Sorry big ute haters, this V8-powered towing machine is a feat of engineering

If you’ve ever questioned the purpose of big American utes, seeing the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 handle towing, off-roading and an off-road racetrack should clear things up for you.

Some work came across my desk the other week, in the same way that it normally does.

It was a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 test car, booked in through the usual planning calendar and with my initials against it.

RELATED: The best cars for towing, according to caravan experts

But there was an extra note with it: “Looking to do some towing, and test out off-road performance”. Say no more.

Towing is an important discipline to test out, especially with big rigs like this one. We often tow caravans, and it works well. They are big and heavy and come in a variety of sizes and lengths, and that’s exactly what a lot of Australians end up towing. Which means, it’s a good real-world test.

But this ZR2 isn’t your average tow rig. And I didn’t want this to be your average tow test. Instead, I wanted to combine towing and off-road testing in one fell swoop.

The ZR2 is the range-topping off-road hero of the Silverado 1500 range, with a big towing capacity but also an added layer of off-road performance thrown on top. And while it could tow a big caravan with ease, thanks to the size of the vehicle and engine, I wanted to do something different this time around.

For the uninitiated, 1500 refers to the smaller and lighter-duty four-wheel-drive ute with ‘only’ 4500kg of braking towing capacity. In our case with the ZR2, increased off-road performance and capability trim that towing capacity down to a still healthy 4200kg.

How much does the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 cost?

Priced from $138,000 plus on-road costs, the Silverado 1500 ZR2 is available only in a high specification level with the so-called Tech Pack as standard fit. That’s a big price tag, but this is a large vehicle with a big towing capacity and long list of standard equipment.

On the inside, there is a 13.4-inch infotainment display with wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and seven-speaker Bose sound system. Both front seats get 10 ways of electric adjustment, along with heating and ventilation. There is position memory for the driver, heating for rear outboard seats and the steering wheel, and two-zone climate control.

Key details	2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2
Price	$138,000 plus on-road costs
Colour of test car	Slate Grey ($1250)
Options	None
Price as tested	$139,250 plus on-road costs
Rivals	Ford F-150 | Ram 1500 | Toyota Tundra

On the outside, the ZR2 is set apart by its blacked-out look that prioritises off-road clearance, and front tow points as well as underbody protection complete the picture. There are selectable electric differential locks front and rear, and black 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 275/70 (33-inch) Goodyear Territory all-terrain tyres.

The V8 featured on the Silverado 1500 ZR2 is the latest small-block donk from General Motors. It’s called the L87 and debuted in 2019. It’s a refreshed version of the L86 that debuted back in 2014.

If you thought a new-fangled American truck V8 would drop the pushrods and go with overhead camshafts, you’d be wrong. We’ve still got a single centrally located camshaft in this modern V8, with hydraulic lifters, roller-pivot rocker arms and two valves per cylinder. It has variable valve timing on both valves, however, and can undertake cylinder deactivation under light loads to preserve fuel.

This engine is mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox, which was recently co-developed by Ford and General Motors. But while this might be similar to what you get in a Ford Ranger, it’s not the same.

Being nearly six metres long tells you this is a monster vehicle, and the size can be startling to those who aren’t used to it.

For reference, a current Ford Ranger (which is itself one of the biggest of the ‘regular’ four-wheel-drive utes) is a full half-metre shorter than this Silverado.

Its height manages to stay below the two-metre watermark (just), while its width goes beyond it at 2074mm.

And as you would expect, the Silverado offers acres of space for people, stuff and things inside. A true representation of space comes in the second row, where there is – frankly – an overt excess of leg room and head room on offer. I’d wager that some of the planet’s tallest human beings could occupy this interior space and still be comfortable. The seats are comfortable, and you’ve got enough width – along with a flat floor – for three in the rear with no problems.

Key details	2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2
Engine	6.2-litre petrol V8
Power	313kW @ 5600rpm
Torque	624Nm @ 4100rpm
Drive type	Part-time four-wheel drive with ‘Auto’ on-demand function, low-range transfer case
Transmission	10-speed torque converter
Power-to-weight ratio	121kW/t
Weight (kerb)	2587kg
Spare tyre type	Full-size
Payload	713kg
Turning circle	14.4m

The ZR2 also gets its own suspension set-up, with a two-inch lift over a regular Silverado 1500 system. It retains the same leaf-sprung live axle at the rear and coil-sprung independent struts up front, but the dampers are a big highlight here. These are Multimatic DSSV units with trick spool valve technology, which have an impressive track record in circuit and off-road racing, as well as use in sports cars and supercars.

Damping is a really interesting subject when it comes to the ZR2. Even if you know nothing about suspension, you’ll know there is something different going on here. The dampers look quite different. They’re gold-coloured, have a half-naked man on them, and have a big, strangely shaped body. The shocks, not the man.

These dampers are from a Canadian company called Multimatic, and they use something called Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) to control those significant up-down forces.

This technology has been used successfully in Formula One, Le Mans, the Mint 400 and King of the Hammers, along with many other major racing series around the world. Variations of Multimatic’s damping technology is used in Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes-Benz sports cars, as well as Chevrolet’s own Camaro, Colorado and of course Silverado.

The major difference here is instead of the traditional range of shim stacks – which are found in the vast majority of shock absorbers – the DSSV dampers use things called ‘spool valves’ in large chambers, which can be electronically rotated to adjust resistance to oil flow.

In the case of the Silverado ZR2, three connected chambers house three separate spool valves, controlling bump and rebound forces separately, and can be tuned for on-road performance and off-road performance separately.

In other words, you can get a wider band of performance with these dampers, for a wider range of conditions. And in this case, it’s about maximising off-road performance, both at high speeds and low speeds.

Is the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 good off-road?

This all sounds good in theory, but how does the Silverado ZR2 perform when put to task? It’s a large American-style ute at the end of the day, weighing 2.5 tonnes and with a heavy-duty towing capacity.

To test it out, we had the opportunity to unleash the ZR2 on a favourite off-road track of ours: Colo Motorsport Park north of Sydney.

And after testing out the track in the Can-Am Maverick X3 side-by-side buggy, I unhitched the trailer and pointed the Silverado at the track. Would I regret this?

Let me tell you: this suspension really does perform well when put to the task. I was initially a bit sceptical about how well it would go, simply because of the size and weight. For reference, I’ve piloted both generations of Ford Ranger Raptor around this track, both of which were revelations of speed and dynamic ability on an off-road course. And the current-generation model took things to a whole new level. Not just through the more powerful engine, but also through the active, bypassing and position-sensitive damping.

The Raptor is the benchmark for me here, and offers more pointed and nimble performance from its smaller package. But don’t write off the Silverado, because this spool valve damping technology is quite impressive in its own way. It keeps contact with the ground and through the ruts, and communicates your levels of grip and slip adeptly through the seat of your pants.

Spool valves don’t wear out in the same way that a shim-stacked damper does, either. So you’ve got an advantage of durability and longevity here.

The steering of the Silverado is relatively slow and requires some big inputs from the driver when you’re in a tight corner or looking to catch a big, throttle-laden slide. But it can be done, and you’ve got the ability to knuckle down some fast acceleration and mid-corner speeds.

And one thing the Raptor cannot match here is the noise and linear responsiveness of a naturally aspirated V8. It might not be as torquey in the mid-range, as a smaller-capacity motor on a healthy diet of boost, but it’s great for power and malleability when you’re ploughing through corners.

And the noise, of course. The straight-cut, near-shrill sound of this engine slapping its way over 5000rpm is pretty awesome. It’s not exactly high on the tachometer, but it’s still such a unique, evocative, and increasingly rare sound.

Build up your confidence, tip into a corner slightly under speed (to avoid any semblance of understeer) and get ready to power out. Turn the wheel, plant your foot, and the tail swings out like an oversized pendulum, giving you plenty of time to start ripping at the tiller – keep the foot buried – and accelerating sideways out of the corner.

It’s more fun than a vehicle of this size and weight has any right to be and is a testament to the strength of the powertrain and nous of this suspension set-up. You can even get a little bit of air under the tyres if you’re so game. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was the level of grace that the ZR2 touched down with, like an elephant that went to ballet school.

When you’re in low-range, the Silverado ZR2 is a clear improvement over the LTZ, and probably better than you might give it credit for. It did for me, anyway. The wheelbase is huge, which can limit your rampover angle in some situations. But also, it can yield good levels of stability on steep angles. And while this is a big rig, 33-inch Goodyear all-terrains, locking differentials front and rear, and tidy approach and departure angles mean the Silverado ZR2 can amble its way over some decent challenges without raising a sweat.

Clearance will remain the major issue, but at least we had the rock sliders on the side to help mitigate damage. Plus, you’ll need to book three-point turns weeks in advance, because tight tracks and a 14.4m turning circle do not mix well.

How much can the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 tow?

But of course, we had to tow a 2.5-tonne trailer out to this track, and this is where the breadth of capability of the Silverado ZR2 is really shown off.

While the Ranger Raptor might be faster and more capable off-road, the fact that this ZR2 could tow a Raptor on a trailer to the track, and then have plenty of fun of its own when the trailer is unhitched, is impressive.

Against the 4.2-tonne braked towing capacity, the combination of a Chameleon Base 5.2 trailer and Can-Am Maverick buggy weighs in at around 2.5 tonnes. If you’re using a more common 50mm ball, the towing capacity of the Silverado 1500 is capped at 3.5 tonnes. More than that needs an upgrade to 70mm.

And with this weight on board, the Silverado ZR2 proved to be an effortless tow vehicle. The size and weight help keep the trailer in check, and ours felt rock-steady going at 110km/h, pounding up hills and going down relatively steep, twisting turns.

Some credit should go to the trailer, because of its stability and quality. But after many hours of towing with the Silverado, you get why this kind of vehicle is so popular for towing big trailers long distance. From the driver’s seat, you can feel how capable and confident it is, and how much more it has to give.

	Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 tow rating
Using 50mm ball	3500kg braked 750kg unbraked 350kg tow ball download
Using 70mm ball	4200kg braked 750kg unbraked 400kg tow ball download

I know that those who buy a 2.5-tonne V8-powered American truck probably won’t have ultimate fuel economy on their most important bingo cards.

However, according to Chevrolet’s own claimed fuel economy, as good as 12.2 litres per 100 kilometres is feasible in the Silverado 1500 ZR2. And for a big pushrod V8 in a commensurably huge vehicle, that number is impressive. That would be thanks to the 10-speed automatic gearbox, whose multitude of ratios can help to trim back consumption and keep revs down.

There’s some tricky cylinder deactivation technology in this latest-generation Chev V8, which can allow it to run on as little as two cylinders and with up to 14 different firing orders.

However, I’m going to hazard a guess that in my driving, all eight cylinders were reporting for duty. And heartily so, we did a lot of speed-limit highway driving, towing and off-road driving during our time with the vehicle, including a big dose of full-blooded thrashing around the off-road racetrack.

Our average worked out to be 21.5L/100km, which could likely be a worst-case scenario. You might see worse, I guess if you’re towing a four-tonne off-road caravan into a big headwind, but you can likely achieve much better than what I did.

For many, the Silverado is complete overkill. And if you’re not going to be able to really put this kind of vehicle to work, the trade-off of size, running costs and low maneuverability will be the cross you bear.

And while there might be many detractors of vehicles of this size and ilk, there is a genuine need from those who have outstripped the abilities of a regular-sized ute and need to go up a category. Mostly, it boils down to towing capacity and raw space.

And when you’re staring down the barrel of towing for long hours, nothing does it quite so well as a plus-sized American ute. This Silverado impresses not only through the stout performance of the 6.2-litre V8 and adept 10-speed automatic gearbox, but also through the amount of technology, space and comfort on offer.

While the Ford F-150 offers more mid-range torque and efficiency through the twin-turbocharged V6, the V8 is hard to beat in terms of charm and still goes hard in terms of performance. And compared to the Ram 1500’s 5.7-litre V8, the Chev is the pick for me.

While you do get a trimmed-back braked towing capacity with the ZR2, 4.2 tonnes is still a good number to work with. And the increased comfort and capability you get from this suspension set-up, along with the wheels and tyres, make this something of an all-round choice in the range.

The fact that this Silverado ZR2 could tow a Ford Ranger Raptor to the track, but also have plenty of fun at the same time, underpins the unique appeal that it has. It’s a feat of engineering, with old-school V8 charm matching well to some cutting-edge suspension technology.

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