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2022 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 LTD TRAIL BOSS ADDS 3.0L DURAMAX LM2 DIESEL

The Silverado Trail Boss Finally Levels With Its Sierra AT4 Twin

2021 Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss
Image via Chevrolet.

Even though production at three of General Motors’ full size truck plants are being either halted or slowed to a crawl this coming week due to the microchip shortage, there is still some good news. The 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD Trail Boss will be receiving a 3.0L turbo diesel I-6 engine option. Now, Chevy fans can stay loyal to the Silverado without having to defect over to the GMC Sierra AT4 just for the smooth torque of the midrange Duramax LM2 diesel engine.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LM2 Duramax Diesel: Details

The addition of the Duramax turbo diesel brings the total number engine options for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD Trail Boss to three. The previous model year made buyers choose between either the standard 5.3L V8 or the 6.2L L87 V8. The 10-speed automatic transmission will direct the engine’s 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque.

The 3.0L LM2 Duramax is the third diesel engine available in the Chevrolet truck family, following the Duramax 6.6L L5P V8 diesel in the Silverado HD and Duramax 2.8L turbo-four in the Colorado. Unlike the half-ton diesel offerings from Ram and Ford, this in-house diesel engine utilizes an inline-six layout, due to its inherent smoothness. An aluminum block was chosen for weight savings, and the motor also features dual overhead cams, and four valves per cylinder. The Hydra-Matic 10L80 10-speed automatic is the sole transmission option.

While the performance figures for the new Duramax powered Silverado are good, it’s the fuel economy that really stands out. Chevrolet says that a rear drive 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the diesel will get 33 MPG highway and 23 MPG in the city. Opt for the four wheel drive, and the highway efficiency drops to 29 MPG, respectfully. This is the highest fuel economy rating for the highway that we’ve seen in a half-ton pickup truck.

2021 Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss
Image via Chevrolet.

2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD Trail Boss Just A Stopgap

Here is where it gets confusing: the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 will be an extensively refreshed pickup truck inside and out, but not right away. What customers will be getting for the next six months or so will be what’s called the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD. For GMC customers, it’s the Sierra 1500 Limited. The refreshed 2022 Chevrolet and GMC 1500 trucks will be identified on paper by dropping the ‘LTD’ and ‘Limited’ designations, respectively. As a result, the 2022 Chevrolet 1500 LTD Trial Boss is largely a carryover product from model years prior. Save for the new diesel option, of course.

The Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss package builds off the popular Z71 package, which comes with Rancho monotube shocks designed for improved off-road control, beefy Goodyear Wrangler Duratrec tires better suited for the job, slightly improved approach and departure angles, hill descent control, heavy duty air filter, skid plates, and a two-speed transfer case. The Trail Boss package adds a two-inch lift on top of that, blackened exterior accents, unique decals, and red tow hooks. That’s kind of it.

Orders for the 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTD just opened up on July 15.

A Chevrolet spokesperson told TFLtruck.com that customers can expect to see the 2022 Silverado 1500 LTD arrive in dealerships this fall. So, if you don’t want to wait for the completely refreshed 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, now is the time to buy.

As MC&T has already covered, the global microchip shortage has forced GM to offer the 2022 Silverado 1500 LTD mostly as a continuation of the 2021 Silverado 1500, as the automaker attempts to make up lost time from the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the global microchip shortage of 2021. The mechanical twin of the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD Trail Boss, the 2022 GMC Sierra AT4, also wears the “Limited” designation for the transition period.

LM2 Duramax Diesel
3.0L LM2 Duramax I6 Diesel Engine. Photo via GM.

Refreshed Chevrolet Silverado And GMC Sierra On The Way

The actual refresh of the T1 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 will come later in the 2022 model year. MC&T understands these major rolling updates to be internally categorized as the 2022i model year, for both the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups. Customers and dealers, however, will have to parse through a confusing mix of current and updated trucks that will share the 2022 model year designation. Confusing, yes, but sometimes you have to remember that General Motors is the company that brought us Bolt/Volt.

The (non LTD or Limited) 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 will deliver big on exterior changes, as well as major interior updates focusing around the center stack and cutting edge technology. Larger center screens will be what everybody immediately will notice, while beneath the skin will be GM’s Global B electrical architecture, otherwise known as GM VIP. This system is five times more powerful than what it replaces, and allows for conveniences like sharper digital screen resolutions, quicker processing power, and over the air updates, at the expense of encrypted control modules. This makes traditional tuning practices virtually impossible, as seen with the C8 Corvette.

2022 2022i GMC Sierra 1500 Denali with Super Cruise Ultra Cruise Hyper Cruise General Motors Trucks
Photo via GMC

Officially, the 2022 GMC Sierra Denali will feature a new, updated version of a USDOT Level 3 hands-free driver assist, otherwise known as Super Cruise. For trucks, Super Cruise will be compatible with a trailer hitched up, which is truly some next-level technology. It’s expected that the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country and LTZ will offer Super Cruise tech alongside the updated GMC Sierra 1500. That said, full details about the Super Cruise upgrade and its towing integration aren’t yet available.

Perhaps the most anticipated element of the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is the debut of the ZR2 variant. MC&T was also first to break the story on just what kind of truck this vehicle would be, well before spy photos of the Silverado ZR2 confirmed our initial reports. The 2022i Silverado ZR2 will feature Multimatic DSSV dampers, Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires, a V8 engine, 2-inch lift for an improved breakover angle and water fording, and bumper cutouts for improved approach and departure angles. In other words, it will be as if it were a supersized Colorado ZR2. The 2022 GMC Sierra AT4X will flank the truck as a mechanical twin that will be sold in showrooms alongside the Hummer EV.

2019 2020 2021 2022 Chevroelt Silverado 1500
Image via Chevrolet.

Written by Liam White

Student of the car industry. Automotive Media Padawan.

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