At a time when the Ford F-150 Raptor is getting more affordable with a new base trim, the 2027 Chevy Silverado ZR2 is going upmarket, baby. The Bowtie brand is packing it full with snazzy features you’d normally find on a High Country luxury trim, plus an optional 6.6-liter V8 making 481 horsepower and, yeah, screens. All of that kicks the ZR2’s starting price up to $80,000—well, technically it’s $79,995, but you get the picture. Is that wishful thinking? Or could it possibly be worth it?
I can’t answer that question from my office chair, silly. But what I can do is tell you what’s new with the ZR2—the features that Chevy hopes will convince people to pay about $5,000 more than they would have for the old one. Let’s start with the most indulgent.
Every 2027 Silverado ZR2 comes with massaging seats. Not even the High Country can say that, as they’re optional on the “1B” top trim. Apparently, Chevy feels like the folks who come off a long day of wheeling need a good kneading more than the corporate success stories. (I live near Walmart HQ and I see these everywhere.)
Then there’s standard Super Cruise, which wasn’t even available on the outgoing ZR2. This is far and away the truck’s snazziest feature, and that’s coming from someone who thought hands-free highway driving was a gimmick until I tried it. General Motors boasts that Super Cruise now works on 630,000 miles of roads, so odds are, you’ll be able to take advantage of it in your highfalutin half-ton.
Although I’m still not sure why Chevy thinks the ZR2 needs 60 inches of screens, it has ’em. The 12.2-inch digital gauge cluster is accompanied by a sprawling 16.3-inch center screen that will run Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Pan over to the passenger side and you’ll find an 11.5-inch screen above the glovebox for good measure. Finally, the heads-up display and digital rearview mirror bring the total screen real estate to five feet. Wowza.
If you care, the ZR2 also boasts dynamic ambient lighting, real forged carbon fiber trim, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and headrests debossed with the trim’s logo. Those are the types of features that only my kids care about in our house, but maybe you’ll dig them, too.
What any self-respecting truck fan should care about is the ZR2’s go-fast hardware. It’ll come standard with the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel making 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque, while the new 6.6-liter V8 will be optional with 481 hp and 501 lb-ft of torque. Front and rear locking differentials are baked in, as are the Multimatic DSSV dampers. The latter are what make a ZR2 a ZR2, and this time around, they’re rocking jounce control dampers that soften big blows at the end of the shocks’ travel.
There’s also a new Baja mode that tweaks power delivery for max rowdiness. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the ZR2 is now a factory pre-runner like the F-150 Raptor is, but it ought to be more than capable in fast off-road sections. I remember hammering the previous-generation ZR2 through Joshua Tree National Park, and it was already a joy with its 6.2-liter V8. This new small-block—the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 in its class—should make it even better.
While I’m sure the hardcore off-roaders among us won’t care about the ZR2’s fanciful amenities, I think the people who actually buy them will. If I’ve learned anything by interacting with truck people online while simultaneously talking to manufacturers, it’s that there are well-to-do customers who want extravagant leisure features to go with their premium performance. You and I might find some of this silly, but for the folks who are forking over $80,000 for a 4×4, they’ll gladly let their rig steer them back home after a trail run… or a grocery run.
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