As Chevy watches the continuing success of Ford’s Raptor and Ram’s 1500 Rebel, it’s about time it finally does its own off-road variant of the Silverado. It looks like that time is now as Chevy recently trademarked “Silverado ZRX.” With both the hype for the brand and sales of these amped-up trucks it seems odd that Chevy is so late to the game. That said, with the extra time it has taken Chevy to jump into the pool the upcoming Silverado ZRX has some great features it’s looking to incorporate into their premium off-road model.

Silverado ZRX Specs

The ZRX will definitely have an improved off-road suspension along with Multimatic DSSV dampers, rear and front electronic locking differentials, and better approach and departure angles, according to Muscle Cars & Trucks. The question is will Chevy up the power by installing its LT4 or LT5? With 650 hp and 755 hp respectively, either engine would make for an incredible combination even if not tuned to max output.

If Chevy needs a comparison it only has to eye the Ram Rebel TRX. The TRX will come with the infamous Hellcat V8 and all of its 700+ horsepower. For prestige and marketing purposes, Chevy would have to offer something on a par with the TRX.

The Silverado ZRX may not be considered a direct competitor to the Raptor, as it is more of a trophy truck for the street. Based on what we know the ZRX is more like a trail and rock-crawler off-road truck. So under those concept parameters, Chevy may not be looking to out power the Raptor.

Ford does not release sales breakdowns of F150 variants but estimates slate early production was around 12,000 units a year, jumping quickly to between 20,000 to 25,000 per year. While those numbers get lost with F150 production at almost 1 million units a year, it’s still a nice market to capture, not to mention it is a halo truck for the entire F150 truck line.

ZRX Debuts In 2022

Plans call for the ZRX to hit showrooms in mid-2021 as a 2022 model. If priced similar to Ford’s Raptor, it would need to up the current top engine for GM trucks. That engine is the 6.2-liter L87 V8 with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, hooked to a 10-speed automatic. The Raptor comes with a 450 hp Ecoboost with 510 lb-ft of torque, besting that by plenty. But all bets are off if the Raptor gets its rumored monster V8 slated for 2020 Super Duty trucks.

Chevy may have an ace up its sleeve by offering the 3.0-liter Duramax LMs six-cylinder diesel engine. Though Ford and Ram have diesel engines in their lineups they don’t offer them in the Raptor or Rebel. As Chevy already has a relationship with American Expedition Vehicles for upfitted Colorados, we could see a similar effort for a full-size Chevy Silverado ZRX.

We’ll probably get our first glimpse of what Chevy’s ZRX plans are if it goes with the route taken for the Colorado ZR2. For it Chevy released a concept first, to tease but also to get input from the public. If that’s the case, expect to see a rock-crawling concept soon, maybe even the Los Angeles show in November.