Yahoo Autos 2022 Chevy Silverado ZR2 Is the Hardcore Off-Roader’s All-Rounder
The Ford F-150 Raptor and the Ram 1500 TRX are the off-road pickups of the moment. While They can handle virtually any terrain, and speed over broken desert roads quicker than anything else on the market… but they’re expensive, inefficient, and not very good at towing. And those widebody fenders? That means both are exceptionally difficult to maneuver through tight spaces. They’re big toys. And for people with big toy boxes, that’s awesome. Most of us, however, don’t have toy boxes at all. We have garages. Often small garages.
The 2022 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 is a performance truck that can actually play the role of great daily-driver alongside being a capable off-roader. No, it doesn’t have bulging muscle fenders, or booked-on-Expedia suspension travel, or astral-projection power figures. Instead, The ZR2 package takes a more practical approach to improving how the Silverado performs without self-conscious over-decoration. The result is an affordable truck with a broader use case that should appeal to more people.
The Silverado ZR2 does get unique fascias to differentiate it from the rest of the 1500 range with angry headlights and C-shaped DRLs. The front is reminiscent of the Tahoe Z71, An easy-to-spot skidplate begins at the black-painted steel bumper and wraps all the way under the truck’s engine, protecting it from any particularly sharp rocks or ambitious dull ones. There’s also a set of bright red tow hook mounts to pull someone out of a ditch—or get stuck yourself. Out back there’s a reworked bumper without any exhaust cutouts. That’s because Chevy had to reroute the piping to make sure it wouldn’t scrape on trails. The exhaust exits under the bumper, tucked up high and away from harm.
Most importantly, the ZR2’s fenders are no different than a standard 1500’s, save for a set of thin stick-on cladding above the wheel wells. That means the ZR2 is essentially no wider than any other Silverado. So by sheer virtue of its thinner size, it can get places that neither a Raptor nor a TRX ever could. During a drive through some of Joshua Tree National Park, the ZR2 would just barely be able to squeeze through some of the more challenging trails, gigantic boulders on either side ready to mulch wheels and bend metal. The Dodge (er, Ram) or Ford would be impossible— they’re simply too wide. Too plump. Too much,
The ZR2’s svelte body isn’t the only thing it has going for it on the trails. Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud-terrain tires measuring LT275/70 R18 mean more grip over loose and uneven surfaces, with more protection from sharp rocks versus standard all-seasons. They also mean 11.2 inches of ground clearance, allowing for an approach angle of 31.8 degrees, a departure angle of 23.3 degrees, and a breakover angle of 23.4 degrees—not bad considering the 147.5-inch wheelbase. There’s a camera in the front grille to give the driver a view of the trail in front of them, and a slower steering rack to improve low-speed maneuvering.
The real star here though, is the suspension. Like the much-loved Colorado ZR2 we drove back in 2018, the Silverado ZR2 comes standard with a set of Multimatic’s DSSV dampers. Originally formulated for use in the early 2000s CART series, these trick dampers have made their way into all sorts of iconic racing and road cars, such as the Camaro Z/28 and Ford GT. Adapted here for off-road use, they’re paired with independent suspension up front and leaf-springs in the rear, and feature three spool-valve chambers with newly designed seals. There’s also specific springs that Chevy says increase suspension travel over the Trail Boss trim.
