As far as full-sized trucks go, it doesn’t get much more American than Chevrolet’s iconic Silverado in my eyes. Although it doesn’t do battle with its blue-badged rival in this part of the world, the Silverado feels as American as ever, and I mean that in every sense of the word.
In the past, Chevrolet Silverado sales were handled by HSV, but now that those three letters only live on in our memories, GMSV (General Motors Special Vehicles) has taken the torch.
In New Zealand, this Silverado is currently offered in two guises starting with the LT Trail Boss, and the LTZ Premium. Both of these trucks are powered by a 6.2-litre petrol V8, but if diesel power is more your thing, GMSV recently launched the ginormous Silverado 2500 HD.
For DRIVEN’s time in the Silverado, we were in the entry-level LT Trail Boss which starts from $119,990, and is the more rugged option of the two. Unlike the LTZ Premium which wears a chrome-clad front fascia, and chrome wheels, the Trail Boss does away with all the bling, and wears a blacked-out look instead. The rugged upgrades don’t stop at the aesthetics, with large all-terrain tyres and a suspension lift coming as standard. An automatic locking differential, Z71 skid plates, and monotube shocks are the other factory-fitted upgrades that help when things get rough.
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At just under six-metres in length, over two metres wide, and weighing over 2.4-tonnes, the Silverado is a rather large package, and features an engine that’s more than capable of completing the task. It’s an impressive petrol-powered 6.2-litre V8, which makes 313kW and 624Nm. Even in America, this is the biggest engine offered with the Silverado 1500, but is more suited for low-rev work than high rev driving.
To keep fuel consumption in check, a 10-speed automatic handles power delivery, and like most utes, Silverado is part-time 4WD. But this brings us to a touchy subject in regards to the Silverado. Fitted with an engine that’s over three times bigger than most modern passenger car engines, fuel economy was always going to be a compromise here. Chevrolet claims a combined figure of 12.8L/100km, which is impressive for a 2.5-tonne V8-powered truck, but is still very high by modern standards. On the open road, I wasn’t able to get the economy much below 12L/100km, whereas the likes of Ram’s hybrid-assisted 1500 would easily sit at 10L/100km during the same driving.
In terms of towing capacity, the Trail Boss’ 4.2-tonnes is slightly down on the other American trucks sold in New Zealand with a 4.5-tonne capacity, but we can imagine that this is down to its special off-road suspension. Opting for the Silverado LTZ Premium gets you the full 4.5-tonne capacity, but the extra 300kg probably isn’t a deal-breaker for most.
As the name suggests, the Trail Boss is right at home when it leaves the tarmac, but that’s about where it ends. The all-terrain tyres and 4WD system is right at home on a dusty dirt/gravel road, but as soon as you start to do any proper off-roading, the ginormous 3.7-metre wheelbase will catch you out. With a break-over angle of just 21 degrees, the underbody protection will get a workout over a traditional off-road trail, so tackling it with the side-by-side is probably a safer bet.
On the inside, the Trail Boss is nice, but it misses out on a few luxuries compared to the LTZ Premium. It gets cloth seats instead of leather, a regular six-speaker sound system compared to a Bose system, and it misses out on the LTZ’s sunroof. The other big difference is in the infotainment system, where the Trailboss makes do with a 4.2-inch touchscreen display compared to the 8-inch screen in the LTZ. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is included, but Trail Boss buyers will make do with a wired connection compared to wireless in the LTZ.
Though it’s quite a niche vehicle in this part of the world, the Silverado Trail Boss feels right at home in New Zealand (if you can afford to fuel it). Inner-city driving is not its thing, but as soon as you hit the open motorways and wide State Highways, it cruises with ease. Realistically, it’s probably not as off-road friendly as what the ‘Trail Boss’ name suggests, but I can imagine that it’d make light work of soft sand beaches and muddy farmland.
In New Zealand, you’ve only got the RAM 1500 to compare it to, and while you’ll be able to tow more, and use less fuel with the Dodge-derived truck, you’ll find yourself having a lot more fun in the big, bad Chevy.