I have to hand it to Chevy. When they decide to go fancy, they do it right. That’s certainly the case with the 2016 Silverado High Country package. I got the keys to a crew-cab version of the High Country a couple weeks ago, and I put it through its paces.
I wasn’t entirely sure what the High Country package included, but after a little research, I found out that it’s everything in the LTZ trim package, plus some cold-weather and trailering options. The LTZ is the luxury package, so it already has heated and cooled leather seats, Stabilitrak with trailer sway control, a spray-in bedliner, bed tie-downs, and a really fancy stereo with navigation, just to name a few things.
Then with the High Country package, you add on forward collision alert with a safety alert driver’s seat, a heated steering wheel, and a trailer brake controller. The model I drove went a few steps further with the 6.2-liter V-8, automatic retracting running boards and a sun roof. I’d have left the running boards off. They didn’t extend far enough down to make a difference, but they stuck out too far to easily step over. But they did have one really cool feature – if you tap the trailing edge of the running board with your foot, it moves back toward the rear tire and gives you a step for getting stuff in and out of the bed.
Overall, the High Country was an impressive ride, but I’d go with the Z71 off-road package, rather than the High Country. The LT Z71 starts at $44,000, and the LTZ Z71 starts at $48,000. The High Country starts at $52,000, and the one I drove listed at just under $60.000. For a good deal less money, you’ll get a truck with even more off-road capability, but a little less luxury.
But if you want to take me hunting in a High Country, I won’t complain.
