Report: Chevrolet Silverado to Gain GMC's Trick Tailgate

It wouldn't surprise me if they add it as an option in the smaller trucks in the future. However, unless they do it before the redesign don't count on there being an option to retrofit your truck. I'm sure that if the aftermarket tried to produce it GM would try to stop them from infringing on the patents they hold for their design. On the other hand it took the aftermarket to prevent it from banging into an installed hitch that isn't hooked up to a trailer at the time.

Improvise. You're a genuine truck owner now, and this close to a lumber jack and whatnot. Try carrying a couple milk crates back there. One just for the Bungees. You can use one for a step and the other for small items you'll need to retrieve later. If you can't reach a milk crate while still standing on the ground (without high heels), try a rope ladder. My mother stands 5'1" (with a Tundra) and developed a system on her own. She zip-tied a plastic commercial bread-tray to the back corner of the bed, so when she drops the tailgate, her groceries or whatever are right where she put them, on the left rear corner. Truck owners find individualized workarounds that work for them. They could be 7'1" and still need a reach tool for some trucks or situations, for whatever reasons. Like bad knees. Except I realize some here aren't looking for any kind of solutions and love to hear themselves snivel and rant.

@Scoutdude: I'm not counting on it; I just want it. It's an item I would actually pay for from the dealership if that were the only way to get it.

@DM: "Except I realize some here aren’t looking for any kind of solutions and love to hear themselves snivel and rant." --- And you're one of the worst of them. There are workarounds for almost everything BUT... There shouldn't NEED to be workarounds.

@Vulpine You'd rather pay $1,200 or whatever for a man-step? Half the products I buy get modified in some way for my specific needs or use. I first go to the discount rack. For some I have to get out the plasma cutter and welder for. The pickup bed reach/enter is an easy one and I move on with my life. Ask me why I prefer the pickup beds that are challenge? I've come to expect that most products (at least what's in my price range) are for the average user, and definitely not me specifically. Maybe I'm the one that's being silly, but I'm all about the quality of life, least struggle, etc. If I squint a little, I live like a millionaire, except on a Blue Collar, flea market, yard sale budget . I'm set to retire a multi millionaire, thanks to my cheap fixes, life hacks, going with the flow, etc, without suffering too much day to day. Or at all. Life's too short for the not happy, unsatisfied, complaining, etc.

@DM: "You’d rather pay $1,200 or whatever for a man-step?" --- No. I'd pay it for the cargo management features and just take advantage of the fact that it also allows a form of staircase. I like the fact it can extend the bed and still proved a stop to reduce the risk of a load sliding backwards out of the bed. I like the fact that it can partially lower, offering another way to limit the movement of a lumber load that's braced on the lip of the tailgate with an additional location to tie it down so it won't slip from side to side and potentially risk smashing into another truck to either side of yours. I like the fact that it offers a way to lean farther into the bed to pull out your load without having to climb into the bed to reach it. (Ram's split tailgate offers this function as well, though lacks the previous two features.) Simply put, the steps, while convenient, are not the reason I would purchase this tailgate but it is a feature I wouldn't ignore, either.

@DenverMike OK, but in the meantime, you're just going to continue the complaining and live disgruntled? Or adapt and seek solutions for now? I must have circled the planet several times with the tailgate down and material/objects/furniture sticking past. I've never lost anything and rarely tie/bungee anything down. Most things want to shift forward if anything. All those fancy man-steps seem like dead weight to me. It may cost $1,200 to buy, but at least $5,000 to replace. It's an easy decision for me.

@DenverMike "but at least $5,000 to replace." For someone preaching ingenuity and adaptation for several comments you sure threw in the towel fast.

@DenverMike Even the basic used ones are $800 minimum. Plus a gallon of Bondo. The man-step replacement cost would make it a target for thieves. Plus I've taco'd too many tailgates to count.

@DM: As usual, you don't pay attention to what people write. Why should I wait until you tell me to do something that I did when I purchased the truck? I knew the problems before I bought the truck and ordered the parts and components I wanted even before the truck was delivered. It's not perfect but then, the truck itself isn't perfect. But it does serve the need better than "... zip-tied a plastic commercial bread-tray to the back corner of the bed, so when she drops the tailgate, her groceries or whatever are right where she put them, on the left rear corner," and looks better, too.

@DM: "Plus I’ve taco’d too many tailgates to count." --- A very revealing point about you. In owning four different pickups I've never "taco'd" a tailgate once. Doing a job right the first time means you never have to go back to fix it later.

@DenverMike Clearly you prefer to swim upstream, fight the system, than go with the flow.. I don't have time for that. I'm always scrambling/finding solutions, putting out fires, it never ends. When you're actually using your truck and not just for work, but always pressed for time, juggling phone calls/texts, food/drinks, etc, backing up constantly while maneuvering in tight spaces, squeezing between forklifts, pallets and whatnot, stuff is going to happen. I've also taco'd tailgates by putting too much weight on them and even trailer mishaps. I'm always buying back windows too. So what it happens.

@DM: "Clearly you prefer to swim upstream, fight the system, than go with the flow." --- That's what being an individual is all about; making your own path--so long as it doesn't hurt others. Because of it, I was able to fix avionics systems faster than anybody else, while following the rules. It isn't the rules holding you back, it's your ability to use those rules to greatest benefit. Knowing WHAT to fix is far more important than knowing how to fix it and the best mechanics and technicians use their experience to know what tests to make and how to analyze those tests to determine what needs fixing. After that, following the book on the fix is simplicity itself. Being an individual doesn't mean you have to go against the flow; rather, you need to get ahead of the flow and help steer its course. That's something you seem unable to grasp. Instead of putting out fires, you need to learn how to prevent them so that you don't have to work as hard or spend as much money. It can end if you can just figure out how to get ahead of it. You're stuck in a rat race and you don't want to acknowledge that. Everything you just stated shows a lack of knowledge and planning and that's not something I can teach you. You've got to learn how to think for yourself instead of following somebody else all the time. Think! Plan! Get ahead of the game! Once you figure out how to do that, you won't be wasting your time and money trying to fix your mistakes.

@DenverMike If by "individual" you mean chronic complainer instead of fixer and move on'r, I agree. You never said how you work around the "problem", which seems isolated to a few snivelers and a relatively small percent of pickup owners. If you're not actively searching for a solution, but obviously complaining nonstop, they've got "a word" for folks like you, but I won't use it here.. What "Rat Race"? I'm 52 and retired. I still "work" for myself and choose when to work, which is often an 80+ hour week. A banged up truck isn't a "mistake" anymore than a damaged race car. I put in 3+ hours today and moved the truck in and out of tight spaces at least 100 times. Often you're dealing with glare, sweat in your eyes, some spatial disorientation, fatigue and other, while your head's on a swivel, with dusty mirrors, etc. Twice I've failed to put it in Park (last year) as I jumped out, one time I caught it, and the other it Reversed into a retaining wall. Let's just say I built the wall to spec or better..

@dm (You don't deserve capitalization any more): "You never said how you work around the “problem”, which seems isolated to a few snivelers and a relatively small percent of pickup owners." --- Actually, I did say; you just chose not to see it. "If you’re not actively searching for a solution, but obviously complaining nonstop, they’ve got a “word” for folks like you, but I won’t use use it here." --- The solution is to make your viewpoint known and obviously there are more voices for the changes than there are against them, or said changes wouldn't be happening. The rest of your argument proves my point about you.

@DenverMike So your "solution" is going online and making a lot of noise on the subject? Then sitting around, hoping GM one day hears your sniveling rants? Then does exactly what you want? Bless your heart... But you're not really using the business end of your pickup much, are you? What, a couple times a year? Or why wouldn't you make your life easier in the mean time? Or do you prefer to struggle? I know you prefer to complain. But if GM does respond to your "solution" or fix, and does it to your complete satisfaction, are you going to trade your truck in for one? Or spend the $5,000 to upgrade yours? Besides, in the optimal scenario, you rarely have to get up in the bed. Remember those '80s Mini Trucks? You could reach any part of the bed with your feet on the ground. What if nothing gets done in 10 years? Will you keep on waiting, hoping and dreaming for GM to "fix" it forever?

@dm: Poor boy; you just don't want to understand, do you?A pity. I'm not struggling nearly as much as you are with my truck. It does what I need, even if it's not perfect for my wants. Don't you get it? I've made my wants known and have built enough of a following that the OEMs have heard my wishes and acted upon them. It's only a matter of time and I, for one, am patient. When the time comes for change, I will make the change that is most efficient for me, whether that by modifying my existing truck or replacing it with a new one. I won't know until that time which is the better choice. I will remind you, however, that when I buy new, I tend to keep the vehicle for 10 years, plus or minus a year or so depending on circumstances. In 10 years, they might have the exact capabilities I want, including smaller size and maybe even, by then, be fully battery powered with 500+ miles of range and have the ability to go anywhere I wan't without my having to touch the steering wheel (though I, like you, prefer to drive the vehicle manually as much as possible.) And you just made my final point for me: "Remember those ’80s Mini Trucks? You could reach any part of the bed with your feet on the ground." That's exactly what I want in a small truck. What I carry most of the time isn't things thieves would want to pilfer and if it is, it's usually secured tightly enough that they'd have to work to get it out, assuming it's light enough to be lifted over the side of the bed in the first place. And I don't beat my truck up in carrying anything because I load it carefully and secure it so it can't move. That includes any lumber I might carry. Thieves want things of value that are light and easy to carry... those sorts of things almost never go into the bed and if they do, again, they're not going anywhere until I take them out. As for your last question: It certainly didn't take the OEMs 10 years to make the changes I've wanted so far. Again, I'm patient. Unlike you.

@DenverMike Wow! Your little crusade and childish tirades have forced auto (pickup) makers into action?? Then by all means carry on..............................................................................................

@DenverMike You'll figure it out... some day. ;p ;p ;p ;p ;p

@DenverMike It's amazing you've actually changed the market! And thanks for not canceling fullsize pickups!!

akear- Did you actually READ THE ARTICLE? They are upgrading the interiors as well.

@CKNSLS Sierra SLT It remains to be seen if THAT helps. GM is grasping since RAM so embarrassingly ate their lunch, put GM's crank in the dirt, and stepped on it. Don't misunderstand. I used to be a HUGE GM fan. My first-bought new pickup truck was an 1988 Silverado Extended Cab Long Bed with the 350 V8 and THM350. Not perfect but on par for those days. But what has evolved since then is not worth having, at any price. Just the Chinese-made parts and assembly in Mexico should make a buyer wary and scream Caveat Emptor.

@hdc: So spoiled! I'm quite happy with my GM interior. Well, except that I have a back seat I didn't want cluttering up what should be a flat load floor behind the driver's seat. And I'm not sure that taking the seats out would even then give me a flat enough floor for what I wanted to carry in there.

@Vulpine My 5 year old F150's rear seats fold up on the back of the cab and reveal a totally flat load floor. You pull a lever and fold it up...takes like 5 seconds and there is no hump in the floor. Is this not something the midsized trucks do? It looks like the Ranger retains a hump back there as well though the seat bottom can be removed on the extended cabs. This is actually something I use pretty frequently and losing it would be another compromise I'd have to make all in the name of making it easier to park my truck in the garage. As such, I'll let it stay outside since it is, you know...a truck.

@Vulpine Went and looked out of curiosity...Looks like the flat rear load floor in the rear is a RAM (Not Classic) and Ford thing. You are correct that it is quite handy.

@Art Vandelay: Crew cab or extended? What do those seats rest on when down? From what I've seen, over the last few years in particular, nearly everyone has gone to using a huge plastic plinth (with hollows in them for "small parts storage" that are A) difficult to remove by one person and B) take up almost all of the floor space under the seats. Last time I looked, even last year's Honda did this; pretty much sacrificing the whole reason for having those seats foldable in the first place. I'm not absolutely certain about Fords but I recall looking at extended cabs from most, if not every, available brands and this was true of most, if not all, of them. I'm not a Ford fan so I didn't give the recent Fords more than a cursory look and I certainly wasn't going to by a four-cylinder engine to tow a 7000#+ travel trailer, even if the turbo does give it 300 horses. I don't trust turbos that well in the first place and I've seen what happens to horsepower if that thing blows under load; especially when it's trying to pull not only the vehicle's weight but an additional 1.5x that weight on the tail. I bought what I did because I wanted a non-turbo engine capable of pulling that kind of weight without a V8 fuel-hog under the hood for those predominant, non-towing times. (Maybe I should have gone for Fiat's 28-liter four instead? :p )

@Vulpine Mine is a Crew Cab, but the normal extended cabs have the same arrangement. The seats don't fold down...The seat bottom folds up and the whole affair hangs on the rear cab wall. There are some small bins right against the back wall where I keep my hitch and some ratchet straps. It makes for a nice large flat area. Now you can screw it up and order a stereo with a subwoofer under the rear seats, but mine is an XLT and I didn't get that. It is a handy arrangement. Stuff like that may contribute to taller trucks...You need the floor higher or the trans and driveshaft lower to avoid the hump in the floor but even if it raises it up I'd make that trade. And if a Turbo ever blows on my truck, I'd probably replace the turbo before continuing to haul. I lost compression on a cylinder in a TBI 350 on an old Chevy I used to have due to a busted ring land IIRC and I certainly didn't keep on towing...That thing didn't have the power for it either.

@Art Vandalay: Sounds like Ford did something right, then. Too bad I've had nothing but bad luck with the brand.