Who builds the best light-duty, full-size trucks? I won’t think twice – its Ford! But t’was before… Before the arrival of the redesigned Silverado which boasts of some fine-tuning.

With all due respect to Ford, Toyota and Dodge aficionados, I’m convinced that for this year, GM builds the best in the segment. The pull was not merely because of its remarkable Chevrolet pickup power tuning chip that gives the Silverado the look and feel I’ve always dreamed of.

All of the full-size pickups today are well built and quite able. And a purchaser really can’t go wrong choosing any one of them. But notwithstanding how lousy some of GM’s product lines might get from time to time. The fact is, the company eventually mastered the knack of building pickups.

Real truckers are generally looking for more practical attributes than styling. But the Silverado offers the best of two worlds. The Silverado’s new design included a "faster, 57-degree windshield angle" which is designed to cut noise inside the vehicle and to improve fuel economy, the automaker said. The pickup also gets wider front and rear tracks and "a tailored wheel-to-body relationship" to deliver a "stance that is both muscular and agile."

2007 Chevrolet Silverado:

• BASE PRICE $18,760-$35,795 including $900 freight
• AS TESTED $37,370 (LT2 Crew Cab 2WS, with freight and options)
• TYPE Full-size; regular-, extended- or crew-cab; two- or four-door; three-, five- or six-passenger; V-6 or V-8 powered; light-duty; rear- or four-wheel-drive truck
• ENGINE 4.3-liter V-6; 4.8-liter, 5.3-liter, 6.0-liter V-8s
• MILEAGE 16 city/22 highway (5.3-liter, 2WD)
• POWER 195 horsepower, 295 hp, 315 hp, 364 hp
• LENGTH 205.7-249.2 inches (230.2 for crew cab)
• WHEELBASE 143.5 inches
• CURB WT. 4,448-5,426 pounds
• TOWING CAPACITY 7,500-10,500 pounds
• BUILT IN Oshawa, Ontario; Silao, Mexico

With maximum towing capacity, more muscular appearance, and a bunch of fabulous features, I couldn’t help but stick to the magnanimous Silverado.