10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

CHEVY’S NEW KODIAK
By Roving Reporter Suzanne Stempinski

As most of you step out of the big rig you use to make your living, many of you step into, well... another truck. Large and super-sized pickups are growing in popularity as the vehicles of choice for everyone from movie stars to ordinary folk. In spite of rising fuel prices, dealers report sales of less-than-fuel-conservative vehicles are going strong. And in an increasing niche market, big, big, big pickups are attracting more than just increased visibility – they’re attracting buyers.

I had the opportunity to test drive the Chevy Kodiak, enhanced by Monroe Truck Equipment. It started as a medium duty truck chassis – a C4500 to be exact – with an oversized crew cab. Monroe added a jumbo truck bed and turned it into a dually with features including chrome and polished aluminum to make it something special. From air-ride leather seats to a switch-activated fold-down rear bench seat, to that ubiquitous DVD player to entertain kids in the back, this vehicle was designed to be more than a fancy grocery-getter. Under the hood, a Duramax 6600 V-8 diesel engine and Allison transmission provided more than ample power.

We hooked up a 4-horse gooseneck livestock trailer and took it away for a weekend. This was easy to do because the Kodiak has a neat feature that many of you have on your big trucks – a dump valve to lower the rear suspension to get into position under the trailer. Mission accomplished. We loaded four horses, tack, feed and all the essentials and got ready to roll. Turned on the lights and voila! What an awesome looking combination (although we probably should have color-coordinated the trailer)! But looks aren’t everything – this truck had plenty of get-up-and-go as well. In fact, unless we checked the mirrors, we didn’t even know the trailer was back there. The pulling power was that good. I would have liked to have conveniently located grab handles to climb in and out of the cab – it sits much higher off the ground than any ordinary pickup – in fact it’s somewhere between a full-size pickup and semi-sized.

The truck rode smoothly on the highway – it is certainly designed to pull a load. And the built-in engine brake feature was fantastic. As strong as the engine brake on a semi – it will pull you down to a complete stop if you let it. One large distraction as we rode along was the road noise. This pickup needs more insulation – a blanket under the hood and in other strategic locations would make a positive difference.

Great weekend, back home again, everything unloaded and I was ready for another road trip – next stop Louisville, KY for the Mid-America Trucking Show. This time, no trailer. We loaded boxes, bags and other essential stuff in the bed, in the cab and still had abundant room to spare. Without a trailer, road bumps are significantly more evident. The suspension is very stiff, even with air-ride seats, air bags under the bed and new shocks. But where the highway is good and smooth, the ride feels great – and the miles melted away as we got closer to our destination.

Everywhere this big truck goes, it draws admiring glances. It looks great – and making a pit stop includes having to answer a host of questions from curious truckers and 4-wheelers alike. Eyes light up like Christmas morning at the sight of a huge package in fancy paper just waiting to be unwrapped. The chrome fuel doors don’t want to stay closed – the latch mechanism seems to be faulty – a small thing, but irritating as it wouldn’t stay shut as we headed down the road.

Removing all the stuff from the back of this truck seemed to go on forever – we unloaded, unloaded, and then unloaded some more. What seemed to take up only a small amount of space in the truck was really a mountain of boxes, bags, luggage and supplies – this truck is truly built to haul. We loaded the Kodiak up with people and took a ride. The bench seat in the back is firm – too firm for real comfort. And without the weight of a loaded trailer or a load in the bed, the ride is just plain jarring.

I sat in the sun, admiring the looks of the truck – chrome wheels with custom hubcaps and nut covers, polished diamond plate fairings that run the length of the cab, and a shiny “look at me” red paint job. But as I looked closer I noticed the cab and the bed were slightly different shades. The cab was painted at the factory, the bed aftermarket.

At the show’s end, we made our way home once again. I felt a little disappointed in the truck but decided to give it one more test drive before it was returned. We hooked it up to a 2-horse bumper pull trailer, loaded up two horses and all the necessary related equipment, and went on down the road. And, once again, the truck’s ride improved tremendously.

So, the bottom line for me is... this is a terrific truck when used for its intended purpose – pulling a loaded trailer, or under a heavy load. It is not intended for short trips to the grocery store or running through the drive-up at your neighborhood Taco Bell. If a great looking truck that has plenty of stamina and pulling power is what you’re looking for, this is absolutely a ride to consider.