drive makes them fairly invincible in snowy weather.

Colorado, mid size pickup. This truck was designed specifically to replace the smaller S10 pickups that Chevrolet had sold for many years until early 2004. These have more cargo and passenger room, and had quite a bit more style than their earlier cousins. The ride was improved, and more engine choices were included. The cabin carried much more luxury than the S10 pickups ever offered. These are not priced too high on the used market, and they get reasonable mileage too!

S10, compact or mid size pickup. These little trucks were everywhere when they first came out. It was a very popular pickup with a wide range of buyers. In the 1980's it seemed to me that a lot of women were driving these around town, as well as painters and delivery people. Great little "beater vehicles" which lasted well if you were gentle with them. They were not robust enough to take the normal abuse that a contractor puts on his vehicles, and the payload was very small.

Silverado, Full size Pickup truck. The Silverado model is a light duty full size pickup truck, and it has become a very popular Chevrolet truck model. These trucks can come in regular cab and extended cab versions, and are very popular with workers in the trades, and performs well for light delivery duties. These are very affordable trucks, and can be found really cheap on the used car market.

SSR, Chevrolet's compact Sport pickup. These unique "retro styled" truck is a very stylish little hard top convertible, which makes it very special in the pickup and sport utility market. These were really fun to drive, but if you are looking for a real truck to haul things in, this is probably not the right vehicle for you. The SSR badge stands for "Super Sport Roadster" and it comes with a retractable hard top that makes it into a convertible!

Suburban, Full size SUV. These beasts are the backbone of Chevrolet's contractor and camping market. The Suburban name has have been in production since 1935. It is basically a giant station wagon, and has so much cargo and passenger room, it has been a top choice for campers and boaters for many years. It can pull a very large boat or camper trailer with ease. My pal Bud has always driven these, and he will never go away from this type of vehicle for pulling his camper.

Tahoe, full size SUV. For a long run in the 1990's these were built on a slightly smaller platform than the Chevrolet Suburban, and in the late 1990's they became a full sized SUV. These trucks came in a number of different configurations, with two doors, four doors, two wheel drive, four wheel drive, and even an interesting model called the "Tahoe Sport" which was essentially an non-badged Z71 model, with lots of speed goodies under the hood, special paint and trim. If you are into this kind of truck, and want something unique, search for the 2000 year two wheel "Tahoe Limited" with the Z56 police package. This is a very desirable truck for many Tahoe enthusiasts.

Tracker, Compact SUV. These little sport utility cars started out production as the "Geo Tracker" and evolved over time into the Chevrolet Tracker. These were Canadian built vehicles, which were designed in a joint venture with Suzuki. They were all made with four wheel drive until later models offered two wheel drive as well. These came in four door, two door, and convertible packages. These cars offer excellent gas mileage, and high reliability. If you are looking for a cute little sport utility vehicle, then this model may be just what you need!

Trailblazer, Mid size SUV. The Trailblazer was initially just an upscale Blazer, but over the years the model line has grown, both in options, and sheer size. Over time there have been three different sizes offered, the mid sized Trailblazer, then the 5 passenger Trailblazer, and next the 7 passenger Trailblazer. These trucks came with a lot of luxury options, but you could end up spending five or six thousand more on these trucks by getting all of the available options.

There are many other Chevrolet models which have been on the market over the years, and they continue to introduce new models every year. I have either worked on these models, at one time or another have owned, or driven all of these models. As an automotive enthusiast I keep up with current models, and I maintain a catalog of stored automotive knowledge including everything I can learn about sport utility vehicles.

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