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With tons of practicality and impressive towing capacity, the 2022 Silverado ZR2 is Chevy's full-size go-anywhere and do-anything pickup.
For decades, the Chevrolet Silverado appealed to consumers as both a work-capable midsize truck and terrific people hauler, thanks to its high level of comfort and convenience, as well as smooth, agile, and confident ride. Having become hugely popular, the new ZR2 is designed to strengthen the Silverado's place in the full-size pickup truck segment with its super all-around, do-anything, go-anywhere capability.
The ZR2's aggressive attitude pits it against capable off-road trucks such as the Ram TRX and Ford Raptor, although it isn't quite as extreme as those two. Here are ten things we now know about the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2.
The 2022 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 is based on the 2022 Silverado 1500 crew cab short bed, which runs on the GMT T1XX platform. As a result, the Silverado ZR2 is equipped similarly to the standard half-ton Silverado 1500 High Country trim. It features heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, side steps, a spray-on bedliner, and more.
In addition to the shared features, the Silverado ZR2 is uniquely outfitted with many features that make it assertive, robust, and distinctive. These include 33-inch mud-terrain tires, heavy-duty skid plates, front and rear locking differentials, etc.
To equip the 2022 Silverado ZR2 with greater trail-driving capability and standout style, Chevrolet collaborated with off-road racing champion, Chad Hall, who took a relentless and thorough test drive of the vehicle to ensure it was ready for serious off-road excursions.
Being the son of the late off-road racer Rod Hall, who was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, Chad has, like his father, participated in various off-road races, including the Best of the Desert series. This experience made him ideal for testing the Silverado ZR2.
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The 2022 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 is available with 40mm Multimatic spool-valve dampers and unique front springs, which have been used by professional motor racing teams, including Red Bull Racing. The system has also been used in vehicles such as Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992), Ford Mustang GT4, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Mazda RT24-P, and more.
MultiMatic's DSSV dampers leverage precision spool valve technology to provide comforting predictability and quick response to inputs.
Also, the dampers' ability to accurately regulate oil flow through precisely shaped ports helps absorb road noise and lessens vibration from road imperfections, ensuring a smooth, quiet ride even at maximum speed.
The ZR2 is intended as a Performance off-road vehicle in the same mold as the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX. Equipped with four-wheel drive, a reliable 6.2-liter V8 engine with 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, heavy-duty skid plates, high-performance Multimatic DSSV dampers, and 33-inch mud-terrain tires, the Silverado ZR2 is a match for all the different types of terrain an off-road excursion might lead to.
So, whether you plan to go to the desert for an off-road adventure or wish to race friends on popular trails and high-speed dirt roads, the all-new Silverado ZR2 is incredibly capable and trail-ready.
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The 2022 Chevy Silverado ZR2 is available exclusively in a Crew Cab body style with a 5-foot-10-inch bed. It seats up to six people in its standard form, and all passengers enjoy roomy accommodations. However, equipping it with the available front bucket seats lowers the seating capacity to five.
The Silverado ZR2 also offers a compelling blend of beautiful interior design and high-end materials without compromising ingress and egress.
The Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 fully lives up to its calling as a rugged-duty, all-business work truck with a stern look and imposing stance that emphasizes its sense of adventure, thanks to Chevy engineers modifying the standard Silverado and infusing it with a commanding presence that set it apart from its sibling.
They redesigned the front bumper, lifted the suspension by two inches (11.2 inches of ground clearance), and equipped the Silverado ZR2 with robust skid plates. The result is a tough-looking dependable workhorse with an unmistakable presence that makes clear its abilities to tackle steep drives, pesky uneven roads, and virtually all rough terrain.
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The Silverado ZR2 is available with performance-styled, form-fitting front bucket seats that contribute to the driving experience by providing excellent lateral and thigh support.
Silverado ZR2 also receives a lot of praise for its generous headroom and legroom, which allow ample space for passengers to move around. Front occupants get 43.1 inches of headroom, 44.5 inches of legroom, 66.0 inches of shoulder room, and 60.9 inches of hip room.
To ensure drivers and passengers feel completely secure, Chevrolet equipped the Silverado with the Chevy Safety Assist, the brand's suite of active safety features.
It includes forward-collision alert, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, following distance indicator, and automatic high beams.
RELATED: Watch This New Chevy Silverado ZR2 Take On A Ford Raptor In A Drag Race
It might not be as powerful as the Ford F-150 Raptor or Ram 1500 TRX, but being the smaller off-road performance truck has its upsides: maneuverability. For instance, the 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor is 19.9 inches longer (232.6 vs. 212.7 inches) and 9.9 inches wider (86.6 vs. 76.7 inches) than the Silverado ZR2.
With 232.9 inches of length and 88.0 inches of overall width (without mirrors), the 2022 Ram 1500 TRX is marginally longer/wider than even the Raptor. That makes it 20.2 inches longer and 11.3 inches wider than the ZR2. As a result of their larger prints, the TRX and Raptor are much more challenging to maneuver through tight spaces than the ZR2, which is direct and highly controllable.
As its muscular build suggests, the Silverado ZR2 is designed to make small work of big jobs. When outfitted with a conventional trailer hitch, it can tow up to 8,900 pounds and allow for a payload of about 1,440 pounds.
This out-tows competitors such as the Ford F-150 Raptor (rated to tow 8,200 pounds and handle 1,400 pounds of payload) and Ram 1500 TRX (8,100 pounds of towing capacity and 1,310 pounds of payload).
Monday Goma delights in writing about cars. He has written buyer's guides, car reviews, product reviews, etc., for a bunch of car dealership sites in the U.S. When not writing about cars, Monday can often be found either playing FIFA or researching new automotive technologies. Monday is married to a very devout, hardworking, strong-willed, and truly remarkable woman.