Chevy Silverado Trailboss Review: 2022 Ultimate Dad Car Search

The 2022 Chevy Silverado Trailboss review is up next in the Wilderdad search for the Ultimate Dad Car. At the end of last year there was a lot speculation that the Chevy Silverado 1500 LT Trailboss might come in a diesel engine option. Sure enough, Chevy delivered, and I was able to get my hands on one with an I6 Duramax turbodiesel 3.0-liter engine.

Watch the Chevy Silverado Trailboss Review

Over a long weekend test drive, I took the family out to the lake, commuted to school, drove it on the highway, took it off-road, and drove it around the city. How did this 2022 Silverado fare? Well, I’ve reviewed two other Silverados over the years. I did an off-road review of the 2020 Silverado Double Cab Z71 Trail Boss with a 420-horsepower, 10-speed, V8 engine. That was fun. Then I went camping in the 2021 Silverado Z71 Trail Boss Real Tree edition also with a 420 horsepower engine. Despite being overpowered by the older models I test drove, this new 2022 Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss easily held up to the hype. That’s due to the Silverado’s long history of kicking butt in the truck department. Speaking of which…

Chevy Silverado’s 23-Year History (Quick Version)

It feels like the Chevy Silverado has been around since the dawn of trucks. But it’s actually a fairly new truck. The Silverado started out as a trim level for the 1975 Chevy C/K pickup and Suburban. And it didn’t become its own model until 1999. The first generation of Chevy Silverado came with a V8 engine and three different cab sizes: two-door, extended cab, and four-door. In 2004, the Chevy Silverado came in a mild-hybrid (electric assisted) version making it the first hybrid vehicle of any kind.

When the second generation of the Chevy Silverado came around in 2007, it got more power and tougher construction helping it claim Motor Trends’ Truck of the Year.

The third generation of the Chevy Silverado ran from 2014 to 2019 and came with 285 horsepower, 355 horsepower, and 420 horsepower engines. This is also when the Silverado got a fancy trim level with the High Country edition all decked out with leather interior and elevated styling throughout.

And that brings us to the fourth and current generation of Chevy Silverado trucks. I’ll give you the full scoop. But first, how does the Silverado fit into the Chevy truck lineup and what are the different trim levels and engine sizes? Here’s a rundown.

Overview of Chevy’s Full Lineup of Trucks

Chevy keeps it simple with their line of trucks with just two models: the mid-size Chevy Colorado and the full-size Chevy Silverado. The Colorado competes against Ford’s Ranger and Toyota’s Tacoma. It’s a solid truck in its own right and comes with a 4-cylinder, 6-cylinder, and Duramax turbodiesel engine. You can also choose the ZR2 model, a totally respectable off-road machine.

After the Colorado comes the full-size Chevy Silverado. The Silverado has been the #2 bestselling vehicle in the United States for years. Guess who comes in first? Yep, Ford. The F-Series Ford trucks have filled the #1 slot for over 40 years and doesn’t look like it’s going to back down any time soon. But that doesn’t mean the Silverado is any less of truck. It’s not. And to prove it, it’s got 9 different trim levels to fit anyone’s needs.

The base trim level of the Silverado is the WT, or Work Truck. It starts at $33,800 and includes push-button start and keyless entry, a CornerStep rear bumper, and 40/20/40 split bench front seats.

After that, comes the Custom Silverado priced at $40,800. The Custom comes standard with an 8-speed, 2.7L Turbo high-output engine and 430 lb-ft of torque, which delivers a max tow-capacity of 7000 pounds.

From there you get progressively more features and technology in each trim level ranging from the Custom Trail Boss, to the LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, ZR2, and finally the luxury trim level of the High Country, which starts at $59,800. The higher-end models have a maximum available tow-capacity of 13,300 pounds, a max available payload of 2,270 pounds, and max available torque of a hefty 460 lb-ft. if you opt for the Duramax turbodiesel engine. Speaking of which, that’s the engine in my test drive vehicle. So, let’s quit jabbering about all these models and get to the main show: the Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss review!

The 2022 Chevy Silverado Trailboss Review

Fans of the Chevy Silverado have been asking for a worthy diesel engine for years. So, when bright red LT Trailboss with the Duramax Turbodiesel engine showed up on my driveway for a test drive, I was excited.

Now, I’m not a diehard diesel guy, but I know there are benefits to these engines like durability, fuel efficiency, and torque. And with this Silverado, a couple things jumped out at me right away. Like, how quiet the truck is. I was also surprised there was no lag in acceleration as I remembered from older diesel trucks I’ve driven. No doubt the immediate acceleration is a result of the powerful turbo system. And with a powerful 460 pound-feet of torque and best-in-class fuel efficiency, the 2022 Chevy Silverado will definitely give Ford and Ram a run for their money. Here’s a quick rundown of specs:

2022 Chevy Silverado LT Turbodiesel Trailboss Specs:

POWERTRAIN:

277 horsepower 3.0L Duramax Turbodiesel I6 engine with a 10-speed automatic transmission and 460 lb-ft of torque for a tow-capacity of a massive 13,300 pounds (almost 4,000 pounds more than the 2021 models)

PERFORMANCE:

Zero to 60 mph: 7 seconds (not bad for a 5,121 pound vehicle)

EPA FUEL ECONOMY:

Combined/City/Highway: 20/21/23 (diesel)

Fuel Tank Capacity: 24 gallon

Average Range: 504 miles

BASE PRICE:

$52,000 with standard engine

$54,590 with Duramax Turbodiesel engine

When I review a car or truck I rate it on 5 Ultimate Dad Car Factors: Comfort, Safety, Reliability, Environmental Friendliness, and Fun Factor. Each factor is scored on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. Let’s dig in a little deeper to the 2022 Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss review.

Comfort Score = 4

First up in the Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss review is the interior, and it is comfy and roomy. And with its heated, leather seats, this truck was damn near luxurious. The driver enjoys a 10-way adjustable seat, which is probably more adjustability than anyone needs. But it’s there, so have at it. If you can get your kids to sit still in the back seat, they’ll enjoy 43.4 inches of leg room. And a power sunroof and power sliding rear window make the whole cabin feel even roomier.

The truck bed has plenty of room for storing gear and equipment. The standard short bed is just shy of 70 inches long and just over 71 inches wide.

The Silverado LT Trailboss has a high-tech looking dashboard and infotainment system with a Google built-in 13.4 inch color touchscreen. It syncs up seamlessly with most phones, which is a bonus. There are plenty of USB ports throughout and it’s got a push button start and remote start function as well.

If it wasn’t a full-size pickup, you might forget you’re sitting in a truck when you close the doors. And for all those reasons, I give the 2022 Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss a Comfort Score of 4 out of 5. About as good as it gets for a truck.

Safety Score = 4

Chevrolet rates pretty high in most safety ratings. In this case, the 2022 Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss gets an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The driver’s side gets 5 stars and the passenger side gets 4 stars in the frontal crash rating. It gets 5 stars in the side crash rating. And it even gets 4 stars in the rollover rating. Add six airbags strategically placed throughout the interior and you’ve got a pretty safe truck on your hands.

The only drawback I could find was that the child restraint latches were a little difficult to access. This was confirmed by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, who gave the Silverado a “marginal” rating for latch ease of use.

The 2022 Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss still scores well in the Safety department, so I give it a 4 out of 5.

Reliability Score = 5

J.D. Power & Associates give the 2022 Chevy Silverado a reliability score of 85 out of 100. That puts it in the #1 spot for reliability tied with the GMC Sierra 1500 for large, light duty trucks. The Silverado beats out the Ford F-Series by just a couple of points and the Ram 1500 by 4 points. They’re all close, but the Silverado still wins.

The Silverado’s score is an average of several factors in which it scored well. It received an 87 out of 100 for quality and reliability. A 78 out of 100 for driving experience. An 87 out of 100 for resale value. And finally, it got an 86 out of 100 for the dealer experience.

For the Ultimate Dad Car rating, I have to give the 2022 Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss a Reliability Score of 5 out of 5.

Environment Score = 2

Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking. “Environmental friendliness” and “Diesel truck” don’t exactly go together. And that doesn’t bother most people who buy these things. But I’m still going to share the stats.

The 2022 Chevy Silverado gets an okay gas mileage of 21 miles per gallon on average with diesel. Chevy estimates that will cost you an extra $500 a year in gas costs compared to the average new car on the market. The diesel Silverado scores a 4 out of 10 for greenhouse gas emissions and a 3 out of 10 smog rating.

Not great, but hey, you already knew that. For the 2022 Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss review, I give it an Environmental Friendliness score of 2 out of 5.

Fun Factor Score = 3

And that brings us to the Fun Factor. For a vehicle to score high in the Ultimate Dad Car Search, it’s got to be comfortable enough to carry your whole family and all their stuff. No doubt the Chevy Silverado does that. But it’s also got to be fun to drive. And the Silverado checks that box as well.

Thanks to the turbodiesel engine, it’s got pretty good acceleration. And with ground clearance of 10.88 inches in both the front and back, and grippy 4-wheel drive, the Silverado is a lot of fun to drive off-road.

I scored the 2022 Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss a very solid 3 out of 5.

Ultimate Dad Car Search Total Score = 18 out of 25

The Chevy Silverado has a lot going for it. It’s also got a lot of competition. Ram Trucks have been trading places with the Silverado as the #2 bestselling truck for years, and they’re not backing down. Ford continues to hold the top spot among consumer ratings, but even they’re not perfect. This new 4^th generation of Silverado is the most impressive we’ve seen so far, and I get the feeling that Chevrolet is just getting started.

Chevy plans to release an electric model of the Silverado in 2024 and it looks like some serious competition for Ford’s F-150 Lightning. The Silverado EV will deliver 664 horsepower, 10,000 pounds of towing capacity, a 400-mile range, and 0-60 acceleration in 4.5 seconds.

Until that day comes, we have the 2022 Chevy Silverado to keep us happy. When I total up all the factors in the Chevy Silverado Diesel Trailboss review, from comfort to safety to fun, this model gets a respectable score of 18 out of 25.

Does that score give it enough to take the title of 2022 Ultimate Dad Car? That remains to be seen. There are still more cars to review this year, so stay tuned.

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Want more car reviews? Take a look at the uber-luxurious 2022 Mercedes AMG GLE 53 Coupe. It packs a punch with 429 horsepower and 0-60 acceleration of a mere 5.2 seconds. See all the photos here: https://wilderdad.com/mercedes-amg-gle-53-coupe-review/