2021 Chevrolet Silverado Gets Trick Tailgate & New Towing Tech
Silverado 1500 will see a substantive update in the form of an innovative new tailgate and advanced trailering technologies.
Following weeks of rumors and teasers, we now know for sure that the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup truck will get its own version of the innovative Multi-Pro tailgate that has been available in the GMC Sierra since the 2019 model year. In the Chevy, it will be known as the Multi-Flex tailgate, and will offer many of the same features.
Following the GMC’s lead, the Silverado will offer six unique tailgate functions, which will allow for easier cargo management and loading/unloading the bed. The tailgate will offer a standing workstation, the ability to hold up to 375 pounds, and can be activated using the truck’s key fob or buttons on the tailgate itself.
The Multi-Flex Tailgate joins the Silverado’s Durabed, which itself has several innovations over the traditional pickup truck feature. It brings LED lighting, a 120-volt power outlet, and 12 fixed cargo tie-downs to secure any size load.
Those features make the Silverado a formidable competitor in the full-size truck segment, but it’s got other tricks up its sleeve coming for the 2021 model year. Chevy says the new truck will offer better trailering capabilities for its most efficient engines as well. This means that the turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine and the 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel are getting a boost. The four-cylinder will see a bump of up to 2,500 pounds, which makes its max towing capacity 9,600 pounds. The diesel will get a boost of 1,900 pounds, which will bring its capability to 9,500 pounds. For the Duramax, that’s combined with impressive fuel economy figures of 33 mpg on the highway.
New trailering tech will also make their way into the 2021 Silverado. A new trailer length indicator feature helps the driver determine if there’s enough room for a lane change, a jack-knife alert tracks the position of the trailer in relation to the vehicle, a cargo bed view enhancement allows for easier alignment with a gooseneck trailer, and new camera features make towing safer than before.
We don’t yet have pricing details for the new Silverado, but we do know that certain trims will get an MSRP reduction for the new model year. As far as when we’ll see the 2021 trucks, Chevrolet says that production will begin in September 2020. The trucks will start hitting dealers’ lots throughout the fall of 2020.
Photos: General Motors