Review: The 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss Is Large And In Charge
Need a lift? Apparently a lot of you do.
Roughly 20 percent of Chevrolet Silverado 1500 buyers have been ordering their trucks with the Trail Boss package that brings a two-inch suspension lift to the full-size pickup. Some do it for style, others for the capability. It delivers both ways.
The Trail Boss is an extension of the popular Z51 off-road package and optional on the Silverado Crew Cab’s Custom and LT trims with either the short or long bed. Chevy builds the Silverado in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and the Mexican-built Custom that I tested had a starting price of $53,695, while the dressier LT checks in at $59,845.
The package increases the ground clearance to 10.9 inches, adds Rancho monotube shocks designed to hold up to a full day on rough roads, steel bumpers, additional underbody protection, an automatic locking rear differential, hill descent control, a power tailgate and hitch guidance on the rearview camera. Don’t forget those sweet Trail Boss decals on the bed sides.
Eighteen-inch wheels with Goodyear Duratec mud terrain tires are standard, but my test truck was equipped with the optional 20-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Dueler rubber. It also had the Custom’s go-to 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which is rated at 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque and is being renamed the TurboMax, which seems appropriate.
It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, while the step-up 5.3-liter V8 and 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder turbodiesel each have 10 gears in the box. All feature a four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case and full-time all-wheel-drive setting.
The Custom sits one slot above the entry-level WT (work truck) in the Silverado hierarchy and comes with a split front bench seat and cloth upholstery, along with the Silverado’s basic dashboard that it launched with in 2019 instead of the new dual digital display layout the LT has.
It’s not fancy, but it’s functional. There is a full set of analog gauges in the instrument cluster and an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system display, which has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.
The front center seat is about as comfortable for adults as a camping toilet, however, and you have to fold the back of it down to use as an armrest if you want cupholders. The rear bench doesn’t get either of those, so hold on to your drinks … and your hats.
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The 2.7-liter has plenty of punch and delivers it with refinement and a touch of turbo whistle. It’s more than enough motor for the truck when unladen, but it’s rated to tow 9,000 pounds or carry a payload of 2020 pounds.
The other engines can’t haul much more and the 2.7-liter gets 17 mpg combined with the 18-inch wheels and 19 mpg with the 20-inch wheels, which slots it in the middle of the trio’s efficiency.
Unless you really need the rumble of a V8 or the long-haul towing attributes of a diesel, the 2.7-liter feels very right. Although it doesn’t apply to the 2023 model, Chevy is upping its warranty coverage from 60,000 miles to 100,000 miles for the 2024 truck. No changes have been made to the motor, it just re-certified it, so Chevy’s confidence in it also applies to the current one.
As for the showcase suspension, it’s as good as it makes the truck look, if you’re into that sort of thing. It cradles the body nicely over bumps and takes the rough edge off the ride on pavement, as many off-road packages do.
Unfortunately, while automatic emergency braking is standard, The Custom Trail Boss does without other driver aids like parking sensors and a blind spot monitoring system. You’ll find a small wide angle mirror on the driver’s side to handle the latter instead.
The rear e-locker and open front differential may explain why it is the Trail Boss and not the Rock Boss, but Chevy probably needs an excuse to sell the more extreme Silverado 1500 ZR2, which has a far more advanced suspension and drivetrain. Still, it’s good for a day on the fire roads and is a lot of fun to play with in the dirt.
Of course, a lot of the ones I see don’t often look dirty, but they do look stand out.
2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss
Base price: $53,695
Type: Four-door, all-wheel-drive pickup
Engine: 2.7-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder
Power: 310 hp, 430 lb-ft
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Efficiency: 19 mpg combined
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