2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

There are two 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 models for sale. During the first half of the year, Chevy carried over the 2021 model, building it as the Silverado Limited (LTD). During the second half of the year, a refreshed Silverado started rolling off assembly lines in Indiana and Mexico. This review is about the updated version of the truck.

As was true before, the 2022 Silverado comes in regular cab, extended cab (Double Cab), and crew cab configurations paired with several bed lengths and numerous trim levels ranging from the basic Work Truck (WT) to the luxurious High Country. The range expands to include the new Silverado ZR2, which is factory-ready for high-speed desert running and tackling challenging terrain. Naturally, the ZR2 includes standard four-wheel drive (4WD), but some Silverado models come with rear-wheel drive (RWD) by default.

Prices range from $34,845 to $70,490 (including a $1,795 destination charge). The Silverado ZR2 tops the lineup in pricing, and it’s the version we evaluated for this review. It came with Glacier Blue paint, a Technology Package, a power sunroof, off-road high-clearance side steps, a MultiFlex tailgate, and a hard tonneau cover for the bed. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) came to $76,095.

Across the lineup, changes to the 2022 Silverado include styling modifications to the headlights, grille designs, front bumpers, and wheels. All versions have Chevy Safety Assist as standard equipment, while the aforementioned new interior for Silverado LT and higher models includes digital instrumentation, a widescreen infotainment touchscreen, and improved quality and materials. The standard turbocharged four-cylinder engine makes more torque, and the turbodiesel inline-six gets a big bump in towing capacity to a maximum of 13,300 pounds when properly equipped.

Separately, the Silverado ZR2 features steel front and rear bumpers; the front bumper design increases the truck’s approach angle to 31.8 degrees. A lifted suspension gives the ZR2 11.2 inches of ground clearance, and this model also comes with unique body cladding, steel skid plates, 33-inch all-terrain tires, red recovery hooks, and a gloss-black hood bulge proclaiming the size of its engine, which is a standard 6.2-liter V8.

In terms of its styling, the Silverado still represents an acquired taste. Some people didn’t like the truck’s looks after its most recent redesign, and the changes for 2022 won’t change minds. But the interior represents a substantial improvement and could sway big truck buyers to Chevrolet. At the very least, it could halt defections to rivals Ford, Ram, and Toyota.

The 2022 Chevy Silverado ZR2 is all about performance, unless you’re towing or hauling, because it can’t tackle more than an 8,900-pound trailer or a 1,440-pound payload. So, if you’re going to drop north of 70 grand on this pickup, you’d better be planning to hit the dirt.

Unfortunately, the 6.2-liter V8 falls short of all of the ZR2’s rivals when it comes to horsepower and torque. The V8 makes 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. While it sounds terrific while doing so, and the 10-speed automatic transmission performs flawlessly, the heavy ZR2’s acceleration is best described as acceptable. And it certainly isn’t fuel efficient, returning 16.3 mpg over nearly 130 miles of driving that included some four-wheeling fun using low range and the Terrain driving mode. Still, considering the official EPA fuel economy rating is 14 mpg in combined driving, that result is downright miraculous.

The new ZR2’s suspension is up to snuff, though. In addition to a 2-inch lift and 33-inch mud-terrain tires, it employs Multimatic 40mm DSSV dampers and long-travel springs. Equipped with a unique spool-valve design, the Multimatics are engineered to provide consistent damping regardless of temperature or terrain. They’re used in a variety of motorsports applications and high-performance passenger vehicles, from the Ferrari SF90 and Ford GT to the Silverado ZR2 and its smaller Colorado ZR2 sibling.

Whether driving on crumbling city streets or rough and rutted dirt roads, the Silverado ZR2 absorbed the worst of it while keeping itself planted to terra firma. The 33-inch tires are due partial credit here, but the Multimatic DSSV dampers are nothing short of magical in their ability to smooth everything from patched and potholed farm roads and Los Angeles freeways to the unmaintained terrain of an off-highway vehicle park.

We’d planned to run the Silverado ZR2 up the trail at Drinkwater Flat north of Santa Clarita, but YouTube reconnaissance suggested that might prove too challenging for the wide and long truck—especially the first half-mile up from the base of the trail. So instead, we ventured into the Rohwer Flats region to the east of there, sampling the ZR2’s impressive approach angle and pummeling its suspension with bumps, holes, dips, and ruts. In addition to needing low range and Terrain mode (which automatically activates a front camera for improved visibility), we activated the electronic locking front and rear differentials to cross particularly deep ruts at a diagonal angle. Based on this outing, the ZR2 proved “unstuckable.”

While the ZR2’s modifications work well in the dirt, they’re also helpful in daily driving. The ride is remarkably smooth, and while the mud-terrain tires whir at highway speeds, the sound is pleasantly muffled along with wind noise and the V8 engine. The ZR2 proved unexpectedly quiet on freeways, and in the city, you need not care much about parking blocks, tall curbs, or other infrastructure obstacles that can damage lesser vehicles.

If you’re taking a mountain road to your destination, you’ll want to watch your speed on curves and corners. The tires relinquish their grip on the pavement sooner than expected, allowing the Silverado to push wide. Otherwise, the ZR2 is predictable on kinky roads, if not exactly quick.

With its suspension lift and oversized tires, the Silverado ZR2 requires genuine effort to enter and exit. Chevrolet supplies robust grab handles on the windshield and center roof pillars to assist you, and the test truck also had the optional off-road high-clearance side steps. They’re of marginal help, though, because they’re mounted at rocker panel height.

Once you’re aboard, you’ll find the Silverado ZR2 comfortable. Both front seats offer 10-way power adjustment and heated and ventilated cushions. In the back, the crew cab supplies plenty of legroom, headroom, and foot room, and the heated rear seats are perfect for chilly days. A heated steering wheel is also standard, and Chevrolet pads the upper door panels in a dense, rubbery material that is kind to arms and elbows.

The soft material covering the upper door panels is just one example of how Chevrolet improved the Silverado’s interior over the previous truck. The leap forward in sophistication must be seen and experienced to be believed. The digital instrumentation and 13.4-inch touchscreen display instantly make the Silverado more competitive, and the overall interior design and execution are thoroughly modern. Just keep in mind that the Silverado WT, Custom, and Custom TrailBoss are still rocking the old cabin, which looks like it can be hosed out without damaging anything.

Storage space is plentiful, though the bin underneath the center armrest is surprisingly small. At the top of the dashboard, there is a tray located just behind the upper part of the touchscreen, and the rear seatbacks include hidden storage within them. You can easily flip the rear seat cushions up to create a generous amount of in-cab storage space behind the front seats.

The Chevy Silverado has a deep cargo box, giving it plenty of volume. Corner-step bumpers are also standard, making it easier to access items at the rear of the bed or to finalize cargo tie-down. Our test truck had the MultiFlex tailgate, which flips and folds in numerous ways to transform into everything from a laptop desk to a step up into the bed. The test truck’s hard tonneau cover releases with a pull of a cable within, and the spray-in bedliner protects against scratches and damage.

The Silverado’s new 13.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM with 360L satellite radio, and access to connected services, including a WiFi hotspot and navigation. This is similar to what the Silverado offered previously, but now Chevrolet has added a Google Built-in digital assistant and other Google-based features in addition to a new UX with revised graphics.

Those changes seem steps in the right direction, but we found this new system to be slower to respond to spoken queries and commands while also requiring more trial and error than the old technology needed. Furthermore, the new UX isn’t as intuitive as it was before, and Chevrolet has ditched the physical radio tuning buttons for virtual ones, which is never a positive development. Ultimately, you’ll acclimate, but aside from the much-appreciated larger touchscreen display, the new infotainment system does not represent across-the-board progress.

A seven-speaker Bose sound system is standard in the Silverado. Historically, we’ve been unimpressed with this system, but when Chevrolet redesigned the Silverado’s interior, it must have also reworked speaker placement with some assistance from Bose. As a result, the system sounds much, much better than it did before. As in, you’ll actually want to crank up the volume now.

Other pieces of tech on the test truck included a rear camera mirror, which shows a video feed of what’s behind the Silverado on the rearview mirror glass. It dramatically improves your outward visibility and works well with the ZR2’s surround-view camera system.

Our test truck also had an impressive color 15-inch head-up display. It supplies plenty of pertinent information within the driver’s line of sight, and the display’s adjustment controls are readily accessible on the dashboard. We did not test to see if the display remains visible when the driver is wearing polarized sunglasses, though.

It is worth noting that between the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, the 13.4-inch infotainment display, and the 15-inch head-up display, we never felt “lost” when searching for a data point. It’s hard to explain why this is, but unlike many vehicles that have more than two main reference screens, the Silverado’s setup was entirely natural and intuitive to use.

Chevy Safety Assist is now standard on all 2022 Silverado models. It includes the basic driver-assistance and collision-avoidance safety features that you expect to find on a modern vehicle, except for blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, which are available upgrades on the lower trims. Every Silverado also comes with Teen Driver, which tracks how the truck is driven and produces a report card for the owner after someone uses it.

If you get a Silverado in High Country trim, you can add Super Cruise. This is a hands-free driving system that operates on approved, limited-access highways across the U.S. and Canada. Basically, it’s an adaptive cruise control system with lane-centering assistance and gives you the ability to let go of the steering wheel when operational conditions meet requirements. We’ve sampled this tech in other General Motors models, and we’re impressed with it. But it’s not infallible. Also, a sophisticated driver monitoring system ensures that you’re always paying attention or Super Cruise won’t work. So no funny business.

Except for Super Cruise, the Silverado ZR2 test truck had all of the available advanced driving assistance systems, and they worked with refinement and accuracy. When using adaptive cruise control, the truck accelerates exactly as you want when you signal a lane change and wish to pass slower vehicles. The lane-keeping system operates in the background until you need it, and then its input is momentary to nudge the Silverado back into its lane. We found it helpful, especially on narrow farm roads without a dirt shoulder.

Crash-test data is unavailable for the updated 2022 Silverado. The 2022 Silverado Limited (LTD) got a four-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and earned unimpressive results in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) testing. As we write this review, it is unclear if the refreshed Silverado improves on these NHTSA and IIHS findings.

The full-size pickup truck segment is cutthroat, and each company that builds them is continually seeking a way to provide more value than rivals in the class. For example, Chevrolet knows the new 2022 Silverado ZR2 isn’t as powerful as the Ford F-150 Raptor, Ram 1500 TRX, and Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. So the Chevy’s base price is lower than the Ford and Ram. Why isn’t it priced beneath the Toyota? Chevy likely also knows buyers in the segment are brand-loyal and will adore the sound of the ZR2’s 6.2-liter V8, so it probably doesn’t perceive the twin-turbo V6 hybrid drivetrain in the Tundra to be a threat.

Nevertheless, the value in the Silverado ZR2 resides in its image, its credibility, and its off-roading capability. But it really could use more under-hood oomph.

And if you don’t care about matching other off-road performance trucks when it comes to outright acceleration and capability, you’d do yourself a favor by considering the Silverado LT TrailBoss with the available turbodiesel engine. Sure, it gives up some of the ZR2’s attitude, civility, and capability, but in exchange, you get a more affordable, more efficient, and nearly as fun a truck when the going gets tough. Plus, the LT TrailBoss has the 2022 Silverado’s swanky new interior and tech.