2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Off-Road Trim Levels Explained

There are plenty of ways to outfit your full-size Silverado for fun in the dirt.

Emme Hall | 

Jan 10, 2024 | 3 min read

Chevrolet

The 2023 Chevrolet Silverado is a popular full-size pickup truck with four engine options and three cab and bed configurations, plus a host of trim levels. The nine trims available range from the base WT work truck to the fancy-pants High Country, but if you want to hit the dirt, there are three trims meant for off-roading.

As a bonus, five of the six remaining trims can be equipped with an off-road package. Let's look at trucks configured with the crew cab and short bed in four-wheel drive. That setup is popular with consumers and opens up the widest range of four-wheeling trims.

Chevrolet

The Silverado With the Z71 Package Is the Starting Point

The Z71 Off Road Package is available on the WT, LT, RST, LTZ, and High Country trims. Depending on trim, the package adds skid plates, a two-speed transfer case, hill-descent control, a heavy-duty air filter, and slightly more aggressive tires. The price is also trim dependent. What it does not add is any kind of suspension upgrade.

For that upgrade, you'll want the Z71 Off Road and Protection Package available on the WT, LT, RST, LTZ, and High Country trims. It adds Rancho twin-tube shocks and interior all-weather floor liners for an additional $2,000 or so. If you want a lift you'll need the Off-Road Suspension package that adds 2 inches of ground clearance. The bummer is that it's only available on the Silverado Custom Trail Boss and LT Trail Boss trims.

Chevrolet

Step Up to the Custom or LT Trail Boss

Starting around $55,000, the Custom Trail Boss goes a few steps further into making the Silverado 1500 off-road ready. For around $60,000 you can snag the LT Trail Boss with the same off-road features along with some nicer interior appointments such as the standard Convenience Package with keyless entry, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, and other niceties.

Both get an automatic rear locking differential, a 2-inch lift, and Rancho shocks, riding on 18-inch wheels wearing 32-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac M/T tires. A two-speed transfer case is also on tap. Six types of assist steps, ranging from $500 to $1,100, are available in both the Custom and LT Trail Boss trucks to help drivers mitigate the 10.9 inches of ground clearance when entering and exiting the vehicle.

Both truck trims get the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 310 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment, but a 5.2-liter V8 or 3.0-liter diesel, both with a 10-speed automatic transmission, are available.

Chevrolet

Go All-In With the ZR2 or Extreme ZR2 Bison

The ZR2 is where the fun really starts. For $74,000, this trim level gets meatier 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory tires and sports the excellent Multimatic DSSV dampers for a smooth ride on the pavement and excellent dirt performance. Driver selectable front and rear lockers are both here as are skid plates, and the truck is lifted for 11.2 inches of ground clearance.

The special edition Silverado ZR2 Bison is more expensive at around $82,000, but it gets modified front and rear bumpers for improved approach and departure angles. Both trucks get a 6.2-liter V8 engine with 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Emme Hall

Emme Hall loves small convertibles and gets out to the canyons in her 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata whenever she can. You can also find her in the dirt in her lifted (yes, that's right) 2001 Mazda Miata, or racing air-cooled Volkswagens in races like the Baja 1000. She's taken first place twice in the Rebelle Rally — once driving a Jeep Wrangler and then a Rolls-Royce Cullinan the second time. She was also the first driver to take an electric vehicle to the Rebelle Rally when campaigning the Rivian R1T to a top-five finish.