Huge 2022 Chevy Silverado Update Brings New Interior, ZR2 Trim and Super Cruise

Chevy’s also added 20 percent more torque to the base engine and 4,000 pounds to the Duramax diesel’s towing capacity.

byChris Tsui|
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Heading into its fourth model year, the current-gen Chevy Silverado is getting major upgrades for 2022, chief of which addresses what was arguably the biggest complaint people had with the truck: that low-rent interior. Yes, as previous rumors predicted, the Silverado is getting an interior overhaul to better compete with the Ram and Ford F-150. But it doesn't stop there.

Other enhancements include a new off-road-focused ZR2 halo trim, a torquier base engine, a higher max tow rating for the turbodiesel, the availability of GM's world-class Super Cruise hands-free driving assistance system, and, of course, a slightly tweaked exterior. Let's start with that fancy new cabin.

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Chevrolet

Coming to 2022 Silverados LT and up, the Chevy pickup's fresh interior is indeed way more upscale than the one it replaces, with a wide-set design that supposedly makes the Silverado feel more spacious. Interestingly, the company goes as far as namedropping the Corvette as a minor influence here in terms of design. Infotainment duties fall on a new, ultra-wide 13.4-inch center touchscreen running Google built-in, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay while a new, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster sits behind the steering wheel. The swanky High Country trim does its best impression of a full-on luxury car by including open-pore wood trim, standard leather with "exclusive custom perforation and stitching," as well as Bose audio with stainless steel speaker grilles, a feature that's also standard on the LTZ.

What else is new for 2022? The first-ever Silverado ZR2. To be offered as the flagship (read: most expensive) of the pack, it's a factory-lifted, off-road-focused version of Chevy's truck that offers Multimatic DSSV dampers, more suspension travel than the Trail Boss, e-lockers front and rear, skid plates, 33-inch MT tires, and the 6.2-liter V8 engine. You can read more in-depth about the Silverado ZR2 here.

2022 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2, Chevrolet

Chevy hasn't rested on its laurels when it comes to the oily aspects of the non-ZR2 Silverados, either. Thanks to a "new, more rigid cylinder block casting," the base 2.7-liter turbo-four now makes 420 pound-feet of torque, up from last year's 348 pound-feet, marking an increase of 20 percent. Chevy also says this gives the Silverado the torquiest base engine in the class. (Get to work, Ford fact-checkers!) 

Presumably to accommodate for the increased twist, the four-pot's crankshaft has also been made 30 percent stiffer than before while shift programming on the eight-speed automatic Chevy pairs with this motor has been revised to provide smoother gear changes, quicker downshifts, and an overall more refined and capable feel. 

Meanwhile, the 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel straight-six can now tow 4,000 pounds more than it could before: 13,300 pounds total in 2WD configuration thanks to chassis changes that have allowed Chevy to pair the diesel with the Silverado's max tow package. Other than the turbodiesel and four-cylinder engines, the 2022 Silverado is, of course, also available with the 5.3- and 6.2-liter V8s carried over from last year. 

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Newly available as an option on the High Country trim is the company's lauded Super Cruise tech. Allowing hands-free driving across 200,000 miles of American and Canadian roads, Super Cruise incorporates a camera-based Driver Attention System to make sure the driver is always keeping an eye on the road and not treating it like a true "self-driving" system which, as we all know, does not exist yet. The Silverado's version of Super Cruise is also advanced enough to be used while towing, taking into account the added drag and braking distances that come with hauling something behind your Chevy pickup. One caveat, however, is that even though the system is capable of automated lane changes sans trailer, it cannot change lanes by itself while the truck is towing something, for fairly obvious safety reasons. 

The new and improved 2022 Chevrolet Silverado is scheduled to arrive at dealerships in the spring.

Got a tip or question for the author about the updated Silverado? You can reach them here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com

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