2024 Silverado HD ZR2 Gives Chevy's Heavy-Duty Pickup An Off-Road Upgrade
Chevy is expanding the off-road capabilities of its premiere pickup line. The 2024 Silverado HD ZR2 has a number of new features that should appeal to anyone who isn't too fond of sticking to the asphalt often. A lot of the increased performance comes courtesy of the vehicle's new "Off-Road Mode," which tweaks a number of settings and calibrations. The truck's brakes, transmission, throttle progression, and traction control will all be optimized for off-roading when the setting is enabled.
The HD ZR2's suspension has been lifted one-and-a-half inches higher than you'll find on its standard Silverado AWD models, and a number of parts have been swapped out or added to improve performance when you head off the beaten path. This includes specific front upper and lower control arms, alongside specific steering knuckles, multimatic DSSV Dampers, and a rear e-locker. The truck's 18-inch rims are also clad in 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires.
Off-roading isn't just about handling and performance, but it's also pretty dangerous. On some types of terrain, a particularly jagged rock can hit the wrong part of your truck and leave you stranded, especially if you're a good ways away from civilization. To guard against this, Chevy has beefed up the steel skid plate guarding the transfer case, and the front aluminum skid plate has also increased in size for protection.
It also handles towing like a champ
While the boost to off-roading capability might be big news, it's pretty good on the road, too. Hauling it along is a choice of a 6.6L gasoline, or 6.6L Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine. If you opt for the gas option, your truck will be packing 401 horsepower and 464 foot-pounds of torque.
As you may expect, the diesel engine has more grunt. The 2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 boasts 470 horsepower and a staggering 975 foot-pounds of torque. The gas option has a higher payload, and can carry up to 3397 pounds of whatever you want to load onto it, while the diesel option caps out at 3193 pounds. The diesel engine option is the better choice if you're intent on hauling things in your truck: you can tow up to 18,500 pounds — 2,500 pounds more than the gas engine is capable of.
Chevrolet have also upgraded the truck's interior, claiming the new Silverado will offer "excellent work-ready functionality and next-level technology integration." It includes a 13.4-inch diagonal infotainment screen, and a 12.3 inch configurable driver information gauge cluster that's angled towards the driver.
The 2024 Silverado HD ZR2 is set to enter production this summer, and will be released in the third quarter of 2023. No pricing information is available yet, but more details will likely emerge prior to the truck entering production.