2027 Silverado Trail Boss First Look: Bigger Tires, a Better Cabin, and Goodbye LT
The year 2027 is shaping up to be huge for Chevrolet, because it is launching an all-new light-duty Silverado. At the State Fair of Texas, I spent time poking around the 2027 Silverado Trail Boss, one of the most popular ways to get an off-road look without stepping up to the ZR2.
The Trail Boss now wears standard 34-inch tires, offers two new engine choices, and gets a far nicer cabin. It starts at $61,200, or $63,995 with destination, according to our 2027 Silverado pricing breakdown. I have not driven it yet, so think of this as a detailed walkaround.
New V8s Headline the 2027 Silverado Trail Boss
The big news for 2027 is under the hood. Two engines essentially carry over, and two are brand new. First, the base 2.7-liter TurboMax gets a new turbocharger and now makes 350 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque. The truck on display had my favorite, the 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six. It makes 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft, although you have to factor in the cost of diesel fuel.
Meanwhile, General Motors invested $888 million to build two clean-sheet V8s: a 5.7-liter and a 6.6-liter. Surprisingly, the smaller 5.7-liter is the towing king. When I asked Chevrolet about that, the answer was simple. The 6.6-liter suits premium off-road and luxury trucks, while the 5.7-liter is the workhorse. If you want the maximum tow rating of about 13,700 pounds, you want the 5.7-liter. You can see how each engine lines up in our 2027 Silverado engines by trim guide.
Why GM Calls the 5.7-Liter V8 Its Workhorse
I also talked with Scott Garber of GM about the new V8s. He called the 5.7-liter “our workhorse” and said GM expects it to outsell the 6.6-liter by a wide margin. It makes 402 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque, and Garber said engineers squeezed out every bit they could. That explains the oddly specific 428.
The 6.6-liter, with 481 horsepower and 501 lb-ft, targets the ZR2 and High Country buyers who want no compromise in performance. However, Chevy does not offer it on the Trail Boss, so the 5.7-liter is the V8 to get here. Both engines also ditch the dipstick for an electronic oil level sensor that shows your oil level on screen in real time.
Finally, GM gave these engines a nod to history by stamping “350” on the 5.7-liter block and “400” on the 6.6-liter. When I asked Garber what he is most proud of, he said, “The torque.” As a Camaro guy, that 350 speaks to me. We covered both engines in more detail in our 2027 Silverado ZR2 first look.
The LT Name Is Gone, but the Trail Boss Looks Tougher
One notable change is that the LT nomenclature is gone across the Silverado lineup. So the former LT Trail Boss is now simply the Trail Boss, the higher of two Trail Boss trims. The Custom Trail Boss gets essentially the same face but without the big Chevrolet block lettering.
That lettering sits on a unique black hood applique, much like past generations. Duramax badging also runs along the side of the hood, so everyone knows what is under there. Up front, you get an updated version of the lighting signature Chevy has used since the 2019 update, plus red tow hooks. Of course, no off-road truck is complete without them.
I also did a quick tap test on the front end. The center section is metal, but the outer pieces are plastic. That is a reminder that this is not the full ZR2, but it is still quite capable. Better yet, the Trail Boss now gets underbody cameras, a feature you previously had to step up to the ZR2 to get.
Standard 34-Inch Tires Finally Arrive on the 2027 Silverado Trail Boss
Another big update is that 34-inch tires now come standard on the 2027 Silverado Trail Boss. Competitors have been rubbing that in Chevy’s face for a while. Our truck wore 285/70R18 Goodyear Wrangler tires on an aggressively styled wheel, and I think the look works perfectly.
From the side, the profile is familiar, although the round wheel arches are gone in favor of a more squared-off shape. However, one change bugs me. The Silverado badge moved from the front fender to the door. It is not a big deal on the Trail Boss, but it looks a little obnoxious on other trims, especially with that flat fender panel sitting empty.
The Trail Boss gets gloss black mirror caps and door handles, plus lock and unlock buttons on all four doors. Out back, I love the new Trail Boss badge. Instead of a flat sticker, it is three-dimensional, so you will need a heat gun and floss if you want it gone.
The Multi-Flex Tailgate Gets Smarter
The Multi-Flex tailgate returns with some useful updates. New D-rings on top carry a 250-pound rating each, and revised buttons clearly show which one opens the full tailgate and which drops the inner gate. There are also measurement tick marks inside, but they are too big for woodwork. Instead, they are better for telling fish stories.
The load stop keeps cargo from sliding out, and it also becomes a step that feels wider than before. You also get a spray-in bedliner, a bowtie on the bulkhead, built-in lighting, and plenty of tie-down points. Around back, the Trail Boss adds a blacked-out bowtie, blacked-out badging, and a black bumper. Better yet, it gets real, square-ish quad exhaust outlets, so the fake exhaust tips are gone.
A Major Step Up in Materials Inside
The 2027 Silverado Trail Boss is the most upscale of Chevy’s mainstream trucks, and it shows. The cabin mixes several textures, materials, and colors. The door panels use flat black trim instead of the gloss black found in pricier trucks, and I prefer it. You also get memory seats, a traditional door handle, and express windows with very small switches.
Leather is gone across the entire lineup, as we explained in our story on why the 2027 Silverado and Sierra have no leather seats. Here, the seats mix cloth and Evotex with contrasting piping and fun red seat belts. It is not as soft as the premium Evotex in the ZR2, and it lacks graining, so it will not pass for leather. Still, the heated and ventilated seats look sharp.
Up front, there is also a power tilt and telescoping steering wheel. Unfortunately, gloss black creeps into the center console, where I expect it to collect dust and scratches. I would probably add a decal to protect it.
Screens, Storage, and Super Cruise
Every 2027 Silverado, including the Work Truck, gets the same large screens. The new interface drops the old blue theme for a clean, high-contrast black-and-white design. Think of when Apple cleaned up iOS. The gauge cluster also keeps key information, like temperatures, fixed along the bottom. However, the headlight controls moved to the screen, so let me know in the comments what you think.
Thankfully, dual-zone climate control keeps physical controls. You also get buttons for the two-speed transfer case, trailer brake, and drive modes. I am most excited about the two magnetic Qi2 wireless chargers, which should charge much faster. Because the shifter moved off the console, a flat workspace folds out on every truck. The console also has two USB ports, a household-style outlet, and a pass-through big enough to hide a laptop.
Lower trims keep a secondary glove box instead of a passenger screen, and I like it. In addition, Super Cruise is now available on the Trail Boss. There is also a head-up display, cloth trim on the dash, and the first panoramic glass roof on a GM pickup.
The Back Seat Is Roomy and Family Friendly
Thanks to the keyless buttons on the rear doors, you can unlock the back first and get a kid settled in. The new key looks similar to the Corvette’s, and a double press starts the truck remotely. There is plenty of door storage, but the premium pop-out seatback storage is gone.
On the plus side, the seat bottoms lift one-handed with no latches, revealing underfloor storage. The floor is mostly flat, except for GM’s familiar transmission hump. For car seats, the outboard seats have exposed lower LATCH anchors, and top tethers are easy to find. A B-pillar grab handle helps you climb into this lifted truck.
Rear passengers also get heated outboard seats, air vents, two USB ports, and additional power. The 60/40 seat folds up, and the armrest has two cupholders plus a milk carton holder. Even with the panoramic roof, I had plenty of headroom, and the theater-style seating let me see over the front seats.
Is the 2027 Silverado Trail Boss the Sweet Spot?
Overall, I am very pleased with this interior, and this is not even Chevy’s most premium truck. The 2027 Silverado Trail Boss pairs standard 34-inch tires and underbody cameras with a smarter tailgate, Super Cruise availability, and a huge upgrade in materials. My only real gripes are the badge placement and too much gloss black.
It will be interesting to see how it stacks up against GMC’s version, which we covered in our 2027 GMC Sierra AT4 first look. You can also check out Chevrolet’s full next-generation Silverado announcement. Until I get behind the wheel, tell me in the comments whether the Trail Boss is the trim for you. And subscribe to the GT: Garage Talk® newsletter for the latest automotive news every week.