2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country Review

This week, I am reviewing the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab 4-wheel drive High Country, a full-size pickup that blends traditional truck capability with a strong dose of luxury. The High Country sits at the top of the Silverado lineup and is aimed at buyers who want a serious pickup that can still double as a comfortable daily driver and long-distance cruiser.  I review a lot of pickups; diesels, serious off-roaders, heavy duty haulers, you name it.  I haver to admit it is really nice to spend a week with a luxury truck like this High Country.

Performance

Under the hood of this Silverado is the familiar and still impressive 6.2-liter V8, delivering 420-horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. It is naturally aspirated, sounds like a proper V8 should, and is paired with a smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission. Power delivery is strong and immediate, whether pulling away from a stoplight or merging onto the highway, and the drivetrain feels well matched to the truck’s size and weight.

Exterior     

The High Country package focuses less on off-road theatrics and more on refinement.

The exterior is upscale but still unmistakably a Silverado, with unique High Country badging, body-color bumpers, chrome accents, LED lighting all around, and beautiful 22” polished wheels that give the truck a premium presence without trying too hard.

It looks expensive, and frankly, like all the luxury half-tons, it is.  The pearlescent white paint on this truck is stunning in the sunlight.

Interior

Inside is where the High Country really separates itself. The cabin features perforated leather seating with upscale stitching and trim accents that feel more luxury SUV than work truck. Both front seats are power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated, and they are extremely comfortable on longer drives. The center console is wide and well designed, with good storage, large cupholders, and a wireless phone charger alongside USB and USB-C ports.  The High Country logo is embroidered into the head rests.

The 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster is bright, colorful, and fully configurable, providing everything from navigation prompts to trailering information. It is easy to read at a glance and gives the interior a modern, high-tech feel.  You can change the look of the gauges by choosing Classic, Progressive, Digital, or Clean.  Most of the week I was on the Progressive plan with the digital speedometer on most week in spite of the fact that it has a terrific head-up display in the windshield.

Dominating the center of the dash is the large 13.4-inch touchscreen, which remains one of the best systems in the segment. It is responsive, intuitive, and includes a premium Bose audio system, Bluetooth, HD radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Google built-in, Amazon Alexa, and a built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. The trailering app is especially useful, and the customizable shortcuts make it easy to tailor the system to your needs.  It’s a small thing, but I love you can save presets along the bottom of the screen and can mix AM, FM, and SiriusXM.  On many vehicles, you have to switch to the FM screen to get your favorite FM stations for instance.  It’s the little things, right?

Below the climate controls is a row of physical buttons that I appreciate, including start/stop defeat, power outlets, and a button to lower the tailgate from inside the cabin. You can also activate lane centering, turn off the traction control, and roll all 4 windows down at once with a push of one button.

Rear seat space is excellent, with abundant headroom and legroom. Back-seat passengers get their own air vents, USB ports, and power outlets, and the rear seat bottoms fold up easily to create a large, secure cargo area inside the cab.

Standard Equipment

Standard equipment on the High Country is extensive and appropriately upscale, starting with perforated leather-appointed seating, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, power-adjustable front seats with memory, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry with push-button start, remote start, LED headlights, taillights and daytime running lights, fog lamps, power-folding and power-adjustable mirrors with integrated turn signals, rear window defogger, rear sliding power window, rear corner-step bumper, EZ Lift and Lower tailgate, chrome exterior accents with High Country badging, polished alloy wheels. 

Also standard is a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 13.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bose premium audio system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Google built-in with voice assistant, Bluetooth, HD Radio, 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot capability, wireless phone charging, multiple USB and USB-C ports throughout the cabin, 110-volt power outlets, integrated trailer brake controller, bed lighting, spray-in bedliner, and the Multi-Flex tailgate, all of which reinforce the High Country’s position as the most luxurious Silverado in the lineup while remaining fully functional as a pickup. 

Safety    

Safety equipment is Standard safety features on the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country include automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, following distance indicator, IntelliBeam automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring with trailer coverage, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking assist, a rearview camera, safety alert seat, Teen Driver technology, and OnStar connected safety services.

MPG

Fuel economy is what you would expect from a 6.2-liter V8 in a four-wheel-drive full-size pickup. It is not the reason you buy this truck, but the tradeoff is effortless power and towing confidence.

Options

Options on my review truck include $7,850 for the Premium II package which gives you Super Cruise, GM’s terrific semi-self-driving system, a power sun roof with sliding cover, all-weather floor mats, the 22” wheels, rearview camera mirror, the head-up display, and power deployable pop-out running boards.  This is a fantastic package for the money.

Other options include:  $2,295 for the 6.2 V8, $995 for the paint, $900 for the Suspension Package, the Multi-Flex tailgate is $260, Active Exhaust is a bargain at $195 if you want some rumble, and wheel locks are $125.

Ride and Drive 

The 2026 Silverado High Country delivers a comfortable ride, confident handling for its size, and the kind of quiet, refined cabin that makes long trips easy. It still feels like a truck when you need it to, but never punishes you for driving it every day.  The turning radius is terrific and it really is easy to drive and park.  Fuel economy isn’t great at 15 in town and 20 highway, but it exceeded 20 on a long stretch of 100 miles I drove this week.

Verdict 

As tested, this High Country comes in with an MSRP just north of $80,000 range. That is serious money, but in today’s full-size truck market, it buys you top-tier comfort, V8 power, towing capability, and a pickup that does just about everything well.