What happens when one of the top automakers won’t build a truck to compete with the Ford Raptor high-performance vehicles? PaxPower steps in and does it for them.
The Chevy Jackal is a Silverado upgraded with PaxPower’s aftermarket kits because Chevy hesitated before putting their own high-power off-road truck up for sale.
About the Chevy “Jackal” vs. Ford Raptor
I’m amazed at Chevrolet’s reluctance to compete with the Ford Raptor. Chevy usually stays in lockstep with Ford and seems eager to introduce vehicles meant to be the Chevy version of whatever Ford releases.
The introduction of the Ford F-150 Raptor seemed to have put Chevy off. So finally, they’ve redesigned the Silverado in the 2022 Silverado ZR2 as an off-road truck with a high-output engine that delivers 20% more torque.
The ZR2 is supposed to be a Raptor killer, and the price is close enough that Chevy fans won’t be driven away by the cost. But why did Chevy wait a decade to build their own version to compete with the Ford Raptor and the Ram TRX?
PaxPower didn’t wait and turned the Silverado into the Jackal, a true competitor when stacked up against these trucks. The Jackal competes with the Raptor and TRX, but it’s not an official Chevy competitor.
About the Chevy “Jackal” and PaxPower
Other companies created aftermarket kits to turn the Silverado into a high-powered off-road truck, but PaxPower’s Chevy Jackal is one of the best.
PaxPower is a name many Ford fans recognize because of their Ford builds. They offer aftermarket enhancements for the Ford Raptor, which is already a tricked-out truck.
They’re known for their V8 Raptor conversions of 2015-2020 F-150s that include extending steering links, axles, and brake lines, as well as bump-stops and sway bar end links. They sell upgrades that take any F150 to a V8 Raptor suspension and body.
In 2019, PaxPower turned its attention to the Chevy Silverado and created three stages of upgrades to transform it into the Chevy Jackal. All stages increase the horsepower of the V8 engine to at least 442 hp, though it can go as high as 650 hp. They also add another 15 ft per pound of torque to 475.
Stage 1
The enhancements in this stage include King coilovers, 2-inch wider fender flares, a custom hood, and rear shocks with reservoirs.
In addition, a fabricated box design in the rear increases wheel travel, and it has new control arms in the front. The Stage 1 enhancements cost $14,950 over the base price.
Stage 2
The 6-inch wider track width and 3.5-inch wider fenders increase the flares and enhancements from stage 1.
The 2.5-inch King coilovers are the base for the suspension, and a BajaKits shackle kit provides a longer travel suspension. This stage costs $24.950 over the truck’s base price.
Stage 3
This stage brings King 3.0 shocks, fabricated bumpers, custom rear springs, and 37-inch tires to compete with the Ford Raptor and offer more ground clearance. A stage 3 Silverado conversion cost is $34,950 over the base price.
The entire stage 3 kit provides about six extra inches of the truck body, and the rear leaf springs give the truck another two inches or so of lift.
A fully converted Chevy Jackal accelerates as fast as the Ford Raptor, going from 0 to 60 mph in less than six seconds, and competes in every other way imaginable. The cost for a stage 3 conversion brings the price of a Chevy Jackal to about $85,000. A Ford Raptor starts at about $65,000.
PaxPower boasts about the all-American engine in the Jackal, and I agree that the Raptor’s V6 engine won’t ever sound like Chevy’s V8, but the V8 lacks the EcoBoost in the Ford truck.
Ordering a Chevy Jackal – A Better Deal Than the Raptor or Silverado ZR2?
The Silverado ZR2, Chevy’s official answer to the Ford Raptor, starts just under $67,000 with the destination freight charge included. The trucks will go on sale in spring 2022, and unless the price changes, the cost for the Silverado ZR2 will be about $1,000 more than the Ford Raptor.
It seems like Chevy is introducing their Raptor-killer and answering the Chevy Jackal right before Ford releases a new version of their Raptor in 2022. The Raptor R is a more powerful Raptor designed to compete with the Ram TRX by going above its 700 horsepower and providing 750 hp.
The Raptor R will start at about $75,000, leaving a tiny gap between its cost and the complete Jackal conversion that tops out at about $85,000.
Why Did Chevy Wait?
The more I learn about the Chevy “Jackal,” the more I wonder why Chevy didn’t introduce their official version earlier and why their answer to the Raptor is necessary when the aftermarket Jackal conversion fits the bill so well.
Buyers can already order their Silverado through a dealership and handle financing for the Jackal conversion then and there. The modification doesn’t even void the Silverado’s powertrain warranty. Even after its conversion to a wide-body off-road truck, the truck’s factory warranty is intact.
The push toward electric vehicles and away from wide-body, diesel, and power-hungry trucks might play a part in why it took Chevy so long to prepare to release the Silverado ZR2.
The only thing I know for sure is that the 2023 Silverado is supposed to be better than the 2022 version, with a higher price tag and a more powerful engine.
I doubt the new ZR2 will make anybody forget about the Chevy Jackal, especially when the cost is so similar. And the Chevy Jackal is a gorgeous machine with a custom wide-body, blacked-out chrome, custom Jackal decals, flared fenders, custom bumpers, and your trim of choice when you order the Chevy Jackal.
I’d like to see the Jackal and the upcoming 2023 Silverado go head to head in the performance department, but as far as appearance, it’s hard to beat the wide, smooth lines and sharp look of the Chevy Jackal.
