The 2022 Silverado ZR2 has just arrived at the scene as a new seed Chevrolet 4×4, and as an older brother to Colorado Zr2 that has been around for several years. In one of the trucks, this package emphasizes performance on land, sand and mud, thanks to the enhanced ‘multimatic’ suspension and highlighting all-terrain tires. To see if the pickup is good at the promises of four-wheeled, Chevy invited us to Joshua Tree Park in California for the official debut ZR2. Then, we took some a handful of new trucks along 125 miles from the desert trail: rock-crawling, sliding on the sand, and get a nuance for various driving modes.
When you first get a glimpse of Silverado ZR2, you might see that changes in appearance are quite smooth. To separate it from another trim, of course it has an ZR2 badging, plus a crane hook coated with red powder which highlight the goal. The butterfly tie is also perforated, with red embossing on the inside line. Apparently, the translucent badge increased air flow. Not kidding, they call it ‘flow tie’.
On both sides of the grill, you get a new LED headlights, which also appears on other premium trim. The package is higher and wider, thanks to new shocks and gently rolled fenders. Styling is not as aggressive with competing offers from Ford and RAM, but we can certainly get along with a less-more-more-more-more attitude in this case. The four-door crew cabin with a short bed will also be the only body configuration available for ZR2.
Adhering to the ZR2 is a Corvette-Seed of 6.2 Liter V8. It is still full of pushrods, but successfully combines new technologies such as direct fuel injection and variable time. Compared to Vette, it was a little diated, with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft torque. The rather invasive traction control makes it feel choking, but it becomes really wanting to accelerate so electronically turned off. Place the pedal down and it removes pleasant grumps, without buzzing or too hard. Automatic ten speeds are actually identical to what is in the Ford Raptor, with Paddle Shifter for manual control. In automatic mode, a shift is almost invisible. In the manual, they are a lot responsive, which is the best you can want in the torque converter unit. The fuel economy numbers have not been published, but EPA assesses the 2021 model equipped with a way around 16 miles per gallon in the city, and 21 on the highway.
The gearbox sends power to a four-wheel drive system with two case transfer speeds, along with the front and rear locking differential. Each function of this system can be easily adjusted with the PUSKTuttons in the cabin. It also has an automatic mode that allows the truck to switch electronically from the back of the four-up drive on the Wheelspin sign.
The external dimensions measure around 233 by 81 inches, making it a little narrower than the Raptor, and RAM TRX. Height was boosted to 78.3 inches. It’s around three more than the base model, which allows 11.2 inches from ground clearance, and an angle of the 31.8 degree approach. If you misjudge that angle, ZR2 also has several aluminum skidplates and bar rockers to keep the bits important in one piece. Reduce check weight in 5,620 pounds, which is almost half a ton of heavier than the basis of the silverado base. You also get a 1,440 pound bed, and the 8.900 pound towing capacity, which is at the lower end of the current Silverado range.
Out in the California desert, it proved difficult to find the obstacles The Silverado ZR2 could not climb. Strong four-wheeled drive and electronically controlled hydraulic shocks will give a beginner off-roader confidence to score banks and weave between items in minutes. In the hands of experts, the truck will do the exact same thing, only at double speed. The four-wheel drive gadget suite allows Chevy to be rock-crawling after lunch, then the pre-ran desert ten minutes later.