If you need a capable pickup truck, one of the options that are definitely worth considering is the 2020 Chevy Silverado Z71. The optional package brings a lot of mechanical upgrades to the recently redesigned truck and makes it a decent off-roader. The best thing about Z71 is that you can choose between bare-bones, mid-range and hi-end options, whether you don’t necessarily need tons of interior and tech goodies, or you are simply on a tight budget.
The 2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 is available in different trim levels, different cab and bed configurations and with different engines, which leaves plenty of space for customization.
2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 Availability
Picking the right pickup truck seems a little bit complicated these days, as each manufacturer offers tons of trim levels. On the other side, that’s highly beneficial, because you can easily determine how much money you want to spend on a new pickup truck. Still, things aren’t as simple if you want to pick an off-roader. For example, the F-150 Raptor costs a real fortune and you are restricted to a pretty limited number of possibilities when it comes to the list of standard equipment. Sometimes you don’t necessarily need all those interior goodies, but rather just a lot of mechanical upgrades. Ram did a great job with this, as it offers a lot of off-road upgrades in lower trims, but 2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 brings everything to the next level.
The thing with Z71 is that this isn’t a trim level, but rather an optional package, which is available in several trim levels. Those would be WT, LT and High Country trims. What this means is that you can get amazing off-road capabilities without necessarily spending lots of money on hi-end trim levels. The WT is the most basic trim, while the LT is a mid-range option. One the other side, High Country is a flagship version of the truck.
2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 Features
Of course, the most important thing about this package is the list of all those off-road upgrades. Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind is the upgraded suspension setup. In this case, you may count on capable Rancho twin-tube shocks, which make a huge difference compared to the standard setup. Furthermore, you may count on a two-speed transfer case that includes locking differential, which is one of the most essential features of every off-road vehicle. It’s not hard to presume that the 2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 includes all-terrain tires, but you may also count on unique 18-inch wheels.
As we are talking about a capable off-roader, underbody protection seems like a natural thing. Therefore, you may count on skid plates that keep your transfer case, oil pan and other critical parts. Finally, this package also includes a heavy-duty air filter, designed to deal with all that dust and dirt you will find once you get off the asphalt.
2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 Safety Features
Besides all those mechanical upgrades, the 2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 also comes with a full load of sophisticated safety and driver assistance systems. Some of the things that come to mind first are things like hill descent control, IntelliBeam headlights, a head-up display, surround vision camera system, rear camera mirror etc.
Interestingly, the package also comes with loads of safety features that are typical for the on-road drive, which makes this truck extremely versatile. For example, it comes standard with goodies like lane change alert, a safety alert seat, front pedestrian braking, forward collision alert, rear cross traffic alert and many more things.
2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 Engines
As we already mentioned, the 2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 package is available in three trim levels, one low-grade, one mid-range and one hi-end option. That also means you may count on a wide engine choice. As the package is available in the base WT trim, it comes standard with a well-known 5.3-liter V8 unit, which is good for about 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque.
The LT trim is available with four different engines, so the same thing goes for the 2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 upgrade of this version. Therefore, you may also count on a 6.2-liter V8 with 420 horsepower, as well as on a new 2.7-liter turbo-four, which is good for about 310 horsepower. This also means you may count on a turbodiesel version, which comes with a 3.0-liter V6 unit that delivers 280 horsepower.
High Country trim is available with all engines except for the turbo-four, so you may conclude that there is a pretty impressive engine offer for your future off-roader, no matter which trim level you choose.
A hybrid version is expected in the near future, but we don’t expect it will be available with this off-road package.
Price
The Z71 upgrade would cost you slightly under $1000. Therefore, if we consider that the most basic WT model, in Double Cab version with 4WD costs around 34.500 dollars, the cheapest 2020 Chevy Silverado Z71 would go around 35.500 dollars.