We have two vehicles, a Jeep JK X and an Xterra X. Traded the Xterra today for a Chevy Silverado 4x4 regular cab. It has full skid plates and locking rear diff. The JK X is great off road. Wondering if the Silverado 4x4 system is similar to the JK, other than IDF suspension. You know, a "real" 4x4. I know its a a bit off topic for our Jeep Forum, but the best off-roaders in the country are here and would like a few opinions. (I did keep the JK), hope my thread doesn't get bumped. Needed a higher towing capacity that the JK offers. Thanks in advance all, just looking for some opinions on the chevy 4x4.

 

I've had a few 4x4 full size PUs including a Chevy in the past.

How able of an offroad vehicle it is compared to a JK depends on the type of terrain you tackle.

I always encountered 3 major challenges:

1. The size of PU's particularly their width requires larger trails if you value your sheet metal

2. You need a lot of lift to fit large tires 35"+ compared to a Jeep which makes them even more challenging to drive in very technical terrain. Lot of them have leaf spring suspensions which are easy to lift.

3. The oversprung rear end looses traction fairly easily unless you put a load in the bed

Out in the open they can work as well as than JK's in some specific situations like deep sloppy mud and very loose sand because of their larger size

It's nice to have booth. You can load all your gear including your couch in the PU and leave it at your base camp when hit the trails in your Jeep.