Cars.com Tests Silverado 1500 ZR2 DuraMax Diesel Real-World Fuel Economy

The Silverado 1500 ZR2 models in the Twin Falls Chevrolet inventory are known for their superb off-road capability, where fuel economy is seldom a concern. However, most ZR2 models will also be their owner’s daily drivers, and on-road, the subject of MPG raises its profile. Now that the Duramax turbodiesel is the standard engine on this model, Cars.com was curious about its real-world fuel mileage.

Cars.com is well aware of the ZR2’s capability. As one of their editors stated: “The new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 is an amazingly capable off-road pickup. I most recently drove one off-road through the California desert near Palm Springs and was floored by its combination of comfort, agility and go-anywhere abilities.” Unfortunately, almost everything that enhances the ZR2’s off-road capability, including 33-inch off-road mud-terrain tires, raised height, and heavy-duty hardware, can be detrimental to fuel efficiency.

The exception is the model’s standard 3.0-liter inline Duramax turbodiesel. This engine produces 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft. While the horsepower falls short of the available 6.2-liter V8’s 420 hp, it exceeds the V8’s torque by 35 lb-ft. An EPA estimated fuel economy of the ZR2 with the big V8 is 14/17/15 mpg city/highway/combined. By contrast, a ZR2 with the Duramax has an EPA estimate of 20/22/21. That is about a 40% improvement in mileage over the $1,695 gas V8 option. 

Cars.com was interested in verifying the EPA’s numbers. Their standard fuel economy test consists of a roughly 200-mile loop around Ann Arbor, Michigan. The first fourth of the loop is stop-and-go suburban traffic at speeds below 50 mph. The remaining 75% is steady highway driving with cruise control set to match the posted speed limits of 70-75 mph. The windows are closed, the climate control is set to a comfortable 70 degrees, and the tires are set to the manufacturer’s recommended pressures. Driving is smooth, and hard acceleration and braking are avoided. The ambient temperature for this test was 44 degrees, with calm winds and a clear sky. 

After 46 miles of stop-and-go suburban driving, the trip computer read 25.8 mpg with an average speed of 38, significantly exceeding the EPA city estimate of 20 mpg. The subsequent 162 miles on the highway showed an average of 22.2 mpg with an average speed of 72.7 mph, which is spot on the EPA highway estimate. Handy as trip computers are, the real evidence came from refueling the tank with 9.766 gallons of diesel, which returned a calculated average of 21.3 mpg, just a smidgen over the EPA combined estimate.

In the process, Cars.com found the around-town mpg particularly impressive for a lifted truck on knobby 33-inch Goodyear Territory M/T off-road tires with plenty of non-aerodynamic hardware. Its mileage even beat a 2024 VW GTI on the same suburban street route. They conclude that unless you live in an area where Diesel is hard to find or “ridiculously expensive,” the Duramax diesel is the engine to get on your Silverado 1500 ZR2. Neither of those qualifications pertains to the Twin Falls area, which has about a dozen and a half diesel stations at an average of about $3.20 as of this writing. If you are interested in your own test drive of the ZR2, visit Twin Falls Chevrolet to see what the Silverado 1500 ZR2 is all about.