Chevrolet working on a Silverado ZRX hardcore offroader?

Muscle Cars & Trucks cites “sources familiar with General Motors truck plans” for the nugget that Chevrolet is working on a Silverado ZRX trim. Perhaps a few dozen folks will remember that GM’s already familiar with the ZRX name, using it on the GMC Sonoma ZRX. That street-focused pickup was basically GMC’s version of the Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme, another mostly forgotten effort to pluck youthful heartstrings. When GM filed for the ZRX trademark again last month, everyone suspected it meant the return of a street performance pickup. MCT says that’s not the case, that the Silverado ZRX will be a hardcore offroad pickup aiming to extend the Silverado Trail Boss‘ (pictured) trail capabilities. 

GM’s trademark application specifies use on “Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles, sport utility vehicles, trucks, vans, engines therefor and structural parts thereof.” Word is that we’ll first see an updated interior for the Silverado and Sierra twins in the 2021 model year, and the ZRX trim will follow the year after. MCT believes the ZRX will be equipped with an upgraded suspension, the Multimatic DSSV spool valve offroad dampers from the hardcore Colorado ZR2, front and rear electronic locking differentials, and redesigned bumpers for better approach and departure angles. There’s a chance Fox Racing products connect the Silverado ZRX chassis to the wheels; Motor1 found that Fox filed for a ZRX trademark to use on “Custom pickups” seven days after GM filed its application. 

MCT believes the ZRX targets the Ford F-150 Raptor and coming Ram Rebel TRX; however, it seems the Silverado ZRX won’t inject extra output into the potential engine, GM’s 6.2-liter EcoTec V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. If that’s true, that would leave the Chevy entry well down on the competitors, with the Raptor already sporting 450 hp and 510 lb-ft from its EcoBoost V6 and planning on a more powerful V8, and the Rebel TRX potentially laying down 700 hp from its 6.4-liter supercharged Hellcat V8.

The Colorado ZR2 didn’t add power either, and there have been few complaints about that dirt devil. It’s possible the ZRX drives into a white space above the Trail Boss but below the hi-po desert runners, the Trail Boss upgraded with Rancho shocks and a two-inch lift, a two-speed transfer case, a locking rear diff, skid plates, and 18-inch wheels shod in Goodyear Duratrac tires. The Silverado ZRX might copy the Colorado ZR2 book wholesale, and offer a diesel option in the 3.0-liter Duramax four-cylinder with 277 hp and 460 lb-ft, something unavailable from the competition. And who knows, if there were a properly sorted Bison version of the ZRX, it could offer a less extreme, more accessible, more plush version of the Jeep Gladiator.