- chevrolet is adding a zr2 off-road model to the silverado full-size pickup lineup.
- the silverado zr2 will likely feature a suspension lift with spool-valve dampers, 35-inch tires, skid plates, and front and rear locking differentials.
- it will debut this fall and compete with the ford f-150 tremor and ram 1500 rebel.
chevrolet might not yet have an answer to the 450-hp ford f-150 raptor or 702-hp ram 1500 trx, but it's adding the off-road-ready zr2 treatment to the silverado pickup to compete with ford and ram's lesser off-road models. chevrolet is expected to give the silverado a refresh for the 2022 model year, and the zr2 could be the first version of the new truck that we'll see. it'll debut this fall, chevy says.
the zr2 treatment is already offered on the colorado mid-size pickup, and in that application it adds a 2.0-inch lift, a 3.5-inch wider track, front and rear locking differentials, and multimatic's spool-valve dampers. we expect the silverado zr2 will have an even higher lift, 35-inch tires, and additional skid plates. it will sit above the existing trail boss model, which adds a 2.0-inch lift with the z71 off-road package, a two-speed transfer case, and all-terrain rubber. the colorado zr2 can also be further upgraded with a bison package that adds things like aev front and rear bumpers and unique 17-inch wheels.
the silverado's zr2 model is likely to have the option of either chevrolet's 355-hp 5.3-liter v-8 engine or 420-hp 6.2-liter v-8, and the duramax diesel 3.0-liter inline-six could also be available. the 10-speed automatic transmission from the standard model will likely remain unchanged.
chevrolet wouldn't tell us which trucks it's targeting with the new silverado zr2, but we'll know the full details and how it stacks up when it's revealed this fall. we'll let the f-150 raptor and ram 1500 trx keep duking it out while we wait for gm's answer.