Chevrolet Updates 2022 Silverado Pickup With New Interior, Capabilities
When the redesigned 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 debuted, we were mightily impressed with the capability and durability of those workhorses, but the one area the company apparently let slide was the interior. It barely looked any newer, material quality was a step behind competitors and the design was yawn worthy. Compared against the 2019 Ram 1500, with its legit luxury-vehicle digs, the verdict was sealed: GM missed an opportunity in not spending some money on better cabins. The complaints were loud and long, and apparently they’ve been heard because for the 2022 model year, Chevrolet has unveiled a revised Silverado 1500 that features a new, more premium interior, as well as a host of other smaller improvements, refinements and technological additions — all meant to keep the popular pickups sailing off dealer lots. In addition, Chevy unveiled a first-ever 2022 Silverado ZR2, its most capable off-road full-size pickup ever, which you can read all about on Cars.com’s network site, PickupTrucks.com.
Related: Chevrolet Introduces First-Ever Off-Road Silverado ZR2
New Style, Inside and Out
The automaker updated the Silverado’s front end with a new, wider, more planted look that seems to emphasize the truck’s width. New, lower headlights have been fitted, as has a new grille. New daytime running lights have been included with animated “walk-up” and “walk-away” functions (special blinking) along with swiping turn signals (on select trims). Three new colors are also available for 2022: Dark Ash, Sand Dune and a vibrant blue called Glacier Blue Metallic. This all keeps the look fresh and funky in the wake of the redesigned 2021 F-150 that’s hit dealer lots, but what might truly help the Silverado boost some competitiveness is the new interior.
All trims from LT on up get a new interior (the lower-priced, fleet-oriented Work Truck and Custom trims remain untouched), a welcome change from the sad cabin the truck has featured for the last few years. The new, modern look incorporates a more horizontal sweep to the dash, meant to emphasize a wider, lower orientation for improved visibility and spaciousness. A massive standard 13.4-inch horizontal touchscreen featuring Google Assistant is incorporated into the design, as is a standard highly configurable 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster behind the steering wheel. The new center console has an electronic shifter in models that feature bucket seats instead of a bench. The revised High Country luxury trim will feature unique touches like leather seating surfaces with perforation; real open-pore wood trim on the console, glove box and doors; stainless-steel speaker grilles with a Bose premium audio system; and two exclusive interior color choices: Jet Black and Nightshift Blue.
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New Tech for 2022
The big news for the ‘22’s technology is the introduction of the Super Cruise semi-autonomous hands-free system, which will be available only on the top High Country trim level. It will be available with the latest automatic lane change and lane change on-demand functions, and later in its introduction, it will be available with trailering capability as well, which deactivates the automatic lane changing functions, however. The Super Cruise system is a true hands-free technology that monitors the driver to make sure they are paying sufficient attention to driving tasks, or else a series of warnings will be enacted, followed by the eventual discontinuation of the function if the driver does not respond. The system works on nearly 200,000 miles of specifically mapped roads throughout the United States and Canada, and is continually updated as various local driving conditions change due to construction, road repair or other situations.
Chevy Safety Assist, a new suite of six standard safety features, will be standard on all ‘22 Silverados. This comprises forward collision alert, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian detection, following distance indicator and automatic high beams.
More From Cars.com and PickupTrucks.com:
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Big Boosts to the Boosted Engines
Most of the powertrains carry over unchanged, with one notable exception: the standard turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine gets a massive 20% boost to its torque rating, with Chevy estimating a new output of 420 pounds-feet of torque. For reference, that engine used to make 348 pounds-feet of torque, so this new output should provide for a significant jump in performance — the new engine gives the ‘22 Silverado the most standard torque of any full-size pickup on the market, even those who feature a standard V-8 engine like the Nissan Titan (413 pounds-feet) or Toyota Tundra (401 pounds-feet). Chevy engineers gave it a more rigid cylinder block casting with a 30% stiffer crankshaft, and retuned how it talks to the eight-speed transmission. The result is a considerable change to the mid-range torque curve that’s unchanged at lower and higher rpm, but spiking considerably in the middle, resulting in an unspecified improvement of 0-60 mph times.
The other big capability news comes with the turbo-diesel 3.0-liter Duramax six-cylinder engine, which gets a massive boost to its maximum towing capacity because it can now be paired with the max tow package. Changes to the rear springs, a larger rear axle with a 3.73 gear ratio and improved powertrain cooling enhancements have enabled Chevy to up the rating by 4,000 pounds to 13,300 pounds in two-wheel drive configuration.
On Sale … Next Year?
Chevy hasn’t announced any pricing yet for the ‘22 Silverado 1500, which will come closer to the truck’s on-sale date that itself is rather late for a 2022 model: spring of next year. Whether this is a factor of the ongoing pandemic-related production problems automakers are having across the board or just Chevy having a late production schedule, it means the ‘21 Silverado may continue into 2022 for a while.
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