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Chevy Silverado EV ZR2 Is Ready for Zero-Emission Desert Thrill Ride

Chevy Silverado EV ZR2 Is Ready for Zero-Emission Desert Thrill Ride

Yahoo06-03-2025
Chevrolet is heading to the legendary Mint 400 desert race with the Silverado EV ZR2 race truck.
According to Chevy, this special Silverado EV took five months to develop and uses 98% of production GM parts.
The three-motor Silverado EV ZR2 will throw 1,100 hp at the 37-inch BF Goodrich KM3 tires.
Chevrolet is taking its Silverado EV to Las Vegas to compete in the famed Mint 400 desert race.
Joining Hall Racing's efforts, this Silverado EV ZR2 previews Chevy's off-road-centric Silverado EV Trail Boss that's scheduled to launch in '26. Chevy says this battery-electric Silverado is set to compete in the race's Open Production EV Class.
Chevy says this Silverado EV ZR2 was developed in only five months and uses 98% of GM production parts. Of course, that doesn't mean 98% of those pieces were slated for the Silverado EV's assembly line.
The three-motor, 1,100-hp powertrain, for example, seems to bear some resemblance to the 1,000-hp three-motor system underneath the GMC Hummer EV.
As you'd expect from a desert race rig, the Silverado EV ZR2 sports a suspension lift, and a set of prototype Multimatic Adaptive Spool Valve dampers help control the 37-inch BF Goodrich KM3 tires through 13 inches of suspension travel. This Silverado EV also sports some underbody protection and locking differentials.
The Silverado EV ZR2 is part of Hall Racing's three Chevy lineup and will race alongside an internal-combustion-powered Silverado ZR2 and Colorado ZR2.
While this is the only rig currently slated to run in the Open Production EV Class, there's no question that some of the research and development spent on this Mint 400 racer will eventually trickle back into the Silverado EV program.
This team of Chevy trucks—and every other Mint 400 competitor—is diving into the desert on Saturday, March 8, when the green flags start dropping.
Motorcycles are scheduled to kick off the event, but the Unlimited race is scheduled to start at 10:45 local time. If you want to watch some of the race, you can check out the YouTube live stream, here.
While it's not wearing a ZR2 badge, the folks at Chevy are gearing up to launch a Silverado EV Trail Boss into the truck lineup in 2026. This rugged EV features a set of 18-inch wheels wrapped in 35-inch all-terrain tires, a lifted suspension, and a set of red tow hooks.
Do you think Chevy will build a production version of the Silverado EV ZR2? Tell us your thoughts below.
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Tested: 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe Keeps a Steady Beat
Tested: 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe Keeps a Steady Beat

Car and Driver

timean hour ago

  • Car and Driver

Tested: 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe Keeps a Steady Beat

Chevrolet's Tahoe nameplate turned 30 years old in 2025. It was born as a rebrand of the third-generation K5 Blazer, and the makeover and move upmarket worked: These glossy black rectangles have found homes in military and police departments, business fleets, and family garages. The Tahoe is an institution that serves institutions. And institutions, by dint of their longevity or their size, take their time with changes. Chevy refreshed the 2025 Tahoe with small exterior tweaks, an updated Duramax diesel option, and an interior overhaul bringing the truck into the era of big screens. Yet, the company made all these changes while retaining that inherent Tahoe-ness: square-shouldered good looks, trucklike feel and utility, a base price within reach of the small farmer but enough luxury among top trims to satisfy the agribusiness CEO. view exterior photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver It is another Tahoe trait to focus on the breadwinners. Contrary to our experience with the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer and its superb third row, Chevy clearly put the lion's share of its work into the Tahoe's front row. And up there, what a difference a screen makes. Pairing an 11.0-inch digital instrument cluster with the 17.7-inch center touchscreen makes the cabin look more than a single model year ahead of the 2024 Tahoe. Appointments give off a pleasant sheen. Everything is easy to find and use; designers kept the vital buttons and knobs, while creating a nice division of labor by grouping the four-wheel-drive and trailering controls on the left of the steering wheel. The center tunnel is wide enough for silver service. Slide the console lid back to expose a cubby large enough to smuggle an adolescent capybara. HIGHS: Storage galore, Super Cruise continues to impress, happy to hustle (with the traction off). Some hands might not enjoy a steering wheel thicker than kielbasa, but a simple and elegant button layout on the front and back of the wheel continues the cabin's ergonomic victory. Behind the wheel, a full-featured head-up display puts a big two-tone lump on top of the dashboard. We like the HUD, but we wish it didn't require a bunion. view interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver The High Country trim tends to front seaters with perforated leather seat inserts, real wood trim that could stand to look more real, real leather that could use more padding to improve feel and perception, and a 10-speaker Bose audio setup. One of the perks of pedigree and legacy reverence is that a vehicle can get away with fewer perks. The Tahoe takes advantage of this by placing everyday black plastic below the beltline. Astute design choices obscure the texture change when sitting in the front row—ordering a black interior would be an even better coverup. Our Mocha interior gave away the game every time we opened the doors to get in, as we find black plastic door panels and seat bases staring back at us. (The related and more expensive GMC Yukon matches the hem color to the interior.) The divide is especially stark from the second row when looking at the rear of the center tunnel—the fancy stitched leather ceases just outside the driver's peripheral vision, leaving the second-row center console a tackle box of textured plastic and chrome. It's like seeing that ruthless line on a city street separating the smooth, new blacktop of a nice neighborhood from the 30-year-old tarmac that everyone else is just going to have to live with. view interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver This two-tone split isn't new. It's been a Tahoe feature since Chevy started dressing up the center-console lid around 2010. But our test example cost $93,330, and we haven't finished resetting our expectations when it comes to the new normal of MSRPs. More on that later. There's no second-row bench option on the High Country or Premium trims; buyers have to reach down for that. The second-row captain's chairs are fine but flat from top to bottom, and a tad narrow for the full-figured among us. While the levers on each seat make it easy to slide the base or flip the whole thing forward, doing the latter exposes the seat rail, which on our example was still slathered in grease. That's a great way to muck up a pair of shoes. Ask us how we know. view interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Today's third rows are meant to provide sufficient room for adults, and the Tahoe's wayback fulfills the brief with head- and kneeroom for American statures. Everything else boils down to amenities, and boy, we wish there were more of them. There's no sunroof back here, and interior light falls off quickly after the second row. No middle-position headrest, either. And then there's the third-row bench, which seems to have been designed to some ambitious geometric-dimensioning-and-tolerancing target for flatness. A moderate amount of padding keeps the bench comfy enough for the trips it will serve, but the experience is more of sitting on a seat rather than in it. And despite the booster-chair feeling, the seat height left us staring at the backs of the second-row headrests. view interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver When that breadwinner needs to get cargo from point A to point B, the Tahoe drives with the poise of an SUV that's sure of what it is and what it has. Chevy didn't totally tune out a ride reminiscent of truck-frame donors; the Tahoe's driver's seat is a repository of modern pickup sensations like ample hood rise during hard acceleration and a relaxed take on body roll. That's no insult, as modern pickups are able to compete with any mainstream segment on power, cabin appeal, and long-haul comfort, while beating those cohorts on utility. LOWS: Black plastic south of the equator regardless of interior color, ever-dearer price, austere third row. The 6.2-liter V-8 is a naturally aspirated holdout in a world of turbocharged sixes, using frequent shifts from GM's seriously smooth 10-speed automatic to make up for a lack of turbine and compressor. The V-8's 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet whoosh 5994 pounds of American icon to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. The Tahoe's 50-to-70-mph passing sprint takes 4.1 seconds, putting it behind turbo-six competitors from Jeep and Ford. view interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Our biggest powertrain gripe is a bafflingly restrictive default traction-control setting. Trying to grab some joy on a snaking back road brings frequent and severe interventions. It's such an odd choice for Chevy to make, because once freed from said chaperone by shifting the two-speed transfer case into low-range, the Tahoe's Bridgestone Alenza Sport all-season tires (measuring 275/50R-22 at all corners) manage a respectable 0.74 g of lateral grip. With buttoned-down steering, brakes stout enough to get from 70 mph to zero in 179 feet, and GM's latest magnetorheological suspension wizardry, the Tahoe makes a hunky-dory choice for the scenic route. GM's Super Cruise? The bee's knees, and it keeps getting better with time. After spending time with this system alongside Ford's BlueCruise and Nissan's ProPilot Assist 2.1, this is the hands-free driver assist we like the most. view exterior photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver So, back to that price. The 2025 Tahoe starts at just over $61,195 in base the rear-wheel-drive LS trim, but our top-shelf High Country trim clocks in at $83,895 before options. Stuffed with fixings, ours rang a three-alarm bell at $93,330. A glance at our list of best luxury three-row SUVs reveals that an Audi SQ7 (second on that list) and a Cadillac Escalade (sixth) start at about the same price as our vehicle as tested, while a Genesis GV80 (first) can be had for over $30,000 less. But despite its sky-high price, a luxury vehicle the Tahoe is not. It may not be on that register, but the Chevy tops our list of full-size three-row haulers, and it's pretty easy to see why. It's sufficiently roomy with loads of storage. It's capable of letting its hair down around some curves. Its up to 8100 pounds of pulling capability will delight folks looking to tow all sorts of things. Its familiar style and solid ergonomics offer all the mod cons and no surprises, and you will never be over- or underdressed when showing up in a Tahoe, compelling enticements to breadwinners who want to buy into an institution. VERDICT: The Chevy Tahoe will probably outlive us all. Specifications Specifications 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country 4WD Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door wagon PRICE Base/As Tested: $83,895/$93,330 Options: High Country Deluxe package (retractable power running boards; panoramic sunroof; adaptive air suspension; Max Trailering package, including two-speed transfer case, smart trailer integration indicator, hitch view, blind-zone steering assist with trailering, hill-descent control, enhanced radiator capacity, and trailer-brake controller), $4835; Super Cruise with three years of OnStar digital services, $2855; Technology and Entertainment package (second-row entertainment system with dual 12.6-inch monitors; Advanced Security package, including self-powered horn, interior movement sensors, door and liftgate lock shield, and AutoSense power liftgate; Enhanced Trailer View, including trailer camera provisions and trailering assist guidelines), $2495; Technology and Entertainment package discount, –$750 ENGINE pushrod 16-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement: 376 in3, 6162 cm3 Power: 420 hp @ 5600 rpm Torque: 460 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink Brakes, F/R: 13.5-in vented disc/13.6-in vented disc Tires: Bridgestone Alenza A/S 02 275/50R-22 111H M+S TPC Spec 3156MS DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 120.9 in Length: 211.3 in Width: 81.0 in Height: 75.6–78.4 in Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 68/59/45 ft3 Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 123/73/26 ft3 Curb Weight: 5994 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 5.8 sec 1/4-Mile: 14.3 sec @ 98 mph 100 mph: 14.9 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.2 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.3 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.1 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 112 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 179 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.74 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 18 mpg 75-mph Highway Driving: 20 mpg 75-mph Highway Range: 480 mi EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 16/14/18 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

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