Review: 2023 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 - A Tough Niche

I review the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 to see how it compares to the F-150 Raptor and also Chevy's own Silverado Trail Boss. Is it worth the thousands of dollars extra? That'll come down to your use case, but without a unique engine, the ZR2 struggles to feel as special as a Raptor, even though it's still awesome and has the V8 that the regular Raptor is lacking. At basically the same price as the Raptor though, the ZR2 is positioned in a tough niche. What do you think about the Chevy Silverado ZR2? Thanks to Chevy for providing this vehicle!

Time stamps:
0:00 Exterior
2:40 Interior
9:08 Initial impressions
11:48 Acceleration
13:21 Ride and handling
14:52 Off-road capabilities
17:27 Highway driving
18:49 Fuel economy
19:25 Pricing and competitor comparisons
22:31 Final thoughts

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[GoofyOneforyou]

Seeing a ZR2 in person makes you love it so much more

[im_an_alvani]

Man that truck has a lot of presence! Even though it's priced like a Raptor I can't help but think that you might be able to get this closer to MSRP.

[OneAndOnlyKJx]

I really really wish Gm would put the ZL1 650hp supercharged 6.2liter engine in a truck

[hellokyle_]

I know Dodge and Ford use more premium interior materials, but this vehicle just looks awesome.

[iandl]

Love this truck! Raptor and Trx are too wide to fit in my garage! 😂
Also not to mention having both front and rear lockers...which neither the Raptor nor the TRX have.

[Stevonoles]

Surprised they removed the cell phone pocket on top of the console. It is still nice to have that instead of leaving it down in the charger. My 22 ZR2 has it.

[twotrackjack]

Great review as usual Matt. Anecdotal note here regarding fuel economy and performance/capability: I drive a '95 Chevy G10 shorty work van with the fiberglass conversion van top and the 4.3 v6 engine. I average 14ish mpg with 1/3 the power output and less weight then this ZR2 Silverado. So altho not great by today's standards, it's still fairly respectable mpg given the performance delta imo.

[franzvanjulio]

Good point regarding the Trail Boss. It sounds like a great option for most people. Do you think the investment GM is making in V-8 engines may result in a fancy new supercharged engine in future ZR2s?

[TREVORJB]

I agree with you on the unusual interior stitching color not mixing well the the general black/red theme of the ZR2.

[hunterdonnelly]

I’m surprised they didn’t throw a supercharged 6.2 in it.

[scottbrawley]

2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 6.2L V8 Crew Cab 4X4!

[vnomz]

Nice review, haven’t watched Matt in years

[Melo.hp_]

Dang I almost got the
“WHATS UP EVERYBODY SUBARU WRX FAN HERE” vibes! 😎

[yadvindergakhal]

Awesome review Matt! Even though I'm never going to use a truck as a truck, I still would love to get one due to it's road presence

[TomSarelas]

Thanks, Matt. Always. Appreciate your thoughts re 3.0 I-6 under the hood & why not offered - too heavy, too big, too popular? TFS

[LebanonDon]

Matt, I have a question. You are comparing the ZR2 to the new generation raptor correct? Not Gen 2? Reason being is becuase the new Gen raptors I believe have the active fox shocks as the gen 2 does not. I am considering getting a ZR2.

[ElectricBlueIX]

The bright infotainment screen was a problem with my 2017 Sierra as well, mainly when in reverse. The screen was WAYYY too bright and there was no way to dim it. The strange thing is that we don’t have that issue with my wife’s 2017 Yukon.

[RamCruiserOverland]

I have a 22 Rebel I use as a daily and overland rig. I’m a bit of a GM hater, but I’ll admit to having some envy the first time I saw one of these in person. They look beefy. I also like that front locker. I’ll stick with my interior though.

[rattlesnakeesq]

I like GM truck styling the best, but sounds like the Raptor is a better value overall in this case.

[vernhoke]

To the best of my knowledge that's the only interior color option on the ZR2 regardless of the exterior color.