From a firefighter's perspective...

As a volunteer firefighter in suburban Philadelphia, we have had the occasion for flooding, and of course, some severe snows. Until May of this year I had a 1991 Chevy S10 pickup with 114,000 miles on it. I traded it in and am leasing a 1999 Chevy Silverado LS 1500 Extended Cab 4x4 Z71 pickup with the 5.3L V8. My first words on the test drive were "Wow" and "Wow". I had the 4.3L V6 in the S10, so being a smaller vehicle with a big engine I was used to the torque and acceleration that that truck had. But the power I could feel from the 5.3L in the Silverado gave me a very pleasant surprise. And even with all of that power and torque I have been averaging 15-19 mpg city-type driving.
In my fire department we have a decent mix of Dodge Dakota and full size Dodges, Fords, and a couple older Chevys. Mine was the first redesigned Silverado. The biggest (literally) feature that the Chevy has over anyone else's truck, is the back seat. Five of us were at my house watching football when we got dispatched for a fire. Normally we would have had to take at least 2 trucks if not 3 to get ourselves to the station. This call, I was the only one that had to drive. All five of us got transported comfortably to the station. And none of us are small by any means. The size of the occupants were as follows: 6' 220lbs, 6'4" 250lbs, 6' 210lbs, 6' 195 lbs, and 6'2" 250 lbs. So it wasn't like we were all built like teenagers, we're all fully grown men, and we all fit in my truck.
The back seat has also come in handy for shopping with my wife. With the S10 we used to have to put the days gatherings in the bed of the truck. Not quite the option if it was raining. Now we just flip up the back seat ad slide everything in and transport it in style.
The comfort in which I ride is unbelievable. The captain's style front bucket seats are just as comfortable as my sofa in my living room. The Z71 package adds thicker Bilstein shocks and springs along with the skid plates for the underside of the truck. But even on our "great" Pennsylvania roads, the ride is very smooth, even at I-95 speeds. The stereo puts out some amazing sound, and everything that the driver might need is well within reach. The heating and cooling system both work quickly and efficiently. I have found no rattles in the truck yet, and after 7 months, I don't expect to. Switching into 4 wheel drive is very smooth and easy with the electronic transfer, and there's no hubs to get out and lock either. I haven't had the chance to romp in any snow with it, but I have no fear about getting to the firehouse in anything Mother Nature can throw at us.
Even though the truck has automatic headlights, I feel that this is a great feature, especially from the amount of accidents I've been to where one driver didn't have any lights on, or was just driving with their parking lights on. By the way, there's a reason they are called PARKING lights.
I like the fact that a standard feature is the towing package, rated at 8400lbs. Right now I don't need it but it's nice to know that if I do, a quick trip to the shop for a Class III hitch and a plug is all I need to make it trailer ready. The wiring is already in place, so I could have this truck converted in a few hours versus a few days.
Overall I wouldn't give this truck up for anything. No other vehicle could take the place of my Silverado.