1999 Chevrolet Silverado LS

'99 Chevrolet Silverado LSAlthough we've driven dozens of Chevrolet Silverados by now, we wanted to run one of the award-winning pickups through an exhaustive year-long evaluation to report on how the '99 Truck of the Year performs. We ordered an extended-cab Silverado LS 1500 with a variety of cosmetic, comfort, and work-oriented features. To the $22,200 base price, we added the potent 5.3-liter/270-horsepower V-8 engine ($1295) and four-speed automatic transmission ($995). The LS package includes air conditioning, AM/FM/CD stereo, power windows/doorlocks/mirrors, speed control, keyless entry, and much more. Comfort and convenience was further elevated by six-way power buckets wrapped in cowhide ($1855). Several individual items completed our truck, such as aluminum wheels ($90), rear window defroster ($154), tinted glass ($107), foglamps ($140), upgraded head unit adding cassette player ($100), and rearview mirror with integrated compass ($145). During the short time in our stable, the Silverado has delivered comfortable daily transportation, with strong acceleration and enough seating for the whole family.

'99 Chrysler 300MCapturing our '99 Car of the Year award, the 300M impressed the staff with its bold performance statement, modern styling, and upscale driving feel. Chrysler's latest "letter car" was a long-term must-have. Starting just shy of the $30K mark, the Canadian-built 300M boasts an enticing list of standard features, including 3.5-liter/253-horsepower SOHC V-6, AutoStick transmission, power everything, AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo with equalizer, automatic climate control, and bad-boy attitude. We upgraded the audio system to an impressive 360-watt 11-speaker setup ($315) and added a moonroof ($795). For a mere $500, we snared the Performance Handling Package, enhancing suspension, brakes, steering, and engine controller, plus a 16-inch wheel/tire combo. At $31,155, our 300M sits comfortably in the near-luxury ranks, with the spirit of Mopar muscle pulsating through its smooth sheetmetal. Our 300M has been in executive rotation, a popular choice for power lunches and long-distance drives. Generous room for four (less generous for passenger number five), leather seating surfaces, and clean interior design make the mobile office pleasurable even in bumper-to-bumper traffic.