The 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, though perhaps beginning to show its age a bit, still retains plenty of oomph and class to give the Ford F-150 and other rivals in the half-ton pickup field a solid run for their money. In short the Silverado is aging well, and word is Chevrolet plans to get another year or two out of this version before checking in with a major overhaul. The Silverado’s styling may not be quite as sleek – and many see that as a good thing – as some, and the truck may lack a few of the high-tech tweaks of its competitors, but it still shines when it comes to getting down to the nitty-gritty work of a pickup. In addition, this close cousin of the GMC Sierra continues to offer up a wide and appealing range of setups to accommodate everyone from the first-thing-in-the-morning contractor to the couple heading out for an evening on the town to most anything in between. A redesigned and freshened front end with a chrome mesh grille and surround for some models and body-colored surround for others join a couple of new available packages as changes for the 2012 Chevy Silverado 1500. One of the packages celebrates the 45th anniversary of Chevy’s first Custom Sport Truck Package and includes a heavy-duty trailering system and 20-inch chrome wheels, Bluetooth connectivity and dual-zone automatic air conditioning, along with a 5.3-liter V8 engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission. A White Diamond Edition dresses up either the LT or LTZ trim and in the LTZ also adds a Z60 high-performance suspension. The beauty of the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 for most, though, remains its multitude of offerings, many of them prime for mixing and matching. The possibilities start with the entry level Work Truck trim and work their way up through the LS and LT to the LTZ, a vehicle that leans toward SUV tendencies. Chevy offers a 4.3-liter V6 at 195 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque as the base engine in the 2012 Silverado 1500, but most buyers opt for one of several V8s. A 4.8-liter Flex Fuel V8 with 302 hp and 305 lb-ft of torque, like the V6, is teamed with a 4-speed automatic. The V6 has estimated fuel mileage numbers of 15 mpg city/20 highway in rear wheel drive (RWD) and 14/18 in 4-wheel drive (4WD). The 4.8-liter V8 rates 14/19 with RWD and 13/18 with 4WD on regular fuel. Moving up the ladder, a 5.3-liter V8 at 315 hp, an engine that also can be set up with cylinder deactivation for better fuel economy in XFE versions, gets a quiet and smooth 6-speed automatic transmission. It rates 15/21 with RWD on regular gas and 15/21 with 4WD. A 6.2-liter Flex Fuel V8 that’s good for 403 hp in LTZ models has the 6-speed transmission as well and gets 13/18 in RWD and 12/18 in 4WD. (Chevrolet also builds a separate Silverado Hybrid.) Choices for the 2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 continue with cabs (it offers Regular, Extended or Crew) and beds (standard at 6 feet, 6 inches; long at 8 feet; and short at 5 feet, 9 inches with a Crew cab). Extended and Crew cab versions have bench seats in the rear and will seat up to 6. The Chevy Silverado has interior options, too, one with a console and more upscale trim and the other more basic. The 2012 Silverado 1500 can tow about 9,000 pounds in most V8 versions, and the 6.2-liter V8 in the RWD Extended cab, set up with an optional trailering package, can max that number out at 10,700 pounds. Four-wheel antilock disc brakes and stability control are standard on 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s, and they also have trailer sway control with hill assist, dual front-side mounted airbags and front and rear head airbags. OnStar to alert authorities, rear parking sensors and a backup camera are also available.