Quick Take Review: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss

I had the opportunity to live with a 2024 Silverado 1500 Trail Boss for a week at my home in Portland, Ore. I ended up using the truck like most buyers will, for running around town doing errands and daily driver duty.

This “Red Hot” painted crew-cab, short-bed, 4WD pickup is massive, inside and out. This one has the Turbomax engine backed by an eight-speed auto transmission. With cloth seats and the four-cylinder engine, this very American truck has a window sticker price of $60,555.

While I wasn’t a huge fan of the overall package that the Silverado 1500 Trail Boss had to offer, my 3-year-old absolutely loved the truck and still asks about it today.

2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 Trail Boss Review

Kiddo-Approved

The main reason my kiddo loved this truck is the insanely large amount of room inside. She could literally run around on the near-flat floor in the rear of the truck. She also loved the challenge of climbing in and out herself, using the optional off-road assist steps.

She also loved the big windows and tall, commanding view over the world outside. The fact that I could easily pull up her favorite Lion King and Frozen tunes on my phone and wirelessly stream them over the truck’s stereo through CarPlay also helped a ton.

Big Red American Pickup

Let’s dive right into what I liked about this truck, before getting to the reason it’s probably not the one I’d buy.

A heated steering wheel is always nice. Cloth seats aren’t always nice, but they are quite nice in this case.

The front bench seat offers versatile seating for three and offers heating for the driver and right-seat passenger. The seats are also quite comfortable, even for someone with a slender flame like mine, while some big truck seats are made for much larger Americans.

The infotainment is quite nice all around. The menus are intuitive enough, the response time of the touchscreen is acceptable, and the 13.4-inch screen is bright. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay just works, and is nice to see.

The 12.3-inch driver’s display is a bit busy, but overall clear, bright, and configurable enough.

You get an auto locking rear diff and a proper two-speed transfer case. This truck should perform well off-road and in adverse weather conditions.

The big, chunky Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac Territory mud-terrain tires (275/65R18) on 18-inch gloss black painted aluminum wheels should help with the off-road prowess. They also help this truck look stylish and rugged.

The four-cylinder turbo Turbomax engine offers impressive torque at low rpm and never really leaves you wanting for power. Except, maybe when passing on the highway, carrying a heavy load, or towing — something I wasn’t able to test.

The Trail Boss comes with a tow package and big red tow/recovery hooks standard. It also includes the Z71 Off-Road Package. The package includes a 2-inch lift, Rancho monotube shocks, skid plates, hill descent control, and an HD air filter.

Why the Trail Boss Isn’t for Me

While the big 2024 Silverado 1500 Trail Boss is overall an impressive truck, there were a few things about it that would make me look at other options.

One is the fuel economy. The EPA rates the truck at 16 mpg city, 17 highway, and 17 combined. While not awful, it’s not good, and easily bested by the competition — even with bigger engine options.

Everything about this machine screams that it’s a big truck. The traditional column drive selector is better than dials and buttons in other trucks, but is also quite clunky. It also takes way more effort than it should to engage.

Ride quality over broken asphalt and normal city streets is not very refined. This feels like the big truck that it is, but with “upgraded” Rancho monotube suspension, you’d think it would offer a bit smoother ride.

One of my biggest pet peeves with vehicles is fake design elements. In this case, the hood bulge. The black plastic bumps on the hood are just for style — maybe some aerodynamics — but just add to the poor forward visibility because of the already extremely tall hood/dash. Also, the price feels steep for a truck with cloth seats and a four-banger under the hood.

In Summary: 2024 Silverado Trail Boss Review

The 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 Trail Boss starts at $58,000 plus a $1,995 destination charge — $59,995. My review vehicle had another $1,910 in options (assist steps, bedliner, floor mats). That amounts to $61,905, but then you get a discount for the Turbomax engine for a final MSRP of $60,555 on the truck I tested and that you see here.

Bottom line is that I feel like this is an expensive truck for what you get. Also, the ride quality just isn’t up to modern standards. Chevy offers a wide variety of Silverado versions that are better options, in my opinion, as overall, they are compelling trucks packed with nice features and amenities.