Special Edition 2020 Chevrolet Silverados Land in Texas
As this week marks the kickoff of the State Fair of Texas, we’ve had plenty of special edition trucks to cover. Texans buy pickups in quantities other portions of the country could only dream of, so manufacturers typically have something set aside to debut at the festival. We’ve already seen Nissan’s revised Titan, Ford’s new Super Duty, and a couple of blacked-out pickups from Ram.
Chevrolet brought a pair of Silverados this year, focusing similarly on black accenting with its Midnight and Rally Editions. While derivative, we can’t really accuse Fiat Chrysler of aping General Motors or vice versa. The blacked-out trend is everywhere, and pretty much everyone has been taking whacks at it for years.
The goal, according to Chevy, is to deliver pickups that looked heavily customized straight from the factory.
“Customer choice is a competitive advantage for Chevrolet, because no two truck drivers are alike,” Mark Sobczynski, Silverado’s marketing manager, said in a statement. “Whether it’s the sinister Midnight Edition or a sporty Rally Edition – special editions offer our customers a custom look direct from the factory that fits their unique personality.”
While the Silverado Midnight Edition is primarily concerned with seeing how much black trim can be placed on the outside of a vehicle, there are some performance features baked in. Building on the LT Trail Boss and Custom Trail Boss, the package incorporates a 2-inch suspension lift kit and Z71 Off-Road Package. Customers get skid plates, Rancho monotube shocks, an automatic locking rear differential, 18-inch wheels (black, obviously), and Goodyear DuraTrac tires.
Visually, it’s very similar to the Ram 1500 Limited Black Edition — adding pitch-colored grille pieces, badging, side steps, headlamp bezels, bumpers, and exhaust tips. However, you do get a splash of color with the red tow hooks Chevy opted for.
Custom Trail Boss Midnight Editions are available with either a 5.3-liter V8 engine with six-speed automatic transmission or a 6.2-liter V8 with 10-speed automatic transmission. LT Trail Boss Midnight Editions are only available with the latter motor’s 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque.
Meanwhile, the Silverado Rally Edition will be offered via Custom and RST trims. Unlike the Midnight Edition, customers have more color options (black, red, silver, and white) and get a couple of stripes down the hood and tailgate. Other visual enhancements include black badging, black steps, black exhaust tips, body-colored grille and some bolt Chevrolet lettering in the rear.
Custom Rally Editions feature 20-inch wheels (black) and GM’s 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. RST Rally Editions receive 22-inch wheels (still black) with a choice of powertrains: the 2.7-liter, 5.3-liter V8, or that big 6.2-liter with the 10-speed.
Pricing has not yet been announced, though Chevrolet says customers can begin placing orders on 2020 Midnight and Rally Editions next month. Deliveries are slated to commence before year’s end.
[Images: General Motors]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
More by Matt Posky
Comments
Join the conversation
People hate GM trucks too. What a disgrace!
Chevy Silverado & GMC Sierra: Built (mainly) in Mexico (Hecho En Mexico, Si), with nearly 50% foreign parts content (lots of Chinesium Grade parts in these rigs). USA! USA! USA!