Business2Community.com ran a great feature last week taking a close-up look at the Chevy Silverado Trail Boss, which is our favorite off-road-ready and trail-climbing
item here at Chuck Hutton Chevy of Memphis. A few of the items that make it so
capable for the task are skid plates, a mechanical locking rear differential,
hill descent control, a two-inch factory suspension lift over the Z71, Rancho
shocks, and high gloss black painted Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires. Outside
you get to enjoy the black grille minus the Chevy bowtie, black bumpers, red
tow hooks, and “Trail Boss” decals on the rear fenders.
There are 3 exciting and aggressively-stanced
engine choices for the Trail Boss: a 4.3-liter V6 that cranks out 285
horsepower and 305 lb-ft of torque, a 5.3-liter V8 that makes 355 horsepower
and 383 lb-ft, and the optional 6.2-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft
of torque. The 6.2 – liter is what the testing team from Business2community.com
deemed as “glorious” and is also the largest engine offered in a half-ton
pickup, period. It is paired with the excellent 10-speed transmission and lets
you lurch forward fantastically with a sixty-mph speed in 5.4 seconds!
When writer Nigel Atkinson took the truck out for
normal everyday driving, he deemed it “well-mannered and easy to maneuver” and
is able to move at a quick pace very easily if needed. The suspension on the
stiffer side is a huge advantage since the Trail Boss doesn't tend to roll much
in corners, and there does happen to be a limiter for the 98 mpg threshold in
case you really start to “feel the thunder” of excitement when barreling down
the highway, (which we can't officially recommend)! The steering was ranked as
precise and responsive, and when the Trail Boss was taken off the beaten path,
it's where it definitely excelled.
They headed to Sheep Mountain Road, which provided
obstacles in the form of water bars, ruts, and roots, and the suspension offered great
body control with no bottoming out or traction problems. The group negotiated a couple
of tight hairpin turns with ease, and commended the truck on a standout job while in
hill descent mode. They also made the valuable point that if you’re planning on getting
super technical, Chevy’s own Colorado ZR2 could be the best choice to lean in
and really seriously navigate the strewn boulders of your most dangerous dirt
playground. We were not at all surprised to see another glowing review of this
rugged and capable off-roading machine, and we hope to see you here this summer
checking it out on a thorough test drive!