We drive the 2024 Silverado ZR2 to find out if it's the BEST OFF-ROAD full-size truck?

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:30 ZR2 Details
3:06 Under The Hood
3:33 Rear Seat
4:16 Interior And Tech
6:46 Pricing
7:08 On-Road
9:55 Off-Road
19:35 Verdict

This is the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2, a truck GM has designed around the Silverado's existing Trail Boss trim level with the addition of some impressive off-road hardware. You can see that Chevrolet designed the ZR2 to be a weapon for any trail kind of trail since they haven't made it grossly wide like a Raptor or a TRX, the ZR2 measures a slender 81.2 inches across, some five to six inches narrower than the Raptor and TRX, which makes getting out of tight squeezes just a tad less stressful.

It’s a really good time to be a truck fan. If you’re a buyer shopping for an off-road pickup, the options available are immense. It always impresses me the kinds of terrain that new 4x4s can tackle straight off the showroom floor while still being comfortable daily drivers.

What is the ZR2 Trim?

For starters, the front and rear differentials have electronic lockers, and Chevy had the foresight to upgrade the half-shafts for the front axle to manage the additional loads when the diff is locked. Underneath, skid plates help keep obstacles from impaling the truck's vital components and Knobby 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud-terrain tires have been wrapped around the standard 18-inch wheels.

The ZR2 comes with Chevy's excellent dynamic spool valve Multimatic DSSV dampers, also used on the smaller Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 to great effect, not only do they provide great on-road handling but off-road the worst bumps and craters are smoothed over with surprising aplomb.

At the front, a special off-road cut front bumper provides an improved 33.5-degree approach angle, however, the ZR2's departure angle of 23.3 degrees comes up short versus its immediate competitors. Its breakover angle of 23.4 degrees is impressive though only beaten by the F-150 Raptor on its optional 37-inch tires. Ground clearance is an impressive 10.7 inches.

That trick suspension will have you bouncing over desert terrain like a Baja 1000 racer, it has 9.8 inches of travel in front and 10.6 inches in back which is 2.0 inches more than in the Trail Boss and it also has hydraulic bump stops. If you need to tow anything then it will haul up to 8,900 lbs

Aggressive Looks

At the front, you get a raised black hood which looks good but it's difficult to see out especially going uphill. It also sports a black chrome (Vader) grille and special LED headlamps.

At the rear Chevrolet chose wisely not to fit massive exhaust tips to the ZR2. Instead, it has routed the truck's tailpipes high up to prevent any damage when off-road.

Under the hood

The Duramax diesel is positioned as the base engine in the ZR2, the V8 is the option but I think this is the best choice especially since it has way better fuel economy. The excellent 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel puts out 305 hp with 495 ft-lbs driven through a 10-speed automatic transmission. 0-60 takes around 7.5 seconds and you can expect to get 22 mpg on the highway,

2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew ZR2 Numbers

BASE PRICE: $69,900
PRICE AS TESTED: $75,800
VEHICLE LAYOUT: Front-engine, 4 wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup
ENGINE: 3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbo-Diesel
POWER: 305 hp @ 3,750 rpm
TORQUE: 495 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 10-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 5,710 lb
0-60 MPH: 7.5 sec
TOWING RATING: Up to $8,900 lbs
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 20/22/21 mpg
OUR OBSERVED: 17.9 mpg
PROS: Great modern interior, unstoppable off-road, refined off-road manners
CONS:  None