Yahoo Autos 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2 is a factory-built off-roader
New for 2024, the Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2 offers the off-road capacity that the nameplate is known for in a bigger and more powerful package. It was designed to tow and haul, and the range includes a Bison model that's capable of going even further off the beaten path.
Chevrolet positions the Silverado HD ZR2 above the Colorado ZR2 and the Silverado 1500 ZR2, and the firm told Autoblog that applying the all-terrain treatment to a bigger truck makes perfect sense. It pointed out that 96% of existing Silverado HD customers tow, 68% go camping, 66% hunt and fish, and nearly half go off-roading, according to its research. The new addition to the lineup was designed for these buyers.
Exclusively offered as a 2500 HD with a crew cab, the ZR2 gains a redesigned suspension system that includes racing-derived Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers and a 1.5-inch lift kit. These changes helped unlock a 32.5-degree approach angle, a 25.7-degree departure angle, and a 21.2-degree breakover angle, while ground clearance checks in at 11.6 inches. Chevrolet also added model-specific front upper and lower control arms and steering knuckles, an electronic locking differential to the rear axle, and an Off-Road driving mode that adjusts features like the anti-lock brakes and the stability control system while enabling the rear axle to lock regardless of the truck's speed.
The standard engine is a gasoline-burning, 6.6-liter V8 rated at 401 horsepower and 464 pound-feet of torque. Chevrolet told Autoblog that it expects over 70% of buyers will upgrade to the 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8 tuned to develop 470 horsepower and 975 pound-feet of torque. Both engines spin the rear or the four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case. If you have heavy stuff to haul, you'll likely want to get the gas engine, which gives the truck a 3,397-pound payload (versus 3,193 pounds for the diesel). If you have heavy stuff to tow, the diesel is the way to go: It gives the HD an 18,500-pound towing capacity, up from 16,000 for the gasoline-burning V8.
