The New 2019 Silverado Trail Boss

 The rugged new trim level took center stage in Detroit.
Chevrolet celebrated a century of truck building this week at the Detroit Auto Show with the introduction of the new 2019 Silverado. Even though the bowtie brand had a few 2019 Silverado trims on display, the LT and High Country models played second fiddle to the rugged Trailboss, which came finished in a bright red paint job, gloss black wheels, and a healthy smattering factory off-road features.

The Trailboss was the first new Silverado shown to the public – you may recall Chevy dropping it into Texas Motor Speedway by way of helicopter this past December. But Detroit proved to be far more interesting. Sitting down with Rich Scheer – or more accurately, walking around the exterior of the all-new truck – Chevy’s director of exterior truck design gave some us insight into what makes the Silverado special, specifically the warmed-over Trailboss version.

One of the first things he noted about the Silverado Trailboss, apart from its new styling, was that the take rate should be “quite high” compared to the rest of the range. All told Chevy will sell eight different trim levels of the pickup, but Scheer believes that the Trailboss trim will be one of the most well-received.

Part of that confidence comes by way of its rugged-looking exterior and light off-road treatment. Even Scheer admits that “it’s no Raptor,” but given the price – which he neglected to detail specifically – it “makes more sense,” for buyers to opt for the Silverado rather than some of its more hardcore competitors. For reference, the 2018 Ford Raptor starts at $50,020, while the Ram Rebel can be had for $45,295 – the Silverado Trailboss should be even cheaper than that when it officially goes on sale.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Silverado won’t be capable in its own right. The inclusion of a two-inch off-road lift, a locking rear differential, skid plates, Rancho shocks, 18-inch wheels, and Goodyear Duratrac off-road tires makes it capable enough, while still leaving room for an even more potent version. Already we know that Chevy has plans for a sporty RST model, similar to the Tahoe, but we’ll have to wait and see if the company decides to take the fight to the Ford Raptor directly.

BY: Jeff Perez, Editor

Article found at: https://www.motor1.com/news/227485/chevy-silverado-trailboss-detroit-interview/