CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

Overview

The 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is a full-size, four-door Crew Cab pickup sold in New Zealand in two variants: LTZ Premium Tech Pack and ZR2. Both are powered by the same 6.2-litre EcoTec3 V8 petrol engine and 10-speed automatic transmission. Every Silverado 1500 destined for the Australia/New Zealand market is built by General Motors in left-hand drive and then re-engineered to factory-standard right-hand drive by GM Specialty Vehicles (GMSV), whose remanufacturing programme supplies both the Australian and New Zealand markets through GMSV's own New Zealand dealer network. IPAS sources these vehicles new, ex-works Port of Tauranga, New Zealand. LTZ Premium Tech Pack is the all-round luxury-and-towing model, finished with chrome exterior trim and a full technology package as standard. ZR2 is the off-road specialist, riding on a factory lift with Multimatic DSSV dampers and locking front and rear differentials. Note: New Zealand offers the LTZ Premium exclusively in Tech Pack specification — the plain LTZ Premium sold in some other markets is not offered in New Zealand.

Variants

LTZ Premium Tech Pack — 6.2L EcoTec3 V8 petrol, 10-speed automatic, part-time 4x4 with a 2-speed transfer case, automatic rear locking differential, Crew Cab with short bed, seats 5, right-hand drive. Comes standard with the full Technology Pack: Adaptive Cruise Control, Rear View Camera Mirror, Head-Up Display, power tilt/telescoping steering column and Bose Premium Sound System — features that are optional upgrades in some other Silverado 1500 markets but standard fitment on every New Zealand LTZ Premium. ZR2 — 6.2L EcoTec3 V8 petrol, 10-speed automatic, 4x4 with an enhanced 2-speed transfer case, driver-selectable full-locking front and rear differentials, ZR2 Suspension Package with a high-performance factory lift and Multimatic DSSV dampers, Crew Cab with short bed, seats 5, right-hand drive. Both variants are built on the same 5,931 mm Crew Cab platform and share the 6.2L V8 / 10-speed driveline; ZR2 trades the LTZ Premium's chrome-and-leather luxury focus for off-road hardware. New Zealand offers no other Silverado 1500 trim beyond these two.

Engine & Performance

Both Silverado 1500 variants share the 6.2-litre EcoTec3 V8 petrol engine, producing 313 kW (at 5,600 rpm) and 624 Nm of torque (at 4,100 rpm), paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission fitted with an external auxiliary transmission cooler and Dynamic Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) for efficiency. Automatic Stop/Start is standard on both variants. A Dual Active Sport Exhaust with a Sport/Off-Road-enabled mode is fitted across the range. Fuel tank capacity is 91 litres on both variants. LTZ Premium Tech Pack runs a 2-speed transfer case with push-button 2WD HI / 4WD Auto / 4WD HI / 4WD LO control and an automatic rear locking differential, plus the Z71 Off-Road Suspension Tune with Rancho twin-tube shocks. ZR2 upgrades to an enhanced 2-speed transfer case with the same push-button control layout, plus a dedicated Crawl Mode with enhanced traction software, driver-selectable full-locking front AND rear differentials in place of the LTZ's automatic rear locker, and a dedicated ZR2 Off-Road Mode drive setting. See the Off-Road Capability section below for the full ZR2 hardware list. Both variants use a fully boxed frame with a hydroformed, high-strength-steel front section, and 4-wheel antilock disc brakes with a brake pad wear indicator. StabiliTrak electronic stability control with traction control and Hill Descent Control are standard across the range.

Dimensions & Capacities

LTZ Premium Tech Pack (Crew Cab, short bed): overall length 5,931 mm, width 2,086 mm, height 1,930 mm. Front head room 1,092 mm, front leg room 1,130 mm, front shoulder room 1,676 mm. Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) 3,300 kg, tare mass 2,494 kg, maximum payload 748 kg. Front and rear axle maximum capacity 1,724 kg each. Ground clearance (kerb weight): approach angle 21°, breakover angle 20°, departure angle 21°. Cargo box: 1,776 mm floor length, 1,813 mm floor width, 569 mm depth, 1,286 mm between wheel arches, 1,781 litres volume. ZR2: overall length 5,931 mm, width 2,074 mm, height 1,991 mm. GVM 3,505 kg, tare mass 2,523 kg, kerb weight 2,583 kg, maximum payload 922 kg. Front axle maximum capacity 1,724 kg, rear axle maximum capacity 1,866 kg. Ground clearance (kerb weight): approach angle 31.8°, breakover angle 23.4°, departure angle 23.3°, running ground clearance 296 mm — noticeably taller than the LTZ Premium Tech Pack due to the ZR2's factory lift. Cargo box: 1,776 mm floor length, 1,813 mm floor width, 1,286 mm between wheel arches, 1,781 litres volume. Both variants seat up to five in a Crew Cab layout with a Durabed cargo box offering up to 1.7 m of maximum cargo length, 12 standard tie-downs, and a power up/down tailgate.

Exterior Colours

LTZ Premium Tech Pack is available in six exterior colours in New Zealand: Summit White (standard, no additional charge), Sterling Grey Metallic, Black, Iridescent Pearl Tricoat, Radiant Red Tintcoat and Cypress Grey (the latter five carry an additional colour charge). ZR2 is available in five exterior colours in New Zealand: Summit White (standard, no additional charge), Red Hot, Black, White Sands and Cypress Grey (the latter four carry an additional colour charge). Glacier Blue, sometimes shown in Silverado ZR2 marketing imagery, is not available in New Zealand. Colour availability and any additional charges are confirmed at the time of order through the GMSV New Zealand dealer network.

Features & Technology

Standard across both Silverado 1500 variants:

• Chevy Safety Assist: Forward Collision Alert with Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator, and IntelliBeam automatic high-beam assist
• 13.4-inch Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Premium colour touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 12.3-inch configurable digital driver's instrument cluster
• Bose Premium 7-speaker sound system with Richbass woofer
• Keyless open and start, wireless phone charging, Bluetooth connectivity
• Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents
• 10-way power driver and front passenger seats with driver seat memory
• Jet Black leather-appointed seating, 60/40 split-folding rear bench with storage, heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, heated leather steering wheel
• Power windows with driver express-up/down and rear express-down, power sliding rear window, power sunroof
• Power tilt/telescoping steering column
• Up to 14 available camera views including Hitch View, Rear Trailer View and Surround View
• In-Vehicle Trailering App with trailer profiles, Trailer Theft Alert, Automated Trailer Lighting Test
• LED reflector headlamps, LED signature daytime running lamps and LED tail lamps with amber turn signals LTZ Premium Tech Pack adds, as standard, the full Technology Pack: Adaptive Cruise Control (with trailering), Rear View Camera Mirror and Head-Up Display. ZR2 adds Adaptive Cruise Control and Head-Up Display as part of its Intelligent Technology highlight package, alongside its off-road-specific instrumentation.

Towing & Hauling

LTZ Premium Tech Pack: Gross Combined Mass (GCM) 7,160 kg. Maximum unbraked towing capacity 750 kg. Maximum braked towing capacity 3,500 kg using a 50 mm tow ball, or 4,500 kg using an available 70 mm tow ball (towing above 3.5 tonnes requires the 70 mm ball). Maximum tow-ball download 350 kg (50 mm ball) / 422 kg (70 mm ball). ZR2: Gross Combined Mass (GCM) 6,851 kg. Maximum unbraked towing capacity 750 kg. Maximum braked towing capacity 3,500 kg using a 50 mm tow ball, or 4,200 kg using an available 70 mm tow ball. Maximum tow-ball download 350 kg (50 mm ball) / 400 kg (70 mm ball). Both variants include a tow bar (tow ball and tongue not included), a 12-pin wiring harness, an electric trailer brake controller, Trailer Theft Alert, a Gross Combined Mass Alert, and a Rear View Camera with Hitch Guidance and hitch view. Maximum braked towing capacity is subject to regulatory requirements and vehicle weight restrictions, which may require occupants and/or luggage to be limited — refer to the Owner's Manual before towing.

Off-Road Capability — ZR2

Silverado ZR2 is the dedicated off-road variant of the New Zealand Silverado 1500 range, built around a ZR2 Suspension Package with a high-performance, factory-lifted ride height and Multimatic DSSV (Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve) dampers — race-derived shock technology tuned for high-speed rough-road control. Ground clearance (kerb weight) is rated at 296 mm, with a 31.8° approach angle, 23.4° breakover angle and 23.3° departure angle — all greater than the LTZ Premium Tech Pack. Traction hardware includes driver-selectable full-locking front and rear differentials, an enhanced 2-speed transfer case with push-button 2WD HI / 4WD Auto / 4WD HI / 4WD LO control, a dedicated Crawl Mode with enhanced traction software, and a ZR2 Off-Road Mode drive setting. Large underbody aluminium ZR2 skid plates and an off-road-cut front bumper protect the underbody and improve the approach angle on the trail; Hill Descent Control is standard. ZR2 rides on 18-inch high-gloss black aluminium wheels wrapped in 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud-terrain tyres, with a full-size matching spare. Exterior off-road cues include performance-red front frame recovery hooks, black fender flares, a black rear bumper and a hidden dual-outlet exhaust exiting beneath the rear bumper. New Zealand motoring press (including Driven Car Guide and NZ4WD) has tested the Silverado ZR2 as the most off-road-capable model in the Silverado 1500 range sold locally.

Warranty & Service

Every new 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (LTZ Premium Tech Pack and ZR2) sold in New Zealand is covered by the GMSV 5-Year / Unlimited-Kilometre Warranty plus 5 Years of GMSV Ultra Roadside Assistance, effective from the date of first registration in New Zealand. Twelve-volt batteries are covered for 3 years or 100,000 km (whichever comes first), and factory-fitted tyres for 3 years or 100,000 km. Warranty claims and scheduled servicing are handled through the GMSV New Zealand dealer network. Terms and conditions apply; refer to the GMSV New Zealand warranty guide for full coverage and exclusions. Origin: New Zealand, Port of Tauranga.