Recently, Jonah and I dropped down to Newport, California for one of a kind experience with Chevy. We drove around the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, visited a baseball bat factory, had batting practice at Angels Stadium, stayed at a luxury hotel and ate beautiful food. We had an experience that left his siblings seriously disappointed that they didn’t get to come too!
2019 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500
The new Chevy Silverado is gorgeous. Am I allowed to say that about a truck? I grew up in Texas, which means I’ve ridden around in my fair share of trucks. One thing that immediately caught my eye was all the changes they’ve made. My friend Bryan drives a Silverado and although it’s great, this new one is even better.
It’s bigger, 1.6 inches longer. It’s lighter, depending on the version it is up to 450 pounds less than before. Plus, it’s more advanced just check out all the safety features listed below. Jonah and I had the opportunity to experience the Silverado for a day, along with a baseball experience down in California and we both walked away with massive love for this truck.
The Silverado now comes in 8 different models and six engine/transmission choices. With so many choices the price range varies greatly. You can get into one of these trucks for $29,795, but depending on your options you will be inching up towards 60,000. The one we test drove was the 2019 Silverado 4WD LTZ Crew and it cost $54,700. 
2019 Silverado 4WD LTZ Crew
The LTZ model features chrome accents on the bumpers, front grille, mirror caps, door handles and hockey-stick beltline. The one we drove was silver ice metallic outside and jet black leather inside. It had power folding and heated outside rearview mirrors.
The engine in this version is a 5.3L V-8 with new Dynamic Fuel Management and an eight-speed automatic. I averaged 18-22 mpg driving around LA. We drove from Newport Beach to the Angels Stadium taking the scenic route.
WELL MADE
- Higher-strength steel floor: a roll-formed, high-strength steel bed floor featuring a higher- grade steel, with yield strength increased from 340 to 500 megapascals of pressure for optimal strength and mass
- Fully boxed steel frame that is 88 pounds (40 kg) lighter than its predecessor
- Stronger tie-downs. Silverado now has 12 fixed tie-downs, and their strength has doubled to 500 pounds of force before bending
- Improved braking system, featuring electro-hydraulic power assist, larger-diameter brake rotors and larger brake pads
SAFETY FEATURES
The LTZ is loaded with all kinds of safety features.
- Airbags of course.
- Standard StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover mitigation technology, trailer sway control and hill-start assist
- Standard Rear Vision Camera* (HD Rear Vision Camera* available on certain models)
- Front and Rear Park Assist
- Lane Change Alert with Side Blind
Zone Alert - Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Forward Collision Alert
- Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
- Low Speed Forward Automatic Braking
- Front Pedestrian Braking
- IntelliBeam automatic headlamp control – The headlights adjust according to the light outside all by themselves.
- Following Distance Indicator
- Safety Alert Seat
Features I loved on the 2019 Silverado 4WD LTZ Crew
- Remote vehicle starter system
- Heated and ventilated leather-trimmed front bucket seats and heated rear outboard seats
- Apple Carplay
- 4G LTE WiFi hotspot
- Lots of power: 2 USB ports, 120 volt, a household plugin and more. Plus, it’s laid out well.
- Teen driver mode
- Lumbar support was fantastic
- Rear seat reminder
- Heated leather steering wheel
- Auto dimming rear view mirror
- 8” HD color touch screen.
Now, Jonah and I didn’t do any towing while we were testing out the Silverado, but my friend Nik from Our Auto Expert has done some towing in the vehicle. Here’s a quick video showcasing his experience and the towing capabilities.
Chevy Baseball Experience
Now onto the baseball stuff. This is where things get pretty insane for us. I mean, these aren’t exactly everyday experiences for us. This video kind of wraps up the whole day, but you can keep reading for more details.
Now I mentioned that we had a baseball experience at the start of this post. What I didn’t mention above was that it was amazing! Chevy is a sponsor of Major League Baseball, which I didn’t know because I don’t really watch baseball. Back in the early 90’s we were super into baseball, but they kept going on strike. Chevy had our drive route end at Angel’s Stadium. Here we got to indulge in batting practice down on the field. I gave up my turn, so Jonah could get an extra turn and also because I suck at baseball. Lucky for us, they also had corn hold set up. That’s more my speed. 
Along the route we also stopped by Trinity Bat Company, where we learned how they make a baseball bat. Jonah and I each received a bat with our name on it.
The owner told us some cool stories about famous baseball players they’ve worked with over the years. You can hear one of them in the video above.
Lido House – Marriott Autograph Collection
One of my favorite parts of the program was getting to stay at the Lido House in Newport Beach, California. It was SO NICE! I enjoyed everything about the hotel. The rooftop bar, swimming pool, hot tub, gorgeous rooms, unbelievable food, and more.
Jonah and I made sure to try out everything, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner and of course the shuffleboard. We spend well over an hour playing shuffleboard in the bar when we were not sitting in the hot tub or stuffing our faces. We even checked out a few of their complimentary bikes and biked up and down the beach.
Oddly enough, I was the only one in the bar with their kid. Oh well, he loves shuffleboard and it was a kid friendly bar. Nothing shady!
Here are some examples of the food we tried. Stand outs were the steak salad and lobster roll during lunch.
Did I mention that we did this all in one day? That’s right, this was just epic one day. Imagine if it had been two! I don’t know if we could have handled it. One thing is for sure, I wish they sent me home with a Silverado!
