GENERAL MOTORS SPECIAL VEHICLES has this week launched its up to date fourth era Chevrolet Silverado 1500 to the Australian market, the domestically engineered and transformed mannequin vary including new know-how, a new-look dashboard and an off-road-focused ZR2 variant to the vary for the primary time.
The updates come as a part of a transfer by dad or mum firm Basic Motors to outsell Ford’s F-Sequence vehicles in Northern America. The Basic’s pick-up providing is now simply 130,000 items behind Henry’s personal F-Truck, a niche that GM hopes to slender, whereas additionally competing with the never-say-die Ram 1500 vary.
Regionally, two variants of the Silverado are provided for 2023, the luxury-focused Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium (up $7000 to $128,000 plus on-road prices) with commonplace Z71 package deal to boost its off-roading functionality, and the brand new Silverado 1500 ZR2 (up $9000 to $133,000 + ORCs).
The latter affords a Ford Raptor-style increase to its all-round driveability, courtesy of lifted suspension, bespoke dampers, extra off-road-focused drive modes, and distinctive styling particulars that butch-up its appears to be like and enhance method and departure angles.
Past the up to date Silverado 1500’s deeper grille, higher-mounted Chevrolet ‘bow-tie’ emblem, restyled bumpers and brighter C-shaped LED working lights, the ZR2 incorporates a singular black-chrome grille with a ‘flow-tie’ emblem (open for improved cooling), a raised black bonnet insert with ZR2 badging, wheel arch flares, distinctive gloss-black 18-inch wheels with chunky 275/70 Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tyres, and two-tone black/gray leather-appointed upholstery with darkish trim.
It additionally beneficial properties driver-selectable ‘E-locker’ digital locking differentials entrance and rear, as a substitute of the auto-locking rear diff within the LTZ Premium.
Elevating the ZR2’s experience peak to a towering 296mm (from 228mm in LTZ Premium) and incorporating a brand new three-piece black entrance bumper (to allow simpler substitute if broken) with a silver bash plate and pink tow hooks dramatically enhance its method angle – from a modest 21.0 levels in LTZ to 31.8 levels. The ZR2’s breakover angle rises from 20.0 to 23.4 levels whereas its departure angle goes from 21.0 to 23.3 levels.
Uniquely, the LTZ Premium options bright-silver 20-inch alloys with 275/60 Bridgestone Dueler tyres, an all-black leather-appointed inside, adaptive cruise management, a (comparatively small) glass sunroof, and a know-how pack that features a full-colour 15.0-inch head-up show, a rear digital camera mirror and a bed-view digital camera.
Except for the MY23 Silverado’s extra imposing entrance finish and muscular new ZR2 variant, it’s contained in the cabin the place the upgrades are manifestly apparent. A very new dashboard replaces the over-styled earlier effort with a clear, horizontally configured structure dominated by an enormous, crisp 13.4-inch centre touchscreen, joined by a configurable 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
Whereas the earlier analogue dials had been neat and enticing, the centre stack was inexpensive-looking – even on top-spec GMC variants within the US – and the know-how lagged means under the category greatest.
Now the MY23 Silverado is arguably the main full-size pick-up for cabin tech, and whenever you’re paying properly into six figures for the privilege of proudly owning this huge 5900mm-long, 2500kg dual-cab, that’s the stuff that may get well-heeled truck punters to signal on the dotted line.
2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pricing*:
LTZ Premium (a) | $128,000 | (+$7000) |
ZR2 (a) | $133,000 | (+$9000) |
*Pricing excludes on-road prices.
