Chevrolet Silverado Multi-Flex Tailgate: Here It Is
Chevrolet teased it last week, and now it’s here: The Multi-Flex tailgate that will be available on the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado.
In other news, towing capacity is upgraded.
No word on a new interior, though.
The Multi-Flex can be operated via the key fob or two buttons on the tailgate itself, and it offers six configurations/functions. It can hold up to 375 pounds. The six functions are: standard tailgate, load stop (both for the main gate and an inner load stop), bed step, fold-down for longer reach, and work surface. Multi-Flex will be available across the lineup.
Meanwhile, towing capacity for the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is increased to a max of 9,300 lbs with two-wheel drive and the crew-cab short box, which is a 2,500-lb jump. Regular cab long-box 2WD models increase to 9,600 lbs, with the maximum payload going to 2,280 lbs.
The 3.0-liter turbodiesel adds 1,900 lbs of towing capacity across most configurations, with a max of 9,500 lbs for two-wheel drive models. The price for this engine drops by $1,500.
New tech that helps with trailering include a trailer-length indicator that helps the driver determine if other cars are present, a jack-knife alert that is meant to warn drivers before they jack-knife their trailer, a camera that zooms on the cargo bed, a system that helps guide a hitch into place, camera guidelines to help when backing up to a trailer, and a split view of the sides of the trailer while reversing.
Other changes include new standard features (varying by trim) and new options packages, as well as three new exterior colors.
Production begins this month and the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado goes on sale this fall.
[Images: Chevrolet]
Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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GM used to produce quality products now they are interested in gimmicks like this.
That's really clever! But how 'bout you just go back to two body heights -- normal height for normal people, and jacked-up height for the 4x4 poser edition -- instead of the "everyone gets poser height" approach? Then maybe we could get into the bed without steps. I kinda like the European pickup approach: trucks with low load height, a flatbed, and dropsides all the way around. A flip-down ramp you could dolly the ol' washing machine or whatever down would be even cooler, like the old Corvair Rampside. If utility were the issue, we'd all be driving decommisioned U-Haul box vans though.