Our rendering of how a Chevy competitor for the Ram TRX and Ford Raptor R might look.
What might a ZR2 Meteor look like? We worked with designer Abimelec Arellano to come up with the render you see here.First, we had to think about what a muscled-up ZR2 would need under the skin. For one thing, it'd need more suspension travel; we imagine up to 13 inches in the front and 14 inches in the rear. Up front, that means longer suspension arms. That'd mean widening the body, just as Ford does with the Raptor.
For the rear suspension, Chevrolet could simply go with longer leaf springs and shackles, but we imagine it would match the Raptor with a triangulated four-link rear suspension. Given the type of hauling such a truck is meant to do, we figure Chevrolet would likely follow Ram and Ford with a crew cab and abbreviated bed, with sheetmetal alterations to accommodate the wider rear track.
The secret sauce in all ZR2 models, and largely responsible for their amazing ability to work as both low-speed rock-crawlers and high-speed desert bashers, is the. We wouldn't expect to see any substitutions, though modifications for the truck's heavier weight might be needed. Same for the ZR2's front and rear locking differentials: You rarely need them in the current truck, but they certainly don't hurt anything by their presence.