When I think of taking off-road trips, I tend to think of Jeeps. However, in the last few years, I have seen more and more pickup owners taking their vehicles for a spin through the wilderness, and it looks like a lot of fun – especially if you’re going to be taking the 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500. With the Silverado 1500 touted as Chevy’s newest addition to their off-road crew, particularly the ZR2 model, it makes sense there are some new and upgraded features, such as the off-road cut front bumper, which makes exploring rocky terrain more accessible than your average bumper that prevents the tires from being able to articulate across more difficult ground. It also allows for larger tires, which can be used when crossing water, mud, and sand without doing as much damage to either the tires or the undercarriage while providing enough strength and stamina to take on more challenging trails.
The First of Many: The Silverado ZR2
Quite a few firsts are attached to the Silverado 1500 ZR2, from the Multimatic DSSV dampers, which are common in the world of motorsports, to the model-specific wheel flares that provide protection and enhance the look of your pickup, to the ZR2 interior, which includes a sizeable touchscreen infotainment center. These new features improve an already powerful and promising pickup and are welcome additions to the incredible package put together by Chevrolet. The Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 also comes with a 6.2L V8 engine for the raw power needed to travel through a variety of landscapes, with 460 lb-ft of torque, giving it the ability to accelerate quickly enough to swerve fallen trees or make a sudden turn on desert sand.
For protection and durability, the 1500 ZR2 comes with aluminum skid plates to shield the undercarriage from debris like gravel and underbrush, as well as 33” tires to lift the truck up and over obstacles. The new steel bumpers on the front and back were specifically designed to ensure that the ZR2 is capable of going on many, many off-road trips without having to worry about flimsy parts or easily dentable materials.
Riding in Style With the Silverado High Country
If the ZR2 off-road experience isn’t the model that appeals to you, but you do want a pickup capable of hauling for long distances while you ride in comfort and style, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country might be the one for you. The interior looks classy and comfortable, with leather seating made exclusively for this model, along with real wood trim. Super Cruise is also available, which means high-tech assistance with driving and towing over 200,000 miles of roads, and you can activate it while trailering.
This is an emerging technology, so there will be updates, more roads added, and new features installed as time goes on, but what they have right now is incredibly powerful and not something seen in many other models. The Super Cruise feature is for hands-off driving, meaning you don’t have to keep your hands on the wheel every second. You can determine how close or far you want to be from the nearest vehicle; it has automatic emergency braking to avoid or prevent heavy damage in a head-on collision and utilizes multiple tools like cameras and GPS to recognize curves, making driving over long distances much easier and more comfortable. The Silverado 1500 High Country comes with three years of this Super Cruise feature, after which it becomes a paid service.
New and Improved
Along with all the new things that are going into making the Silverado more of an off-road beast and long hauler, Chevy also decided to give it some improvements, most notably in the design of the vehicle overall, both exterior and interior. While the outside may have a wider stance reminiscent of vehicles from years gone by, the interior is completely modern with touch screens that come standard in all the new Chevy Silverado 1500 models – the LT, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, RST, ZR2, and High Country.
The front of the pickup is where the redesign is most notable, with the bumper, grille, and headlights all undergoing a cosmetic facelift, creating a sleeker but more durable nose. At the back, there’s an optional multi-flex tailgate, which makes it easier to step up and into the back or down and out with camping equipment, fishing and hunting supplies, or rappelling gear. There are also multiple tire size options depending on what you’ll spend most of your time doing – 18”, 20”, and 22” inch options are all available for every model.
Looking Good, Feeling Great
With colors like Dark Ash Metallic, Glacier Blue Metallic, and Sand Dune, the Silverado is made to stand out. Regular options like black and white are available as well, and there are a few specialty trim options like the Iridescent Pearl Tricoat. The interior is all about comfort and style, with Jet Black / Graystone leather interior perforated for ease in heating or cooling. This allows a better flow of warmth or coolness from the heaters and fans inside the seat instead of trapping everything underneath. Optional features include a power tilt and telescope steering column that can be moved up, down, back, and forth to create that perfect fit for every driver, rear under-seat storage for those extras that don’t seem to fit anywhere else, and adaptive cruise control for those long road trips.
Accessorize to Your Heart’s Content
Along with the sleek new look, upgraded features, and variety of styles, the Silverado 1500 has quite a list of accessories to drool over, like the Bed Cap in Supertop Soft Top, which not only provides UV protection and mildew protection but can be put up and down by a single person, making this an easy way to cover whatever you’re hauling. If you’re doing a lot of driving and unloading in lower light settings, you can add the Cargo Light Kit, which provides illumination right in the truck bed, and if you’ve got higher places you need to access, there are a few options for ladder racks. Whether you’re using the Silverado for work or pleasure or a mixture of both, there are many accessories that can help maximize the productivity and fun of your new pickup, like the D-Box Storage Box, Drawerganizer Tote, nets, rails, racks, tents, hardware kits, and retractable covers.
One Size Does Not Fit All
There’s a big difference between the bed size needed for hauling around your work equipment and one intended to provide enough space for the family to ride comfortably, so Chevy has multiple options available to ensure that you have the perfect ride for whatever you need. The standard bed has a box length of 79.44 in, while the long bed has a box length of 98.18 in, and the short bed has a box length of 69.92 in. If you need more seating, the crew cab is a better fit than the regular cab, but if you’re looking for a bigger area to hold all of your materials and tools, the long bed with standard cab is a better fit.
Here’s Looking at You, Silverado 1500 (2022)
Whether you’re in the market for a work pickup or one the whole family can enjoy on a weekend trip into the wilderness, the Chevy Silverado 1500 has a wealth of options at your fingertips. With accessories galore, multiple size options, and plenty of high-tech tools that promise to blend together to create a masterful driving experience, this is definitely a truck worth checking out. And don’t forget, if you like to take a long road (or off-road) trip, this truck may be a better option for you than a Jeep.
