Chevy Plans to Take on Ford Raptor with Tougher Silverado ZRX
As it prepares to trounce the full-size off-road-ready truck market, Chevy reveals the ace up its sleeve.
Chevy has recently added the Chevy Colorado ZR2 and the Chevy Bison to compete alongside the onslaught of mid-sized off-road oriented cars and trucks. After looking deeper into the successful F-150 Raptor and the developing Ram Rebel TRX, Chevy decided it needed a heavyweight in this fight, too. Thus, the Chevy Silverado ZRX is currently in the works. It’s not an unwise move, since big and beefy trucks are always among the top three most sold vehicles in America, but is it possible that Chevrolet came to the dinner party a little too late?
Manoli Katakis with Muscle Cars & Trucks has some noteworthy thoughts on that. Like most people, though, Katakis is excited for the new competitor. For a long time, the Raptor has kept other full-sized trucks with fancy aftermarket additions at bay. It’s exciting to see Chevy step up to the plate. The Colorado ZR2 is a worthy project to build up from, especially since it comes with front and rear locking differentials, steel skid plates, upgraded suspension, and Multimatic DSSV dampers. One of the only major concerns that Katakis has about the Silverado ZRX are what Chevy may choose to power the beast.
The Colorado isn’t very well known for being peppy. It’s conservative, which isn’t a bad thing in the grand scheme of things, but it casts a dark shadow over what may be put in the larger, heavier Silverado. Katakis says Chevy has two V8’s that would fit swimmingly and provide the power necessary to make this truck more than just an off-road competitor for the Raptor. There’s the LT4 and the LT5, but as Katakis points out, they are very conservative with them. So, if they don’t end up making it as powerful as the name implies, it may not live up to the image Chevy wants it to. But, it’s still being worked out on the drawing board, so there is hope yet.
Additionally, Chevy does already have a hefty Silverado: the LT Trail Boss (aka, the truck pictured for this article). The Trail Boss has a 5.3 liter V8 that makes 355 horsepower and 383 ft lbs of torque. Which, for a large truck, is just about right. It also comes stock with a two inch lift, bigger and more aggressive tires, a locking rear differential, factory skid plates, and two speed transfer case. The only issue is, it is a capable truck, no doubt — but the only diff that locks is the rear. Other trucks in the category have front and rear locking diffs. The LT Trail Boss can also cost you around $57,285, depending on how many fancy features are desired. Which, is more expensive than a Raptor, which Katakis also noted. So, unless Chevy beefs up the already beefy truck even more, they might have some trouble.
Despite all that, we won’t get a better idea on the parameters until the year 2022. So, Chevy has plenty of time to make the truck ever so desirable. Chevy has never had a history of making bad trucks, so we’re all super excited to see what they bring to the ring. Maybe they’ll bring in their friends from American Expedition Vehicles to make a bigger, badder version of the Colorado ZR2.
Photos: Chevy
Join the Chevrolet Forums now!
