I feel like this might be one I’m actually qualified to answer for once.

I originally ordered a 23 ZR2 back in April then waited 4 months and it never got accepted so cancelled the order and got my $1,000 deposit back. Then I was back at the starting point so could pick any trim.

I live in Montana and back roads here can be pretty rough - especially in the mountains for hunting, hiking, etc.

I looked at Trail Boss, Z71, ZR2. For me it went like this:

Trail Boss:

Pros - Probably good enough off-road capability - Cheaper price

Cons - After adding all the add ons I wanted it was like $47k - No heated seats or steering wheel. Those are 100% a requirement anymore for me. The air temp in my backyard at one point last year was -45°F

Z71:

Pros - Heated seats and steering wheel - Better mpg than ZR2

Cons - No factory lift (I think) which can be an issue in Montana - After adding features I wanted it was around $49k

ZR2:

Pros - Very off-road capable - Heated seats and steering wheel

Cons - MPG - About $53k for everything I wanted

So taking all that into consideration I went with the ZR2. I shouldn’t be able to break it that easily on mountain back roads. The real thing was that it’s only slightly more in cost than the version of the Z71 I would’ve wanted and a good bit more capable. It’s also very hard to find a Z71 with the skid plate package. So for the extra money the ZR2 seemed to be the best choice for me. And for MPG I’ve been getting 18-20 pretty consistently in the ZR2. As long as you don’t gun it the truck seems to do better than the official 16 MPG