PaxPower’s Jackal Takes Silverado Into F-150 Raptor Territory
TFLtruck stops by PaxPower’s HQ to talk about why the company thinks it can take on the Raptor.
When General Motors wants to, they can develop great off-road vehicles. Case in point: the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and ZR2 Bison. Both models received critical praise upon their debut. Unsurprisingly, that translated into high demand for the trucks. While it’s great that Chevy created a mid-size truck capable of competing with the Ford Raptor, Chevy fans deserve more. It’s past time for the Silverado to gain an off-road variant of its own.
Fortunately, PaxPower has answered the prayers of Silverado fans with the Jackal. TFLtruck recently stopped by PaxPower’s headquarters in Houston, Texas, and spoke to head honcho Ben Norrell about the truck and why the company thinks it can take on the Raptor. Ultimately, Norrell makes a great case for the Jackal. But it might not be the slam dunk Chevy fans were hoping for.
Sizing up the Jackal
PaxPower is uniquely capable of creating a worthy F-150 Raptor competitor because three of their four main conversions are based on Ford trucks. Aside from the Jackal, the company offers conversions for the F-150, Raptor, and Ranger pickups. Unfortunately, it seems like Norrell and his team were hampered by the limited tuning options for Chevy’s 6.2 liter V8. “Right now, tuning on the Chevrolets has been limited, and so we looked to GM Performance for the answer on that,” says Norrell. PaxPower outfitted the Jackal with some factory components to give it a minor boost for a total output of 442 horsepower. A modest increase like that is probably hard to notice when driving the truck, but at least it sounds good.
Ultimately, Ford’s 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 is significantly more powerful than the Jackal’s V8 by a substantial margin. At 450 horsepower and 510 Ib-ft of torque, the twin turbo engine has a huge advantage over the modified Silverado, and it even comes with the same 10-speed automatic transmission. Obviously, power isn’t everything, but the Raptor makes a strong case for itself with that powertrain. There is one distinct advantage possessed by the Jackal though, and that is the exhaust note. It is positively beastly and the Raptor cannot produce anything remotely as good.
Advantages of the Jackal
While the Jackal might not have the power of a Raptor, it does boast some compelling features. For one thing, its overall height is about an inch shorter than the Ford. As stated by Norrell, that allows the Jackal to fit into a lot of parking garages while simultaneously allowing for 37 inch tires, which are not available on the Raptor. The exhaust tips and the overall presentation of the rear bumper are also another reason to get the Jackal over the Ford. “One of the signature pieces of these new Silverados are these dual tips and I bet Chevy is really proud of them,” says Norrell. PaxPower opted for a modified stock appearance for the tips but combined the GM Performance exhaust with the custom bumper and it looks amazing.
Perhaps the best aspect of the Jackal is its availability. PaxPower does not restrict the conversion to any particular Silverado, so buyers can choose whatever trim or color combination they desire. That is an incredibly advantageous option that Ford can’t match. Basically, the PaxPower can accommodate pretty much anything you want, and sometimes that’s worth the extra money.
A Silverado Everyone Will Notice
Another reason to choose a Jackal? Exclusivity. Unlike the Raptor, PaxPower’s conversion truly stands out from the crowd. “No one has built a Chevy to this level,” says Norrell. It’s true. And that’s actually why Jackal owners may not want GM to build a Raptor competitor. Chevy would no doubt create something vaguely resembling the Jackal. Ultimately, it probably doesn’t matter much, as the Jackal is pretty badass anyway.
PaxPower did the best they could with the tools they have. Truck shoppers may be able to walk right into a Ford dealer and order a Raptor, but they can’t fully customize it. The Jackal fills a needed hole in Chevy’s lineup and it does it with style. Make sure to watch the whole video to see one of the many ways PaxPower can configure the Jackal.