The pickup truck wars are raging on and show no signs of slowing down. If anything, the race to make a better truck has only accelerated in recent years as brands such as Ford and Ram have released innovative and high-powered pickups. Facing increasingly beefy, off-road-ready competition in the form of the Ford F-150 Raptor and the Ram 1500 TRX, Chevrolet has come up with a more hardcore version of the Silverado 1500.
The bowtie brand just released a teaser video and confirmed the rumors that a Silverado ZR2 model is on its way and could arrive as soon as the 2022 model year. Chevy previously applied the ZR2 title to the Colorado midsize pickup truck.
The brawny new Chevy pickup will likely ride on a race-inspired off-road suspension and feature large all-terrain tires. Like the Colorado ZR2, the Silverado equivalent will also get a factory lift kit and beefier exterior bodywork. Additionally, the truck will get skid plates to protect key underbody elements such as the radiator and oil pan.
It’s unclear at this point which powertrains Chevy will offer in the new ZR2 Silverado truck, but from the teaser video, it sounds like a throaty V8 will make an appearance, at least as an available engine option. The truck’s appearance is also hard to discern, but spy shots of prototype models taken in and around Detroit appear to show front and rear bumpers that have been cropped at either side to allow for better approach and departure angles.
The Silverado ZR2 represents an interesting proposition for prospective Silverado buyers. Chevrolet currently does not offer a truck with a performance-based engine to compete with either the Raptor or the Ram TRX. The ZR2 configuration would add significant off-road capability. However, without a hot-rod engine to go with it, it’s still difficult to compare it to the top-line models from Chevy’s rivals.
Chevrolet says more information on the new Silverado ZR2 will become available in the fall, such as pricing and specific release date details. In the meantime, the brand already sells an off-road version of the Silverado, called the Trail Boss. It incorporates the existing Z71 off-road package and features a two-inch lift kit, 18-inch wheels with Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires, an Autotrac two-speed transfer case, and more. There’s no word on whether the ZR2 model will replace or join the Trail Boss in the already expansive Silverado lineup.
Chevrolet is the source of information for this article. It was accurate on July 1, 2021, but it may have changed since that date.
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