Chevrolet goes off-road crazy with mammoth Silverado 2500 HD ZR2

Chevrolet has officially unveiled what is likely to be its brawniest off-road focused Silverado variant to date in the shape Silverado 2500 HD ZR2 and the even more hardcore ZR2 Bison bakkies.

As their designations indicate, both are based on the Heavy-Duty three-quarter ton version of the Silverado that rivals the Ford F-250 Super Duty and Ram 2500 HD in the States, but without the dually rear wheels only the one-ton 3500 HD comes out with.

Completing the range of ZR2 models until now comprising of the “compact” Colorado ZR2 and the half-ton Silverado 1500 ZR2, the 2500 HD ZR2 and Bison have been branded the most capable heavy-duty off-roaders ever made by General Motors (GM), with both being offered solely in double cab (Crew Cab) bodystyles.

Toughererer

Based on the already imposing standard Silverado 2500 HD that debuted alongside the mentioned 3500 HD last year, the ZR2’s new off-road applique consists of a 38 mm suspension lift, an electronic rear diff-lock, a steel skidplate underneath the transfer case, a model specific grille, ZR2 badges and an aluminium front skidplate.

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In addition to the lift kit, the ZR2 rides on 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud-terrain tyres and also gets position sensitive spool valve dampers made by Multimatic. In all, this translates to a ground clearance of 300 mm.

Finally, Chevrolet has redesigned the steering knuckles as well as the front and rear lower control arms, while adding a new Off-Mode that alters the transmission, stability control, traction control and ABS for off-road conditions.

In the case of the Bison, all of the regular ZR2’s underneath-the-skin changes apply, together with 18-inch wheels, stamped-steel front and rear bumpers, a steel underbody protection plate for the exhaust, transfer case and steering rack, and rear recovery hooks.

Standard on both variants, once again, is an electric tailgate or the Multi-Flex that debuted on the sister GMC Sierra HD, a step integrated into the rear bumper and cargo bed storage area Chevrolet refers to as the DuraBed.

From the flight deck

Inside, both the ZR2 and ZR2 Bison come as standard with the 13.4-inch digital instrument cluster and the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a wireless smartphone charger, Head-Up Display, half-leather upholstery and so-called Jet Black accents.

No further specification details or safety tech was announced, however, expect these to be on-par with the LTZ that sits below the ultra-luxurious High County on the Silverado trim level roster.

Power and more power

Up front, Chevrolet has kept the choice of engines unchanged, meaning the option of either the L8T 6.6-litre petrol V8 that makes 299kW/629Nm, or the 6.6-litre Duramax turbodiesel V8 rated at 350kW/1 322Nm.

A chunky column-shift ten-speed Allison automatic transmission is again the only option available regardless of the chosen engine.

Tow and haul

In terms of towing capacity, equal number prevail for both models regardless of the engine selected; 7 257 kg for the petrol and 8 391 kg for the diesel.

The opposite, however, applies to payloads with ratings of 1 540 kg for the ZR2 and 1 367 kg for the Bison petrol, and 1 448 kg and 1 275 kg for the respective diesel models.

RHD but…

Due to go-sale around June when summer kicks-off in the States, neither the Silverado 2500 HD ZR2 or ZR2 Bison will be offered with right-hand-drive, despite GM confirming availability of the standard 2500 HD with the steering gear on the right, but only from 2024 and solely in Australia.

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