GMSV’s ‘Trail Boss’ takes aim at Ranger Raptor

Aussie company responsible for fast Holdens has applied its trade to a US pick-up truck offering a new machine with twice the power of conventional utes.

The spiritual successor to Holden’s HSV is ready to deliver its answer to Ford’s Ranger Raptor.

GMSV (General Motors Special Vehicles) says the new Chevrolet Silverado ‘Trail Boss’ stands out from the crowded dual-cab ute segment.

Based on the Silverado 1500 LT, the Trail Boss brings lifted suspension, armour plating, black bumpers and black 18-inch wheels with off-road rubber.

Chevrolet’s Silverado 1500 LT Trail Boss is on sale now.

Many manufacturers offer toughened-up utes.

Cars like the Ranger Raptor, Nissan Navara Warrior and Toyota HiLux Rugged-X bring suspension tweaks, underbody armour and cosmetic changes to some of Australia’s most popular models.

But they also have power figures to match lesser versions powered by the same four-cylinder engines.

The Trail Boss kicks sand in their face with a 6.2-litre V8 sending 313kW and 624Nm to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Chevrolet’s Silverado 1500 LT Trail Boss comes with off-road protection.

The Camaro-sourced V8 brings more than double the power of a dual-cab HiLux, and its 4.2 tonne towing capacity more doubles that of the Ranger Raptor.

Which is fair enough as it costs about twice as much as a regular ute.

On sale now for $106,990 plus on-road costs (about $115,000 drive-away), the big unit is not cheap.

That’s due in part to double handling – it is completely built in left-hand-drive in the US, then converted to right-hand-drive in Victoria before shipping out to showrooms alongside the new Chevrolet Corvette.

Chevrolet’s machine can tow much more than regular models.

Tech includes an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus safety gear such as blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

Jodie Lennon, GMSV’s general manager of marketing, says the “absolute boss of a truck” is on its way to customers now.

Originally published as GMSV’s ‘Trail Boss’ takes aim at Ranger Raptor