Chevrolet Silverado 1500 review 2024 ZR2 4x4 dual cab pickup truck test
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00This is the Chevy Silverado 1500 and if you want a big bad-ass truck from America, well
00:05this could be the right one for you. It has plenty of presence,
00:09it's got plenty of space and practicality on its side as well, and you might be surprised by the price.
00:15So stay tuned. If you've already liked and subscribed, thanks very much. Let's take a look, shall we?
00:24There are two different versions of the Chevy Silverado 1500 available in Australia.
00:29The entry-level one is just on $130,000, so it's not cheap,
00:34but it's the LTZ and it does have a bit more of an American big-truck look to it, in my opinion.
00:39It's got the chrome 20-inch wheels, LED lighting,
00:43it's got a different front-end design and on the inside it looks and feels a little bit different to this model here.
00:48Now this one here is the ZR2.
00:51It's the off-road special version, essentially the flagship model. It gets a different front-end design,
00:57it gets big 18-inch alloy wheels with massive all-terrain Goodyear tyres, it's got different suspension,
01:03it's got front and rear locking differentials, it's got an off-road camera system, but no front parking sensors,
01:10so it's not ideal for urban driving this car, in case you didn't know.
01:14And I'm going to run through all the stuff you really need to know about the interior soon as well.
01:18But let's talk about alternatives to this rig, because there are a few good ones.
01:22I've done reviews of a few of these big trucks in the past, including the Ford F-150.
01:28I reckon that it is a really compelling vehicle because it has a really excellent powertrain,
01:34it's got a lovely interior finish and it also looks and feels nice on the inside.
01:40It's easy to drive for the size of it and it does have big towing capacity as well.
01:45Another option, obviously, that you might want to check out is the Ram 1500.
01:52I reckon that the Ram does have a few features that you might really appreciate.
01:56It's still available with that V8 petrol engine which is on its way out in favour of a turbo 6,
02:02but hey, I still think that it stands out as one of the better options in this segment as well.
02:08And then there's also the Toyota Tundra. Now, I haven't had a chance to drive the Tundra.
02:13It's only in its infancy in Australia. There's been a limited availability of those vehicles
02:19to test, so I haven't had a chance to do a review yet. But stay tuned, I will bring you
02:24a review of the Tundra when I get a chance, because I think that it could stack up really,
02:27really well. It is a Toyota after all, and maybe that is all you need
02:32when you're looking for a big truck. What do you reckon?
02:34This is a very big rig. It's almost six metres long. It's almost two metres tall and two metres
02:43wide. It has a massive wheelbase as well. And to me, long wheelbase and this much weight,
02:50I'm going to put the weight on your screen now, doesn't necessarily equate to the ideal
02:55off-road vehicle. And like I said, I'm not doing an off-road test as part of this review,
02:58but I'll put the off-road angles on your screen in case you're wondering.
03:02And also, I'll just call out the fact that this is the ZR2, so it sits a bit higher
03:06and it doesn't have sidesteps, so getting in and out is actually pretty challenging.
03:12And at the back, it does have a pretty decent-sized tub, just excuse the bins there.
03:18You do have sidesteps on the bumper there, so you can get in and out a little bit more easily.
03:22Yes, it's got a tow hitch as well, and it's also got some plugs here for your trailer camera,
03:30for your trailer cameras as well. Now, so you just press this button here to open the tailgate,
03:36nice soft opening tailgate as well. And look, it does have a tub liner here. On the back section,
03:42in the actual tailgate, it's a plastic finish, but in here it's a spray-in liner, so it's super
03:49duper durable. You've got lights in the back, you've got heaps of tie-down points on the inside
03:54as well. And it's a massive, massive tub as well. Just have a look at the dimensions on your screen.
04:01Yes, that means you can fit a pallet between the wheel arches, and it's very, very long, so
04:07the gap between the tailgate and the headboard is about two metres or so, so you could actually
04:13sleep in there if you really wanted to. It would be, hopefully, a pretty comfortable experience.
04:18But it's also got a nice easy close action to the tailgate. If you buy the base model one,
04:24it actually has an electric closing assistance as well. And underneath here, you'll also find
04:31that you do have a spare wheel as well, which is great to see. So, it stacks up all right,
04:38I reckon. I mean, it's big, but it packs a fair bit in.
04:42It doesn't look like this ute has come to Australia in left-hand drive and had its guts
04:46absolutely ripped out and then turned into a right-hand drive vehicle. It is a convincing
04:52and well-finished and also pretty well-built feeling cabin, I have to say. I also think that
04:59it looks fantastic in terms of the design and the usability of this cabin too. Now, we'll get to the
05:07screens in a sec. I just want to show you a couple of the storage highlights first. So,
05:12push this button here. That's your top glove box. You've got another glove box down there,
05:17and you've also got big bottle holders in the doors. And you've also got a section here,
05:23which probably should be a wireless phone charger, but isn't, which is disappointing.
05:27Got a couple of cup holders here. There's another couple of trays for loose items there. And you've
05:32got another little storage here, which probably should be a wireless phone charger, and it isn't.
05:41There's another tray inside this centre console bin, which is removable. You've got USB ports
05:47in there if you need them. And so, look, the practicality element is pretty well sorted.
05:53There's also more cup holders back there for the rear seat occupants. And there's another little
05:57storage tray up there too. So, all of that is pretty handy. And you've also got, in front of
06:04the driver, there's a head-up display that shows up on the windscreen as well. And you've also got
06:10this 12-inch digital instrument display in front of the driver too, which, I mean, the car's not on,
06:17but let's turn it on. And it might beep and bong a little bit, but there are a few different menus
06:22and stuff that you can go through on that screen to basically get an idea of what's going on with
06:28the car. You've also got this bigger touchscreen media system over here. Now, there is Apple CarPlay
06:36and Android Auto. You can connect up wirelessly to Apple CarPlay. Unfortunately, there is no wireless
06:42charger, which means that wireless CarPlay isn't as useful as it could be, because you can't just
06:47pop your phone on the charger when you hop into the car and keep it charged up, and it will get
06:53through your battery a little bit quicker when you're using wireless CarPlay. But it is very
06:56quick to respond. I just actually wish that this was a full screen layout, because it would make for
07:01a better integration of this smartphone mirroring system. But you still get the big clock, if that's
07:06what you want, or your trailer status, or the song that's playing. So that's interesting in its own
07:12right. The screen itself, yes, there's a whole bunch of other menus that you can dive through if you
07:16need to. There's a bunch of stuff about towing and trailering, as they call it. And yes, it is a
07:23pretty interesting setup, but maybe not the most intuitive, despite being relatively simple. Now,
07:29you've also got a camera system as well, so you can quickly press the button and check out your
07:34camera view. That's front, that's to the sides, and that's at the front over the bonnet. Then
07:41you've also got a tow ball view, or tow bar view, which is pretty handy, I have to say. You can
07:48check out the rear sides as well, and also the backup camera as well. So there's plenty of
07:53different views to play with there, and also a bed view if you want to see what's happening in the tub
07:59for whatever reason. That's kind of cool, I reckon. I do like that down below here, you've got your
08:04controls for the climate that you want to set up for yourself. So you've got a dual zone climate
08:09controller there as well, fan speed adjustment there, all the directional elements for your airflow
08:16is taken care of as well. And yes, you also get heating and cooling for the seats as well, and
08:24there's also a steering wheel heating button on the steering wheel too. Now, here is your trailer
08:31brake control setup. So yes, that comes as standard, you don't have to pay extra to get trailer braking
08:37sorted out for your vehicle. And above it, you've got an array of buttons as well to do with this
08:43vehicle. Things like your lane keeping system, so you can turn that off if you don't like it.
08:48You've got auto start stop, I know a lot of people like to turn that off as soon as they get in the
08:52car. Turn off your parking sensors as well if you want to. You can even lower the tailgate from here
08:58if you need to. And that's where you'll find your front and rear differential locks, your hill descent
09:03control mode as well, and traction control too. So look, for the most part, I reckon that it's all very
09:10logically positioned and laid out. Just one thing you want to keep in mind, you don't have a right
09:16side stalk, so it's just this one for your indicator and your wipers. And yes, you do have a pretty
09:22conventional gear selector down here as well. Now, if you're wondering where your off-road controls
09:28are, you'll find some over here. So you've got your four-wheel drive, high range, low range, and two-wheel
09:34drive high as well. Or you can put it into auto mode, and there's also a trailer control mode there
09:39as well. Lights and so forth, your head-up display controls are there too. So look, for the most part,
09:45you do have pretty good controllability from this cabin, and I do think that most of these elements
09:51are really well finished. And let me tell you, you will also need to get used to using this when
09:58you're getting in and out, because there are no side steps. And also, you do get illuminated vanity
10:05mirrors, which is a nice touch. Some other vehicles don't get those. There are also some controls up
10:10here. So you've got this rear window switch, which you trigger from there if you need to open that
10:14back window for whatever reason. And there's also, strangely, no sunroof, which is a bit of a surprise
10:21in a vehicle that costs this much money. Alright, let's check out the back seat space and see what
10:25it's like. No surprise that it is a very roomy back seat experience, right? This is a huge vehicle with
10:32a massive cabin, and look, my legs are stretched out and I can only just sort of reach in underneath
10:38with my feet. That seat is set for my driving position at 182 centimetres or six foot tall.
10:44It is very, very spacious, there's no doubt about that. You'll fit three adults across the back,
10:49and headroom is also really, really good. You've got plenty of glass too, so a good view
10:55out for everyone in the back. And if you do have little ones, there are ISOFIX points
11:00in the window seats, and a top tether as well. You just have to tether to the middle point of
11:06the seat behind this headrest. Now, in here, let's have a look what we've got. There's a flip-down
11:12armrest with some more cup holders, which is good to see, and also we've got cup holders in front here
11:20with directional air vents, USB ports, so USB-C and USB-A, and also the rear outboard seats are
11:28heated to mat pockets on the seat backs. A flat-ish floor, so there's not much of a hump to contend
11:34with in terms of foot space there. I'm just going to show you something else about this back seat,
11:40which is pretty nifty. Excuse the noise if there's a bit of ruckus happening in the background.
11:47These open up, so you've got extra little storage cubbies behind there, and you can also pull up
11:53these seat bases, and there's a little storage box underneath both sides. So that's pretty handy,
12:00I reckon, and it makes for a pretty practical truck. It is a very big rig, and it feels very big in the back.
12:07So, under the bonnet, you've got a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine. It's got pretty huge power and torque
12:17outputs, and it has a 10-speed automatic transmission, and it's four-wheel drive as well, with a four-wheel
12:22drive auto mode, so you can drive it in four-wheel drive on sealed surfaces too. Now, if you choose
12:28the entry-level version, you get an auto-locking rear differential. If you choose this high-grade
12:33off-road special one, you get front and rear full-locking differentials, if that's what you need.
12:39There's also a more serious transfer case, a two-speed transfer case, for this vehicle.
12:44So, look, if you are looking for something that is big, super-duper big, and has super-duper good
12:50capability when it comes to off-road stuff, on paper at least, then this could be a really good
12:54choice for you. Now, when it comes to towing, you've got a 750kg unbraked towing capacity,
13:00and 3.5 tonne towing capacity for a 50mm towball. If you decide to fit a 70mm ball,
13:07then you get up to 4.5 tonnes for the LTZ, and 4.2 for the ZR2.
13:16Righto, so what is it like to drive this mega machine? It is mega. It makes me feel like I am
13:23the king, and I bloody love it for that. It is unashamedly huge, this vehicle, but it doesn't
13:29actually feel too cumbersome to drive. It feels very flat, very settled on the road,
13:36and extremely comfortable, too. But, yes, obviously, you have to pay attention to your
13:42surroundings. It is massive, and you sit up so much higher than anything else on the road,
13:50that you sort of feel like, well, anything could happen at any moment. And, hey, I actually had a
13:56moment before where a little girl was on her scooter, riding along the road. She probably
14:00shouldn't have been on the road, but she was. She was on the road, and thankfully, I saw her,
14:05because it is not easy to see out the front of this car, because it's just fucking huge.
14:12The mirrors maybe aren't perfect, but they are good enough. Some of these conversion vehicles
14:18do have mirror limitations because of the existing housings not really necessarily working
14:25for a right-hand drive application, but these ones are pretty good, I reckon. And also, there's
14:31the digital rear view camera system. So, where the rear vision mirror is, you can turn it into a
14:37camera view out the back, so you get a better view without any interruption to your view from anyone
14:43in the back seat, which actually is more handy than you might expect. And as I said, you do have
14:49the surround view camera system, which is a pretty good thing when you are trying to park.
14:54And it feels absolutely manageable, which is awesome, you know? Like, it is a six-metre-long,
15:01two-metre-wide, two-metre-tall vehicle, but it feels like it's pretty easy to drive, which is
15:08surprising, I reckon. Now, it also is an absolute mammoth when it comes to this powertrain. This
15:146.2-litre V8 is an absolute corker. Look, it's not necessarily, like, as grunty as a big turbo
15:23diesel might feel, but it does have the revability that you would expect of a V8 petrol engine.
15:30And, like, I know it's not going to be great on fuel, we'll get to that soon, but it's also
15:35a nice, liveable powertrain, and it is well-balanced in terms of a mix of different
15:41driving scenarios. So, it's easy to drive at low speeds, it settles into a cruise at higher speeds,
15:48and it feels really, really enjoyable, in my opinion, this powertrain. Also, the automatic
15:54transmission, it's a 10-speed auto, and I've just been in high-range two-wheel drive all week,
16:00I haven't really needed to use the four-wheel drive auto system or low range at all, and it's
16:05been perfectly amenable, and it doesn't lose traction easily, even though if you do put your
16:12foot down, you can obviously try and break free at the rear if you want to, but I reckon that it's
16:19pretty manageable, and also pretty secure and safe feeling as well. It is a bloody big vehicle, so you
16:26will have to occasionally do a three-point turn where you would have otherwise been able to just
16:32do a u-turn, maybe a five-point turn, maybe a seven-point turn, it just depends on the street,
16:38obviously, but it is still very easy to turn this vehicle around, it does have pretty predictable
16:45steering, and it surprisingly feels kind of car-like in terms of the drive experience. Now, this car
16:52does have mud-terrain tyres, and they can be pretty vocal, you can hear them sort of humming and
16:58squealing away at times when you're going 100 or 110 k's an hour, and also in this particular vehicle
17:04there's a bit of a shudder through the body when you are at that speed as well, but honestly the
17:10ride and the controllability of the vehicle is still very, very good. It isn't cumbersome, it isn't
17:16clumsy, it actually feels confident and secure on the road, and I actually think that it's surprisingly
17:24good to drive, surprisingly easy to drive on a daily basis, as I have been for the last week.
17:32So, look, there's nothing really that stands out as being bad about the drive experience,
17:38apart from maybe the fuel consumption. Let's talk about that now, shall we?
17:44Rightio, so let's talk about fuel consumption. The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure
17:50for the different versions of the Chevy Silverado 1500 is on your screen now. Unsurprisingly,
17:57it's a bit of a guts. It's got a 6.2 litre petrol engine in something that weighs a lot, so that's
18:04unsurprising in my opinion. If you're going to tow, you're going to see a higher number. Go off-road,
18:09again, you'll see a high number. So, look, I didn't do either of those things with this test, it was just
18:14to see what it's like to live with on a daily basis, and if you're wondering what I saw across
18:18my mix of driving over a week of testing, including open road, urban driving and the stop-start stuff
18:25that you might have to deal with, you'll see the figure on your screen now. So, yeah, it's a little
18:30bit thirsty, but hey, that's no surprise, I don't think. There is no applicable ANCAP or Euro ANCAP
18:38rating for this vehicle, and I guess it is a big rig, and I mean it might be safe for you, but maybe
18:45not for anyone else on the road if you're in an accident. But hey, it does have heaps of crash
18:50prevention technology, things like autonomous emergency braking, there's lane keeping assistance,
18:56there's blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, and it's also got a surround view camera
19:02system as well, but you don't get front parking sensors on this ZR2 grade because of the different
19:08front bumper that it gets. You do get those front parking sensors on the LTZ, and you also get rear
19:14parking sensors on both as well, and it's got six airbags, dual front, front side and full-length
19:19curtain coverage. When it comes to warranty, you've got a three-year, 100,000 kilometre plan for this
19:28vehicle, which is not the most peace of mind you can get for this kind of money, that's for sure.
19:32Now, when it comes to servicing, your intervals are every 12 months and 12,000 kilometres, so it's a
19:38little bit more needy than some of the other vehicles out there that you might consider as well,
19:42and while you do get a three-year roadside assist plan, there is no cap price servicing
19:48available for this vehicle, so you might want to speak to a dealership if you are
19:52considering it to get an idea of what the costs might be in terms of running it.
19:59Look, I don't need a big rig like this, but I can understand why you might want something like this
20:05in your life, because wow, it makes you feel like you are on top of everything when you're driving
20:10this car. It feels large and in charge, it doesn't feel like it's too cumbersome to drive either,
20:16and I reckon that it does stack up pretty well in this big full-size truck segment,
20:20but tell me what you think about it in the comments section below. Do you think the price
20:24is right for this spec, or would you go for the lower grade version? I'd love to hear from you
20:28if you've already liked and subscribed. Thanks very much, see you in the next one!
20:40you