What's in a name?

The answer is plenty, with a name like Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LS Flareside Z-71 Extended Cab. It's a big name for a big truck. But let's take it apart.

Chevrolet you know, or at least you think you do. If you haven't looked at a Chevy in the last couple of years, you'll be surprised.

Silverado is their big pickup truck, the successor to the C/K series, mildly updated on the outside while everything underneath is new.

LS is the medium trim level, although it includes about everything except a fish tank. Flareside describes the rear fenders, where big letters say Z-71. That's Chevy's off-road suspension package, and it makes this new pickup really handle, even on the street. Extended Cab? On the Silverado, it means more room inside than some of the four-door pickups hitting the market.

And 1500? That's a great radio station, of course. Where you'll find the WTOP Car Report.

A little piece of America.

Chevrolet's Silverado pickup is America, just scaled down a little bit. It's big; in fact, the extended cab long bed we drove wouldn't fit into a standard parking space. It's strong, thanks to good old-fashioned V-8 power and a frame made with hydroformed rails. That process bends the box tubes with water pressure, resulting in a stronger piece. It's the same system Chevrolet uses on its other two-door V-8, the Corvette.

Like America, the Silverado is diverse. You can make it mild or wild, city or country, long, short, tall, or small. It's got some Felix Ungar in its detailed interior appointments, but not too much Oscar Madison in the way it's put together.

It's styling makes the Silverado seem the silent type. But when the going gets tough, the Silverado is a brawny and faithful friend. That's America at its best.