The knowledgeable staff on duty at Muscle
Cars and Trucks blog weighed in on a groundbreaking story this week: a
very hardcore Silverado
truck called the ZRX is reportedly under development and will be rugged enough
to do battle with sworn rival Ford's F-150. Many elements will be borrowed from
the Colorado ZR2, and rumor has it that it will be even more extreme than the
Silverado Trail Boss. While still not 100% official, the publication says that
the truck will be outfitted with an off-road-focused suspension that sports
Multimatic DSSV Dampers.
The truck is also rumored to brandish front and
rear locking differentials, as well as vastly improved departure angles and
approach, two elements needed to
properly take on the Raptor. It is still not entirely clear whether the
improvements will stem from the suspension alone, and its entirely possible
that a modified front bumper could be added to this aggressive and
off-road-ready mix. Other potential highlights on deck include exclusive wheels
wrapped in 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires, a revised hood,
and new grille.
The Raptor brandishes a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6
that cranks out 450 hp, and 510 lb-ft of torque, and to aggressively take part
in the brash battle, the new Chevy may feature carryover engines such as a
6.2-liter V8 that doles out 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Even though this is
significantly less than what the competition will boast, we could also be given
the grunty gift of a 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel that cooks up 277 hp and 460
lb-ft of torque. If development and design go smoothly, the off-road-focused
and heavy-duty truck could be launched in time for the 2022 offerings.
All of us here at the Mid-Missouri Powerhouse deemed this
exciting enough news to want to follow up closely on, and after researching it
online, found that GM does absolutely have an application for the ZRX moniker
pending as of August 15. Said registration covers “motor land vehicles, namely
automobiles, SUVs, trucks, vans, engines therefor, and structural parts
thereof”.
The battle in all truck slots for sales is red-hot
right now: many of our reliable sources in the industry thought a year or so
ago that this may be for the return of a street performance pickup, but we
admit we are more excited about anything off-road ready. We also understand
that owning a brand-new truck is going to make you eager to get in the saddle
and put the miles on, and it's why we offer the best warranties in the
business! We hope that we see you here at the Powerhouse this fall where you
can check out the existing models thoroughly, and see what a great addition to
your home or business the Silverado will be.
